Did you ever think that you – a menswear intermediate with a few good sneakers and a solid beanie – would be getting schooled by the Stallone sisters? Probably not. But here we are, paying attention, taking notes and being duly humbled by Sylvester Stallone's kids, Sistine, 25, and Sophia Rose, 27.
The sisters aren’t new to the style scene (they modelled for Dolce & Gabbana’s beauty campaign back in 2017, which is a very good gig). But while strolling around New York’s SoHo on Monday, they perfected two casual dress codes that seem to define the workwear binary in New York: poppy hypewear (Sistine), and Brooklyn dad mode (Sophia Rose).
Put simply, Brooklyn dad style is working hard to look like you aren’t trying at all. You are unkempt, cool and fuss-free. You love vinyl. You love off-Broadway performances. You love entertaining the idea of leaving New York but not following through. And, most importantly, Brooklyn dads love the classic. Sophia Rose was smart to use a bomber jacket – the most eternal wardrobe staple of recent memory – to go slouchy and low-key with blue denim, Ray-Bans and big stompy boots. Foolproof!
And on the opposite end of the spectrum is Sistine. Let’s start from the top. There's the baseball cap, but backwards. Which seems quite standard. But after the big swivel by baseball players that wanted to keep the brim out of the way of their protective masks, wearing it backwards became a bit of a thing following Sylvester Stallone's 1987 arm-wrestling blockbuster Over The Top. Before turning wrists with a rival, everyone's favourite on-screen demolition man reversed the cap. And then everyone copied, because he's Sylvester Stallone. Now, even his own kids are doing it.
Next up for Sistine is the gilet. Which could be all authentic and Bass Pro Shop. But the younger Stallone sister has gone slightly Moonrise Kingdom. It's covered in patches. It's a no-brainer with carpenter pants that, ideally, are on the gruffer end of outdoorwear to contrast. Plus, it proves that workwear can be cartoony and juvenile and cool all at once.
Because, ultimately, workwear isn't one big homogenous blob of Carhartt beanies and roll-up cigarettes. Workwear has range! And it took two famous daughters of one famous action man to teach us that.
