Steve McQueen’s Style Legacy Still Sets the Standard
Long before the term “style icon” got tossed around like confetti, Steve McQueen was defining it without trying. Born Terrence Stephen McQueen in 1930 in Indiana, and raised in a series of reform schools and Marine bases, he clawed his way into Hollywood with a chip on his shoulder and a devil-may-care glint in his eye. By the time The Great Escape made him a global phenomenon in 1963, the blueprint was already set: tough guy, lone wolf, equal parts misfit and matinee idol.
Known for his roles (and looks) in Bullitt, The Thomas Crown Affair, and The Sand Pebbles—the latter earning him his sole Oscar nomination—McQueen’s performances were defined by restraint and raw magnetism. Off-screen, his wardrobe followed suit. Think Persol 714s, three-piece suits, Barbour jackets, shawl-collar cardigans, turtlenecks under tweed blazers—and a Harrington jacket that still catapults wearers into effortless debonair territory. His timepieces told the same story: a Rolex Submariner 5512 (his personal favorite, with a chronometer-certified four-line dial and rounded crown guards) and the square-faced Heuer Monaco 1133, worn while tearing through Le Mans. Both now rank as auction-block legends, elevated by his enduring halo effect.
He raced motorcycles, collected cars, had an on-again-off-again marriage to actress Ali MacGraw, and plenty of well-documented off-screen rebellion. From biker bars to fashion editorials, the “King of Cool” moved like someone who refused to be styled. He passed away from mesothelioma in 1980 at just 50 years old, but the movie star legend only grew louder. Today, McQueen remains the patron saint of stealth style—his influence seen in everyone from Daniel Craig to Ryan Gosling. He wasn’t just dressed to kill. He dressed like he couldn’t be bothered—and that’s what made him lethal.
