Recreating Chris Pine’s Recent 1980s-Inspired Outfit That I’ll Wear All Summer

To say that Chris Pine's personal style has become a topic of conversation on social media would be an understatement. In the last few years the actor, who had looked like he was popped out of the Leading Man silicone ice mold, has taken a full-on eccentric nonchalance energy for the clothes and hair styles he's photographed in. From bright red short shorts paired with a colorful thigh length hippie sweater to ruffled shirts with velvet blazers, Pine's getups have been the frequent subject of praise or raised eyebrows by TikTokers and fashion media elites.

On a recent appearance of Jimmy Kimmel, the host described Pine's personal aesthetic as, “outlandish,” and mainstay Guillermo came out in a recreation of the thrift-store-soup look the actor wore to Langer's Deli, an LA pastrami institution:

But for me, it wasn't the eccentric outfits that caught my eye, it was what he wore to a recent recording of Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast:

In the post-interview photos the podcast shares, we seen Pine not in mishmash but an incredibly classic casual summer style. Wearing a medium blue denim trucker jacket over a white t-shirt tucked into fuller cut khakis with a braided brown belt, Pine channels an enduring 80s-influenced outfit that with only slight modification, would look great in any decade. That makes sense, since Pine has previously listed 1980s Tom Selleck and Harrison Ford as style heroes.

Here I've rebuilt the look twice, first with items more closely matching what he's wearing, then with items I already have, proving style inspiration doesn't have to be 1:1 to make pulling outfits together much easier.

Rebuilt:

Denim jacket: Levi's (collage / wearing)
White t-shirt: Buck Mason (collage / wearing) / Amazon ($)
Straight / classic fit chinos: J.Crew (collage) / Nautica (wearing) / Double RL Officer Chino ($$$)
Belt: LLBean woven belt (collage)
Watch: Rectangular Seiko (collage) / Vintage Timex (wearing) / Orient Bambino ($)
Sunglasses: Huckberry (collage) / Christopher Cloos (wearing) / Amazon ($)
Loafers: Florsheim (worn, updated version)

Pine's outfit makes use of a vintage-looking rectangular dress watch, a style that has fallen out of popularity since the 90s but otherwise has been worn by well-dressed men with a refined menswear aesthetic in virtually every other decade. Its presence, along with the braided leather belt, noticeably shifts the outfit's vibe to a more 80s/retro aesthetic. It could also be some sort of heirloom, which is why I opted for my late Grandfather's mid-20th century Timex in my personal rebuild.

He also mixes black and brown in this outfit, which I have no issue with, it just so happens my rebuild ended up without any black. My sunglasses, belt (non-braided), watch strap, and loafers are unintentionally similar shades of brown. Some more adventurous guys may wish to break that up, but it works as-is.

For some, the most troubling aspect of this outfit will be the tucked in t-shirt, which has been a hard no for anyone building their style in the 90s and 00s, myself included. Similar to my thoughts in my light wash denim piece, as the general cultural aesthetic continues to get increasingly casual, details like tucking in the t-shirt dramatically alter the feel of the rest of the outfit to something more distinguished. See how Primer contributor Daniel Baraka has also styled the tucked in white t-shirt.

I could wear this outfit as-is in Los Angeles to a lot of places and feel like the most dressed up guy in the room simply because any shirt – even a t-shirt – is tucked in and I'm wearing loafers. The denim jacket / t-shirt / chinos base is a smart uniform starter. Just swapping in brown boots and leaving the t-shirt untucked, you've migrated it away from refined 1980s to casual and more rugged. This isn't a right-or-wrong decision, it's one of using the small details to augment the uniform starter to match what you're going for.

I'm personally not a big, black sunglasses guy so I swapped in the tortoiseshell pair I've been defaulting to lately as I shuffle out of the house.

In the Armchair Expert photographs, Pine's footwear isn't visible. For my recent personal style, the penny loafer was an obvious summer-y choice considering the khakis and the otherwise “classic” feel of the outfit. White sneakers could work too, but you'll have to see if the look seems too bright in conjunction with the white t-shirt. Suede chukkas or the right sandals would also pair nicely.

What's your take? Let's chat in the comments!