8th October 2022

John Lennon’s Style Game

His greatest menswear moves

It’s no secret that the Beatles are a failsafe source for style. Across the course of their career, the Fab Four pioneered modern approaches to menswear through their collective embracement of bold ensembles: from simple mod suits at the start of in the sixties to flamboyant sergeant pepper uniforms to welcome in the seventies. Utterly stylish though they were as a group, one thing that often goes a bit unnoticed are their individual wardrobes. And for the purpose of today specifically, that of John Lennon.

Today marks what would have been the musician’s 82nd birthday, so what better excuse to look back on his most defining style moments? Beatles uniform aside, Lennon cultivated a distinctly rich approach to menswear, frequently pairing well-crafted essentials with flamboyant accessories. Said essentials aren’t overly far from those in our current collection, so herewith, five of Lennon’s greatest menswear moves – along with some tips on how to embrace them via Timothy Everest today.

His excellent shirt collection

First up, one of the forerunning offerings of Timothy Everest: shirts. If you’re taking a tip from Lennon’s book, the key is to promise a bit of pizazz through details: namely the pattern of choice and featured collar. In the case pictured above, said collar was a deep, dog ear design (an excellent signifier of the seventies) while the pattern was a slick black stripe. To those desiring something similar, our made-to-measure shirting service can make it happen. Then, simply tuck it into your favourite pair of white kecks, and you’ll be ready for any unexpected soirée.

His mastery of double denim

Let’s get one thing straight: double denim isn’t easy to pull off. Sure, it may look effortless, but it takes a great deal of confidence and charm to make it work: two traits which Lennon definitely had. If you feel yourself ticking the boxes for both, follow suit in his silhouette by investing in a similar cropped jacket, sharp straight cut jeans (like those we made in collaboration with Fullcount & Co), small rounded shades and suede, Western-informed boots. The earthy hue of the latter flatters the denim perfectly.

His way of wearing head-to-toe white

White is not an easy shade to pull off, but as Lennon exemplified, the secret to doing so is through an abundance of textures. Specifically, through lambswool for the jumper (much like our superfine style), twill for the jacket (our made-to-measure service is on hand to create something similar), corduroy for the trousers and cotton for the footwear (a very good case for trainer pumps here). Far from limited to summer, embrace this look in the current colder season for a serious style statement.

His embracement of colour

While his work with the Beatles was first established through a black and white sartorial palette, as time passed, Lennon started to incorporate a lot more colour into his everyday outfits – and bold colour, for that matter. In this case, the selected colour was a popping coral shade: perfectly paired with a lightweight linen blazer and straight cut indigo jeans. For the current colder season, make a nod to Lennon’s saturated style through our rust needlecord pocket detail shirt.

His casual way of styling a suit

Lastly: Lennon’s take on tailoring. While suits are traditionally paired with formal underlayers (button down shirts, to be exact), the Beatle subverted this expectation – serving as one of the first musicians to partner a tailored set with a casual t-shirt. And the result upon wear? Perfect insouciance, if you ask us – especially given the accessories: a slim buckle belt and patriotic choker necklace. Take note of this stance for your everyday attire, and if you’re attracted to the grand notch lapels on his jacket, be sure to reference them in a bespoke consultation with us.