OH YEAHH! OH YEAHHH! (For shame if that reference was lost on you). I don't know about ya'll but I've been eagerly awaiting the release of the feature-length Entourage film. The Boys are officially back on June 3rd, after nearly four years since the series finale in 2011. I watched Entourage religiously during its 8-season run, starting when I was a sophomore in high school and ending after I graduated from college. Needless to say, I basically grew up with Vinny, E, Turtle, Drama, and, of course, Ari muthaf*cking Gold. While each of the cast members holds a special place near and dear to my heart, this is a blog about men's style, so the focus of this post will be the on the only character with any semblance of style, and that's Ari. Unlike Vinny, who dressed like a stoned teenager, or Drama, who dressed like a rodeo clown (yes, that's a thing), Ari dressed like, well, the most powerful agent in Hollywood. Based on the real-life Ari Emanuel, Ari Gold is the brash, silver-tongued agent who molds Vinny Chase into the blockbuster movie star he becomes as the show progresses. Expertly played by Jeremy Piven, Ari Gold is hands down the show's best, and best-dressed, character. So in honor of the Entourage movie and Ari Gold's all-around badassery, I decided to write a post on Ari's flyest looks throughout the series, plus an (as PC as possible) quote pairing to go along with each look. Let's do it.
The Double Breast
I always say, “Why have one breast when you can have two?” AMIRITE? Okay, fine, I never say that, but Ari absolutely kills this double breasted look. It’s kind of funny, the fashion gurus have been saying for the last, like, 8 years that the double breasted suit is coming back. It’s been back, my friends, so take note of how Ari does his thing. Here, Ari TRIPLES down on boldness. First, let’s talk the suit. He goes with a stunning double breasted deal that’s more royal blue than navy. Such pieces allow you to get interesting but are still versatile enough to rock with a wide variety of looks.
If you're about to beat the sh*t out of your estranged wife's new lover, Bobby Flay, you might as well be wearing a DB while you're going at it.
Second, note the lapels. Wide peak lapels, as opposed to, say, narrow notch lapels, are the definition of bold and are certainly not for the faint of heart. I especially love them here because if you’re going with a double-breasted suit already, might as well go all in and pick one with some mighty lapels.
Third, note the shirt-tie combination. Ari understands the finer points of proportion, so he chooses a semi-spread collar with enough of a spread to let a wider tie/tie knot breathe. He goes with a wider tie to match the proportions of his wider peak lapels.
Finally, note how he chooses to pair a striped shirt with a striped tie. Again, a bold decision, and something that, when pulled off properly, is very effective. The rule of thumb when it comes to pairing stripes is that the width and direction of the stripe should vary, as they do here.
The color of the suit, the fact that its peak-lapeled and double-breasted, and the stripes on stripes combo make this a truly daring look. Such boldness often times needs to be grounded in order to avoid going overboard. Ari smartly reins it in a bit with a wonderfully simple final touch -- a clean white pocket square. All in all, it is attention to detail that allows Ari to expertly execute a look of this difficulty.
Ari: You’re dating a cook?
Mrs. Ari: He’s a chef, Ari. And he’s a business man. And he’s kind, and respectful, and generous.
Ari: He’s a red headed fire-crotch – he’s a genetic mistake.
Pink & Gray
One of my favorite color combinations is pink and gray. People sometimes knock gray suits for being too conservative and boring. Sure, gray suits are pretty much as conservative as it gets, but whether or not they’re boring turns on how you wear them. A pink shirt is a simple, and incredibly effective way to infuse some life/color into those “boring” gray suits of yours. Here, Ari does pink and gray like a BAUSS.
Lloyd: "How’d it go?"
Ari: "How’d the f*cking Bay of Pigs go, Lloyd?"
50 SHADES OF BLUE
Speaking of favorite colors, my single favorite color when it comes to clothing is blue. There’s a damn good chance that at any given moment you’ll probably find me wearing something blue. I think what I love the most about blue is it can be the most conservative and most rakish color choice all at the same time, depending on the sartorial choices you make. It’s also just so easy to pair with, well, anything blue. This is especially important in the morning when I’m usually in a rush and don’t have time to put much thought into a look. All you really have to do is toss on a suit, shirt, and tie in varying shades of blue and there’s pretty much a 100% chance you’ll leave the house looking good (or at least be matching). Here, Ari demonstrates the power of blue. A royal(ish) blue suit, a pale blue/almost-gray striped shirt, and a vibrant blueish/purple tie look fantastic when put together. Of course this wouldn’t work nearly as well if the fit and proportion of Ari’s look weren’t as on point as they are here. Bonus points for the textured pocket square – it further elevates the look in an understated manner.
Not sure what Ari's saying to Lloyd right here but I think I have a pretty decent idea...
Lloyd: [after Ari is fired from the Agency] You will bounce back from this Ari Gold.
Ari Gold: I drove to work in a 80 thousand dollar mercedes, im driving home in a prop car from the fast and the furious, I just don't see it.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
A cream-colored Glen plaid blazer with a pink shirt sans tie screams, “I’m bout to get on a private jet maf*cka.”
Eric: "Ah, I’m feeling real confident now Ari."
Ari: "Your physical appearance has left you no reason to ever feel confident."
Digging that tie. And the idea of having a football stadium behind Staples (never gonna happen).
Eric: "I’m serious, Vince needs a job!"
Ari: "Sounds like you might too. But I’ll tell you what, Domino’s is hiring. Why don’t you put that little pizza sign on top of your Maserati. Now that's comedy."
Digging those lapels. Bonus points for the AP Chrono.
Ari: "You look great too, E. What’d ya do, Raid the boys department at Macy’s?"
I'm sure this suit would have looked fantastic upon completion.
Ari: "Half the town is out of a job and you can’t find me one available director?"
Lloyd: Kevin Smith isn’t doing anything...
Ari: "Are you looking at the DGA list, or are you staring out the window at the line of the Sprinkles f*cking cupcake store?"
Mrs. Ari because Mrs. Ari.
THE END
And so a fitting end to this post would be a recap of the final scene of Entourage, where we find Ari and Mrs. Ari relaxing on the balcony of what looks like an opulent Florentine villa. All’s well with the Entourage crew. Vinny has just gotten married to Vanity Fair writer Sofia (lol), Sloan and E are pregnant, Johnny’s got his own show, Turtle got rich off Avion, and of course Ari has left Hollywood behind to rock white pants and drink wine with his wifey. Or has he? The show ends after the following conversation with John Ellis, the fictional head of Time Warner:
So what will the movie have in store for us? Who knows, but there’s NO DOUBT it will involve Ari rocking some badass suits. How do I know this? Because I watched the trailer, FOOL.