Timothée Chalamet shows no fear on the red carpet
Few people have had a red carpet run like Timothée Chalamet, the actor known for his roles in “Dune,” “Call Me by Your Name” and the upcoming “Bones and All.”
And if you believe the numerous best-dressed lists and the hundreds of Instagram fan pages dedicated to documenting what he’s wearing, Chalamet, 26, is a style icon. Of course that comes with the help of a connected stylist (he has worked with stylist Erin Walsh, who also works with Anne Hathaway and Lana Condor) and a sprinkle of top designer endorsements (Louis Vuitton, for instance).
In the social media age, though, where a viral fashion moment makes a celebrity more bankable, red carpet moments matter — and Chalamet has had a few.
The latest? A custom red monochromatic look by Haider Ackermann. For the Venice Film Festival premiere of “Bones and All ,” Chalamet wore a shimmering halter top pantsuit with a matching skinny tie.
The look seemed to reflect the diminishing divide between men’s and women’s fashion. With strong tailoring on the bottom and soft swaths of red fabric forming a backless halter top, men could wear it and women could wear it. Maybe that’s why onlookers couldn’t stop talking about it.
Chalamet has a few more ensembles that seem to twist the Hollywood playbook of austere black-and-white tuxedos. At the 2022 Oscars, he wore a chest-baring cropped Louis Vuitton womenswear jacket on the red carpet.
What men wear to the Oscars is often background chatter amid the sea of extravagant couture gowns, but his sequin and lace trimmed blazer and casual silver Cartier jewelry grabbed as many headlines as the next Armani Privé dress.
Like it or not, Chalamet’s eclectic approach grabs attention. Here are selected looks from the fashion runways’ latest collections that might have the “Chalamet factor.”
Ferragamo
British designer Maximilian Davis’ debut for Salvatore Ferragamo was highly anticipated. The collection waged big on crisp tailoring and subtly seductive elements (a skin-baring red monochromatic outfit was a huge standout), but affinity for the color red aside, the clash of soft and hard was a duality seen before on Chalamet.
The iridescent pewter-colored one-shoulder top is a risky barely there moment, while classic black trousers grounds the whole look within men’s tailoring. Davis’ and Chalamet’s tastes seem quite aligned — down to the silver cuffs, another bit of gender fluidity.
Bottega Veneta
The second installment of Matthieu Blazy’s vision as Bottega Veneta’s creative director melded the mundane (low-key denim and deceptive flannel shirts that were actually made out of leather) with refined ready-to-party glamour (fringe A-line dresses and embellished opera gloves).
But in the procession of men’s suiting that went down the runway, this shirt and pant pairing instantly summoned that aloof coolness of Chalamet’s look. There were oddball details that seemed a natural fit for Chalamet, like exaggerated cuffs and a high curved neckline, all paired with the sophisticated touch of Blazy.
Burberry
While Burberry’s rescheduled show was the epilogue of designer Riccardo Tisci’s tenure at the British house, the occasion wasn’t all gloom and sorrow. Among the standouts was a crinkly patent leather suit, which defined suiting in the loosest of terms. There were no sleeves on it, and the slightly flared pants ran counter to traditional slim-fit suit trousers.
The look broke the rules of suits that glide down red carpet premieres and big award shows, but that’s also why Chalamet would be the guy to pull it off.
Dries Van Noten
Floral dresses are thin, but a floral suit? It might as well be as subversive as latex pants. True to form, Chalamet had already given the trend a test drive back in 2018 when he wore a moody floral suit by Alexander McQueen for the premiere of his film “Beautiful Boy” in London.
The natural progression to full floral-dom would be to head straight to the master of prints: Belgian designer Dries Van Noten. Quirky suiting is where the actor shines, but tried-and-true fashion formulas don’t exactly apply here. Van Noten’s frenetic floral buttondown and washed-out, baggy floral jeans were a bit of a curveball, especially considering the look was womenswear and less structured.
Acne Studios
Will the nude illusion ever die? Not if Mugler has anything to do with it. But others put the risque detail on display this season, notably Acne Studios. Its embellished sheer overlay construction has had plenty of play in the womenswear world, but this take on a summer pantsuit is quite refreshing and fitting for a future Cannes Film Festival red carpet.
Ludovic de Saint Sernin
Ludovic de Saint Sernin does not shy away from the sleaze — tiny hot pants and see-through tops are practically his insignia — but it’s not the cheap type that evokes cringe or shame. De Saint Sernin’s knack for embedding undercurrents of French glamour that feel both naughty and elegant yet minimal and effortless was on full display within his spring-summer 2023 collection. This leather pants and sheer blouse combo was one of the more covered-up looks, but since an exposed chest has been Chalamet’s trademark, the seductive sleeve doesn’t seem too out there.
Off-White
In the book of Chalamet sartorial highlights, the glittery harness he wore at the 2019 Golden Globes will forever be a tent pole moment. Designed by Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton, the embellished harness layered over a black poplin button-down and slim trousers was the look that spurred 1,000 think pieces and Twitter replies.
Stylist and editor Ib Kamara was the creative director behind Off-White’s spring-summer 2023 show, the first OffWhite collection since Abloh’s death in 2021. Abloh’s influence lingered on, as seen in this dramatic floor-length coat. An extreme turtleneck like this may make talking hard during interviews, but most people will be staring anyway.
Loewe
A bit of a wild card here, but if anyone were to pull off JW Anderson’s pixelated streetwear fantasy, Chalamet would be on the shortlist. Loewe’s whimsical pieces are best worn with a side of humor and selfirony, which feels very Chalamet.