The brand new Fass of fashion
GENTLEMAN, take note. You might not know of Michael Fassbender, but you will: the Fass-fest will start soon. The chiselled Brit has crept onto the big screen as Magneto in X-Men First Class, the cravatted Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre, and a sex addict in Shame opposite Carey Mulligan, a performance which earned him the best actor prize at Venice film festival. Oh, and he’s analysing dreams as Carl Jung in a Dangerous Method and will be Ridley Scott’s robot in the upcoming alien-esque Prometheus. He’s certainly been productive.
Ladies love him, and men want to be him. Why? “Fassbender is like Al Pacino,” says Robert Johnston, associate editor at GQ. “He has that old school movie star touch. He doesn’t take any risks with his style and he’s right not to.”
E. Tautz designer Patrick Grant agrees: “Fassbender wears a suit with a certain nonchalance. He’s a great advert for dressing well in a modern way.”
Heralding the return of the gentleman with a three-piece suit, Fassbender brings an edge to the classic glamour of a suit. “He hits the look absolutely on the button,” says Johnston. “And three-piece suits have really come back; they’re very practical as we come into winter.”
Take his appearance at the X-Men premiere in May. He wore an unusual light grey double-breasted three-piece suit (pictured right) with a two-button cuff and casually left the button of his waistcoat undone.
“He’s simply taken an English tailoring staple, and translated it into a fashion piece,” says Johnston.
And who knows, follow the Fass, and you may end up with more than you thought.
“He looks perfect boyfriend material,” says Johnston, “because there’s a certain vanity in the way he dresses. He knows he looks good.”
GET THE LOOK | FASSBENDER STYLE
A light grey suit as above would be great at a wedding, but for the day look, invest in a heavier fabric in a charcoal grey. GQ’s Robert Johnston suggests pairing the suit with a crisp white shirt and if wearing one, a block-coloured tie. Of course you can get your suit tailored on Savile Row – somewhere such as Patrick Grant’s Norton & Sons (pictured left) would be just-so for that bespoke suit, but think Armani and Reiss as well. Pair with classic aviators like Ray Ban to complete the moviestar look.