At first glance you might have missed it. But hidden within the typical red carpet fanfare at the Governors Ball in Los Angeles on Sunday night was a group of sartorial renegades, each one taking aim at the traditional button-down shirt.
Leading the charge was actor Barry Keoghan, dressed in a full Dolce & Gabbana suit featuring a black cropped satin jacket. The star of his ensemble was an artfully draped white pussy-bow blouse, the kind we’ve seen across Kamala Harris’ campaign trail. On Keoghan it was at once romantic and seductive, a nod to both the sleazy open shirts of the ‘70s and the charming cravats of yore.
But he wasn’t the only actor rejecting the stereotypical collar — Jude Law arrived at the event in a white vest and floating necktie, while Nicholas Hoult opted for a luxurious white satin tee under his Saint Laurent suit. Drew Starkey, who stars alongside Daniel Craig in director Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming film “Queer,” made a splash in a scarlet red Valentino suit by Alessandro Michele and silk panna shirt. His stand collar was decorated with a black velvet clasp.
And if Keoghan’s lavallière tie had a whisper of antiquity, then Paul Mescal’s shirt was a bellowing shout. His Shakespearean-style blouse might look more at home at a Renaissance fair than a glitzy red carpet, but its off-white shade and tie-front detail gave the Gucci tuxedo a new lease of life. While it wasn’t quite method dressing — a few centuries sit between the Elizabethan era and ancient Rome, the setting for Mescal’s latest film “Gladiator II” — it was a hat-tip to historical dress.
With social media positioning fashion as mainstream entertainment, red carpet dressing has never felt so important to an actor’s digital profile. And those wearing suits are working harder to make them more interesting. At this year’s Met Gala, many of the most captivating looks came from the male attendees — take Wisdom Kaye’s burnt Robert Wun suit or Usher’s melancholic collared cape. Last year, Timothée Chalamet was just one of many male celebrities on a shirtless streak, shaking up his suits by wearing them with a bare chest. He even braved an icy December evening in London clad in little more than a few yards of pink velvet tailoring and a chunky necklace.
For those perhaps less willing to risk hypothermia, the Governors Ball was a helpful reminder that shirts aren’t off the table entirely — sometimes they just need to be repackaged with a bow.
, CNN
