Jeremy Piven is a US actor and producer, best known for portraying Ari Gold in the Emmy-award winning HBO series “Entourage”. He can also be seen in ITV’s “Mr Selfridge”, where he plays the main character of the series. Piven is also known from his various other roles he played along the years, both for the small screen and for feature films and is in a way a style icon as well.

While he is not directly associated with the fashion or an acclaimed fashion icon, we have a few arguments that might just convince everyone that Jeremy Piven is indeed a style icon in the true sense of the world. Mr. Piven is a guy whose style is not to be imitated, but who shows us how to develop our style and feel great with it.

The confidence

The reason why we believe Jeremy is a style icon is not so much because of the clothes he wears, but because of the way he wears them. When you see a picture or a video of Piven from a red carpet event or from a magazine or online publication, what you instantly learn is not so much the “what” he is wearing but the “how”.

As you will see, for Jeremy, both on and off screen, his clothes are not his main style asset.

On camera, when portraying Ari Gold, Jeremy is always dressed up to the nines. Ari Gold is a man who dressed to match his status, therefore his wardrobe consists mainly of power suits, high-quality ties and perfectly folded pocket squares that support his everyday work looks.

However, the suits and accessories alone are not the only things that define the character that is likeable despite his few annoying traits. His appeal comes from another place, and this is his unparalleled self-confidence. This feature mixed with all the merits a great suit brings are what makes a man truly stylish.

Yes, we know, Jeremy and Ari are two different persons: one is fictional and the other one is real, but the thing that makes Ari Gold fundamentally likeable is the same things that make Jeremy Piven likeable, only in another way. His presence is something that can’t go unnoticed, you always must see and hear him.

Even though in his real life Jeremy does not scream and shout at his personal assistant (from what we know at least), his confidence is his main style trait. Confidence should be a tool used more often by men, but should never be mistaken for cockiness. Confidence is self-reliance based on knowing yourself, while cockiness is based on being purely delusional and thinking more of yourself than you truly are.

The clothes

In his off-set life, Mr. Piven is usually dressed up in sharply-tailored suits, and other elegant and sophisticated, yet versatile and practical clothes. One thing that characterizes almost everything he puts on is the fine tailoring of any of his clothes.

What we can all learn from Mr. Piven is how important wearing tailored clothes is: giving your clothes to a tailor for adjustments can make them look like a million dollars and can give you a boost in confidence and attitude.

Jeremy’s clothes are a true style lesson: Jeremy knows how to dress up or down a blazer or a t-shirt, he is open to wearing patterns, he has often been seen in light colors, such as white, light blue or light gray, which is definitely something more men should do.

One more thing we can learn from watching Jeremy Piven’s style is how to dress appropriately for the occasion: Jeremy is always greatly dressed on the red carpet, he knows when to wear a casual shirt and when to wear a dress shirt and he is always wearing a great statement piece.

These are all general things we could all do to improve our lives and our sartorial experiences.

The styling

Another reason why we believe Jeremy Piven is a true style icon is because of the way he chooses to style himself. Even though as Ari Gold he was always perfectly shaved, while filming “Mr. Selfridge “, Piven is wearing a big mustache and a small beard. Even though most men over 40 have a hard time pulling off any kind of facial hair, Jeremy makes sure he trims his beard and mustache and always keeps them clean and in shape, therefore making the best of them and rocking a old-style facial hair like no other.

Moreover, Jeremy knows that you can wear a looser tie at a casual event, that you can pop a button of your shirt if you are at a social event during the day and that one shouldn’t wear work-out gear when not working out.

Once again, it’s not about the clothes, it’s about the way you know what to do with them.

Everything Jeremy Piven does, you can do – it’s all a matter of paying more attention to your style and owning your character – in the end, as that saying goes, “everyone else is taken”.

By reinventing classic looks, paying attention to sartorial details and using his attitude as his main style tool, Jeremy Piven has proved himself to be a true classic style icon in a very new, modern way.

Fraquoh and Franchomme

P.S. What do you think of Jeremy Piven’s style? Do you like him better as Ari Gold, as Mr. Selfridge, as himself or as all three? Share your thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook or Twitter