Feeling sluggish? Yes, we are too. The MR PORTER team’s bodies may be back at work, but our minds are still… not on holiday exactly, but certainly hovering somewhere over the ocean, in flight mode. What could possibly wake us up? Perhaps, a roundup of August’s most eye-catching celebrity outfits? A timely reminder that style never goes on holiday, right?

It’s not exactly chilly in Venice in August, which gives the attendees of the city’s famous film festival a bit of a quandary when it comes to red-carpet style. Mr Mackie, who was there to support new film Seberg, chose to throw smart casual at the situation, opting for a blue-on-blue ensemble from – what’s that? – MR PORTER’s in-house brand Mr P. A linen shirt is always a wise idea for warmer climes, as are pleated trousers, thanks to the way in which they add ease around the waistline. Is it entirely intentional that the whole thing goes with the step-and-repeat background? No, probably not, but who’s to argue if it works?

The man of the hour in Venice was Mr Joaquin Phoenix, whose artsy supervillain reboot Joker walked away with a Golden Lion, the festival’s top honours. They weren’t giving out trophies for the best tuxedo, of course, but had they been, he would probably have scooped that, too, with this just-roomy enough dinner suit which has clearly been tailored to fit very precisely. (See the way the cuffs poke just beyond the sleeves of the jacket? That’s what this kind of thing should look like.) We’re not sure sunglasses are going to take up a permanent place among the traditional accoutrements of black tie, but we think Mr Phoenix can get away with it.

We can only imagine what it’s like to look like Mr Patrick Dempsey, but what we do imagine of it involves being able to pretty much wear whatever one likes, because, well… that face. It’s all the more impressive, therefore, when he arrives at a premiere so splendidly and simply turned out, as in the image above. A grey suit with a subtle check is a fine choice for a man with a healthy tan – the fit of this one is particularly stylish in that it’s slim, but not overly slim, and sits neatly across Mr Dempsey’s shoulders. The lack of tie and socks is a bit of a rogue move, but there’s a Thom Browne-esque feel to it that works, given the understatement of everything else.

Mr Bettany is one of those people who always looks incredibly crisp, straight-out-the-packet, not a hair out of place. Even when he’s just wearing chinos (cropped neatly just above his ankles) and a sweater (a particularly sleek-looking half-turtleneck), it’s like he’s just been through some sort of purifying filter. Perhaps everything he wears is simply brand new, or he has an assiduous stylist, always on hand with a very sticky lint roller. Any which way, we wish we knew his secret.

No, we have never said that face tattoos might be the perfect way to offset a natty, windowpane-check, double-breasted suit, but here is the musician and producer Post Malone bringing the two together, and we have to admit, it looks rather good. The fit is right, the colour palette (blue, pink, burgundy) is interesting, yet not overstated, and there’s even a matching pocket square in the mix. All in all, it’s testimony to the fact that whatever your style, you can dress up and look smart now and again and it’s not going to kill you.

Do you think Mr Arnett, a rock musician and the current beau of one Ms Elizabeth Olsen, read MR PORTER’s recent piece on how to wear white? Or do you think he worked out the whole thing for himself? Either way, it looks good, this summery combo of wide-leg tapered trousers, an unbuttoned shirt and brown leather sandals. We’re just slightly worried about what happened to that coffee in his left hand after this photo was taken – when white is in the picture, these things do have a tendency to go everywhere.

Not just acquaintances in the, um, interesting fan fiction we found in the dark recesses of the internet, but we would hazard a guess that Messrs Sebastian Stan and Jake Gyllenhaal are also friends IRL. Hence the former was pictured here at the opening of the latter’s Broadway show this August, wearing this neat, 1950s-inspired outfit, with an unbuttoned print shirt and white vest. Somehow both auteur-ish and nostalgic, it’s a look we enjoyed very much.

Imagine not being able to walk down the street without having someone leap out and take your picture? What a nightmare. Oh well, ho-hum, the fact is celebrities are forced to put up with this kind of thing so that we can enjoy the process of trying to replicate their downtime outfits. And if you were going to pick one in particular to go for this month, this offering from This Is Us star Mr Milo Ventimiglia would be a good shout – the striped T-shirt and chore jacket combo will look good even on non-celebrities, and the olive-coloured chinos work as a nice contrast beneath. Shed a tear for poor Mr Ventimiglia as you look for similar items from the likes of AMI and Officine Generale.

The celebrities featured in this story are not associated with and do not endorse MR PORTER or the products shown