Since red carpets began rolling out for the latest and the greatest in the arts one thing has remained the same the men's humble suit. The suit that can be worn anywhere, by anyone, at any time. A black pant, a black blazer, optional black vest and white shirt. Effortless, simple, boring. For some reason, the bar has been set on the floor for men’s fashion at award shows whilst women need to wear a different gown to every event.
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The Oscars 2018 red carpet was the scene of what was about to change male fashion for the better. When Winter Olympian Adam Rippon arrived to the event dressed in a tux with the blazer making a play on a harness. Fashion editors wrote about it, people tweeted about it and it began a trend. The fashion world once again shook when Timothee Chalamet showed up to the 2019 Golden Globes with a full-on harness designed by Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton. No longer was a man expected to show up and pass with a suit. Michael B. Jordan pushed this further by wearing a floral harness to the 2019 SAG Awards. But the ultimate shift, the person who has changed men's red carpet fashion, the man who has broken the barrier and blurred the lines is Billy Porter who showed up to the 2019 Oscars in a custom Christian Siriano velvet TUXEDO GOWN.
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Until recently when someone wore a tux in a colour other than black they were seen as breaking the mould. The concept of machoism (is this even a real word?) has a lot to do with this. No one wanted to be seen wearing florals, pastels, sequins or a harness (gasp). This changed with celebrities like Harry Styles and Timothee Chalamet setting the bar a little higher. When everyone was wearing a black suit Styles often opted for a floral laden Gucci suit with pleats and ruffles and Chalamet embraced graphic suits in different fabrics.
This shift from boring suits to now a tux gown is long overdue. Men have always been expected to keep it clean and simple with a black suit and stern look in order to stay away from any speculations of sexuality and ridicule. This, in turn, has sacrificed their style and it is great to see celebrities break this mould and wear what is true to them. While there is much more growing to do when it comes to men's red carpet fashion Styles, Chalamet and Porter will go down as the men who changed it for the better. Brands that have helped with this are Gucci, Palomo Spain and Louis Vuitton.
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