Image: Getty

UNLESS YOUR WARDROBE is filled with esoteric Japanese cosplay and papier-mache swords, Comic-Con isn’t the first place you’d look for style inspiration.

When celebrities descend on the San Diego Convention Center each year, where new comic book anthologies, collectibles and films are teased to the superfans in attendance, there’s no real pressure to dress up. T-shirts and casual button-downs are common. After all, it’s hard to make an impression with an outfit when you’re competing with 8ft space robots and the like.

Ryan Gosling knows this – although he did opt for some cosplay of his own at the most recent Comic-Con, which took place over the weekend. The actor was there to promote his upcoming sci-fi, Project Hail Mary, and he turned up in the kind of louche, blue-collar Western get-up that’s possibly better suited to a tumbleweed gas station than the red carpet (and we mean that as a compliment).

Image: Jay Maidment

First up, there’s the yellow trucker hat from hardy US workwear brand Caterpillar. We have no doubt that the blue checked shirt that he wore underneath is very expensive, but the design is as unpretentious as it gets. He teamed it with a bulky brown belt, classic blue jeans and a pair of suede Red Wing derbys.

You could easily pull a similar outfit together on a budget or from second-hand platforms – particularly as it’s all made to last for a very long time.

Tag Heuer Carrera Date

$5,050 from Tag Heuer

One item wasn’t so low-key: the trusty Tag Heuer Carrera on his wrist. Gosling is an ambassador for the Swiss watch brand, and is rarely seen without that particular timepiece, which costs just over $5k, on his wrist. Luckily for him, it’s a model that goes with just about everything.

That’s because it’s simple. The stainless steel bracelet and 39mm case are complimented by a silver sunray-brushed dial. Everything – from the hour markers to the unfussy dial – is designed to be stylishly understated.

You may not be able to afford a Carrera, but there’s a lesson to be learned here for anyone considering their first watch: if you go for something that’s clean and elegant (and stick to a steel strap) then it will chime with the full spectrum of your wardrobe – and better allow for any style reinventions that may arrive in your future.

This story originally appeared on Esquire UK.

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