Why Timothée Chalamet Is a Style Icon for the Ages

No stylist? No problem, according to Timothée Chalamet. The actor, who has gained notoriety over the past few years for roles in “Call Me By Your Name,” “Beautiful Boy” and “Little Women,” has also garnered a reputation for his incredible fashion. Rumor has it, he develops his looks all by himself.

Not using a stylist by choice in this era of celebrity is a rarity — and a welcomed one.

Since Chalamet rose on the scene in 2017, he’s been one to watch on the red carpet, offering ensembles that flips traditional menswear on its head entirely. In a sea of black tuxes, it’s hard not to notice the young star who continuously steps out in colorful hues, uniquely tailored suits and avant garde outfits.

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When he’s not all dressed up, Chalamet’s casual clothes is still a standout. In July, he stepped out in a footwear-first look featuring pair of black leather Chelsea boots by Givenchy. The boots featured a stacked heel, tall elasticated side panels, which he tucked his pants into, and rounded toes. He completed the look with a tie-dyed graphic tee.

This week, Chalamet has been busy promoting his newest film, “Dune,” putting his style on display once again. This time around, however, the actor has tapped some reinforcements in stylist Erin Walsh. She worked with the star this month for the cover of Time Magazine and for a feature in Entertainment Weekly.

For the London premiere of “Dune,” Chalamet opted for an Alexander McQueen spring ’22 black suit, featuring a single-breasted, slashed sleeve jacket and peg trousers with spiral silver zipper detailing seen throughout the entire ensemble. To complete the look, he wore a pair of patent leather black boots.

Chalamet’s edgy approach to red carpet dressing took a life of its own in 2019. Take the 2019 Venice Film Festival, for instance, when he hit the red carpet in a Haider Ackermann look, which consisted of futuristic fine lines and a sleek gray sheen. He paired the suit with Western-inspired boots detailed with a pointed toe and stacked heel.

Chalamet often collaborates with designer Haider Ackermann, wearing daring looks from the designer that not only encompass the changing landscape of menswear but Chalamet’s overall confidence and attitude, which is brought out by his clothing. He wore the designer to this year’s Met Gala, sporting a white double-breasted blazer with black lapels — which were non-traditionally turned upwards and folded over each other — that was worn over a white turtleneck top. To top it off, he wore Converse Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers wuith tall white socks, which his suit pants were tucked into.

The actor is one of the few men reinventing the category’s typical shapes and silhouettes. Just look at his shoes. Chalamet is rarely seen in the classic patent-leather lace-up shoe at events, rather he contrasts sharp suiting with chunky combat boots and sneakers. Plus, he’s not scared to wear a men’s heel.

Along with Haider Ackermann, Chalamet is a fan of Berluti (Ackermann was creative director there from 2016 to 2018), Alexander McQueen, Thom Browne, Stella McCartney and Virgil Abloh.

He’s particularly a fan of Louis Vuitton men’s, which has Abloh at the helm as artistic director since 2018. And it was the Abloh-designed Louis Vuitton harness he wore to the 2019 Golden Globe Awards that has made him a true fashion influencer.

According to Lyst’s 2019 Year in Fashion index, Chalamet’s conversion power is there and brands should take notice. After he wore another Louis Vuitton look — this time a Swarovski-embellished hoodie to 2019 “The King” premiere in London — Lyst saw a 192% rise in searches for men’s hoodies, and searches for Haider Ackermann spiked 806% the week he wore one of the brand’s suits.

His fashion credibility has gone mainstream, too. Last year, “Saturday Night Live” recently spoofed Chalamet’s penchant for fashion with a “MasterClass” sketch on style from “Timothée Chalamet.” Amid the pandemic, the Internet also exploded with memes of Chalamet featuring the quarantine trend of a shaved head (which wasn’t even real), proving the obsession with the Oscar-nominated star is very real.

For more head-turning looks from Timothée Chalamet, click through the gallery.