Zayn Malik beat Tom Hiddleston for British GQ’s Best Dressed Man title

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It was a battle royale between beautiful British men. It was “suede booties at the beach” versus “robot arms at the Met Gala.” It was a well-cut tuxedo at an awards show versus colorful rock stylings. It was an “I Heart T.S.” t-shirt versus breakfast beans. It was Tom Hiddleston versus Zayn Malik. And when British GQ put their Best Dressed British Man poll online, it was a battle royale between fandoms. On one side, you had the exhaustive Dragonflies/Hiddlestoners, who love nothing more than imagining that Tom Hiddleston is the most special and best-dressed man in the world. On the other side, you had Zayn’s ride-or-die fandom, who believe everything he does is good and true and pure. Who would win? Well, Zayn Malik won. There were 30,000 votes cast and Zayn got a clear majority of 59%. So now Zayn is British GQ’s Best Dressed Man of 2016.

After two weeks of intense matches, Zayn Malik has beaten Tom Hiddleston to win the GQ Best-Dressed 2017 Reader’s Play-offs. In a closely fought final match where over 30,000 votes were cast, Malik took the title with an impressive 59 per cent of the total vote.

Malik joins an illustrious list of well-dressed homegrown men to win the readers’ vote, most recently including Jim Chapman in 2015 and his former bandmember Harry Styles in 2016. However, Malik is the first man in the history of the fan-voted portion of our competition to top the list twice – fans of his style sensibility will know that he previously won in 2013.

And it’s a double win that’s well deserved. Malik’s style is one that’s as experimental as it is smart, making him a man who can do streetwear slickness just as effortlessly as red carpet suiting. We would say it’s the kind of cool approach to outfitting that would rub off on any man dating one of the world’s most famous supermodels, but Malik’s dress sense was there way before Gigi. Even in his One Direction days, that personal style shone through his boyband styling.

[From British GQ]

While I imagine there were many Dragonflies who voted early and often for Tom Hiddleston, I also imagine that there were some older fans who recognized that Tom actually isn’t that well-dressed in the grand scheme of things. Sure, the man can wear a tuxedo. Yes, he looks good in a suit (although I’m annoyed by the fact that he seems to love a really slim-cut fit). But off the red carpet, Tom’s style is nothing to write home about. He wore those suede shoes to death. He wore that quilted jacket to death. He wore the “I Heart T.S.” shirt, which will have style repercussions for years to come. Basically, even though I know every 12-year-old Zayn-loonie voted for Zayn, I actually think Zayn is a better choice. He takes style chances, he has fun with it and you can tell that he really likes clothes.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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48 Responses to “Zayn Malik beat Tom Hiddleston for British GQ’s Best Dressed Man title”

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  1. lightpurple says:

    Come here, Thomas, and be consoled. We have coffee. And tea. And Hobnobs. But no breakfast beans.

    • Secret squirrel says:

      It was that darn “I ❤️ T.S.” Shirt that brought Tom’s score down!

      I don’t like any of Zayn’s outfits here. I must be getting old!

      • lightpurple says:

        Never underestimate the amount of time 1 Dimension or David Tennant fans have for online polls.

      • Lela says:

        Oh I love a bit of David Tennant … it’s a shame hes so gossip unworthy , but also a bonus …

      • Spiderpig says:

        David is gossip worthy, he’s just not gossiped about. I don’t know why or why the gossip about him almost never gets in the press or online, but get people who have worked with him talking… (Not that he’s not lovely – I’ve worked with him and he is. But his personal life has been messy.)

        I will say one thing though and he’s crazy protective of his image and has some powerful lawyers. I know of a few occasions something has been said online and it’s been pulled instantly. There’s an entire issue of Popbitch that’s missing from their archive because it contained a gossip item about him. And twice that I know of his wife (who acts as his unofficial manager) has thrown massive s***storms over people tweeting “unapproved” photos of him that weren’t even anything dodgy, just random pics of him standing around on set or in a studio.

  2. minx says:

    In these pictures, at least, it’s no competition–Zayn wins hands down. He looks so sharp in those two evening suits.

  3. ria says:

    Phhh.
    CHUKA UMUNNA, that man knows how to wear a daily suit and not look boring doing it.

    IDRIS ELBA

    Eddie Redmayne.

  4. MI6 says:

    Tom’s still wearing those shoes 😃 and the jacket AND the jeans.
    And I love him for it.
    Next year, Hiddles. Give the T shirt time to die down.
    And thanks to Kaiser for not printing a photo of it.

  5. Chef Grace says:

    I haven’t decided yet if Hiddles is lazy, thrifty, or a cheapskate about clothes.
    Sure, I have my favorite items of clothing I wear, but not one set endlessly. And I don’t buy into the fan favorite rumor he has multiple sets of the same clothes. LOL.
    I did vote for him this last go round as that fellow above, Zayn, does not appeal to this old grouch. Though I do like that busy shirt that is doing battle with his ink. LOL.

    • lightpurple says:

      He keeps to a practice that his entire wardrobe should fit into two suitcases.

    • Becky says:

      Chef, I agree he just probably has a few of the same t-shirts

      I think clothes are probably just not that important to him, like a lot of men he goes for comfort and convenience, though in his case he can afford quality designer gear or he gets freebies.

      On top of that though he’s in a profession where he needs to look stylish and with the help of a stylist (or designer staff) he looks great in a suit on a RC.

      IMO he doesn’t have that much natural style, especially judging from old pics. Eddie or Idris should’ve been at the top of this list.

    • spidey says:

      @ Chef Grace

      “And I don’t buy into the fan favorite rumor he has multiple sets of the same clothes.”

      Excuse me, that is not a rumour that is a certified fact!!!! 😆

      • Chef Grace says:

        Spidey,
        I am starting to wonder. His clothes appear neatly cared for. 🙂
        My son would wear the same set of clothes when he came home from university. I would take him clothes shopping. He knew how I was. LOL

      • spidey says:

        @ Chef Grace – and of course everyone says how nice he smells, so unless he is washing and drying to whole lot overnight……………………….:)

  6. Sixer says:

    Kaiser = the BAKED beans troller of Britishers.

    I won’t bite. Oh, I just did. Teehee.

    Poor LEGS. How the mighty have fallen. There was a time when his interwebz army would win any click competition.

  7. Snowflake says:

    No contest, Tom shouldn’t be in it. He never looks fashionable. Look at that outfit in the picture

  8. Suzie says:

    Hiddles looks great in a suit but I prefer Zayn’s street style as I find Hiddles has a boring style in everyday life.
    I also like that Zayn switches it up with the hair. He looked dope at the AMAs.

    • Leah says:

      Yeah i just said the same. Hiddelston style is boring in every day life. Reminds me any old office worker/banker on their day off. Zayn is always changing his hair and style and is way more adventurous.

  9. CarrieUK says:

    I totally do what Hiddleston does, I have sets of clothes I wear to death so I feel him (I’d like to feel him) anywho…..as much as I love Tom I think Zayn is the better choice here, he’s got the edge and he’s snazzy!

  10. third ginger says:

    Hiddleston is no clothes horse. He’s just a man who dresses appropriately for special occasions and looks impeccable in evening clothes. I fear I am too old to appreciate young Mr. Malik’s charms.

  11. Dani says:

    I can’t fault him for a slim fit cut. My husband is also very thin and narrow like Tom and leggy and he also stick to slim cut suits because when he wears a regular fit or relaxed cut he looks like he’s playing dress up in his dads clothes.

  12. justme says:

    Tom looks great in clothes because of his slender and tall frame. However he is a real bachelor guy in his “own time” – he has his uniform (good British schoolboy too!) and just wears it everyday. I doubt if he even thinks about what he puts on. There were pictures of him eating breakfast from the beginning of months – 3 separate days. He sat in the same place, wore the same clothes and probably had the same breakfast! He said it himself in that Cumberbatch interview – “I lead such a boring life” (and I think he likes it that way). He and Taylor could never have lasted long!

  13. Leah says:

    No contest! Zayn is stylish and a genuinely a gorgeous looking guy who pulls off lots of different looks. Hiddleston wears a suit well but his style is pretty boring outside of the red carpet.

  14. Radley says:

    Zayn sure is pretty. I don’t even care about the clothes! LOL

  15. Jess says:

    Zayn is insanely hot! That photo with the beard …swoon.

  16. Jess says:

    Hiddleston is not really fashionable no idea what he was doing on that list in the first place. If you’re going to go for one of those posh Brits, eddie redmayne has much better style tbh.

    • Elle R says:

      Hiddleston can wear a suit, but I do think Redmayne’s quirky style is more fashion forward. Given how the voting and everything is done, I kind of wonder if actors’ reps put them on this list, and Redmayne has no interest in it.

      Also, if that’s the case, Hiddleston should follow suit. Own your Serious Actor persona, Tom!

      • justme says:

        Redmayne was on the list – he lost to Hiddleston in the first round. I think GQ picked the guys. Idris was also on it as was Luke Evans. It was sort of a popularity contest. One Direction fans were voting hundreds of times! 🙂

      • Jess says:

        Yep redmayne is much more fashionable but doesn’t have the crazy stans that hiddles has. To be fair Zayn actually won this before when it wasn’t a readers poll. So it’s not just his fans that think he’s got a good fashion sense. He’s a legitimately fashionable guy, hiddles just wears the same stuff over and over, so I think any non Stan who is into fashion would rather vote for zayn.

      • Elle R says:

        justme: I stand corrected. And I like Hiddles, but him beating Redmayne just goes to show this isn’t actually about fashion or style.

  17. Maude says:

    The thirstiness of Tom summer 2016 will forever be stamped in my memory and its all I see whenever I see a photograph of him. I feel embarrassed whenever that face comes on. With Zayn, its not just that he can wear a suit off, he looks gorgeous from head to toe, with and without a suit on and I imagine, without clothes on also.

    Tom’s suits are too…I don’t know…I get the feeling he wants to be seen as sexy and smart but its a pass from me. Any man that finds TS sexually attractive and would act “thotishly” and thirstily with such zest becomes totally unappealing to me by default.

    Glad Zayn won.

    • Suzie says:

      I don’t like the way Tom wears his suits tight around the crotch. I don’t understand why he does that.

  18. Becky says:

    Slightly OT but if anyone follows Jordan Vogt Roberts on twitter, he posted about his awful flight companion at the weekend:
    https://twitter.com/vogtroberts/status/803131385212903424

    • lightpurple says:

      I read all that this morning and watched the video. What a horrible flight. The breaking of the wine glass would have been enough for me to ask for a different seat if possible.

    • MI6 says:

      Not that I condone alt right, but why would you be looking over someone’s shoulder like that?

  19. jerkface says:

    Oh my god did they arrest him?

  20. Kay says:

    Like any normal actor, even with an established online fanbase, could win against the likes of One Dimension and the Biebs and so on. Once this was shared on twitter, and the fangirls descended, it was over for anyone with less than 20 million followers.