During publicity rounds for his new flick Murder Mystery 2 where Sandler stars alongside Jennifer Aniston, the comedy legend wore a wilfully chaotic outfit that proved why he is, and always has been, a style icon for men who hate fashion’s never-ending cycle of changing trends, fast-fashion fads, and sartorial strictures.
Comedy legends might not be the group you’re fastest to turn to when looking for style inspiration, even if some of them, including comedy-legend-turned-marijuana-entrepreneur Seth Rogen, scrub-up okay.
And out of this already select group, Adam Sandler may not be at the top of the list for funny fashionistas, especially after wearing an ill-fitting suit to the 2019 IFP Gotham Awards that we described as “sized to cater for a night next to the buffet…”
However, after being spotted this weekend in a fantastically chaotic outfit that brought together colours, patterns, and shapes we previously didn’t think possible, we felt like Sandler’s style was long-overdue a reappraisal…
During promotion for new movie Murder Mystery 2, Sandler was seen stepping out in a bright green oversized puffer coat, baggy brown chinos, a vibrant pink Hawaiian shirt, cobalt sneakers, and gold-rimmed aviator shades.
Sounds a bit wild on paper, doesn’t it? Frankly, it looks a little wild in photographs too. But we think there may be a method to Sandler’s madness. Plus, it seems that high-fashion stylists and the online masses alike are in strong agreement…
Costume designer on the 2019 smash-hit Uncut Gems, Miyako Bellizzi, has said that Sandler’s “personal style is amazing”, adding that “he wears basketball shorts and Jordans every day, no matter the weather. If he’s not comfortable, then he’s not going to wear it.”
This emphasis on comfort-at-any-cost sets Sandler apart from so many other celebrities who endlessly do their best to keep up with the fashion world’s ever-changing demands and, ironically, often ending up failing to express their authentic self as a result.
By being vehemently anti-fashion and focusing on his personal comfort, Sandler has built up a personal style over the past three decades that has come full circle and now deeply resonates with younger audiences, even if his Gen-X co-star Jennifer Anniston was less than impressed…
During a recent appearance on Fallon, Aniston described a dinner she had with Sandler at a high-end restaurant. According to Aniston, Sandler “showed up in basketball shorts – satin basketball shorts with white piping and Nike high-tops and a turquoise velour Izod” – this was all delivered in a somewhat derisory tone…
But Zoomers are in the ascendance and absolutely love Sandler’s style, offering it the highest honour the TikTok generation can bestow: making it a “-core”. Sandlercore has swept the internet in the past year or so, and if you search “Adam Sandler outfit” on TikTok, you’ll see that videos praising the actor’s style have amassed over 2.3 billion views and counting…
The man himself explained his approach to self-styling to Drew Barrymore: “I go into my closet, I got a bunch of t-shirts and shorts, kinda they’re all the same … I usually go t-shirt first … I just want to cover that quickly. I’m like what the hell, grab anything… then I go with shorts and I throw them on. Sometimes they’ll be slightly too tight. I go let me take those off and get the triple-X shorts on.”
So there you have it, if you’re a man looking to be comfortable, covered up, and totally yourself, it might be time to take a leaf out of Sandler’s book: wear what you want, when you want, and just hope it all comes together.
And remember, if you keep doing it for long enough, eventually people will think it was deliberate, and you might just get your own “-core”…