Justified‘s Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) is the sort of man you can trust to get the job done, and also look justifiably good while doing it.
As a Deputy US Marshal, his look is an update on that most reassuring of figures, the sheriff of the Old West. It’s a modern mixture of the uncomplicated but fashionable; the hard-working but unfussy. It’s clothing fit for the office and the outdoors. Givens isn’t trying to look like the best-dressed man in Kentucky, but in not trying to be a style icon, he’s become a rather unlikely one.
With the final season of Justified now available on DVD – along with a Complete Series box set containing all 78 episodes – we look at what makes the show’s star an unlikely style icon…
The Stetson
More than any other part of his outfit the Stetson is Givens’ signature look. You can see why. Is there a cooler hat than the Stetson? It’s the hat of the lawman. The hat that keeps the blazing Kentucky sun out of your eyes when you’re staring down the sights of your gun. It’s also the kind of hat that gets comically shot off in many a Western, but that never happens to Givens because he’s a professional for goodness sake. That hat stays on until the job’s done, and looks good the whole time.
The Double Denim
Raylan Givens never wears anything but Levi’s 501 jeans. Maybe because, like him, they’re good-looking and hardy, or maybe because he just loves the feel of denim. It might well be the second, because he occasionally dares to go ‘double denim’. Risky? You bet, but he’s in the small club of people who make it work (a club I think Chuck Norris is the President of…). Earlier this year fashion magazines boldly declared that the double denim look was very much back in vogue; perhaps Givens was the unlikely inspiration?
The Jackets
Pairing a sports coat with a Stetson runs the risk of giving you a ‘Job Interview Cowboy’ look rather than ‘Professional Lawman’, and on a lesser man it well might. But Raylan cuts a smart figure in a seemingly inexhaustible supply of tailored jackets and sports coats which pull his look together and elevates an otherwise laid-back Western style to give him the look of a seriously trendy sheriff.
The Shirt & Tie
Well, it can’t always be t-shirts, he is a professional after all. And yes, loads of people wear shirts and ties, and loads of people look good in them, but if you notice you’ll see that Givens always pairs his well when he wears them. You’ll never see that man pairing an orange tie with a blue shirt and colour-clashing round the office. Perhaps he subconsciously realises that he’s a style icon?
The Boots
If you’re going to kick down a door, chase after a perp, or put your feet up on the office desk after a long day of bringing the law, you’re going to need something comfy and sturdy. And trainers just aren’t going to cut it for a tough Kentucky Marshall. Raylan’s footwear of choice are hard-wearing but very fetching ostrich leather cowboy boots. These days cowboy boots have a feel of the renegade about them, which sits well with Given’s methods. He wouldn’t look nearly as cool or dangerous in, say, a nice comfy pair of brogues.
The final season and the Complete Series box set are out now.
Who’s your favourite unlikely style icon on TV? Let us know below…