How Eddie Redmayne’s Red Carpet Style Is Rewriting the Rules of Menswear

January 6, 2016

“It’s rather British of him, isn’t it?” Vogue.com Fashion News DirectorChioma Nnadi asks me rhetorically.

We’re discussing birthday boyEddie Redmayne’s seemingly preternatural panache on thered carpet, his deft ability to make even the nattiest and most colorful suits seem like second skin. While one’s nationality doesn’t necessarily beget his approach to menswear, we couldn’t help but notice that theAcademy Award–winning actor—nominated for aGolden Globe for his performance inThe Danish Girl—is constantly rewriting the rules of menswear with an impish grin and a foppish flair inherent to his fellow countrymen. If the occasion calls for black-tie, the 34-year-old will appear in a supple emerald green velvet Burberry suit that crumples without sagging, adding a dose of cool to a heritage brand. Head-to-toe plaid suiting like the crimsonValentino number he donned forThe Danish Girl premiere feels more mod than traditional with a cropped ankle and tailored blazer nipped in at the waist. Teal double-breasted hardly feels overwhelming on Redmayne’s lithe frame; cream linen fromRalph Lauren Purple Label feels not dated but simply timeless.

This mutable appeal has allowed the shape-shifting actor to convincingly portray a disparate roster of on-screen characters, from physicistStephen Hawking to Danish trans artist Lili Elbe, while distinguishing himself among a sea of tuxedos. And with Sunday’s Golden Globe ceremony days away, we can only imagine he’ll switch up the game yet again.

Here, his most standout red carpet looks yet.