Since his breakout role in the horny tennis thriller Challengers, Josh O’Connor has become a poster boy for a type of quirky Brit you really only see in the movies — that of a lovable, mousy man-child with a love of gardening and a closet not totally dissimilar to that of Wallace. (The animated one, from Wallace and Gromit.)
O’Connor has played this part exceptionally well. Across talk shows, red carpets, press junkets and fashion-show front rows, the 36-year-old actor has radiated a quaint charm, both in his affable-if-slightly-quirky demeanor and through his wardrobe, a range of provincial trousers, Notting Hill-adjacent Oxford shirting and homey pastel knitwear that GQ referred to as modern twee.
Much of this vibe — sartorial speaking — has been curated with the help of stylist Harry Lambert, a fellow Brit and the man responsible for Harry Styles’s legendary run. O’Connor has also been a consistent favorite of the ever-whimsical Jonathan Anderson; he worked with the designer on Challengers and served as a quasi-ambassador across Anderson’s tenure at Loewe and now Dior. (You may remember his Victorian tailcoat look from Loewe for the 2024 Met Gala.)
It’s also a vibe that, as of a week ago, seems to no longer exist. Running press for his latest film, the Steven Spielberg-directed sci-fi blockbuster Disclosure Day, O’Connor was spotted in what looked to be a page out of the Jacob Elordi handbook: oversized vintage The Day the Earth Stood Still tee, relaxed pants with a hefty pleat, even a Dior murse.
An all-black leather Hermès fit (very tasteful) followed, as did a handful of unusually dark ensembles for the Paris premiere. There was the combination of black Lemaire trousers, purply-brown polka-dotted dress shirt and grey Fair Isle sweater vest, as well as tonal black separates finished with a chunky, highly structured cardigan and high-sheen tie. Still rakish (and Dior-forward)? Absolutely. But boyishly folksy? Not so much.
The newer, darker, more masculine look could be for any number of reasons. Barring a major box-office flop, O’Connor has successfully made the transition from indie darling to bona fide action star (he’s seemingly been shortlisted as a top candidate for Bond) and might simply be looking for the clothing to reflect a newfound maturity.
Also relevant to O’Connor’s discernible style shift is the fact that he’s now working with stylist Jason Bolden, who has a long history of dressing more established movie stars like Michael B. Jordan and Channing Tatum.
Bolden, a savvy industry vet, surely understands that Bond wears Lemaire, not intarsia-knit sweaters.
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