Austin Butler Knows the Secret to Wearing All Black

Austin Butler can do a lot with very little. Whether that’s taking a supporting role in Dune 2 and unashamedly stealing the scene in every shot as bald and hulking psycho hottie Feyd-Rautha, or taking a relatively simple outfit and making it look like the coolest fit on the planet, as seen here.

Butler was spotted leaving an after party on New York’s Lower East Side overnight, where he was celebrating the premiere of Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum’s woozy mystery-thriller Blink Twice. Butler and Tatum both seemingly got the all-black memo, but there was something special about Butler’s fit.

Black from head to toe, not a label in sight, well proportioned layers—the result was a surprising and absurdly cool look.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 21:Channing Tatum and Austin Butler are seen on the Lower East Side at the “Blink Twice” after party on August 21, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)Raymond Hall

On top, Butler paired a slightly-cropped open-weave mesh top, with another black shirt underneath. On the bottom, a pair of trousers with the slight sheen you might find on a great wool-silk blend.

Accessories included a completely blank trucker cap—which, sure, continued the Americana vibe he’s been on since The Bikeriders, but as GQ’s Eileen Cartter asks, “how often do you see a blank trucker hat out in the wild?”—and a pair of black leather boots, scuffs and all.

Raymond Hall

On paper, it’s a look that might read flat and boring, but Butler’s use of textures to elevate it is a masterstroke. Instead of playing with color, using a combination of low-shine silks, open-mesh and leather gives the outfit dimension and depth. It reads expensive, without being flashy.

Plus, there’s just something about stumbling out of a New York party arm-in-arm with other celebrities, not wearing a single label that’s—we hate to admit it—cool. They could be designer pieces couriered to his hotel suite, they could have been fished out of vintage stores and stuffed into the side bags of his Harley. Well played.

This story originally appeared on British GQ with the title ‘Austin Butler’s anti-Hollywood uniform is no labels, no frills, no fuss’