This year’s awards season has been blessed with dazzling menswear on the red carpets, from classic tuxedos to shiny jumpsuits, sometimes even attracting the most attention with eye-catching looks.
At the Grammy Awards, singer Harry Styles arrived in a chest-baring sparkling harlequin jumpsuit. At the same time, Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan has chosen pale blue and red ensembles as his style choices for the Golden Globes and British Academy of Film (BAFTA) Awards.
While classic suits and tuxedos are still a red carpet staple, menswear now features plenty of variety and bolder choices – vibrant colors, sparkling embroidery, or detailing, as favorite fashion actor Timothee Chalamet has often demonstrated with his non-traditional outfits.
"There is more of an expectation now than perhaps traditionally ... more than there would have been 20 or 30 years ago (when it was) much more kind of pre-ordained what guys would wear to ceremonies," Charlie Teasdale, the style director of men’s magazine Esquire U.K., told Reuters.
"Now it’s much more of a guessing game."
Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne has won style accolades for his red carpet choices this awards season, culminating with Sunday’s Oscars. His looks have included an all-brown suit decorated with a large flower, a black jumpsuit, and high-waisted black trousers paired with a white shirt bearing a massive bow at the neck.
In some instances, ties have been loosened or dropped altogether – actor Andrew Garfield sported a more open-neck look in a dark orange suit for the Globes. At the same time, Donald Glover chose silky white pajamas under a black jacket for the same event.
"Lots of the guys that you’re seeing at ceremonies, it’s a place where people see trends that might be appearing over the next year or two, or even shorter," Teasdale said.
"Menswear in that sense, particularly on the red carpet, has become super exciting, particularly in the last few years, just because you never quite know what will happen, and it is so influential."
Teasdale distinguished between film and music ceremonies, such as the Grammys and BRIT Awards. The former, like the BAFTAs, featured more classic tailored suits, and the latter showcased more daring looks.
Men’s accessories this season have included shiny lapel jewelry worn by actors Rege-Jean Page and Rami Malek, diamond-encrusted sunglasses favored by music star Pharrell Williams at the Grammys, and clutch bags.
Asked what she thought of men’s fashion this award season, Oscar nominee Michelle Yeoh told Reuters last month: "I love it."
"It’s like men are allowed to have color and to be bold, beautiful, stunning, or whatever they want."