Will Sharpe as Ethan Spiller on The White Lotus (Episode 2.01: “Ciao”)
Vitals
Will Sharpe as Ethan Spiller, prosperous tech entrepreneur
Sicily, Summer 2022
Series: The White Lotus
Episode: “Ciao” (Episode 2.01)
Air Date: October 30, 2022
Director: Mike White
Creator: Mike White
Costume Designer: Alex Bovaird
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
The White Lotus returns tonight with the premiere of its third season, set in Thailand. Each season of Mike White’s darkly comic anthological series is loosely connected, following different casts of characters across exotically located resorts under the fictional White Lotus hospitality chain. The first season was set in Hawaii, chosen as its seclusion provided ideal conditions for filming under safety protocols informed by the then-new COVID-19 restrictions. Following the success of the premiere season, the sophomore season took the action to Sicily, retaining the themes of illicit drugs, romantic intrigue, and unexpected violence.
The appropriately named second-season premiere “Ciao” welcomed the guests arriving at the White Lotus resort in Taormina for the week, including the newly wealthy but emotionally unfulfilled Ethan Spiller (Will Sharpe) and his wife Harper (Aubrey Plaza), a haughty lawyer initially repulsed by his gauche college pal Cameron Sullivan (Theo James). A gregarious finance-bro to Ethan’s sullen tech-bro, Cam and his trophy wife Daphne (Meghann Fahy) approach life with more outward enthusiasm, though Harper initially pushes through to discover the imperfect cracks of the Sullivans’ surprisingly complex union.
What’d He Wear?
The nouveau riche Ethan Spiller strikes an effective balance of form and function for the group’s arrival at Taormina, dressed in presentable yet relaxed layers of practical gear and summer-weight fabrics to stay comfortable in Sicily’s Mediterranean climate.
“Ethan is quite basic, but we wanted to up his game because he’s obviously married to Harper and she’s definitely helped him,” costume designer Alex Bovaird explained to Radhika Seth for Vogue. “He wears pleated trousers and stuff from Mr Porter. His palette is very neutral but then he does wear prints a couple of times when he goes to the beach.”
Ethan’s plain baseball cap specifically recalls the conspicuously inconspicuous “stealth wealth” modeled by the Roy family on Succession. The navy cotton twill cap follows the typical design with a six-paneled crown, each ventilated with a self-threaded eyelet and top squatchee button. There are four rows of non-contrasting navy thread stitched around the edge of the brim, and the adjustable back strap closes through a gunmetal-toned buckle.
Some Redditors have suggested the hat might be made by athleisure company Lululemon, which aligns with both Ethan’s wealth and fondness for exercise, though the brand’s “Classic Ball Cap” (which is the closest to what Ethan wears) has a distinctively different back-strap design.
Ethan wears a cream-colored sport jacket made from either linen or a linen-and-cotton blend in a hopsack weave. This loose, basket-like open weave is a favorite among summer travelers for its breathability (especially in natural fibers like cotton and linen) and versatility.
The jacket has notch lapels, a two-button front, double side vents, two-button cuffs, and patch pockets over the breast and hips. The fit is very contemporary—short and trim with a high button stance; I typically try to avoid these trendy slim cuts in my tailoring, though it looks more suitable with Ethan’s casual approach, paired with an untucked T-shirt and linen pants.
The high-contrasting dark-brown 4-hole buttons and patch pockets emphasize the jacket’s sportiness, again harmonizing with the dressed-down way that Ethan layers it.
Ethan’s navy-blue linen trousers have side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms. The double sets of forward-facing pleats add additional fullness that would wear comfortably during a sunny yet breezy summer day in Sicily.
Ethan wears navy, charcoal, and white sneakers. The uppers are primarily charcoal-gray textile, accented with navy leather toe-caps and lace panels, as well as nubuck navy pieces throughout the body. The flat white woven laces pull through six sets of eyelets over the all-white tongue, echoed by the high white rubber outsoles above the black studded soles. This is a common colorway and material mix, offered by shoe brands like Hogan as well as more upscale luxury labels like Brunello Cucinelli, Givenchy, and Louis Vuitton, though I haven’t been able to clearly identify Ethan’s screen-worn shoes with a model by these or any other contemporary shoemakers.
Ethan layers the sport jacket over an olive-green soft jersey-knit cotton crew-neck T-shirt that doubles as an exercise shirt when he quickly changes upon their arrival to get in a workout.
On Ethan’s right wrist, he wears a hemp bracelet woven in repeating chevrons in beige, brown, and black. This creates a beachy, carefree look that aligns with his appearance but not his attitude, as he’s far more high-strung than his shaggy hair and casual dress would suggest. Even as his marriage to Harper grows tenser throughout the trip, he always wears his yellow-gold wedding band on his left ring finger.
Ethan’s TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 smartwatch makes sense for a person so consumed by his fitness hobby. “It makes sense that he would opt for a relatively unassuming, practical and functional $1,800 wrist companion,” writes Paige Reddinger for Robb Report. “It features a sports app for running, cycling, swimming, fitness and golf and also has a stopwatch, timer and alarm. And for a man like Ethan who is in the throes of an identity crisis—unsure how his new wealth and power define him—the watch offers several different faces for ever-changing moods.”
Though its four-digit price tag is still more than your run-of-the-mill Fitbit (and why not? he is a billionaire), this water-resistant smartwatch is still more accessible than his friend Cam’s “Cookie Monster” Rolex that yields closer to $40k. Made by the same storied Swiss watchmaker that crafted the iconic Aquaracer, Autavia, Carrera, and Monaco models, Ethan’s Connected Calibre E4 is likely the ref. SBR8010.BT6255, sporting a 42mm stainless steel case with sapphire crystal protecting the digital display, connected to a black rubber strap.
How to Get the Look
Aubrey Plaza and Will Sharpe on The White Lotus (Episode 2.01: “Ciao”)
Ethan Spiller’s comfortably presentable summer travel style can be accessibly replicated even without his tech-bro billions, built from broken-in staples made with natural fibers.
- Cream linen/cotton hopsack single-breasted 2-button sport jacket with notch lapels, patch breast pocket, patch hip pockets, 2-button cuffs, and double vents
- Olive-green soft jersey-knit cotton short-sleeved crew-neck T-shirt
- Navy linen double forward pleated trousers with side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms
- Navy-and-charcoal white leather-and-nubuck sneakers with flat white laces, white outsoles, and black lugged outsoles
- Navy cotton twill baseball cap
- Beige, brown, and black-woven hemp bracelet
- Gold wedding ring
- TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 ref. SBR8010.BT6255 smartwatch with stainless steel 42mm case and black rubber strap
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the series, streaming exclusively on Max.
The post The White Lotus: Ethan’s Cream Jacket and Navy Cap in Sicily appeared first on BAMF Style.