Once upon a time, you looked so fine: Bob Dylan’s style

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When a man writes a sardonic ode to a leopard-skin pillbox hat, you know he understands how our style can define us. Bob Dylan didn’t just rely on his lyrics to express himself. He cultivated an early look -- the thoughtful, scrawny hobo whom you yearned to serve your biggest slice of peach pie to -- and then reinvented himself as he became more familiar with fashion.

Director Todd Haynes’ new movie ‘I’m Not There’ showcases the many visages of Dylan, with actors like Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger and Christian Bale embodying the maestro. Let’s take a peek at a few of his iconic styles.

In the beginning, he favored an engineer’s cap, flannel plaid shirts, and motorcycle boots. Easy enough to emulate with these ruched boots from Miu Miu with a flat stacked heel ($995; neimanmarcus.com) and this modern version of the infantry cap by Quicksilver, ($22; backcountry.com). Dylan’s iconic checked scarf, worn on the cover of 1966’s ‘Blonde on Blonde’ is another easy get that works for anyone. (Interestingly, this one on the right from Urban Outfitters is not so different from the high-priced Balenciaga version for fall. Oh, except that it costs $18 or a few mortgage payments less.)

In 1968, Bob Dylan discovered that he had a thing for polka dots, stovepipe pants and Cuban heels. When he played the Newport Folk Festival, he shocked audiences in a get-up that was more rocker than railroad worker.

Around this time, he also started wearing the traditional Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses. You can buy them here. Those sunglasses always reminded me of a conservative Dad behind the wheel of a wood-paneled station wagon, but Dylan managed to make them look beatnik cool. His woolly, ever rebellious hair contrasted with shirts buttoned at his throat and collegiate blazers. The effect was that of a college professor who sipped cheap red wine with his students and often slipped out into the night without saying goodbye.

In recent years, Dylan has adopted the look of an outlaw or a flamboyant cowboy sans horse. He rarely makes the scene without a dramatic hat. I prefer his earlier look simply because it was more simple. This picture of Dylan in Woodstock makes me lean in closer, but not to see what he’s wearing. I just want to hear him sing.