Annual best-dressed lists often make little sense. That's because a whole lot of backroom politicking and planning go into them. So Esquire is once again asking you, dear reader, to decide upon our Best-Dressed Man of the Year. Last week, Benedict Cumberbatch bested Henry Golding. So, it's onto the third of the quarter finals: Tom Hiddleston vs. Jake Gyllenhaal.
Note: voting is now closed
There's a lot to be said for finding your uniform. In a world of uncertainties, there's something reassuring about opening one's wardrobe, pulling out familiar battle armour and knowing that you'll be the best-dressed version of yourself. Which is exactly what Tom Hiddleston and Jake Gyllenhaal do every time they're on the red carpet – albeit in very different ways.
For the former, it's blue. Lots and lots of blue. Which sounds safe, but in an age when tailoring has grown punchier, Hiddleston's appetite for the classic (especially Ralph Lauren Purple Label), is a welcome return to normality. And there's still room for experimentation, such as the 38-year-old's flex on the streets of New York in which he matched every piece of his look in a blanket shade of navy. And you thought blue was boring.
All of that's a far cry from Gyllenhaal, though. For the man on a new trip of reinvention, his uniform is the stuff that works but shouldn't. It never used to, at least. These days, the Velvet Buzzsaw actor opts for classic suits with a not-so-classic filling. Dries Van Noten Sixties sofa prints, for one. Or monochrome, with a kimono-esque shirt. Or a big waffle knit for some texture. Uniforms can enjoy some wriggle room, too.
So, who wins? The man with the uniform we can all wear, or the uniform for the freewheeling, free-thinking art school round the corner? Vote now.
