Correction: Bradley Cooper’s tuxedo was misidentified in an earlier version. This post has been updated.
If the white dinner coats and crush of Saint Laurent pieces on the red carpet at the Oscars Sunday night got you thinking the men really brought their A-game, you weren’t alone.
The typical sea of standard black tuxedos was broken up this year by color and accessories said Jeanne Yang, a stylist who has dressed the likes of George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr. and Christian Bale.
Ryan Seacrest’s off-white Burberry kicked-off the evening with an unexpected contrast. Once relegated to warm climates and summer occasions, the white jacket has become a welcome alternative for men wishing to differentiate themselves.
(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Matthew McConaughey looked as if he knew he was an odds-on favorite for best actor (he’d already secured the Golden Globe), dressing the part of Oscar recipient in Dolce & Gabanna.
“He looked like the classic leading man. His hair was perfectly groomed, there was a perfect amount of linen showing at the cuff,” Yang said. “It was really old Hollywood.”
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
His co-star and best supporting actor winner Jared Leto also chose a white coat.
“Both have very distinctive style, Jared was wearing something by Hedi Slimane of Saint Lauren,” Yang said. “It was an ode to his rock and roll personality.”
Leto’s accessories helped give him additional edge, specifically his Monsieur Jean Yves bow tie and a matching pocket square.
These smaller details are often overlooked on the red carpet, but this year many leading men added classics like lapel pins and pocket squares, noted Yang, who has been working with Gillette on Oscar season style for men.
“We’re starting to see a little more individualism, an ‘I’m not going to melt into the scenery and wear a black tuxedo and white shirt’.”
John Legend and Joseph Gordon-Levitt both adorned their peak lapels with small touches.
REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Though one of the uncontested winners of the night was also the most minimal. Bradley Cooper (ranked as best-dressed of the night by GQ), let his impeccably tailored Tom Ford tuxedo stand alone with only a hint of a wrist watch peaking out from under his shirt cuffs.
(Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP)
Let the classics reign.
More on the Academy Awards:
Lupita Nyong’o and Jennifer Lawrence continue their red carpet sweep
