Dave Franco knows a thing or two about red-carpet style. Especially lately. The actor has been making the rounds promoting The Disaster Artist, the story of the making of the most fantastically terrible movie of all time, The Room, in which he stars alongside his brother (and director) James. Aside from his incredibly well-reviewed performance, the younger Franco has been turning it out in the style sphere, crushing it in bold tailored looks at every event.
So when we got the chance to catch up with the rising style star at the final fitting for his Dior Homme suit the day before the Dior International Guggenheim Gala, we weren't about to miss it. While a tailor nipped and tucked his luxurious double-breasted corduroy suit to perfection, we talked about his style evolution, how he started working with Dior Homme, and that time in high school when he wore, in his words, a "jeans thong."
On working with Dior
They invited me to Paris Fashion Week a few years back, and I think that was the first fashion show of any kind I had ever attended. And it was Dior and it was Paris so it was as good as it gets. I remember watching the show and just being so impressed by the spectacle of it all. And the time and the energy and the creativity that goes into it—all of this being done for a 10 to 15 minute show. So even though it was my first fashion show, I could still recognise that there's a reason why Dior is Dior; it's all about the craftsmanship and the tailoring. It's all perfect. I think at the time I probably only owned one suit, and it definitely wasn't Dior. But I respected them afar, and when they approached me for that event I was very flattered. I don't think I've ever looked better than I did at that event.
On making two bold moves with one suit
Yes: Corduroy and double-breasted. Dior initially suggested a really nice blue suit, but I figured, fuck it, let's try to make more of a statement. This is my first corduroy suit, and weirdly I feel at home in it.
On his red-carpet style
I like to keep it pretty classic and clean. I look at guys like Paul Newman or Steve McQueen who just have a kind of timeless style. All that being said, I like to add just the tiniest pop of something, whether that's a funky shirt or a unique tie or even an interesting detail on the shoe. Just to make the whole outfit feel a little more original.
On his past style mistakes
I'm sure I have many of them. The one that comes to mind: In high school, my favourite pair of jeans was from the Gap. I wore them every day for years, and they had so many holes in them. I literally wore them until they fell off my body. But before I retired them, the back pockets actually fell off the jeans and I continued to wear them, and you could see my baggy boxers through the jeans. I essentially had one strip of jean going down my butt crack. All my friends called it the jeans thong. It was not my best look.
On what he finds exciting in men's fashion right now
Maybe this is just the people that I've been around, but it feels like men have been more into fashion than ever. My friends who used to not care about fashion at all, they now respect fashion as it's own art form—which it is—and they appreciate brands like Dior. One trend that I'm intrigued by but that I could never pull off: the fact that men are wearing track pants everywhere, even on the red carpet. I like the idea of it, but the reality is me just looking like a doof. I guess I just respect any trend that prioritises comfort. For me, comfort is the most important thing. Even if I have a really nice jacket or something, if it doesn't fit exactly right, I just won't wear it.
On his day-to-day style
My style has simplified a lot over the years. I have a handful of nice items that I wear over and over. Most of my outfits in my everyday life are comprised of denim-on-denim. I have a jean jacket that I wear five out of seven days of the week. It's formed perfectly to my body, so it feels like a one-of-a-kind item that fits me better than anyone else on earth. So it's all jeans, and I'm always in search of the perfect white T-shirt. You open my drawers and it's like—I don't know if you remember the cartoon Doug, but when he opened his closet it was just a rack of the same outfit over and over. You open my drawers and it's just 50 white T-shirts, 50 black T-shirts, and three pairs of jeans and my jean jacket.
