Men in H’wood ditch black tuxes
At Golden Globes, Spike Lee rocked an all- purple look
New York: The basic black tux is a thing of the past. Bring on the flowery harnesses, patterned jackets and brightly colored hats.
The men of Hollywood and the music biz are no longer letting their female peers grab all the attention on the red carpet.
The more experimental sartorial statements by entertainers and athletes at high- profile events is a sign of a new age in men’s fashion, one that is free of stereotypes.
A decade ago, at the 2009 Oscars, the men on the red carpet looked like a colony of penguins — white shirts and black tuxedos, all in a row.
But at the Golden Globes in January 2019, change was everywhere: from
Timothee Chalamet’s sparking Louis Vuitt on harness to I dr is El ba’ s bright green jacket and Bradley Cooper’s white suit.
Then at the Screen
Actors Guild awards, Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman ( brown Zegna leaf print jacket) and Michael B. Jordan ( floral Vuitton harness over a blue suit) took it up a notch.
The Grammys are on Sunday and the Oscars are on February 24, so the men of showbiz have a few more key moments this awards season to strut their stuff.
“There have always been some men who have dressed outside the box, but only within the past two years or so has this become more accepted in mainstream media,” says Andrew Gelwicks, a stylist to young celebrities. For Sascha Lilic, who has worked with Lenny Kravitz and Adrien
Brody, men “sort of speak to the theme, but you can see a guy in a tuxedo with sneakers, or with a sweatshirt under a tuxedo.”
“It just shows that they’re more in touch with their creative side,” Lilic added. Singer and music producer Pharrell Williams and Oscar- winning actor Jared Leto were among the first to adopt a looser, more evocative style. And of course, the fashion OGs are Spike Lee and Mickey Rourke.
At the Golden Globes, Lee rocked an all- purple look.
“We now live amongst a generation who thrive to see what new trends male celebrities bring to the red carpet,” said stylist
Dan yul Brown, who has notably worked with singer John Legend and
rapper Tyga. “It’s just as competitive today to get ‘ Best Dressed’ for a man, as it is for a woman.” This men’s liberation movement on the red carpet signifies a wider societal trend — a redefinition of masculinity and the blurring of boundaries between the sexes. “People now have the ability to express their gender, however they identify, in broader terms,” said Gelwicks. “The way we dress is a huge part of how express our identity.” Attitudes are quickly changing, industry experts say. “Women are allowing men to get more in touch with their creativity without thinking, ‘ He stole something from my closet’ or ‘ It’s very feminine,’” Lilic explains. Another factor is the culture of working out, and the “skinny” trouser trend pioneered by He di Slimane. “Men are looking after themselves more and more, ” Lilic says.