We’ve come to recognize Brad Pitt as one of the red carpet’s sleekest dressers. For Once Upon A Time In Hollywood press obligations back in 2019, he was dressed in slick Giorgio Armani and Brioni numbers and a nice run of high-shine, polished shoes. Sure, he might’ve ditched his necktie here and there and switched a shirt out for a breathable T-shirt, but you could always count on him to pull out a smart look for the books.
Pitt is currently on the worldwide press tour for his upcoming action-comedy Bullet Train, which hits the big screen later this month, and so far we’ve seen him embrace a more casual approach to red carpet styling. Perhaps it’s because he knows that this will be one of his last press tours—in our August issue he spoke about the “last leg, this last semester or trimester” of his career—or perhaps he simply doesn’t give a damn about adhering to an age-old red carpet rulebook that calls for men to wear sharply-tailored suits.
This week alone we’ve seen him slip into a cantaloupe melon-hued slouchy suit, a zippered linen khaki two-piece and, just last night, a raw-hemmed slate grey number, under which he wore a tatty low scoop neck tee. While before he was one for polished brogues, now he’s favoring sneakers, notably Adidas and Gucci’s Gazelles. His own simple shoes come with Gucci and Adidas branding, as well as unique red rear detailing and cobalt stripes.
Red carpet-ready or not (we’re giving Pitt’s fit a thumbs up), Adidas’ signature Gazelles are one of the most popular styles in the history of gum soles, at least among the best-dressed men to grace the planet. Launched by Adidas in 1966 to be worn by training Olympians, the all-over suede, three striped style is simple in design, with minimal branding, and it has found its way onto the feet of The Rolling Stones, the Beastie Boys, Prince Harry, and Kanye West.
Pitt, who has never been one for logo-heavy fits, likely favors them because of their timeless appeal—Sam Trotman, pop culture expert and founder of Samutaro magazine, suggests they’re “a canvas for self-expression among its wearers and allows it to live on the terraces of British football clubs as well as on the racks of streetwear stores.”
Indeed, so elite are Adidas Gazelles that we put Liverpool FC forward Mo Salah in a pair on our February cover, while brands such as Noah, Palace, and ultra-cool Japanese streetwear label Mastermind have all dropped their own Gazelles in recent years. Meanwhile the Gazelle was the centerpiece of the recent Adidas x Gucci collaboration (which is where Pitt’s come from) and the mash-up sneakers have been on the feet of Harry Styles—now a Gucci collaborator himself—throughout his recent world tour.
And if you don’t want fork over that much cash for the Gucci versions, don’t fret: springing for a regular ol’ pair of Gazelles is an equally savvy move—and will cost you an eighth of the price.
This story was originally published on British GQ with the headline, “Brad Pitt Is Mad for Adidas Gazelles”.
