Turning the RED CARPET green
Signing up to luxury brands, setting trends and embracing unique styles, here’s how Irish male stars are...
THE names Murphy and Versace are not natural bedfellows but this week all that changed as Cillian Murphy was unveiled as the new face of Versace’s Icons collection, after wearing the brand to the 96th Academy Awards.
The 47-year-old’s ambassadorship for Versace cements his reputation as a style icon, having previously influenced fashion courtesy of his role as Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders.
Irish actors enjoying critical success — like Cillian, Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan — have emerged as unexpected style icons with major league luxury brands recruiting them to appear in their campaigns.
Being Irish is seen as sexy, and brands searching for aspirational muses have taken note.
Cillian’s relationship with Versace is ultimately commercial. Today all major movie stars have business managers as well as talent managers. The talent manand agers look after movie roles and negotiate film contracts, while the business managers oversee brand endorsements and ambassador roles.
The moneymaking power of an Oscar winner is not confined to their acting fees — the gold statuette also opens opportunities for relationships with brands keen to be associated with the lustre of success. Once, these opportunities were mostly for female stars, but with the rise of men’s interest in fashion and grooming, male stars can now enjoy lucrative endorsements too.
A new generation of musicians and actors like Timothée Chalamet, Austin Butler, Harry Styles and Pharrell Williams have embraced adventurous male fashion. Increasingly, the men on the red carpet take as much care with their prep as any starlet — as shown by Barry’s beautification courtesy of Charlotte Tilbury at the Baftas Cillian’s prep pre-Oscars with regular grooming master Gareth Bromell to oversee his hair and skincare (see opposite). Looking good is part of the job and a priority, especially in awards season. On Oscars night, Cillian wore a custom Atelier Versace wool tweed jacket — a nod to his Irish roots — with contrasting silk lapels, a silk formal shirt with a soft bow tie, and mohair wool tailored trousers with a deep silk waistband. The inspiration for the sleek elegant suit was 1990s Versace, when the brand was at the peak of its success. The look was minimal, elegant and sharp, with a dash of Old Hollywood mystique. Donatella Versace has said that she is ‘thrilled’ that the Corkman is joining the Versace family, adding: ‘He is magnetic and mesmerising in front of the camera and I loved seeing him bring Versace to life.’ Cillian’s stylist Rose Forde, who worked with the actor on his Oppenheimer press tour wardrobe, collaborated with him for the Oscars too. She told British Vogue: ‘The red carpet can be particularly noisy. There’s a tendency to overstyle. But there’s a natural cool with Cillian — an ease and a nonchalance about him. He exudes style over being a “fashion guy”.’
It’s easy to see why Cillian would be attractive for Versace: his chiselled bone structure, piercing blue eyes and slim frame make him a striking figure but he’s also a gifted actor with an unconventional approach to fame. He doesn’t do social media and shuns the limelight, yet has won the industry’s highest accolade. He is enigmatic and private, which only adds to his allure.
While he is essentially a classic dresser, Cillian has also surprised on occasion: see his sheer shirt worn to the London premiere of Oppenheimer. Overall, he appreciates perfect tailoring and usually sticks to a palette of black, navy and white.
However, he is never boring; his sartorial influences include David Bowie and Talking Heads and he wears a suit really well.
On his press tour he has worn brands including Prada, Saint Laurent and Studio Nicholson.
He wore a dandified Saint Laurent suit with an undone shirt by Anthony Vaccarello to the Golden Globes, a cool minimal Zegna coat to the Baftas and a pinstripe Saint Laurent suit to the Screen Actor’s Guild. The end result is typically a sophisticated look with an understated, elegant edge.
Cillian is not the only Irish star with a luxury brand relationship. Kildare’s Paul Mescal last year appeared in a Gucci campaign to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its famous Horsebit loafer.
Since the breakout success of Normal People, the 27-year-old has enjoyed a rapid ascent to the A-league and has been dressed by the Florentine luxury brand, which is keen to tap into his appeal with younger market.
While he may once have broken the internet in his abbreviated O’Neill’s shorts, today Paul is more likely to be sporting Gucci than GAA kit.
He can be a slightly scruffy heart-throb who favours soft tailoring, slightly cropped jeans and Adidas Gazelles, or a stylish presence in a sharp suit paired with his signature vest.
Part of his appeal is that he is never too perfect — he makes what he wears seem relatable. He also likes to subvert male stereotypes and has worn Simone Rocha’s pearl-embellished tailoring with a pearl earring. Paul has said that he loves vintage pieces too and, apart from a dubious moustache in 2022, has rarely put a foot wrong style-wise.
He says that dressing for the red carpet has become more enjoyable over time and has credited Adventurous: Barry Keoghan in LA last weekend his stylist, Felicity Kay, with his newfound confidence. with people ‘Dressing for things can be stressful, so you have to populate your life who make it less so,’ he has said. Since 2022, Paul has also been a brand ambassador for the luxury jeweller Cartier and wears its Tank watch. This February he was also revealed as a face in Cartier’s centenary campaign for its famous Trinity ring. However, the most talked-about Irish star making waves in fashion circles is Barry Keoghan, who has garnered more column inches than any Irish man yet for his unique sense of style. The 31-year-old’s unpredictable and experimental style, alongside his role in Saltburn, has catapulted him on to magazine covers including Vanity Fair, GQ and WWD. Keoghan’s stylist Ilaria Urbinati has encouraged him towards a more adventurous approach. His initial red-carpet days, in matching tracksuits and safe navy suits, are a distant memory. Now all eyes are on him for his striking choices. He has a penchant for going bare-armed as he has very toned biceps and has worn waistcoats and sleeveless knits on the red carpet frequently. ‘Barry is just very playful and adventurous,’ Ilaria has said. ‘He takes to fashion well. He really understands it and is knowledgeable about designers... He takes it seriously but doesn’t overthink it.’ Examples of his brave style include a Dolce & Gabbana ivory waistcoat paired with wide-leg trousers, a Louis Vuitton red check outfit paired with Tiffany jewellery worn to the Golden Globes, and a lavender Louis Vuitton suit worn to the Oscars in 2023. Barry also loves designer watches and is often seen wearing high-end brands including Omega, Vacheron and IWC. He reportedly even gets his sleeves shortened to highlight them. Barry’s favourite labels include Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Givenchy, and in March he was unveiled as the new face of Burberry in a campaign in which he smoulders in a black trench jacket. He had previously worn the label to the Met Gala as well as appearing on its front row. ‘I love fashion,’ Barry has said. ‘I see it as a way of being bold. It’s another way of expressing yourself.’ The influence of these actors on the general standard of Irish male dress is already being felt. Thanks to Barry, Paul and Cillian, the stereotypical shabby Paddy may soon be a thing of the past.
‘There’s a natural cool with Cillian, a nonchalance’