This Year, No One Dressed Quite As Sharp as Eugene Levy

For decades, Eugene Levy has occupied a sacred space in contemporary comedy: you'll know him from his beloved mockumentaries with his co-collaborator Christopher Guest, the wildly popular American Pie franchise, and most recently, of course, the sleeper hit show Schitt's Creek, which he created alongside his son, Dan Levy. The 74-year-old actor is better known for his razor-sharp comedic delivery than his personal style. So, it was a little unexpected when he spent 2020—not anyone's idea of a well-dressed year—showing up in one expert-level suit or tuxedo after the next.

This isn't to say Levy is a stranger to looking cool and embracing the wilder edges of eccentric suiting. This jacket-shirt-and-tie combo from 1985 makes it pretty clear that he has always been down to have some fun with how he gets dressed. Even this early 1990s look (complete with unbuttoned shirt and chest hair) is another sign that Levy isn't shy about going for it. But at some point during the mid-aughts, when he became known to the world at large as the "dad from American Pie," he fell into the style trappings of your typical suburban father going out to a nice restaurant. You know the look: a blazer and jeans, mismatching patterns, and the rest. Between then and now, though, Levy started dressing like a real-deal leading man.

During awards show season, the sartorial hits came almost too fast to count. First, a razor-sharp and simple suit from Italian luxury menswear label Canali. Then, a burgundy houndstooth suit from Boss paired with a crisp white shirt and perfectly sized bowtie. The same month, the two Levys hosted The Ellen Show: Levy the Elder went with a pitch-perfect navy number from Burberry, while the younger Levy opted for a blush-color suit from Dries Van Noten. These extremely excellent suits are thanks to Levy's stylist Erica Cloud, who also dresses Dan, and is the person responsible for perhaps the best father-son style moment of all damn time.

To see the elder Levy decked out in some of the sharpest suits of the year is a real joy. (Almost as good as seeing him get his first Emmy since the 1980s.) It's no secret that Levy fils is a bit of a fashion head, and perhaps Eugene benefited from a push from his son towards clothes with a bit more of a dressy edge. Either way, Levy's red carpet style holds its own with other eternally stylish stars like Jeff Goldblum and George Clooney. The world might not be ready to call the lovable and hilarious Eugene Levy a bona fide style icon just yet, but he is undoubtedly dressing the part.

Originally Appeared on GQ