a sturdy PINE

Are you man enough to rock a pussy-bow blouse? Actor Chris Pine is— to wide applause.

People who live breathlessly on the internet were buzzing last year over whether actor Chris Pine was actually spat upon by singer and Don’t Worry Darling co-star Harry Styles at the Venice International Film Festival, as some thought a video subtly showed. (Pine’s people insist he wasn’t.) But apparently no one flinched when the suave, 42-year-old Pine, who’s been linked with some of Hollywood’s top female names, referred casually to his lovemaking history.

Late Late Show host James Corden asked Pine what it had been like to have a professional “intimacy coordinator” on the set—a first-time experience the actor had while filming a steamy scene in 2022’s Amazon spy whodunit All the Old Knives. Pine confessed that it was “very strange” to have someone “giving you notes about how to have sex, essentially.”

“I’ve been doing it for a bit,” he deadpanned. “I think I can find my way around there.”

Still, the actor took the “coordinator’s” counsel—intended, in this touchy era, to make sure everyone on the set felt comfortable and all looked right—with his characteristic laid-back grace. “It’s like having a referee and a choreographer all at the same time,” he quipped.

These days the unflappable Pine doesn’t seem to need much instruction. He shows the equanimity of a practiced star, versatility on the screen, a high fashion profile and even the manly confidence to unisex garments that haven’t been unisexed before.

Pine was essentially destined for fame. Born in Los Angeles to two actor parents, he was involved in theater at University of California–Berkeley and studied post-grad at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. After appearing in an ER episode in 2003 he had his first major film role in 2004, playing Anne Hathaway’s royal love interest in Princess Diaries 2. But Pine wasn’t pigeonholed as a rom-com leading man. By 2009 he’d landed his most famous role as James Kirk in the Star Trek series, which then led to his casting as Steve Trevor in DC Comics’ Wonder Woman flicks opposite Gal Gadot. Handsome? Obviously, but the dude’s got some serious range too. Range is a good word to describe his fashion aesthetic as well. Last year he experimented with a sartorial vibe that Gen Z social media users called “wine aunt phase,” meaning he dressed like your old-lady aunt. Kaftans, hats with large brims, sandals, feminine tops and flowy robes became his signature style for press appearances. He’s layered a pussy-bow blouse under a red velvet blazer, a floral-embroidered, button-up top by Bode paired with striped trousers and Gucci loafers. Wear that stuff in middle school if you’re not the toughest boy in class and you’ll come home bleeding, but on Pine it works.

At an All the Old Knives screening in Los Angeles, it was time for long hair, a long beard and a breezy suit by Sandro—a look he likened to that of the late Gregg Allman. As for his hirsute extravagance, he told Entertainment

Tonight it reflected equal parts laziness and “something I may do in the future”—a hint at an upcoming role.

He’s also experimented with what some fashion critics have called his “country club” style, walking around looking like a collegiate trust-fund baby in Giuliva Vintage red trousers, a silk shirt, a navy blazer and Magnanni loafers. Essentially, Pine’s aesthetic, like that of co-star Styles, is all about versatility. He marches to his own fashion drum, following some rules of menswear and paving the way for others.

Still, play around as he may with boho-chic ’70s trends and effeminate silhouettes, the guy also knows how to wear a good ol’ classic suit. With the help of his stylists, sister duo Wendi and Nicole Ferreira, Pine looks dapper in formal attire from the likes of Brunello Cucinelli and Etro. “Spitgate” aside, we’ll never forgot one shining sartorial moment of the festival in Venice: Pine’s sockless loafers look, paired with a brown tuxedo jacket and white breezy pants from Ralph Lauren.

The star has been on the red carpet again in the first half of 2023 for a promotional run supporting the March release of Dungeon & Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves, based on the fantasy role-playing game of the same name. Whether he opts for the rugged ’70s bad-boy look or that of a suited-up heartthrob, whether he goes scruffy or bare-faced, we’re betting he’ll continue, on and off the screen, to be someone we pine for.