Given the abundance of free time afforded by The Great Quarantine – with far too much of it spent on social media – I’ve had the opportunity to track this phenomena in real time. As far as I can tell, it all started with the resurfacing of pictures taken of Ford at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival. He was wearing a navy lightweight sweater, navy short-shorts, and a pair of beat up old boat shoes. The outfit was accented with black aviators, a small gold watch with black leather band, and a promotional pin for E.T. placed haphazardly on his shorts. The Wall Street Journal’s Off Duty resurrected the photo (below), complete with a fun anecdote about the context and the E.T. pin.
The solid navy outfit with subtle accessories is simultaneously casual and elevated. While the photo is dated to 1982, the only attribute defining the photo’s age is Ford’s youth. Every piece of his outfit is just as much in-fashion now as it was when the photo was taken (the small faced watch and the short-shorts are especially trending right now). The appeal of Ford’s outfit is not just how cool it looks but how relaxed it looks. His laces aren’t even tied!
WSJ Off Duty posted this photo on May 7, 2020, when the world was just over a month into a worldwide quarantine that had no end in sight. Anyone who could work from home was doing so and they were dressing accordingly. As most men were struggling to figure out a dress code for this strange new world, Ford came along with a perfect example. Ford served up business casual above the waist with classy resort below the waist. You just have to look past the fact that this outfit was put together for a vacation in the South of France, because that thought is infuriating right now. Then, you can appreciate the versatility of its monotone simplicity.