Timothée Chalamet approached the Met Gala 2021, and the swelling crowds went wild. With good reason. The 25-year-old has, in a very short amount of time, built a CV that many Hollywood old timers would envy: the lead role in the latest Dune remake, a classic, deadpan, big haired Wes Anderson gig, and a spot as co-chair at this year's Met Gala alongside Amanda Gorman, Naomi Osaka and Billie Eilish. And he didn't disappoint. For fashion's maddest and silliest night, the Call Me By Your Name star went for prince regent does after-ball drinks at a local Soho boozer. It was ivory. It was Napoleonic. It was silken and regal and very "my grandfather, the viscount".
All of which is incredibly Met Gala. But look beyond the layers – and look into the labels inside – and Chalamet's outfit was, perhaps, an outfit that was a better reflection of how men really get dressed in 2021. Because, unlike many fellow guests, this wasn't a custom look by a single designer. When chatting to co-host Keke Palmer on the origins of his Big Fancy Outfit, Chalamet dropped several names from across the menswear canon. There was a little Rick Owens, razor-sharp king of Californian-Parisian post-apocalyptic cultwear. There was a little Haider Ackermann, the insider's designer that treats clothing more like modern day sculpture. There was a little Cartier jewellery. And there was also a little Chuck Taylor, and Converse, and a reminder that Chalamet is very much a guy in his mid-20s that likes having fun with his clothing.
Consider this: when in real life do we wear one brand head-to-toe? Even at a wedding, one of the few occasions where we must wear a suit, is our two-piece the same label as our shoes, as our shirt, as our tie? Of course it isn't. This is perhaps the greatest disconnect between the red carpet and real life. Blue chip designer brands don't dress us head to foot. In 2021, we mix high and low; old faithfuls with the fancy stuff; our favourite beat-up trainers with something we relish to only rarely wear. Unlike Chalamet, we're not all trouncing New York high society in Rick Owens and Haider Ackermann. But we are pairing our favourite Swiss watch with a pair of Levi's.
This patchwork approach to dressing is probably one of the realest things in an evening of pure fantasy. And as if Chalamet couldn't get it anymore right, he was sure not to get caught up in it all. ""I don't want to get too lost in the glamour of it," he told co-host Keke Palmer on the red carpet. "Because people are still suffering." Doesn't get much realer than that.
