For far too long, the fashion industry has focused the majority of its time, efforts, and money to womenswear.
Gowns, bikinis, bridal, streetwear, and lingerie are just some of the many categories in the fashion industry that designers create pieces for and build a whole portfolio around it.
And yes, there have been many efforts in the last two decades to make more space and bring more attention to menswear. This is because men are becoming more curious and interested in fashion, and there is more room for menswear to be creative, colorful, and fashion-forward.
But it's also because we now have fashion role models who are pushing forward the limits of what menswear fashion can and should be. Today, we’llwe’ll talk about a male fashion icon whose style is very often creative and innovative without being irreverent or losing its grace.
Today, we’ll talk about the Political Fashion of Timothée Chalamet!
Chalamet’s political fashion resonates with a generation that values individuality and self-assuredness. His ability to effortlessly fuse refinement and audacity has earned him a dedicated following of fashion enthusiasts.
Here are some of his best Political Fashion moments.
Embroidered suit by Alexander McQueen
The overwhelming frequency of men wearing black suits to formal events is somewhat predictable and, yes, boring. While black is undeniably a timeless and elegant choice, unless there’s a unique element, it’s very unlikely to be remembered. So it’s fascinating when someone dares to break free from this monotonous black suit mold and experiment with different colors, patterns, and styles.
In 2018, Timothée Chalamet arrived at the Beautiful Boy premiere in San Sebastian, Spain, wearing an embroidered blue suit by Alexander McQueen. The embroidery made a diagonal line across his torso, which brings more attention to the design and, therefore, made him stand out more. Chalamet styled the suit with a white mandarin collar shirt and color-blocked red and white sneakers.
A consistent characteristic of Chalamet’s fashion style is that he often stays with a classic color palette, but his play with textures and silhouettes is daring and refreshing.
For the 2019 Golden Globes, Chalamet arrived wearing one of the most popular pieces Virgil Abloh created for Louis Vuitton men's collections.
Virgil Abloh, the genius behind so many iconic pieces for Louis Vuitton menswear, strongly influenced celebrities. From the moment Abloh presented suits with harness-like accessories (Louis Vuitton public relations team stated they were bibs) harnesses as innovative accessories, fashion stylists knew this would be the next piece to be seen in red carpets.
Virgil Abloh was often inspired by Michael Jackson and his fashion. This accessory makes reference to the outfit the King of Pop wore for his Super Bowl performance.
But harness in menswear has a historical connotation of being a staple of leather bar scene in queer culture. This connotation makes the accessory more daring when being embellished and worn on a red carpet for the Golden Globe Awards.
Maybe it's about giving another interpretation to the harnesses in men. But maybe it is about not making this piece a sexual fetish an unspoken taboo.
The tail of a designer being a friend of the muse is as old as time.
In the modern world, we saw it with Alessandro Michele and Harry Styles, Alexander McQueen, and Sarah Jessica Parker. Because if clothing ends up accentuating who we are and becomes part of our personality, it makes perfect sense that someone who knows you is making clothes for you.
Timothée Chalamet and Haider Ackermann’s friendship has been going on for several years. The successful and assertive dialogue between both creatives has made it possible for them to come up with amazing red-carpet moments that both represent the personality of Chalamet and the signature style of Ackermann.
Among the many reasons why this collaboration and “bromance” is so successful is that there is no, or very little, interference from third parties, like agents, managers, or stylists, who are often looking for talent with the goal of promoting themselves and their work. Many celebrities go through that route, and that's how most celebrity red-carpet appearances operate in general.
But when there are no official agreements or interventions of corporations trying to change a look, the clothing becomes more honest and more transparent about the person who is wearing it and the designer who is creating it. Less business, more of a personal exchange.
So you know that when Chalamet arrived at Cannes in the summer of 2022 with a halter red top and tailored pants, that was the result of a conversation between the actor and the creator of the clothing, Haider Ackerman, creating a concept from scratch and converting it to a final product.
The look makes reference to the 2018 Spring Summer Collection by Ackermann, which was entirely modeled by women.
Timothée Chalamet has emerged as a leader in the realm of menswear fashion, skillfully blending elegance and boldness to create a unique and captivating style.
His sartorial choices consistently push the boundaries of traditional men’s fashion, showcasing a fearless approach to self-expression.
Whether he’s gracing the red carpet or strolling the streets, Chalamet effortlessly combines classic tailoring with unexpected, daring elements.
After so many centuries of humanity wearing clothes, repurposing, getting inspired, plagiarizing each other, and being inspired again by something that people wore decades ago, it's almost impossible to wear something that ““has never been seen before””.
But you don't need to create an entirely new concept to gain attention and become a fashion icon. What Chalamet does is bring an unexpected visual element to a garment, which makes it new and exciting.
A great example is the black suit by Ackermann that he wore for the 2018 Governors Awards in Hollywood. The boldness to wear the lapels differently, and the white curvy detail going all around his torso make this suit modern and creative while keeping the sophistication and elegance needed for this kind of event.
Street style and slick tailoring
In 2021, Timothée Chalamet was one of the co-chairs of the Met Gala. The theme was, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.
Now, the role of the co-chair is much more than greeting guests and having a privileged seat for the evening. Everything from decor, lights, and food to guest list, dress code, and music are some of the items that a Met Gala co-chair should work on.
For this special occasion, as the actor puts it, a “stupidly big honor.”
Chalamet broke the unwritten rule that one shouldn’t mix designers for a red carpet look and wore a Rick Owens turtleneck, a Haider Ackermann tuxedo jacket, and a pair of Chucks.
Redefining elegance
The Oscars ceremony is considered formal or black-tie. Men are expected to wear tuxedos or suits, while women wear formal gowns.
But as we keep pushing forward the boundaries of fashion, we are starting to see different interpretations and proposals for what formal menswear can be.
In the 2022 Oscars ceremony, Chalamet arrived wearing a Louis Vuitton suit. The sequined black jacket came directly from the Womenswear Spring Summer 2022 collection designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, proving once again that timeless fashion can cross the gendered boundaries we’ve followed for far too long.
Call me by your name, Lady Bird, Beautiful Boy, Don’t Look Up, Dune, and now Wonka. Timothée Chalamet is making history with his performances in very successful movies. Simultaneously, his fashion moments during press tours, red carpets, and awards ceremonies are making history as well.
In menswear, there is a huge movement to make camp and flamboyance recognized and celebrated in fashion. Some of the leads of this movement include Lil Nas X, Harry Styles, and Billie Porter.
But this middle point subtly but sensually plays with the limits of menswear and womenswear, borrowing elements from each side to create a common ground, is a movement cleverly led by Chalamet.
With more movies ahead and many red carpets pending, the list of inspiring fashion by this artist from New York, is just about to get larger and larger.
