Oscar Season is in full swing! The nominees have been announced, the fashions are being critiqued and gagged over on a weekly basis now (SAG’s, Golden Globes, Critics Choice) all leading up to the big night in February when The 2015 Oscars are held live.
When it comes to mens styling in all forms of the word, trust no other than the GQ “Style Guy” himself- Glenn O’Brien. A writer of not only fashion but art and culture, he even wrote a book about style with the name nickname, “Style Guy”. Glenn was nice enough to sit down with Manhattan Digest to discuss all the hooplah around award season, who his best dressed has been so far, and why Dove Men + Care is a great solution for the everyday man to feel like a star. Take a look.
Hey Glenn, thanks for stopping by! So with award season in full effect, have you noticed a trend with the male stars on the carpet?
So far into this season the men seem to be going for a more traditional tux look and less of the lone wolf experimental fashion trend. We’ve seen mostly black and midnight blue traditional tuxes, and the bow tie seems to have taken some ground back from the long tie—and it really does look a lot better. We
also see that beards have gone mainstream, but men on the whole seem better groomed—even allowing for the fact that these are actors who may be in the middle of playing a mountain man or
medieval king.
You are known as the “Style Guy” at GQ. What 4 keywords would you use to describe a guy having really great style and why?
Great style is about individuality, a personal taste (not a hired stylist’s taste,) a relaxed attitude and attention to detail (in dressing and grooming.)
In terms of styling who has gotten it right so far this year and who do you think needs some improvement?
I would give the men from whole awards season so far a B plus for looking formal and proper, for dressing for the occasion and not maximum media exposure. For some reason some of the older guys really get it right—Michael Keaton looks incredible fit, wears his clothes perfectly and his grooming minimizes his age and his, well, dearth of hair. Jeff Goldblum looked better than anyone—elegant and fit with old Hollywood level elegance. I think the super-skinny suit and thin tie sometimes backfires. It made Justin Theroux look a bit Pee Wee Herman. Ty Burrell wore a vest with his tux, avoiding the white shirt showing under the jacket button like Jim Parsons and so many others. Look at Zach
Galifianakis—he looked so good he could turn into a romantic leading man.
Do you think men should go outside the grain and try some pops of color on the red carpet, like Jared Leto just did at the Critics Choice Awards a little while back?
It’s risky. Adrian Brody in all that silver and black looked like he was at a Long Island wedding. Matthew McConaughey was handsome and well groomed, but his medium blue jacket had a pattern that strobed, and if you’re going to wear a vest which is fine, I prefer a jacket that’s buttoned.
What advice do you give to men who aspire to look like their favorite male celebrity?
The man walking these red carpets range from teenagers to real veterans like Robert Duvall, but they all owe a lot of their success to the ability to look good at all times. If you’re not acting, you’re up for casting. You have to always be on, always be ready. That means cleansing your face properly. Dove Men+Care Clean + Face Scrub cleans deep, it exfoliates with pumice, and it moisturizes—leaving the skin not only clean and lively but natural looking.
Any products you recommend them trying?
I would recommend Dove Men+Care Fortifying Styling Gel—which helps achieve a defined, strong hold—for quite a few of these guys. James Righton’s hair shot straight up in the air. He definitely looked taller than Keira Knightly, his gal, but I would have liked to see a more polished style. Ed Norton could have used a bit more hair control. Eddie Redmayne also has a slightly complex hairstyle, but his looked right because it was artfully tousled and stayed in place, which is why men use a good styling product. For texture and volume I like the Dove Men+Care Fortifying Styling Paste. It gives structure without being shiny. And the Dove Thickening Spray Gel gives you shape without stiffness or stickiness.
For Dove Men + Care are there products you recommend men trying during the harsh winter season?
Winter is all about moisturizing, so I like a rich cream. Dove Men+Care has a new Ultra-Hydrating Cream, which keeps skin moisturized for 24 hours.
Anything else to add?
The men are lucky they don’t get asked to go on the “shoe cam” or the “mani-cam.”
For more on Glenn, check out his official site. For more on Dove Men + Care, check out theirs.
