GQ: The 50 Most Stylish Men
Malcolm X
After six years in prison, Malcolm X emerged a completely changed man—not least in the way he dressed. Whereas he once ran the streets in a brightly colored zoot suits—the hustler’s uniform—he now wore sober, monochromatic suits with narrow lapels and skinny ties, often topped off by stingy-brimmed fedoras. “As a minister in the Nation of Islam, you had to present yourself in a certain way,” says Ruth E. Carter, the costume designer on Spike Lee’s 1992 bio-pic. For Carter, who tracked down the artisan who made his star-and-crescent ring (“He wanted to show people he was pure in his faith,” she says), Malcolm X’s style was consistent and transparent, a window into the substance of his character and message. “He believed that if you present yourself with respect, then people will respect you—and that’s what he did. He gained the respect of millions.”
• A short-brimmed fedora is heroic and hip. And you might have noticed, they’re also back in style—whether in wool (for the winter) or straw (for the summer).
(via GQ.com)
