Alexander Skarsgård just took method dressing to horny new heights
Expect a lot more leather-clad red carpet look
IN THE NINETIES, famous men on the red carpet knew exactly what was expected of them: exquisite tailoring, and not much else. Back then, actors and filmmakers could get away with re-wearing their wedding bow-ties without fears of critique from worst-dressed lists.
That notion is long gone, with formalwear following in menswear’s footsteps and generally getting more creative. For some male A-listers, the red carpet is now a place to get experimental. Case in point: the growing number of method dressers. It’s when actors reference their latest big screen roles for their press tour looks, and Alexander Skarsgård is all over it.
It started at the Pillion photo call during Cannes Film Festival. Standing alongside his co-star Harry Melling, the 48-year-old wore Loewe leather trousers, a vintage t-shirt printed with Tom of Finland art, some big aviators and boots. Styled by Harry Lambert, the look is both grungy and sexy – much like Harry Lighton’s film, which explores the dominant-submissive relationship between a leather-clad motorcyclist and a shy barber-quartet singer. Skarsgård plays Ray, the commanding biker of the two leads in Pillion.
Later that evening, Skarsgård steps out onto the red carpet in a Saint Laurent suit. It’s business on top – shirt and tie and peaked satin lapels – and a kind of gothic Kinky Boots on the bottom. Those thigh-high boots were the subject of a majority of headlines from the night.
Without the context of why he’s wearing what he’s wearing, you might think the actor has been looking for sartorial inspiration at Berghain, which is no bad thing. Dressing in a way that honours the film and has you set for your post-carpet night out is the type of playfulness that is inherent to method dressing.
That’s always been the case for the MD’s that walked before Skarsgård. Ryan Gosling didn’t hold back during the Barbie press tour, encapsulating Ken with a new pastel look at each premiere. Others have happily made themselves the butt of the joke – the beanie-and-wig Bob Dylan look sported by Timothée Chalamet is, quite regrettably, carved into my memory.
What Skarsgård and Lambert have done differently here is make a costume-y look fitting for the real world. Now that’s the type of red carpet attire I’d like to see more of.
This story first appeared on Esquire UK.
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