Austin Butler may or may not have the Elvis voice forever. Depending on who you ask, he may or may not have it now. But wherever you stand on a Southern drawl (growl?), there’s one thing he absolutely has on the 2023 Oscars red carpet, and that is one very sharp look. I mean that literally, by the way. Look at the shoulders on his black velvet tux by Saint Laurent. Observe the boots—toe and heel alike, please. Even when you take his cheekbones out of the equation, it looks like accidentally brushing your hand against the Best Actor nominee is liable to result in a clean slice through a couple layers of dermis.
This isn’t a bad thing, mind you. Different? Yes. But also a potential bellwether of what’s to come for tailored menswear. See, over the course of the last decade or so, suits experienced a profound softening. Shoulders became more natural, and heavily structured suit jackets—designed to extend the line of the shoulder and create a V-shaped effect for the torso—fell out of favor. By now, we’re all used to seeing similar lines on the men attending awards shows and premieres all over the world.
Butler on the red carpet at the 95th Academy Awards.
But the pendulum always swings, at least for some. And now, for Saint Laurent and Butler, it seems to be swinging towards something that’s got a harder edge. Slim–very slim—and pin-neat, Butler’s tux isn’t an over-the-top example of this impulse, but there’s no question it’s designed to stand apart from the loose, louche suits that are also a force to be reckoned with on red carpets these days.
More From Men’s Health
Which style will win in the end? Hopefully neither. There’s room for so much more than one dominant fit at the modern menswear table, and the way we see it, the more the merrier.
Jonathan Evans is the style director of Esquire, covering all things fashion, grooming, accessories, and, of course, sneakers. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son. You can follow him at @MrJonathanEvans on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments are closed.