GQ: The 50 Most Stylish Men

Jean-Claude Killy

“How I dress is very important,” Jean-Claude Killy says, calling from his home in Switzerland. “Like how I behave. Or how I speak.” Raised in a tiny village atop the French Alps, this son of a shop owner learned to ski shortly after he learned to walk, and shortly after that he began winning medals, finally taking three golds at the 1968 Olympic Games, which rocketed him at age 25, ready or not, into worldwide stardom. Killy looked like he was cast for the part, like Robert Redford in 1969’s Downhill Racer, only ercer—tight wool ski pants slashed with racing stripes, mock turtlenecks tucked beneath formfitting sweaters, black leather lace-up boots, and a head of windswept hair. Killy taught us that it wasn’t enough to be an Olympic hero; you needed to look like one, too. A truly stylish man is stylish all the time—whether he’s on the mountain, the court, or the golf course. Looking good isn’t reserved for when you’re throwing on a tie.

Photo: Presses Sports/Sports Illustrated