The Daniel Day-Lewis Guide to Easy Eveningwear

The Hapa Blonde/Getty Images

Even in retirement, actor Daniel Day-Lewis has managed to portray many stylish characters. Since bowing out from Hollywood after 2017’s Phantom Thread (which was, coincidentally or not, a fashion movie), the three-time Oscar winner has embodied a workwear god, a cosmopolitan wrangler, and a post-swag king. His latest role? A ruggedly esteemed sophisticate.

On a recent evening in New York City, Day-Lewis made a rare public appearance to present Martin Scorsese with the National Board of Review Award for Best Director. He arrived at Cipriani’s ornate Midtown venue in a characteristically idiosyncratic formal getup: a velvety, navy-hued corduroy suit layered over a wine-red, floral-patterned Rafter C Western shirt from the Texas retailer Cavender’s. He accessorized with his usual accouterments—cowboyish leather belt, lace-up Nicks work boots, and geometric-print kerchief rakishly knotted around his neck—and sported his usual gray buzzcut (save for his brush with rumpled, chin-length waves this past spring).

Day-Lewis posed for photos with Scorsese—who directed the actor in 1993’s The Age of Innocence and 2002’s Gangs of New York—as well as attendees Patti Smith and Zac Efron, whose inky velvet Brioni jacket glimmered alongside Day-Lewis’s sheeny cords. Come to think of it, we have been seeing more velvet on red carpets lately—and perhaps those soft-pile suits aren’t the only ones coming out of retirement.

“We did two films together and it’s one of the greatest experiences of my life, I must say,” Scorsese said of Day-Lewis during his acceptance speech, per Variety. “Maybe there’s time for one more. Maybe! He’s the best.” One can dream!

Originally Appeared on GQ

More Great Style Stories From GQ

• How Jeremy Allen White Prepped for His Calvin Klein Underwear Campaign

• Daniel Day-Lewis Is the Final Boss of Workwear

• Why True Watch Heads Never Set the Time on Their Watches

• After an 11-Year Wait, Air Jordan Is Bringing Back a Highly Coveted Sneaker

• John Mayer Wore an Epic Royal Oak to Ring in 2024 at a Tokyo Cat Bar

• Not a subscriber? Join GQ to receive full access to GQ.com.