Breaking Down the Personal Style of Aziz Ansari6 min read

From Parks & Rec to Netflix comedy specials, Aziz Ansari is now perhaps most known from his Emmy winning smashing success, Master of None.

In the Netflix show, his style choices are on point. With art imitating life, Aziz’s personal style IRL is GQ ready.

If you want to watch the video on Aziz Ansari style, hit the play button below.

In this style breakdown I’m going to critique a few of his looks in real life and a few looks from his smash hit show, Master of None. It’s the second I’ve done. A previous style breakdown featuring comedian Kevin Hart I provided to Peter Manning last year as a guest post.

AZIZ STYLE #1: HI-LOW STYLE

Hi-low is the technique embraced by rappers and actors, mainly because they can afford to do so. It’s become a core tenant of Aziz Ansari style. When it comes to hi-low, the strategy is to pair high-end, often-times designer labels with everyday brands for a stark contrast in the price of the pieces, for example Yves Saint Laurent with the Gap. Another way to look at it is wearing more formal garments with less formal ones, for example rocking a nicely tailored sharkskin suit with white trainers.

Here are three examples of Aziz embracing the ultra-trendy, hi-low approach to styling.

1) Here Aziz’s got the Saint Laurent flight jacket, an unsurprisingly pricy $5,000 piece, which he’s worn IRL and on the show. The jacket is the statement piece that steals the show. When wearing a piece like this, it’s smart to keep everything else plain jane, in his case a pair of slim fit, olive chinos and white trainers, and a retro-looking graphic tee. Even Aziz’s hi-low looks are minimal as they come.

2) Only a confident man can rock a dinner jacket with a graphic tee. This is the epitome of hi-low. He keeps it simple in all solid colors and again with the ever versatile white trainers. Though it’s hard to tell, his jacket might be black and pants look navy, which would be a bit of a faux pas. There’s simply not enough contrast between the two colors and unless this is intentional, is not the best color pairing. But then again, rules are meant to be broken.

3) For this final look Aziz has gone from refined to rakish, a departure from his suited up style. The leather biker jacket from Saint Laurent, an Aziz staple, fits him well and definitely turns up the bad boy vibes. Again he keeps it simple with a casual check pattern button down and black pants. And it’s also another garment in his wardrobe he wears on the show and IRL. Sometimes it’s hard to tell which style is Aziz and which is Dev, but maybe that’s because he’s so similar to his show’s counterpart.

AZIZ STYLE #2: CASUAL STYLE

If you’ve studied his personal style over the years then you know that casual style is a hallmark of Aziz Ansari style. Simply put, Aziz knows how to keep it simple.

1) In this first look Aziz goes all black and white. Even with his casual style, he nails the fit every time, which is essential for all men of modest height. He goes with a pair of slim fit jeans and a fitted wool or merino wool sweater with a minimal white color block across the middle. It’s understated, but stands out in a good way. The white trainers give an extra pop and add to the casual nature of the getup.

2) The second look is from his hit show, Master of None on Netflix. The rainbow striped zip hoodie is a unique piece. You have to be careful with hoodies because it’s easy to be sloppy, but Aziz nails the color, a neutral heather gray with a pop of color. It gives off a retro vibe. It’s the perfect lounging around the house kind of look.

3) Another look from Master of None, here Aziz nails it with the earth tones. Earth tones are colors more men should embrace. Many guys may think that colors like this are for older gents, but on the contrary, the chinos are a rich tan color which pair well with the lighter olive/tan Harrington jacket. He sets the look off with the ever popular Killshot 2’s. His checkered button-down is an appropriate choice that meshes nicely with the overall casualness of the look and adds a bit of interest to the simple look as well.

AZIZ STYLE #3: MINIMALIST STYLE

Aziz has mastered his minimalist wardrobe and it’s what makes Aziz Ansari style so great.

1) This is one of these “I could rock this everyday” kind of looks. He keeps it simple with the unstructured blazer with casual patch pockets. Looks like it could be of a suede or corduroy material. The olive chinos pair perfectly with the rich brown, cap toe boots, another style staple.

Let’s talk about the fit. The blazer is the perfect length, the shoulders lay flat and he’s even got just a sliver of sleeve cuff showing. And have you heard? No pocket square is the new pocket square. The chinos are slim fitting without being overly skinny. The pants have no break and fall at a good length for a shorter guy, covering just the top of the boots.

2) Here’s a bit more of an elevated, smart casual look that Aziz simply nails with the staple of all staples, the navy suit. They say it’s all in the details and Aziz clearly went custom as the second, ticket pocket would suggest. Pairing the navy suit with a lighter blue oxford button down is a minimalist’s move alright. I’m getting collar roll envy looking at this photo. Oh and take a look at the clean pocket square puff.

One thing I noticed is that one of Aziz’s arms is longer than the other. I have a similar issue where one of my shirt sleeves is always a bit longer than the other. Not a big deal, but it’s a noticeable detail that any discerning stylish gent would take notice of.

Finally down low he’s got a clean, polished pair of oxblood derby’s to add a bit of life to the muted ensemble.

Some would say it’s a boring look, but I’d say it’s smart, tasteful and appropriate for many occasions.

3) When it comes to style, a man can’t go wrong with a navy suit, a brown suit and a grey suit. Those are the three pillars of color when it comes to suiting for starters. This is as minimal as it gets. No belt, no pocket square, and he’s buttoned up all the way, so no need for a tie.

The suit fits impeccably, no ‘dreaded x’ at the waist, no wrinkling or bunching, perfectly squared shoulders and a confident smirk.

Though his show says otherwise, Aziz has clearly mastered his minimalist style.

AZIZ ANSARI STYLE CLOSING

Call his style simple or basic, refined or minimalist. There’s no arguing Aziz’s got style.

He’s funny, relatable, and keeps it real. He recently gave up social media and has been reading a lot more. He enjoys traveling right now. At 35 years young, he’s got a lot of life to live. It’s funny we look at celebrities and put them on a pedestal, but they’re human just like the rest of us. They get lonely, they question the meaning of life and strive for balance personally and professionally.

In a past interview with GQ Style, he talks about his life being a bit out of balance and that he’s achieved all of this success. Now he’s enjoying his life, not succumbing to the pressure to continue creating. He just doesn’t feel inspired right now. It’s okay to take a break. After all, Dave Chappelle did it and look at him now.

A note: I wrote this piece before all of the Aziz controversy earlier this year. I’m not blatantly disregarding it, I just wanted to keep the article focused on Aziz’s style.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON AZIZ ANSARI’S PERSONAL STYLE?

Let’s continue the discussion over in the Gentlemen Within Private Facebook Community.

Looking forward to seeing you in there.