The historic style hack you're missing from Timothée Chalamet's red carpet suit

Everyone is focusing on Hollywood's newest power couple. We're zooming in on the suit

By Nick Pope

Published: May 13, 2025

timothée chalamet kylie jenner — Photography: Getty Images

BY NOW, you’ve probably seen the viral photos of Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, joined at the hip on the red carpet last night. It marked their formal debut as a Hollywood power couple; a glitzy hard launch at – where else? – the 70th David Di Donatello Awards in Rome. And predictably enough, celebrity gossip sites are wall-to-wall Kymothée right now. (That doesn’t really work, does it? They really should have thought about this beforehand).

So far, the media coverage has followed standard protocol: mad body language breakdowns and unnervingly detailed relationship timelines. One thing that hasn’t really been covered? That big, blooming boutonniere – otherwise known as a corsage – next to Timmy’s velvet lapel. That’s the real story here.

We’ve written extensively about the return of shimmery little brooches to the red carpet. They’ve become a go-to accessory for the best-dressed men in the Hollywood – the likes of Michael B Jordan, Cillian Murphy and Jeremy Allen White – helping to elevate suits that need a pop of colour or razzle-dazzle. But over the past year or so, we’ve seen A-listers turn instead to carnations crafted out of a range of different fabrics. The high school prom staple has hit the big leagues.

Perhaps it started with Paul Mescal’s red rose silk number at the Oscars in 2023 – part of an attempt to channel Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, he later told us. Dwayne Johnson was wearing one, too. Later that year, Heartstopper star Kit Connor pinned a black corsage to his gold trench coat at the Fashion Awards. Since then, flower accents have been popping up with increasing regularity on the red carpet. It’s a bold move, but a strategic one; a way to fancify an outfit that might otherwise feel too understated for such a big occasion. Chalamet’s is just the latest entry, pinned to his chest rather than his lapel. It looks good!

But the question is: can you or I get away with it? One thing’s for certain: weddings are out of bounds. Boutonnieres are traditionally worn by the groom and their groomsmen – and you might look like you’re trying to slyly infiltrate the inner sanctum. That would be a strange thing to do. So you’re left with galas and glitzy parties – and I don’t know about you, but my calendar is distinctly gala-free. If you do make the jump, we’d advise not pairing with a traditional penguin suit – again, you’ll look like a groom.

Boutonnieres were worn widely and casually by men in the 19th and 20th centuries, helped along by high society associations and Old Hollywood film stars. Will they escape the confines of the red carpet any time soon? It’s hard to say, but there are plenty of flowery brooches to test the waters with. We’ve listed some of our favourites below: