Actor Jeremy Strong's almost exclusive wearing of brown-toned clothing for at least the past five years has become a distinctive element of his personal style. While pinpointing the exact start date of this style is difficult, its consistency is undeniably impressive.
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03-03, 2025His brown outfits are typically loose and comfortable, with relaxed silhouettes, often complemented by headwear such as beanies or bucket hats. Rather than pursuing luxury brands, Strong's dressing style embodies the "quiet luxury" or "stealth wealth" trend, which aligns well with the image of his character, Kendall Roy, in the television series "Succession."
Initially, only a small group of devoted fans noticed this trend. However, by early 2023, some media outlets began to pay attention to the 46-year-old actor, questioning his consistent appearance in brown outfits on red carpets and in street-style photos over the years. In late 2024, "The Cut" magazine even coined a new term for Strong's brown looks – "broutfit" – thereby attracting widespread public attention.
Strong has stated that fashion is a significant interest in his life. He has had an intuitive sense of style since childhood, enjoys monochromatic looks, and is fascinated by breaking fashion "rules." He told "Vogue" magazine that he went through a phase of wearing only neon colors as a child, and before wearing brown, he also "only wore navy blue for a few years."
Each time he is asked why he favors brown, Strong gives different answers. In a 2023 interview with "GQ" magazine, he offered three possible reasons: first, "In a way, it's a metaphor for my life. I tend to very narrow lanes. This is what I want, and I don't want anything else." Second, "This may be a little bullshit, but also not entirely bullshit: I've spent most of my life in costumes, and I feel like my style has almost been taken away from me. It's so consistent and neutral that almost every time I put on any clothes, I feel completely different from my basic self." Third, "It's monastic. Monastic fashion."
Melbourne-based stylist, designer, and creative director Nathan Van believes that Strong's dedication to brown is entirely reasonable: it is both unique and eye-catching, while also allowing the actor, who favors serious roles, to remain within an "understated" range for years. They stated, "I think for everyone, and especially for men who are forced to adhere to established ideals of masculinity, brown has become a safe way to explore colors and tones in fashion without losing the advantages of masculinity and 'professionalism'."
Melbourne fashion stylist Stuart Walford stated that brown has long been considered an "ugly color," unable to evoke emotions like "vibrant shades such as pink, blue, and orange." However, he believes that brown is gradually becoming a symbol of "good taste." "The trickle-down effect of the quiet luxury trend is a focus on tradition and classics," Walford pondered. "Usually when we think of those words, we think of refined and rich textures like suede, leather, and brown does that really well. It's a warm, comforting hue. It's a comforting color."
"Elle" magazine described brown as a "must-have" color last year, and "Vogue" magazine summarized that brown dominated the 2024 fashion shows, while the shade of brown that Strong often wears, "mocha mousse," is Pantone's color of the year for 2025. In addition to brown, both stylists believe that the appeal of Strong's clothing lies in its monochromatic nature.
"Monochrome always works, it's a strong statement. If you're someone who doesn't know how to dress or take risks, monochrome is always a very safe place," Walford said. "These brown outfits offer the perfect blend of traits that the internet loves so much: perfect branding; an interesting concept; an experience; they are aesthetically appealing; and they are also an example of a man just doing something fun and wearing what he wants to wear," Van agreed.
Walford said that this may also be related to the low standards of men's red carpet fashion. "Historically, menswear has been a fairly safe space," he said. "When it comes to these awards ceremonies, people tend to focus more on the fit of the suit than anything else, there really isn't that much risk-taking, so looks like (brown outfits) still shock us."
Ahead of the 2025 Academy Awards, Strong appears to have shifted to a new monochromatic choice: green. Strong received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Roy Cohn in the Donald Trump biopic "The Apprentice." In January, he attended the Golden Globe Awards wearing a teal velvet suit by Loro Piana, paired with a matching bucket hat and Jacques Marie Mage aviator sunglasses.
On the red carpet, Strong explained his choice of non-brown clothing: "You know what? I've been accused of only wearing brown, so I thought, you know, I just wanted to change it up a little bit." In late February, he once again appeared in green attire on the Screen Actors Guild Awards red carpet, wearing an unconventional sage green suit by Haans Nicholas Mott. Strong's teal outfit at the Golden Globes, followed by his look at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, seemed to foreshadow the end of brown outfits before the Oscars.
Expectations for what Strong would wear to the Academy Awards became so high that dedicated articles were written to discuss the matter. While the frenzy of speculation has ended, there is no consensus. Some on the internet described the Loro Piana tuxedo and matching askew tie that Strong wore to the Oscars as "olive green." Others explicitly declared it a brown outfit. This sparked further online frenzy: Is the brown outfit dead? Is this all for attention? Will we continue to monitor whether Strong wears brown? Yes. Does any of this matter? No, and also, absolutely.
"There's a lot of pressure from society for men to dress a certain way," Van believes. "Stepping outside of that can be daunting, so to see any male breaking away from the traditional black and pairing outfits together like Jeremy is a welcome relief."
