I was recently talking to a friend about my passion for great male red carpet fashion. "Isn’t that just a tux?" he asked. "Oh, no, no, no, sweet boy," I womansplained in response, "it can be much more interesting than that."
It is true to say that a part of the joy of men's red carpet style is the simplicity — a flawlessly cut tux holds its own in a world of velvet and brocade. But there is also a lot of fun to be had with texture, colour, accessories and detail, and the Oscars is historically a red carpet for the biggest names in Hollywood to be their most sartorially creative.
Ahead of the 2022 Academy Awards, I've taken a look at some of the sharpest dressers of years gone by on the Oscars red carpet.
From monochrome Brad Pitt walking the Oscars red carpet for the first time in 1992, to the style statement Billy Porter made with his tuxedo-gown in 2019, click through the gallery above to see some of the most memorable, creative and, simply, best dressed men from awards ceremonies gone by.
With red carpets back in full force after a two-year hiatus thanks to the pandemic, there's excitement in the air surrounding this year's style stakes.
If the style during the 2020 awards season is anything to go by, we're in for a show-stopping Oscars. Jason Momoa got people talking in his emerald velvet suit at the Golden Globes on January 5, John Legend proved that asymmetrical tailoring is having a moment in McQueen at the Grammys and Fleabag's Andrew Scott injected colour on to the Critics' Choice Awards red carpet.
Plus, a host of Hollywood's most stylish gents are slated to attend the Sunday, March 27 ceremony, including Best Actor nominees Will Smith, Andrew Garfield and Denzel Washington.
One gent who will not be surprising anyone with his Oscars apparel is Joaquin Phoenix who has vowed to wear the same custom-made Stella McCartney suit to every awards ceremony this year in a bid to reduce waste.
The 2022 awards will wrap up a busy awards season. Netflix’s The Power of the Dog leads with 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress and Actor. The film’s director, Jane Campion, is now the first woman to receive two Best Director nominations — the other was for 1993’s The Piano.
Dune, which was partly shot in Abu Dhabi, also has a strong showing, with 10 nods including Best Picture, Cinematography and Adapted Screenplay.
Scroll through the gallery below to see the Oscars 2022 nominees:
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From left, Judi Dench, Jude Hill and Ciaran Hinds in a scene from 'Belfast', which is up for seven awards. AP -
Troy Kotsur, left, and Marlee Matlin in a scene from 'Coda', which is a favourite to win Best Picture. Netflix via AP -
Meryl Streep as President Janie Orlean in a scene from 'Don't Look Up', which is up for four awards, including Best Picture. Apple TV+ AP -
Hidetoshi Nishijima, left, and Toko Miura in a scene from 'Drive My Car', which is nominated for four awards. Janus Films and Sideshow via AP -
Timothee Chalamet, left, and Rebecca Ferguson in a scene from 'Dune', which was partly shot in Abu Dhabi, and has 10 nods including in Best Picture, Cinematography and Adapted Screenplay. Warner Bros Pictures via AP -
Will Smith in a scene from 'King Richard', which is up for six awards, including Best Actor in a Leading Role for Smith. Warner Bros. Pictures via AP -
Cooper Hoffman in a scene from 'Licorice Pizza', which has three nominations. MGM via AP -
Cate Blanchett in a scene from 'Nightmare Alley', which is up for four awards. Searchlight Pictures via AP -
Netflix's 'The Power of the Dog' leads with 12 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress and Actor. Netflix via AP -
A scene from 'West Side Story', nominated for seven awards. 20th Century Studios via AP -
Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball, left, and Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz in a scene from 'Being the Ricardos', which is up for three awards. Amazon via AP -
Andrew Garfield in a scene from 'Tick, Tick... Boom!', up for two awards. Netflix via AP -
Denzel Washington in a scene from 'The Tragedy of Macbeth', which is up for three awards, including Best Actor for Washington. A24 via AP -
Kristen Stewart in a scene from 'Spencer', which is up for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Stewart's performance as Princess Diana. Neon via AP -
Milena Smit, left, and Penelope Cruz in a scene from 'Parallel Mothers', which is up for two awards. Sony Pictures Classics via AP -
Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye Bakker in a scene from 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye', which is up for two awards. Searchlight Pictures via AP -
Olivia Colman in a scene from 'The Lost Daughter', which is up for three awards. Netflix via AP -
Renate Reinsve, left, and Anders Danielsen Lie in a scene from 'The Worst Person in the World', which is up for two awards. Neon via AP -
Mirabel, voiced by Stephanie Beatriz, in a scene from the animated film 'Encanto', which is up for three awards. Disney via AP -
A scene from 'The Mitchells vs the Machines', which is up for Best Animated Feature Film. Sony Pictures Animation via AP -
Amin, voiced by Daniel Karimyar, in a scene from 'Flee', which is up for three awards. Neon via AP -
Alberto, left, voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer, and Luca, voiced by Jacob Tremblay, in a scene from 'Luca', which is up for Best Animated Feature Film. Disney via AP -
Raya, left, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, with Sisu the dragon in a scene from 'Raya and the Last Dragon', which is up for Best Animated Feature Film. Disney+ via AP -
A scene from 'Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom', which is nominated for Best International Feature Film. Samuel Goldwyn Films via AP -
Filippo Scotti in a scene from 'The Hand of God', which is nominated for Best International Feature Film. Netflix via AP -
Emma Stone and Joel Fry in a scene from 'Cruella'. It's up for two awards, including Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Disney via AP -
Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani in a scene from 'House of Gucci', which is up for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. MGM via AP -
Eddie Murphy, left, and Shari Headley in a scene from 'Coming 2 America', which is nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Paramount Pictures via AP -
Ryan Reynolds as Guy in a scene from 'Free Guy', which is up for Best Visual Effects. Disney-Twentieth Century Fox via AP -
Daniel Craig in a scene from 'No Time To Die', nominated for Best Visual Effects. Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures via AP -
Tony Leung, left, and Fala Chen in a scene from 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings', nominated for Best Visual Effects. Marvel Studios via AP -
A scene from 'Spider-Man: No Way Home', nominated for Best Visual Effects. Columbia-Sony Pictures via AP
The Oscars will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will be broadcast in the US at 8pm Eastern Standard Time.
ABC is the home of the Oscars in the US. For those in the UK, the ceremony will begin at 1am on Monday, March 28, and will be be shown on Sky Cinema.
In the UAE, the ceremony will begin at 4am on Monday, March 28. OSN is the official broadcaster in the Middle East, and will stream the Oscars on its new OSN+ service, which recently replaced the OSN Streaming app.
