Tom Selleck's Most Iconic Style Moments
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In 1995, Esquire named Tom Selleck one of the Best Dressed Men in Hollywood, alongside Jack Nicholson, Herbie Hancock, and Robert Downey, Jr., among others. "Selleck is quietly one of the most elegant dressers in the entertainment business," we said. Professionally, the mid-'90s was an in-between moment for the actor. It was nearly a decade after Magnum P.I. and Three Men and a Baby, and years before he turned up in Friends and, later, Blue Bloods. But we noticed and gave credit where was credit was due, celebrating his ability to wear custom-made Ralph Lauren in the city and western wear on his ranch outside L.A. "Which doesn't mean," we added, "that he's above the occasional Hawaiian-print shirt."
Nearly 30 years later, Selleck's style bona fides have caught the attention of a new generation, especially on Instagram. His photos appear frequently on accounts that feature epochal menswear moments as well as those dedicated to documenting Selleck, like Magnum P.I. Look Book. So perhaps it's not that surprising that Selleck worked at two menswear shops in Southern California before delving into Hollywood, according to his memoir, You Never Know.
To mark the Selleckaissance—can that be a thing?—we tracked down 25 of his most iconic menswear moments.
Selleck's overall vibe is classic masculinity. Take, for instance, the ease with which he wears a chalk-stripe suit and polka dot tie at the premiere of High Road to China in 1983. Though, to be fair, any guy would look good in this combination.
Arguably his most-iconic look: Magnum. Here he is in 1985, wearing the character's signature Hawaiian shirt in a Ferrari 308. "I always liked the traditional Hawaiian shirt," he told Esquire. "I couldn’t go to a clothing store and buy a Hawaiian shirt. They didn’t fit. So, I got them made by a young lady named Squeak. I found her in Manhattan Beach. She made a whole bunch of shirts for me."
A white, workwear inspired jacket with metal closures—colloquially known as fireman clasps—from 1987 that looks a lot like something you might find today at Fay Archive or Engineered Garments.
Double denim and a sweater knotted around his neck. This photo was taken in 1990, but you could easily see it on a guy today. (That guy should be you.)
Of course he looks great in a rugby shirt. With a dog in a scene from Magnum P.I. in 1983.
Ted Danson is wearing a leather jacket, yet Tom Selleck somehow outshines him in a cardigan. The actors are pictured together in 1988. The prior year they starred together in Three Men and a Baby, which was the top-grossing movie in America.
This is Tom Selleck disheveled. A classic airport shot, this one from 1997 at LAX.
All four of these guys are actors, but there's only one leading man and it's clearly the guy in the three-inch khaki shorts. From the Magnum P.I. set in 1985.
In black tie at the 1983 Emmy Awards alongside Rachel Welch. Selleck was nominated for seven Emmys, including one in '83, and won the award in 1984 for playing Magnum.
Leaning into the tweedy look while attending a Broadway show in 1990. Check out the bellows pockets on the jacket, a very cool—and pretty unusual—touch.
On the set of Magnum P.I. in 1986. One of the character's Hawaiian shirts along with his ring and Detroit Tigers hat—Selleck was born in Detroit and raised in L.A.—are now in The Smithsonian. The reason? It was the first show "that recognized Vietnam veterans in a positive light," according to Selleck.
He was doing the western look in 1992—at the airport, no less—decades before designers like Raf Simons and Pharrell brought it into the mix at high-fashion houses.
About as classic and preppy as it gets in chinos, a white shirt, and a braided belt, in 1991.
One more airport shot, from 1993, in which he's showing that he can also pull off leather, of course.
The sweater and devilishly popped polo collar give off effortless cool in 1986, but it's the details—the Cartier Tank on his wrist and the sunglasses hanging from his collar—that take this to another level.
Outshining the great Paul Newman in 1992 in double-breasted pinstripes and a ghost tie.
In a tweed jacket and jeans in 1980, another look that'd be right at home here in 2024.
In case you were wondering whether Selleck can pull off white pants... yes, obviously. In 1982 on the set of Magnum P.I.
Plaid shirt, knit tie, and corduroy for a Tonight Show appearance in 1990.
This is Selleck taking a risk. And you either love or hate it. No in between. We choose to love the printed shirt under a sweater vest with pleated pants. At the Batman premiere in 1989 with his wife, Jillie Mack.
Magnum didn't only wear Hawaiian shirts. In this scene from 1988, he sports a classic trench coat.
Showing up for a celebrity baseball game in 1992. Pay attention to the belt and the moccasins.
Another dash of western, this time with a snap-front denim shirt under a corduroy blazer at the Golden Globes rehearsal in 1982.
Looking like the boss in a three-piece suit on the set of Blue Bloods in 2012.
Are those two-inch shorts? Some unnecessary boldness on the set of Magnum P.I. in the '80s.
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