If there’s one thing Hollywood loves, it’s a red carpet moment. If there’s two things, it’s a red carpet moment and a speedboat to get them there, which might help explain the star-studded vibe of 82nd Venice International Film Festival.
The cinematic extravaganza is winding down (the annual film festival comes to a close Sept. 6) but not without delivering a week and a half of Oscar-bait arthouse flicks, multi-minute standing Os and celebs jetting down Venetian canals.
This year’s particularly stacked lineup of anticipated critical smashes — After the Hunt, a new A24 flick in The Smashing Machine and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein are all set to make their debuts — have seen a similarly impressive cohort of A-listers take to Venezia. George Clooney, Ayo Edebiri and a handful of potential James Bond candidates have all been spotted milling about docks and silver screens.
This type of star-studded event typically suggests some serious fashion firepower, especially considering many of the major menswear movers of the day are present for the festival. And there have indeed been ‘fits galore, from the hottest brands on the market: (new) Bottega, Prada, Dior.
But, curiously, rather than going big, Hollywood’s biggest sartorial steppers have been nearly unanimous in their commitment to one specific look: being just another guy.
Andrew Garfield, for instance, on site as part of jaw-dropping ensemble cast of After the Hunt, arrived to photo call in a charming sky blue sweater and relaxed, double-pleated khakis, both courtesy of Jonathan Anderson’s inaugural Dior collection. Incredibly dashing, no doubt, but in a subdued, boy-next-door kind of way, especially when paired with Garfield’s tousled locks and $100 smize.
Jacob Elordi, the reigning champ of Gen-Z menswear, has been similarly lowkey with his selections; his Marco Polo airport ‘fit may have been stuffed with enough IYKYK easter eggs to rival Taylor Swift, but the coalition of slimmed-down Prada sneakers, interwoven Bottega carry-on and a pair of rockstar Jacques Marie Mage Casablanca sunnies is all inconspicuous enough to fly right over the head of an untrained eye. (New definition for quiet luxury just dropped.)
The same could be said for his fresh-of-the-boat business-causal, a full Bottega Veneta ‘fit aligned with Elordi’s role as brand ambassador and reminiscent of something your dad might wear to the company cookout, albeit sexed up. Even the actor’s proper red carpet look, a double-breasted, slightly oversized (you guessed it) Bottega tux, skews restrained.
At every Italian turn, menswear heros have been embracing simpler, understated apparel. Clooney and Dwayne Johnson have both unlocked the blessed navy polo-white pants combo. Oscar Isaac showed up dressed like the substitute teacher that changed your life in 10th grade. A “No Dior, No Dietrich” logo graphic might be the chicest logo tee on the red carpet, but it is a tee all the same.
There are a variety of explanations for this shift: burnout from maximalist tendencies that dominated runways in the early 2020s, the pronounced laid-back vibe that the Venice Film Festival commands. Whether or not the lean toward designer-fied business-casual will hold for the imminent Oscars season remains to be seen, but you can surely bet that, regardless of what they’re wearing, most of Venice’s chillest guys will be there, too.
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