Some Celebs Are Dressing for the Meme, Others Are Just Themselves
D’You Know What I Mean? is a column on style and culture where writer Ben Kriz weighs in on taste, trends, and what it all means.
Alexander Skarsgård arrived at Sundance last week for the premiere of Wicker, but the real headline was footwear: a pair of Valentino Rockstud flip-flops flashing toe on the red carpet, part of a complete Valentino Pre-Fall ’26 look (look 14, to be precise—he’s giving new meaning to wearing the mannequin). It’s the latest move in the The Northman and Succession actor’s ongoing campaign to let his freak flag fly at formal events—a run that has included sleeveless backless tops, tight leather trousers, and even skirts. With stylist Harry Lambert in his corner, Skarsgård has quietly become one of the more adventurous dressers in celebrity menswear.
RIGHT: VALENTINO PRE-FALL 2026, LOOK 14. PHOTO COURTESY OF VALENTINO.
This is simply the terrain of the attention economy. Celebrities need to keep people talking, and outrageous red-carpet outfits are just another tool in the toolbox. Working with stylists is de rigueur now, but the goal has shifted from looking good to becoming a meme. The problem isn’t in flipping gender norms; actors like Oscar Isaac and Billy Porter have done that with real swagger. But when it’s executed poorly, even in a profession built on dress-up, there’s something faintly desperate about trying this hard to be Interesting With Clothes.
Ever since SHARP cover alum Jeff Goldblum turned his personal penchant for wild tailoring into a late-career renaissance in the mid-2010s, the internet has been hunting for its next “boyfriend”. Goldblum’s turn felt organic. Always a bit of an eccentric, it made sense that he would pull up wearing an outrageous Prada shirt. His outfits were genuinely charming, and it gave the impression he didn’t care (which is always cool). Then the internet did what the internet does and reduced him to a meme. “Zaddy!” they cried, until the whole thing felt tired. Pedro Pascal villed the void for a stretch there as well, with sequin suits, and Valentino shorts.
But not every bit of personality has to tip into performance art. Ethan Hawke went full Portlandia at Sundance when he quite literally put a bird on it. A head-turning outfit that’s just on the tasteful side of kitsch.
Meanwhile, real heads know nobody is doing it like Colman Domingo. Domingo dresses with the confidence of a man who understands tailoring and theatre in equal measure: velvet double-breasted suits in impossible shades of plum, sculptural lapels, scarves, brooches and capes worn as punctuation. His clothes never wear him.
Timothée Chalamet is another instructive case. He treats each press tour like a character study. For A Complete Unknown he leaned into folk-poet: slim Saint Laurent tailoring, suede jackets, Dylan-esque boots, skinny scarves and even recreated an outfit Dylan wore to Sundance in 2003.
Even sitting courtside (a different sort of red carpet, in its way) with Kylie at a Knicks game, he showed up in head-to-toe Chrome Hearts, right down to the Chrome Hearts Timbs. Over the top? Absolutely. But Timmy is a New York kid who grew up loving the Knicks; there’s biography in the bit. Charm covers a multitude of styling sins.
That’s the difference. When celebs wear flip-flops to a January red carpet, it reads plainly like a creative brief from a stylist, not a genuine moment of self-expression. Domingo, Chalamet, even Goldblum at his peak — they look like themselves, just turned up a few notches. The clothes feel connected to their personalities (or perceived personalities).
Which is the useful lesson for the rest of us. Even when you’re turning the volume up, you should still look like yourself. Dress in a way that belongs to your story: where you’re from, what you do, maybe the odd loyalties you’ve carried since childhood. A vintage Canadiens tee because you watched games at the Forum. Loafers because you wore them to school. Wranglers because you grew up on a ranch. Style isn’t about proving you’re brave enough to look ridiculous — it’s about being yourself, just a little brighter.
PHOTO CREDITS: JEFF GOLDBLUM FOR SHARP SPRING 2022.
TRACKSUIT BY TOD’S; SOCKS BY HAPPY SOCKS; EYEGLASSES BY JACQUES MARIE MAGE; LOAFERS BY CELINE.
PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR: LEA WINKLER
STYLING: ANDREW T. VOTTERO
PHOTO ASSISTANT: GABBY TALASSAZAN
STYLING ASSISTANT: SHANNON SHIER
GROOMING: DAVID COX (ART DEPARTMENT)
LIGHTING DIRECTOR: ROBERT KOZEK
PRODUCTION: @HYPERION.LA
VIDEO: DP: RUSSEL TANDY
1ST AC: CHANDLER DESFORGES
EDITOR: ZOEY PECK
COLOUR: CONNOR BURNS
FEATURE IMAGE BY DIA DIPASUPIL/WIREIMAGE via GETTY IMAGES.
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