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With the Oscars coming up on March 10, the end of awards season is nigh—and key precursor events like Sunday night’s BAFTA Film Awards are crucial for those who are still nailing down predictions for who’ll snag a little gold man in a few weeks.
Movie stars from both sides of the Atlantic showed out in their pre-Oscars finest at the BAFTAs in London, which incidentally provided good intel for the sorts of formalwear we’ll be seeing in the homestretch. And even though leading men flew their menswear freak flag at half-mast at last year’s big show, we’ve continued to see plenty of brooches, jewel-toned suits, and flared pants all awards season long. This year, there are a few new formalwear frontrunners.
As seen on the likes of Cillian Murphy, Paul Mescal, Colman Domingo, and more, here are our predictions for trends we might see at the Academy Awards come March.
Top Dogs in Topcoats
On the red carpet, menswear silhouettes have been getting more dramatic by the day—and nothing says drama quite like a leading man in an evening coat.
At the BAFTAs, Bradley Cooper buttoned up the same double-breasted officer’s coat he wore to the Louis Vuitton Men’s show in Paris last month. Cillian Murphy, in an all-black Zegna ensemble, wore a knee-length wool coat over his tuxedo jacket—and so did his Oppenheimer castmate Rami Malek (also in Zegna), who layered his broad-shouldered coat on top of a tonal navy-blue tuxedo. Los Angeles in March should prove a touch warmer than London in February—but all the same, on the Oscars red carpet, definitely expect to see some longer lines.
Off-Kilter Black Suits
It feels like it’s been an eternity since famous men exclusively wore boring old “penguin suits” to awards shows. Nowadays, even the most classic of black-tie ensembles tend to be more of a Monet situation: look closer, and there’s usually something wacky going on.
At the BAFTAs, the perennially well-dressed Paul Mescal went for an asymmetrical Gucci jacket with knitted intarsia detailing on the lapel, while Saltburn’s Archie Madekwe wore a crystal-laden suit jacket and round-toe derbies by Loewe. For rising stars, it’s smart to opt for something that has the look of a traditional black suit but the feel of something funkier.
Ultra-Peaked Lapels
All those ’70s-flavored suits we’ve seen on the red carpet lately? They aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. All of Us Strangers star Andrew Scott and The Holdovers breakout Dominic Sessa were just two stars to wear retro jackets with showy, knife-sharp peak lapels at the BAFTAs, and we’ll certainly see more where that came from at the Academy Awards.
(Speaking of: if you’re seeking lapel advice, we’ve got a guide for you.)
Beaucoup Embellishments
Barry Keoghan and Robert Downey Jr. are two of Hollywood’s more outlandish performers, and they bring that same energy to red-carpet dressing. Keoghan’s formalwear is invariably odd, and his teal Burberry suit at the BAFTAs—with its zippers, buckles, and lapel detailing—was no exception. Meanwhile, RDJ wore a diamond-encrusted starfish pin and a coat with tails. Enough said! At the very least, we’ll see lots of brooches—and speaking of…
Cummerbund Redux
Last year’s trend of pastel suits and fresh-flower boutonnieres had famous dudes hitting the red carpet looking like they were headed to a high school prom in 1987. Nowadays, we’re edging closer to a “retro groom” silhouette with plenty of cummerbunds to go around. Colman Domingo (who’s been on an outfit heater this season) paired his with trendier accessories like a ribbon bow tie and a lapel brooch, while Rami Malek’s blue silk version anchored his wonky navy ensemble.
(Malek’s Oppenheimer castmate Cillian Murphy also wore a Zegna cummerbund, though his blended into his subtle, all-black look.)
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