Annual best-dressed lists often make little sense. That's because a whole lot of backroom politics and planning go into them. So this year, Esquire is asking you to decide the Most Stylish Man Of The Year in a tournament for the ages... Last Style Trial, Chadwick Boseman sailed through to the semi-final. And now to decide our first finalist.
Nobody wanted this. Nobody. Two British stalwarts from schools both old and new, head-to-head in what could be the most important vote since that one in 2016. But alas: such is the way of the random sweepstake generator. As Confucius once said: 'fate can be a real arsehole'.
But arsehole or otherwise, the battle is not to be ignored. For as the final looms, it's a match-up between two titans with an unwavering command of the wardrobe (and an equally unwavering fandom): Tom Hardy and Harry Styles.
Granted, two very different men on the surface. Though look a little closer, and there's a real sartorial likeness between the Dunkirk co-stars.
For Hardy, it's long been about subtle transgressions; the sort that trim down on the rulebook as opposed to total immolation. We saw, for instance, all-white outfit at Comic-Con that didn't make him look like a new age progressive trance hippy in South Goa. Then, it was about multiple accessories on the Venom campaign trail, and graphic T-shirts that still work despite their status as a trend of yesteryear.
That's because Hardy doesn't follow trends. As a man happy to beat to the march of his own very confident drum, this self-assurance lets the 41-year-old dress how he pleases - and dress well in the process.
It's the same quality that lends itself well to Styles, too. Though instead of deregulation, the former Directioneer looks to the frontmen of yore: Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards and so on and so forth. Which means a lot of flares - granted, a bold move - and lots of colour.
This stuff wouldn't work on the everyman. But it does prove the merits of risk-taking. Once in a while, every well-dressed man knows to dress outside his comfort zone. So while we're not exactly suggesting you enlist a sequinned three-piece, there's every reason to try a bold new print.
So, who sails through to the final? Tom Hardy, man wonder and destroyer of norms, or Harry Styles, the young gun that's re-educating his elders. Vote well and vote wise below.
