Chris Evans's "Wife Pleasers" Are This Summer's Ultimate Fashion Throwback

May 2024 · 3 minute read

A Hollywood actor's outfit isn't usually the most exciting red carpet fare — especially when their counterparts get to pile on the glitz and glamour every time they head to a big event. Chris Evans, however, has managed to be a bit more playful than his industry brethren (whether or not they share his first name). Yes, velvet and, of course, a classic tuxedo were in the mix, but in the year 2022, Evans and his superstar stylist, Ilaria Urbanati, decided to embrace a completely novel approach to getting dressed for the flashbulbs: dressing down. During the lead-up to the premiere of Disney's Lightyear, Evans wore what men's fashion magazines dubbed the shirt of the summer: a patterned knit polo. But it was what he wore under the shirt that caught my attention. Instead of hiding his undershirt, he proudly displayed the soft scoop of his ribbed white tank top, something more commonly seen on The O.C.'s Ryan Atwood than at a Hollywood premiere.

And Evans went on to give tiny peeks of his tank top (ribbed for our pleasure?) during events for his other summer blockbuster, Netflix's The Gray Man. While his equally handsome co-stars Ryan Gosling and Regé-Jean Page stuck to standard suiting (albeit, with a bit of flair), Evans kept pushing his ribbed agenda by showing off his undershirt, even going so far as wearing one with a suit, without a shirt at all. (Not to mention pairing tanks with cardigans and patterned button-ups — and even a shiny vintage jacket and trucker hat at the MTV Movie Awards.)

Think of it as the male equivalent of a flash of underwear or wearing a lingerie-inspired gown on the carpet: Evans was offering up a look at something usually kept hidden. Evans's underwear as actual clothing also reflected TikTok's rebranding of the ribbed white tank, stripping it of its very outdated, very offensive identity and dubbing it the "wife pleaser."

The bad boy undershirt recalls Old Hollywood in a way perfect Veronica Lake waves and red lipstick don't: it's giving Paul Newman in Harper and Rock Hudson in The Spiral Road, guys (and looks) that inspired the workwear craze that took over men's fashion in the '00s blogger-peacock era. But Evans, with his beard and casually pushed-back greaser hair, offers a dash of indie sleaze to the glossy sheen of Hollywood and the internet (understandably) went feral.

The return of the plain white tank has been seen on the runways, too, with women embracing the staple — Prada or not — and adding it to their summer rotations. With his tanks, Evans not only reminded everyone that he has chest tattoos underneath his Captain America suit, but it was also just another way for (arguably) everyone's favorite Chris to be that much more relatable (as if the puppies weren't enough). A pack of six tanks runs about $23, giving this Hollywood swerve a low point of entry for anyone looking to channel Evans's new signature.

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