fysigunkus | jay hathaway dot com

Fashion sense isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when we think of comics creators. We know them primarily for their style on the page, not for what they’ve got in their closets. Legendary artist/writer Paul Pope is a notable exception, though. He brings a distinctive manner of dress to the comics world, and his savvy collaborations with brands like Diesel have sparked rumors that he may one day launch a line of his own. For now, though, it’s enough to admire the basic pieces of Paul’s look, and build on them to create your own.

Item Number One: The Tank Top

This is Paul Pope’s signature piece. He’s been spotted rocking it at signings and in his studio. He seems to favor a style that brings to mind a basketball jersey, which evokes the idea of artist as athlete. This couldn’t be more appropriate, considering his years of formal training in fine art. It takes a certain amount of bravado to pull this one off – you don’t have to be an icon in your field to make it work, but, like anything in fashion, you have to own it. I suspect a lot of guys would walk around in these, just for the comfort and ease of movement, but don’t feel they can get away with it. Pope proves them wrong.

Item Number Two: The Dress Shirts:

Another essential layer in any Pope-inspired wardrobe is the dark-colored dress shirt. Minimal patterns are acceptable, notably dots. The shirts are always fairly tight, with sleeves just loose enough to be comfortably rolled up. What really makes it unique to this style, though, is leaving at least the top two buttons undone. Sometimes this goes to extremes, and you’ll see Pope with his shirt open practically to his navel. It might not be for everyone, but he totally sells it – it looks as if there was never any other way to wear a shirt.

Item Number Three: The Jackets

Even Paul Pope (probably) gets cold in the winter. From what I can tell, his outerwear of choice is the classic black peacoat or the greyish denim you see pictured. The main thing to take away is that the man doesn’t mess around with anything bulky or cumbersome. He succeeds by wearing conventionally manly clothes with lines form-fitting enough to avoid looking like a total meathead.

Wrap-Up

As long as you stick to Pope’s principle of comfort and mobility, you don’t have to copy the individual items he wears. Establish your own signature by picking something that works for you and sticking with it. Pope wears tank tops enough that the look has become recognizable as his thing. What’s your thing?