Yahoo Movies Denzel Washington Is Dadcore, Denzel Washington Is You
Dads are particular. Dads like what they like. So, when a relative tries to push the envelope at Christmas say, with a mildly colourful jacket, or conversations about progressive tax policy, dad gets cross. Because, ultimately, changing his wardrobe (and his supertax threshold) is to disrupt something that's been carefully honed over several decades, and the quest for a really good solid coat is an intergenerational one. We've all run that gauntlet. It took time to find the right one, your dad too – and look, he just doesn't want that wild tie-dye worker jacket. That midlife crisis has been and gone, son.
Denzel Washington is a dad (four children in fact – a massive dad!), and, like yours, he's stuck to the stuff he knows and loves and likes. On-set of his latest directorial effort, Journal for Jordan, the 66-year-old went for trainers that looked remarkably similar to Obama-endorsed all-comfort, haute-dadsneak brand Allbirds, with comfort blanket Under Armour joggers and a NY Yankees cap. So far, so "drive to the next petrol station, the unleaded's 8p cheaper".
The real power here though is in the coat. Big, boxy and beige, this sort of workwear-inflected jacket (possibly archival Carhartt; definitely permissible) is the sort of thing that you can wear whenever. Looking like a foreman in New Hampshire is cool, y'know. Just ask the foremans in New Hampshire, and the New York (and London, and LA, and Berlin) late-20-somethings that cosplay as them.
What's more, it's testament to the power of a good coat. Wearing one is like watching an episode of The Joy of Painting. You know what to expect. Just as Bob Ross will piece together a landscape from the cover of a mediocre YA fantasy novel, you will elect for something solid, and something reassuringly expected. No matter the madness below – be it sweatpants and an Oxford shirt, or something a whole lot more forgettable – a good coat is soothing; a solid reminder that yes, despite lockdown and another 24 hours of existential dread and mad fits, there's something to calm your aesthetic nerves and pull it altogether in one bit of clarity. Menswear Xanax, if you will.
That old dadcore coat works for dog walks and shifts in the director's chair. Your dad and dads like Denzel Washington know this, and you are speaking untruths if you deny that there's one old faithful in your wardrobe that won't be retired no matter how much a significant other or interfering relative protests. It's a strong coat! And it's proof that, sooner or later, we all become our fathers. That's a good thing.
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox
Need some positivity right now? Subscribe to Esquire now for a hit of style, fitness, culture and advice from the experts
You Might Also Like
