Great Outfits in Fashion History: Dennis Quaid Looking Like Our Favorite Napa Valley Dad in Suede

An early 2000s example of the actor’s superior ability to wear this type of leather.

Dennis Quaid at the premiere of USA Films” “Traffic” in 2000.

There are perfectly good celebrity style moments, and then there are the looks that really stick with you, the ones you try desperately to recreate at home. In ‘Great Outfits in Fashion History,’ Fashionista editors are revisiting their all-time favorite lewks.

No one can wear suede quite like Dennis Quaid did in the early aughts. To me, the thought of a brown suede bomber immediately brings up images of a handsome vineyard owner who fathered twins and agreed to raise only one of them into adolescence — yes, I’m talking about the character Quaid played in “The Parent Trap.” While it wasn’t a real scenario, the outfit lives rent-free in my mind as sartorial proof of the actor’s superior ability to wear this type of leather.

Off camera, Quaid had similar success with suede, the napped finish leather complimenting his features. Perhaps pronounced chins just go with it, or Quaid’s enduring “Parent Trap” persona confused me into thinking that whenever the actor wore a suede jacket, he was on his way to pick up Lindsey Lohan from the Napa Valley airport.

The Texan in me gravitates towards suede more so than glossier leather. I’d like to think the same is true of Quaid, who also hails from the Lone Star State and wore suede several times on the red carpet, especially in the early 2000s. On one such occasion, he donned a black suede zip-up jacket over a peachy pink button-down shirt and chocolate brown slacks. Without the jacket, the look would’ve been something that my far-from-fashionable father could have whipped up, but with it, it’s something that a cool Hollywood type would wear.

It may feel a bit off season to be talking about suede jackets, but suede feels relevant because of fashion’s current obsession with Western style. Take cues from Quaid and pair yours with classic denim or with a cow-print skort and cowboy boots for an all-out take on ranch dressing. Shop some of our suede favorites below.