The late night terrain is a-changin’. And so are the suits.
Three of today’s hottest hosts — Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel — are giving their shows a fashion-forward spin.
Their stylists dish on the guys’ ties, shoes and one man’s penchant for Nike socks with suits.
Jimmy Fallon
Signature look: Now that Fallon occupies the highest perch in late night television as host of “The Tonight Show,” it’s only fitting that his suits be, well, perfectly fitted.
“We love a men’s white shirt with short collars and we keep the tie narrow, the lapels of the jacket really narrow and the overall fit of the suit really slim, which makes it really youthful,” says Fallon’s stylist, Brian Coats.
Coats wants to make sure Fallon’s on-air look exudes a certain youthfulness, especially since the 39-year-old is the youngest member of the late night posse.
“His look is modern. He’s not going for something that’s preppy or European,” says GQ creative director Jim Moore. “He’s the modern, tailored maestro.”
Favorite designers: Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Ralph Lauren Black Label and Gucci. Coats says Fallon currently rotates among 15 to 20 suits.
Shoes & socks: “We make sure to keep the shoe narrow and elongated,” says Coats, who says Fallon sports Tom Ford monkstrap shoes, Ralph Lauren simple black lace-ups and a pair of Tom Ford loafers for “quick changes when he’s with a guest.”
While Fallon gravitates toward Corgi or J.Crew striped socks during his off-time, for the show, Coats keeps it classic for NBC with Pantherella or Falke solids.
The ties that bind: “He’s been doing a bunch of knit ties, which has been looking cool and is different from the other hosts,” says Coats, who has picked out some “subtle” colored ones in gray, black and hunter green from Ralph Lauren’s Black Label.
Eye for detail: “[Fallon is] so great because he loves clothes and he gets how important they are,” says Coats. “Sometimes the fit won’t be as perfect as something else and he notices . . . He was already the best-dressed guy on TV, so I didn’t really have to change much.”
Seth Meyers
Signature look: “Late Night” host Seth Meyers, 40, is breaking free from his “SNL” Weekend Update uniform of blue blazer and red tie, and embracing what his stylist Eric Justian calls a “classic but tailored look” that’s heavy on the blues and grays.
“I think he always wants to look nice, without it becoming about what he’s wearing,” says Justian.
“I think he just always wanted to be respectfully pretty for the camera, you know?”
Favorite designers: Meyers has been loyal to Ralph Lauren Black Label’s custom suits since starting the show. But Justian says they are “about to start working with Louis Vuitton for suiting in the next two weeks, which is very exciting.” A few Theory suits are slated to make an appearance in the near future, as well.
Shoes & socks: “For the show, we just do standard black Gold Toe socks,” says Justian, who adds that Meyers favors Prada and Ferragamo oxfords.
The ties that bind: For now, as long as it isn’t red, it’s fit to be tied. Meyers wrapped himself in striped and diamond-patterned ties from the likes of Ralph Lauren, Drake’s and Bigi.
Street cred: Meyers is totally in with the fashion crowd. He’s famously friends with Vogue editrix Anna Wintour (he’s been featured in Vogue twice, plus Wintour’s daughter, Bee, works on Meyers’ new show). And he hosted the celeb-studded CFDA Fashion Awards in 2012, sporting a Marc Jacobs frock, no less.
Jimmy Kimmel
Signature look: The Everyman. “I want everybody to feel like he’s just a normal guy — no crazy colors, no crazy patterns,” says “Jimmy Kimmel Live” costume designer Rodney Munoz. “It’s very, sort of, accessible. It’s on trend with colors and textures, but not necessarily shapes,” he explains, adding: “I want him to feel like Mike Douglas from the ’70s. He was just the guy down the street who had a talk show. He was not threatening in any fashion-forward kind of way.”
Favorite designers: Gucci and Tom Ford. “I think in the last year or two he’s upped his game,” says GQ’s Moore. “He’s gone from the three-button to two-button suits. It fits his body shape better.”
Shoes & socks: “He wears Prada and Gucci shoes — very classic black oxford, not a lot of pizzazz to them,” says Munoz. As for socks? “He wears black Nike socks,” Munoz says with a laugh. “I don’t know if I should be telling you that.”
The ties that bind: Munoz says he doesn’t want Kimmel’s ties “to be a loud statement.” His neckwear, a mix of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Ferragamo and Charvet, is kept simple and narrow, the thinner tie being a “much stronger” look for 46-year-old Kimmel’s slimmed-down physique, according to Munoz.
Weighty issues: “His body is fluctuating because he’s trimmed down so much. He can go up and down a little bit in weight, and it shows in his suits because they’re so finely tailored,” says Munoz. “My team stays on top of that.”