In the elusive realm of celebrity fashion, few figures walk the line between sartorial sophistication and Highlands hipster with as much effortless charm as Daniel Day-Lewis. As renowned as he is for his versatility and method acting prowess on the silver screen, the three-time Academy Award winner’s shapeshifting personal style might be even more impressive.
Day-Lewis’s off-screen ensembles are as eccentric, referential, and carefully curated as his roles. Over the year, we’ve seen the British actor reinvent himself over and over again sartorially: there was his penchant for an unexpected plaids and polka dots in the ‘90s; his formal gold hoop earring on the red carpet in the 2000s; his early-adopter gorpcore moment in the 2010s; and his ongoing obsession with Westernwear throughout the decades. Since retiring from acting in 2017, any time the enigmatic star reemerges—whether he’s using a Motorola Razr on NYC transit or giving at-home haircuts on his son’s Instagram—it’s a precious reminder that when it comes to getting dressed with originality and verve, nobody does it better than DDL.
“All you’re trying to do is lay the groundwork, which might allow the imagination to free itself,” Day-Lewis told the BBC before his third Oscar win. That feels like an apt description of his multilayered wardrobe, in which tried-and-true Carhartt grails coexist seamlessly with unexpected forays into the avant-garde. It’s no wonder so many menswear enthusiasts—ourselves included—look to him as a true style North Star.
Here, we’ve rounded up more than 30 of Daniel Day-Lewis’s greatest fashion moments of all time—from advanced patchwork knitwear to sharp pinstripe suits.