Paul McLauchlan: Leading men lead the way on Oscars red carpet

AS Joaquin Phoenix rose to the podium to collect his Academy Award for Best Actor, ears were peeled as the actor made his speech about inequality and our disconnect with the natural world.

Social justice has been a recurring theme in his winner’s speeches throughout awards season. It was something that correlated with the suit he chose to wear all season — a tuxedo by Stella McCartney, the ethically-minded British designer.

In a Twitter statement, the designer wrote: ‘He chooses to make choices for the future of the planet. He has also chosen to wear this same tux for the entire award season to reduce waste. I am proud to join forces with you.’ This is hardly a groundbreaking concept: men, especially those whose wardrobe is not nearly as important as the work they represent during awards season, ones with no apparent direct attachment to fashion, such as Phoenix, have gotten away with this for years.

Now, of course, it’s news because sustainability is as trendy as it is essential for the survival of our planet — in this sense, Phoenix’s statement is problematic but at least a public figure is doing something to promote the sustainable cause.

Men have worn black suits since award season began. Classic and reliable, there were plenty of them on the carpet. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood winner Brad Pitt showed up in a sharp Brioni tux, Keanu Reeves arrived in Saint Laurent, Rami Malek also donned Saint Laurent, favouring an all-black look. There was no denying they looked good.

Look no further than the dapper Adam Driver wearing a custom Burberry black wool mohair English-fit tuxedo, white cotton piqué-bib dress shirt with black onyx shirt studs. Bong Joon-ho winner for Best Picture, Best Director, Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay for Parasite, also wore a Burberry black wool mohair English-fit tuxedo, black cotton piqué-bib dress shirt. Playing to the familiar was to their advantage.

The only downside to this tactic was the overwhelming lack of excitement present on the red carpet. The identity of men’s fashion on the red carpet is changing. It’s not just their female counterparts that dominate the discussion anymore.

“The Oscars is the last hoorah — it’s the culmination of months and months of press and promotion, all leading up to that one moment. The fashion should represent that and end with a triumphant bang,” said stylist Andrew Gellwicks, who works with clients such as actor Ryan Jamaal Swain and actress Catherine O’Hara.

“The photos are seen by everyone — fans, directors, agents, writers — and you want to be at the top of your game.”

Certainly, some stars rose to the challenge: There was Billy Porter, the Pose star who has circumvented tradition in each and every red carpet appearance since in the past year, most notably at last year’s Oscars in a tuxedo with an extravagant skirt and the Met Gala where he moonlighted as an Egyptian Sun god in 10-foot gold wings and a 24-carat headpiece.

Billy Porter wore a Giles Deacon breastplate and bouffant skirt on the Oscars red carpet.

For this Oscars red carpet, he chose a Giles Deacon breastplate and bouffant skirt, a London-based couturier. The bodice consisted of a plume of gold-foil-feathers, contrasting with a ball-gown skirt screen printed with images of Kensington Palace. He completed the look with gold heels. New red carpet royalty.

While Porter might be in a minority of men with the chutzpah to pull this kind of look off, he certainly proves that men’s formal wear is not what it used to be. Gone are the days of little expectation, men are tasked with rising to the challenge in the same way their female counterparts have been for years. Furthermore, they have to deliver what Gelwicks calls, ‘gut-level excitement’. No small feat.

It’s something that Timothée Chalamet, a veritable fashion darling and golden boy of the moment, is familiar with. Bedecked in a navy satin Prada zip-up jacket and matching trousers, it looked like a cross between space agent tracksuit and tux-adjacent. (Chalamet has become one of the most-watched stars on the red carpet for his daring approaches to dressing. One cannot remember the last time he stepped out in a classic tuxedo.) “Men such as Timothee Chalamet, Donald Glover and Harry Styles have playfully eroded the traditional dress codes and all have a distinctly individual approach to evening attire,” said Damien Paul, head of menswear at MATCHESFASHION.com, noting their alternative approach has influenced buying patterns in recent years, though tuxedo purchases do not necessarily increase during awards season.

Timothee Chalamet wore a navy satin Prada zip-up jacket and matching trousers

“This certainly filters through and we find suits with strong fashion handwriting sell very well. Men are adapting the traditional with modern thinking, and this elegant approach works well with our designer partners at MATCHESFASHION,” he said. The AW 2020 runways told the same story with suits in every colour of the rainbow. There was red at Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, and Zegna, pink at Berluti and Jacquemus, while it was all about blue at Louis Vuitton and Lanvin. Moreover, at Louis Vuitton, suits were decorated with cascading ruffles, and at Alexander McQueen they were enriched with glittering embellishment.

In short, what the Oscars red carpet delivered belonged to a bygone era.

Take the Grammys: from Beck’s embellished pinstripe Celine tux with a floral lapel pin to Quavo’s double-breasted satin Prada number, Shawn Mendes’ raspberry Louis Vuitton, and Lil Nas X’s hot pink rodeo gear. This is how to celebrate the fun in formal wear. No longer does tailoring have to be boring.

One can hold out hope that Hollywood’s leading men will reflect the turning tide with amped up individuality on the red carpet. Once upon a time in Hollywood, there was a classic tuxedo. That fairytale has seen its day.