2010 ACADEMY AWARDS: BEST & WORST DRESSED MEN

 
RED CARPET BLACK TIE

Ever since the emergence of "creative black tie" in the '80s, celebrities can always be counted on to teach the pitfalls of opting for eye-catching fashion over timeless style.  To be fair, many have learned from their mistakes while a select few have always known better than to follow the herd into sophomoric obscurity.  Observe and learn.

 

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2010 ACADEMY AWARDS

 

The Guide is thrilled to note that this year's ceremony was an embarrassment of black-tie riches.  One-button jackets, peaked lapels, low-cut waistcoats, self-tied bow ties and even stylish pocket squares all abounded on the red carpet.  Equally inspiring was the near-complete absence of wimpy wing collars.  It would appear that Hollywood has finally gotten the memo!

 

"BEST DRESSED" NOMINEES 

Narrowing down the field to just five contenders was a tough job this year.  Matt Damon, Robin Thicke, Colin Firth, Geoffrey Fletcher, Ryan Reynolds, Matthew Broderick, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin and Gerard Butler all looked wonderful but the selected nominees' attention to detail set them apart them as truly exceptional.

  Bradley Cooper (in Tom Ford) beats out co-presenter Gerard Butler by properly covering his waist.


Past "Best Dressed" winner Forest Whitaker shows how to dress up a four-in-hand.

Couturier cum director Tom Ford combines classic touches (love the boutonniere) with a modern, trim cut.
 
Stanley Tucci radiates Old World elegance.

Chris Pine looks every inch the starship captain in Ralph Lauren Purple Label.

AND THE WINNER IS . . . 

 
Tom Ford takes top honors not just for his outfit but also for his classically inspired influence on so many other celebrities.
 
 

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT

 


The ceremony's producers not only repeated the White Tie elegance of last year's opening number but also upped the ante by cladding the orchestra in classic white dinner jackets.
 

 

"WORST DRESSED" NOMINEES 

The remarkably high sartorial standards show by this year's attendees meant that the following misfits stand out like pack mules at the Kentucky Derby.

Joachim Back nails down the sloppy butler look with mismatched tailcoat & tie, exposed shirt waist and undone cuffs.

Judd Nelson backstage in an oversized suit, untucked & unbuttoned shirt finished and a knee-length wallet chain.

Jon Cryer was the dullest of the funeral director contingent that included Robin Williams and Jesse James.
 
This might have worked if the bow tie was not pre-fab.  And the waist was covered.  And the shoes were ... oh never mind.

One journalist described Quentin Tarantino's appearance as that of an unmade bed.  'Nuff said.

AND THE LOSER IS . . . 

 
The homeless guy.
 
 

 

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PREVIOUS ACADEMY AWARDS

Check out the highlights and lowlights of past Oscar ceremonies

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PRESIDENT OBAMA


The American sartorial community was dismayed with the decidedly un-presidential formal attire worn by President Obama to his inaugural ball.  European counterparts were astonished by his blatant gaffes.  Despite his renowned eloquence and elegance Obama's general tastes in evening wear demonstrate a substantial ignorance of, or indifference to, the convention's timeless principles.  The Guide earnestly hopes that the president’s formal style will eventually rise to the impeccable standards of his informal fashions so that his countrymen may be inspired to strive for the optimum instead of settling for the ordinary.

 


WHITE-TIE WASHOUTS


 

 


 
2006 Gridiron Club Dinner: Everything is wrong, right down to the missing waistcoat. 2008 Alfred Smith Dinner: The guy wearing the clown-sized tailcoat, pre-tied bow tie and improper shirt is a senator.  The guy dressed in an impeccably stylish statesman-like dinner suit is a blog writer.  At least Obama found his waistcoat. Close-up of the ridiculously sized tailcoat and the informal shirt with everyday buttons and collar. 


BLACK-TIE BLUNDERS




President as Waiter

President-elect Obama not long before the inauguration wearing a common notch lapel and four-in-hand tie.
 
President as Prom Date

The sartorially infamous inaugural tuxedo is basically a glorified black suit due to the notched lapels, center vent, flap pockets, redundant second button and exposed waistband  The white bow tie is an absolute faux pas, inexcusable for the holder of the highest office in the United States of America.
 
President as Gangster 

Not long after the inauguration Obama's formal style drops yet another notch.
 

STEPPING UP




Hosting his first black-tie dinner at the White House in February 2009, the President finally begins to look like a President.  Just by opting for a proper bow tie Obama makes his pedestrian inaugural tuxedo appear almost respectable.  Dare we hope for an equivalent jacket upgrade?
 


The President takes a step backwards at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in May 2009 . . .


Then returns to good form the next month at the Radio and Television Reporters Dinner

 

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BRAD PITT


Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie radiate the magic of the celebrity power couple of yesteryear.  They have been dubbed "Hollywood royalty," a title they clearly live up to every time they step onto the red carpet.

 

2007 Cannes Film Festival


This photo from the premiere of A Mighty Heart is a textbook example of classic vs. contemporary black tie.  While all three men are quite handsome in their respective outfits, the actor on the right is attired like a personal assistant and the director on the left looks like he forgot his cummerbund at the hotel.  Mr. Pitt, meanwhile, is dressed in a manner deserving of a quintessential Hollywood superstar.
 

2007 Cannes Film Festival

2007 Cannes Film Festival

 
2007 Venice Film Festival

2008 Venice Film Festival
Another view of Mr. Pitt's made-to-measure peaked lapel three-piece tuxedo with white piqué plastron shirt, velvet bow tie, diamond studs and cufflinks and patent leather patent shoes, all from the Tom Ford Menswear Collection. For the premiere of Ocean's 13 Mr. Pitt mastered the second manifestation of classic black tie: the streamlined shawl collar and cummerbund look.  A smart choice for a man hoping for any chance of standing out next to Angelina Jolie. Completing the classic triumvirate, Mr. Pitt once again shows his contemporaries how it's done.  Note the black waistcoat peaking out from underneath the jacket - a unique touch. It's not easy to outclass George Clooney but Mr. Pitt's double-breasted peaked-lapel jacket is a definite step up from Mr. Clooney's business suit-like 2-button notch lapel.

 

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  THE JONAS BROTHERS

 

 

2008 Carousel of Hope

  2009 Golden Globe Awards
2008 Grammy Awards
Burgundy shirt notwithstanding, this young pop trio knows how to add flair to black tie without sacrificing its inherent sophistication.  They put most of their industry colleagues to shame.


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MORE LESSONS 

 

Style: Bow Tie vs. Long Tie (No Contest)

 


2006 Academy Awards

2007 Academy Awards

2005 Academy Awards

2006 Academy Awards
Peter Sarsgaard: from "dude" to gentleman
 
Jake Gyllenhaal: from boy to man
 
 
2006 Academy Awards

2007 Academy Awards
 
  Steve Carell: from actor to star
 

 

Style: Covered Waist

 

If you wear your tuxedo like a common suit then it will look like a common suit.

 


2007 Cannes Film Festival

2008 Academy Awards

2004 Academy Awards
Even the most attractive men are downgraded to frat boy status when they expose their trouser waistband.  At the very least, button your jacket. Sagging pants and bulging mid-sections are both exposed by a lack of waist covering.  (The lack of suspenders doesn't help matters either.)

 

Rule Masters 

 

There's a reason the classic rules have lasted for over a century.

 


2007 Academy Awards

2003 Academy Awards

2003 Academy Awards

2004 Academy Awards
Proper black tie makes young men mature . . . . . . and mature men stunning. 

 

Rule Benders

 

Only by respecting the basic rules can one successfully modify them.

 


2007 Academy Awards

2004 Academy Awards

2006 Academy Awards

2007 Venice Film Festival

 

Rule Breakers

 

This is what happens when men are oblivious to the rules.

 


2004 Academy Awards

2005 Academy Awards

2004 Academy Awards

2007 Academy Awards
Some people never learn. (In fact, they get worse.)

Unfortunately the mod undertaker look just won't die. 

2000 Academy Awards 

2000 Academy Awards

2007 Cannes Film Festival

2003 Emmy Awards
Garth Brooks put to shame by 11-year-old Haley Joel Osment.
Gangster chic?



1998 Academy Awards

2001  Academy Awards

1995 Academy Awards

1998 Academy Awards
Too hip for bow ties. 

Too hip for any ties.
    

  
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