How to dress like Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan's look has never been random. Perhaps that's why TikTok users have identified a trend in the images of him with Suze Rotolo on the streets of New York, a style to transform, named Bob Dylan Core. Like all artists who have marked the history of music, the singer-songwriter has captivated his audience not only with powerful lyrics - which also earned him a Nobel Prize in Literature - but also with a fascinating wardrobe. James Mangold's new film A Complete Unknown has already garnered a significant number of clicks, thanks to the styling of the protagonist, played by Timothée Chalamet who has been captured on set these days. A 1970s suede jacket, a striped shirt, a pair of Levi’s 551Z, and a pair of cowboy boots: those worn by Chalamet in the early shots of the film were the outfits of Bob Dylan's folk era, the times of the great hits "Blowin’ in the Wind" and "A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall". With the help of then-companion Joan Baez, an American singer-songwriter and activist who supported him throughout the 1960s, helping him achieve international success, Bob Dylan's image refined before taking a completely unexpected turn when he first picked up the electric guitar. Let's see together how to dress like Bob Dylan, from the folk era to the rock one.

Bob Dylan's Folk Style

Bob Dylan releases his first album in 1962, a collection of folk covers that includes only two original titles in honor of one of his great inspirations, Woody Guthrie. On the cover, Dylan wears a Newsboy Cap and a ribbed velvet bomber jacket. As befitting the uniform of the folk singer of those years, the articles that made up his looks belonged to the wardrobe of a "voice of the people" artist, with socially charged songs and blue-collar clothing. Plaid shirts and strictly blue jeans with a comfortable fit take center stage along with heavy brown boots. The Bob Dylan Core takes inspiration precisely from the years of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, but today's workwear has a completely different meaning.

Bob Dylan's Rock Style

When Bob Dylan becomes a rock star, his style completely transforms. The release of Bringing it All Back Home in 1965 represents Dylan's first project with electric instruments, as well as one of the most innovative albums of the twentieth century. At the Newport Folk Festival, Dylan first picks up an electric guitar, angering the audience who boo him off the stage. He has the harmonica strapped to his shoulders but wears a tight-fitting leather jacket, the first of many that would later inspire the artistic direction of Saint Laurent and Celine's creative director, Hedi Slimane. The Bob Dylan of the electric years wears skinny jeans, Chelsea boots, and a pair of dark Ray-Ban Wayfarers he can't do without. Shirts become more flamboyant, polka-dotted and striped, tucked into tightly fitted waist pants; he wears eyeliner and a pair of bandanas tied around his temples, but retains remnants of his folk roots in details belonging to Western aesthetics. He adds a slight heel to the boots and more colors to the outfits, occasionally using a red and blue Afghan coat. Like his guitars, Dylan moves from warm brown and beige palettes to the harshness of black, perfectly captured in the film I'm Not There (2007) where the artist is portrayed by six different actors, including the splendid Cate Blanchett.