DERMOT O'LEARY - No.31

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The Most Stylish Man of 2012: 

Dermot O’Leary 

by

Jamie Tuohy

They say, “When in doubt, choose change” and in times of uncertainty or ambivalence, the X Factor has followed this old adage, by alternating, firing, re-hiring and switching its judging panel line up. However, for the last five years (since Kate Thornton found herself a victim of Cowell’s permutation), the talent show has found its constant in the form of its dapper host, Mr Dermot O’Leary. The 39-year-old British and Irish TV presenter has recently been named as GQ’s Most Stylish Man for 2012, so it’s only fitting that we pay tribute to his suave, slick tailoring and his impeccably turned-out style.

There’s something sanguine about O’Leary’s style – an extension of his personality, you might say. His look certainly isn’t flamboyant, experimental or quirky, but it’s still as interesting and as fashionable as if it were all of those things combined. His is a style which is masculine and manly, but also one that pays flawless attention to detail. You won’t catch him in skin-tight, spray-on jeans and a Versace for H&M-print t-shirt, but equally, he wouldn’t be seen dead in tracksuit bottoms. Dermot’s fashion sense has evolved from his jeans and t-shirt wearing Channel 4 days and it’s no surprise that he has become GQ’s Most Stylish Man.

He often speaks about the importance of fit when it comes to men’s clothing and his affiliation for British tailoring can be seen every Saturday and Sunday night on the X Factor. Gone are the days when Saturday night TV presenters looked like worn-out and ageing Quality Street wrappers, as Dermot O’Leary leads the way in designs by Acne, Spencer Hart, Rake and Paul Smith et al. Whether he is playing it casual in an A.P.C jumper and chinos, or furthering his image as the doyen of British TV in Savile Row’s finest, Dermot always looks dapper and well-dressed.

Dermot’s fashion sense is so appealing because it isn’t thwarted or influenced by trends or ‘of the minute looks.’ He remains true to himself and while some may say that his refusal to veer too far away from his classic staples make him boring and repetitive, I say this is the very thing that makes him a style icon. He is a man of constants and with so many fellow TV stars sporting polka-dots, rainbow-coloured parkas and generally desperate ‘wannabe-fashion-icon’ clothing, Dermot gives a lesson in appropriate apparel. He is undoubtedly the best-dressed man in British TV and Dermot O’Leary is one whose image is as carefully considered as the well-positioned handkerchief in his double-breasted jacket pocket.