In the end it all came down to two men to duke it out, via your votes, for the title of 2016's Most Stylish Man. In one corner was Roger Federer, the quietly elegant tennis pro who favors neutral suits and the occasional pop of color on the court. In the other corner was Tom Hiddleston, a man who never met a tailored fit he didn't like (and in just about any color you can think of). Their respective roads to the final matchup saw each man take out a crew of guys with style that helped define 2016. We're talking heavy hitters like two-time Most Stylish Man Kanye West, budding personal style legend Jaden Smith, and Gucci's favorite frontman, Jared Leto. But in the end, Roger Federer had the stamina—and very passionate fan base—to carry him all the way through to victor status.
So how did a man who doesn't swear by the flex, who only wears athleisure gear when he's doing athletic-related activities, who, as far as we know, didn't wear a stitch of clothing with an embroidered tiger head or fur-lined shoes, take home this year's bragging rights? It's probably because he didn't embrace any of this year's most notable menswear trends. As powerful as a swerve can be, sometimes keeping things classic is the most effective sartorial choice a man can make. It's the reason a guy in a well-tailored navy blue suit can look sharp today and look just as sharp twenty years from now in that same fit. It's the reason that sticking to your style lane—with the occasional swerve, of course—is what builds personal style over time. It's the reason the wardrobe essentials we keep telling you about don't suddenly change year after year. As much as we applaud a Cam Newton-level outfit that immediately grabs our attention, we will always respect a guy who opts for subtlety over flash—and that's the type of stylish man Roger Federer is.
