Virtual Awards Season is Liberating Men’s Fashion

Home is where the heat is 🔥

We were treated to an IRL awards ceremony this week in the form of The Oscars and the best-dressed men in Hollywood did not disappoint (including our man Riz Ahmed, understated in a black tux and mock-neck). But thankfully, while awards season has mostly been confined to Zoom squares and unreliable home Wi-Fi of late, men’s fashion has surely not suffered. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Free from the rigid sartorial codes of the red carpet, men’s awards season styling is breaking free. From the Golden Globes to the Grammys, we take a look behind the curtain at the looks so hot they’ll bust your Wi-Fi.

Riz Ahmed
Nominated for best actor in Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal, Riz Ahmed provided further evidence that the sneakers and suit combination is no longer a fashion faux pas.

Opting for a laidback, luxurious look, Riz tapped stylist Julie Ragolia for the Celine pinstripe suit and roll-neck sweater, the clean tailoring off-set by a pair of slick white sneakers.

Photo credit: Fatima Farheen Mirza for Vogue.com

Dialling-in virtually to the Golden Globes, Riz reflected on the nature of getting dressed for a digital red carpet. ‘The way you dress is more about how you want to feel and what you want to inhabit, rather than what you want to present to others,’ Ahmed told Vogue. ‘It’s been interesting to see how people have been leaning into different shapes and materials, combining tailoring with more casual streetwear.’

He nailed it again at the 93rd Academy Awards, leading the pack in the shirt-alternative trend. Indeed, Riz Ahmed has shown us the perfect archetype for carefully curated tailoring with the laid-back ethos of contemporary streetwear.

via Getty Images

Harry Styles
Performing virtually for the 2021 Grammys, Harry Styles again proved why he reigns supreme in men’s fashion. Already blowing-up the Internet last year when he graced the cover of American Vogue in a dress, Harry Styles gave a knock-out performance of his hit single ‘Watermelon’. Flexing a custom leather Gucci suit and green feather boa (discarded mid-performance for effect), Styles somehow maintained a socially-distanced performance in a gig that was loaded with sex appeal.

Jason Sudeikis
A tie-dye hoodie for the Golden Globes? Why Not.

via Golden Globes

Jason Sudeikis sparked plenty of chatter online with his colourful hoodie while accepting the award for best lead actor in a TV musical or comedy series. The star of Ted Lasso, Sudeikis’ hoodie was designed by his sister’s brand Forward Space (who also run a dance studio and workout space in New York City).

A sartorial symptom of the recent Grateful Dead resurgence in men’s fashion, the tie-dye phenomenon is still going strong in 2021, the pattern seen on everything from Air Jordan 1s to Skepta’s recent Tailwind V announcement.

via Golden Globes

Jared Leto
Another exemplary ambassador for laid-back formalwear, Jared Leto opted for a muted palette with a statement boutonnière and jaw-dropping 70s mustache for his Golden Globes look. Nominated for his villainous role in The Little Things, Leto took to Instagram to share his feelings on elevating your look from home.

‘Just because we’re doing the #GoldenGlobes from home this year doesn’t mean I couldn’t get all dressed up for the camera.’

Sometimes, getting geared-up for the ‘Gram is all it takes!

Photo credit: Stephen Tayo

Burna Boy
Designed by Kim Jones and Dior, Burna Boy’s Grammys 2021 look was arguably the most impressive menswear statement of the night. Pairing his white suit with bonkers accessories across the waist, Hawaiian shirt and aristocratic gloves, Burna Boy dialled things back ever-so-slightly with the Dior monogram slippers. The at-home approved footwear keeping his look (barely!) grounded on planet earth.