Andrew Garfield made a ton of headlines at Wimbledon this year. From his lush lid (described by his hairstylist as “tamed but untamed”) to his unreleased IWC Ingenieur, the British actor had a very, very busy couple of weeks at the tournament. But at the men’s final on Sunday, he pulled out another big—and slightly more controversial—style move: suits and sandals.
Spotted out and about at the All England Club, the We Live in Time star wore a cream suit from Ralph Lauren. Nothing out of the ordinary! Very Wimbledon! But shift your focus a little further down and, instead of the usual loafers or lace-ups, Garfield was wearing a pair of fisherman sandals.
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And they weren’t just any fisherman sandals, either. From Ralph’s top-end Purple Label, they’re handmade in Italy from calfskin that’s been burnished by hand to give the leather a richer finish. There’s also a strap across the front fastened with a brass stirrup buckle—a nod to Ralph Lauren’s long-running equestrian obsession.
While the sandals themselves are sick, wearing open-toe shoes with a suit has always been a little divisive. We here at GQ have been arguing about it since 2005. Two decades later, the rules have loosened up a lot. Sandals are no longer reserved for the beach or the pool or taking the garbage out in the dead of summer. This season, they’re everywhere. From Auralee and Giorgio Armani to Hermès and Juun.J, everyone’s been putting their spin on them.
Plus, Garfield’s always been a bit experimental when it comes to his footwear. He’s worn wavy lace-up boots from Tod’s on the red carpet, and he’s deep into the niche Japanese sneaker brand Flower Mountain. This is a man who knows how to have fun with his shoes—and we should all be taking notes. And, for the record, he wore his sandals sans socks. If you’re gonna do it, you might as well go all the way.
So, really, fisherman sandals at the Wimbledon final shouldn’t be that surprising. And if you’re going to wear open-toe shoes with a suit somewhere as fancy as Centre Court, an all-white Ralph Lauren number is probably the way to do it. Andrew Garfield said yes to suits and sandals. We get it.
This story originally appeared on British GQ.