THE JOURNAL

Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme (2025). Photograph by LANDMARK MEDIA/Alamy
Oscar nominations always provoke hot debate and outrage in the WhatsApp groups of cinephiles. This year, that discourse seemed to focus around whether Sinners – up for 16 gongs – could destroy the story of the much-hyped Marty Supreme (up for nine). And with it, redemption for Timothée Chalamet, after a perceived slight last year when he missed out on Best Actor for A Complete Unknown to Adrian Brody for The Brutalist.
Whatever happens this weekend, the fashion Oscars have arguably already been awarded. The work of costume designers from Marty Supreme (Miyako Bellizzi) to Sinners (Ruth E Carter) and The Secret Agent (Rita Azevedo) deserve all our plaudits. Not only for how they use clothes to develop on-screen characters, but – most importantly, of course – how those characters influence what the rest of us wear.
And while we’re probably not going to go full method like one of the actors, there are details to note while watching. Here are five to consider the next time you’re contemplating a new look. Watch out for spoilers and don’t forget to pass the popcorn.
Best collar… Marty in Marty Supreme
Speaking to MR PORTER in December, Bellizzi explained the level of research involved in the costumes for Chalamet and friends in the 1950s-set film, including watching the filmmaker Ken Jacobs’ contemporaneous movies of the Lower East Side. Marty’s tailoring had its own deep dive. “I got really involved in the details of what makes a suit from 1949 different from a suit tailored in 1954,” Bellizzi said.
“It’s hard to deny the power of his 1940s-style suiting in the film,” says Henry Wong, culture editor at Esquire. “Here’s someone trying to prove something to the world – and to himself.”
If that’s how the clothing relates to the character, the shirt collars are a key takeaway once the titles roll. Known as spearpoint in the trade, the razor-sharp silhouette translates beyond Marty’s frenetic life. Spearpoint-adjacent collars can be found at brands such as Brunello Cucinelli, Gucci and NN07. Note: your ping-pong skills will not instantly improve by wearing these shirts.
Best vest… Smoke in Sinners

Michael B Jordan in Sinners (2025). Photograph by FlixPix/Alamy © Warner Bros
Arguably, Michael B Jordan doubly deserves that Best Actor nomination – he plays twins in Sinners, Smoke and Stack. If, at first, it’s tricky to work out who is who, Smoke – the less flashy of the twins – wins out, especially as he does not become a vampire.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar last year, Carter said that the character was the “less conscious [of the two]. He doesn’t have a tie, he represents the everyman”. And what is more everyman than the classic singlet vest? This simple item shows Smoke on a mission for mankind. It is also, as Wong says, “pure action movie”, alluding to heroes in Die Hard and Rambo.
Smoke wears his blood-splattered, but the vest (or tank top depending on your style semantics) has a place in what are perhaps less blockbuster-worthy lives – think those who might commit to fewer arm days in an average week. Peter Bevan, contributing editor at The Rakish Gent, recommends “using it as a layering tool instead of being the main event. I like to layer mine under a shirt or a blazer.” Look to slightly more forgiving cuts from the likes of Les Tien and AGOLDE and lean into that layering.
Best dressing gown… Bob in One Battle After Another

Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another (2025). Photograph by Collection Christophel/Alamy © Warner Bros
The dressing gown has a surprisingly auspicious history in cinema, from Cary Grant in 1938’s Bringing Up Baby to Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski 60 years later. But there’s now another contender, Leonardo DiCaprio’s depressed, weed-smoking radical in One Battle After Another. Described by costume designer Colleen Atwood as a “JCPenney-type robe”, the plaid design is pitch-perfect for a guy who has slightly given up on life.
If you’re not on a mission to save a teenage daughter from a murderous männerbund, dressing gowns are more usually seen as an item to relax in. But Stephen Doig, men’s style editor at The Telegraph, thinks there’s more to them than that.
“I wouldn’t say that Leo’s raggedy dressing gown should really act as inspiration for the average guy, but I do think that dressing gowns in some circumstances can look great for evening wear,” Doig says. “A silk dressing gown with tuxedo trousers and a tuxedo-fronted shirt and bow tie is rather rakish.” Charvet’s silk-tweed robes are certainly worth showing off.
(An honourable mention here must go to Benicio Del Toro’s track top, karate trousers and cowboy boots – another outfit surely to inspire Halloween costumes come October.)
Best top… Armando in The Secret Agent

Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent (2025). Photograph courtesy of Mubi
Wagner Moura has previous experience in portraying 1970s-era characters with distractingly good sportswear – he played Pablo Escobar in Netflix series Narcos. For last year’s The Secret Agent, the action moves to his native Brazil in 1977, but Moura’s professor character Armando carries over the ability to put together an outfit of retro favourites. “Wagner Moura looks great throughout,” Wong says. “His wardrobe is casual, fun, sexy.”
The biggest style story of the film has been the success of the yellow Pitombeira T-shirt that Moura wears in one scene. Referencing a small community carnival, it’s become a symbol of the progressive movement in Brazil. But there’s another item in Moura’s wardrobe that’s worth a further look.
The polo shirts – from a striped-blue number to a plain white design – come with pockets and collars that shout 1970s. To get that retro feel, but in a more modern take, a slim fit is crucial – see TOM FORD and CELINE. And if you’re feeling brave, “a pair of micro shorts for a look that’s straight from that era,” Doig says. “It’s rather Sean Connery’s Bond, in a way.”
Best tailoring… Gustav in Sentimental Value

Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value (2025). Photograph courtesy of Mubi
If Stellan Skarsgård’s Gustav does not cover himself in glory in Sentimental Value, there’s no doubt his suits have the kind of classic level of chic that will always get him the meeting. “This is a man who is both very selfish and desperately trying his best,” Wong says. “Those slouchy suits are a perfect encapsulation of that.”
Working with his long-running costume designer Ellen Ystehede, director Joachim Trier described her approach as “both so hip and so sociologically specific”, something that rings true here. The authentic Scandinavian feel is appreciated by style watchers. “While not exactly eye-catching or powerfully statement-making, [the suit] is in keeping with that ease of Scandi luxury that we’ve come to expect,” Doig says.
It works beyond a Norwegian dark comedy, too. “[This is a] new take on that louche 1990s suiting that’s everywhere right now,” Bevan says. “[It] says you’re pretty chill, even though you’re in a full two-piece. Lean into the crumpled aesthetic.” For this, Eleventy, FRAME and Officine Générale are brands to check out.