The Academy Gala set the tone for Hollywood's new era of menswear
The Academy Gala in Los Angeles celebrated Hollywood, and the guys in attendance, from Drew Starkey and Regé Jean-Page to did so very well
The annual Academy Museum Gala is one of the starriest events in Hollywood, and this weekend’s affair, which was held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, proved its reputation to be true. This year’s honourees include Paul Mescal who received the Vantage Award which honours an emerging artist or scholar helping to challenge dominant narratives around cinema, while Rita Moreno, a two-time Academy Award winner, took home the Icon Award and Quentin Tarantino the Luminary Award.
And the guests in attendance gave it their all, and some unofficial Instagram critics were hailing it the best red carpet in years. The female stars - Ariana Grande, Cynthia Ervio, Kim Kardashian et al - pulled out all the stops, but the guys certainly gave them a run for their money.
The likes of Queer actor Drew Starkey, red carpet vet Eddie Redmayne and Ke Huy Quan were there, and each deserved that coveted, allocated 10 minutes on the scarlet carpet. They served up classic menswear with a big twist. The biggest we've seen in recent years, perhaps. While the red carpet has long been playground for guys to have fun with the way they dress, few have done it with the success and aplomb of gamechangers like Harry Styles. This was a big Hollywood event almost on the level of the Oscars or the Grammys, but there was a minimal amount of the fussy black tie you're used to seeing.
Drew Starkey in Loewe
Archie Madekwe
Eddie Redmayne in Valentino
This weekend change was afoot. Redmayne, dressed by stylist supreme Harry Lambert (see also the wardrobes of Styles, Dan Levy and Emma Corrin), wore Alessandro Michele's new Valentino in all its pomp and flamboyant glory, but still stuck to the sharp codes of traditional tailoring. Drew Starkey went oversized - now a signature look - in Loewe, while Vietnamese-American actor Ke Huy Quan went classic with a pinned ribbon. Saltburn's Archie Madekwe went classic in black, but it was silky up top and baggy down below.
A few of the men in attendance - Paul Mescal (in Gucci), Joe Alwyn, and new kids on the block Cooper Koch and Starkey - ditched their ties, ushering in a new wave of IDGAF dressing at prestigious Hollywood events.
Cory Michael Smith in Saint Laurent
Ke Huy Quan in Zegna, an Omega watch, and Fred Leighton jewelry
Harris Dickinson in Daniel W Fletcher
Others, such as Harris Dickinson, kept it traditional in a Daniel W Fletcher suit and tie, but those with a keen eye will notice that the fun and nonconfirmist moves came in the very workings of his suit - see the additional stitching, which is a DWF signature and a marque of his left-field design.
Cooper Koch in Saint Laurent and a Vacheron Constantin watch
Paul Mescal in Gucci and Cartier
Colman Domingo in Valentino
The Academy Gala served, in our minds at least, as a preempting of how big - and drastic - men are willing and likely going to go at next year's menswear-centric Met Gala, which is destined as with most years to be the biggest fashion outing on the calendar. With the theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, the first Met Gala theme in over 20 years to focus on menswear, it's sure to be a big night for the guys.
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