Fred Astaire, a Fashion Icon

Meanderer

Meanderer

Supreme Member
"Even today, Astaire is considered a style icon. He is often remembered in elegant formal dress, as he wore in the 1935 film Top Hat. In his 1959 autobiography, Astaire admitted his dislike of formal wear, writing, "At the risk of disillusionment, I must admit that I don't like top hats, white ties and tails."

He was fastidious about his wardrobe and had strong ideas about how men should dress. In an extensive GQ interview from August 1957, Astaire detailed his style preferences, including his taste in tie width, shirt cuffs, and tailoring. Most notable is Astaire's preference for using silk handkerchiefs instead of belts! To get the full story on Fred Astaire's personal style, read the interview here."

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Read 1957 Interview

"Of course," he says, "in my business you have to dress for the role. At home, I dress for myself."

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"Handkerchiefs should be flipped out and folded into the pocket with an appearance of casualness, Astaire thinks. He does not like the square or folded style, nor the puff type that he describes "like a range of the Andes." Once, on a TV show, Ed Sullivan came to him and begged him to put his coat kerchief in properly. Astaire obliged. "I think it set a new standard for Ed," he said. "At least he was still wearing it that way when he appeared weeks later on the show.'

"His own preference for wear would be the ageless, conservative suiting, fabric, and color, complemented with shirt and tie each in its own distinctive small pattern or low-keyed color. The Astaire creed of dress is: "Be yourself—but don't be conspicuous."
 

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The movie “Cheek To Cheek” was great. I watched it with my mother when she was alive and I was only seven years old. I enjoyed all the dancing and singing.
 
Meanderer said:
"Even today, Astaire is considered a style icon. He is often remembered in elegant formal dress, as he wore in the 1935 film Top Hat. In his 1959 autobiography, Astaire admitted his dislike of formal wear, writing, "At the risk of disillusionment, I must admit that I don't like top hats, white ties and tails."

He was fastidious about his wardrobe and had strong ideas about how men should dress. In an extensive GQ interview from August 1957, Astaire detailed his style preferences, including his taste in tie width, shirt cuffs, and tailoring. Most notable is Astaire's preference for using silk handkerchiefs instead of belts! To get the full story on Fred Astaire's personal style, read the interview here."

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Astaire was smooth, but I think Kelly is an athlete, in addition to being a great dancer and choreographer, but we all have our favorites. James Cagney was another great hoofer, among many others of that era. Mike
 

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