“I believe in aggressive styling,” says Barry Keoghan’s stylist, Ilaria Urbinati, mere hours before the Golden Globes red carpet begins. “We really lean into a theme.” The vibe for awards season 2024? Saltburn meets punk rock.
“There was a moment when I thought should we take one thing off, but then I thought, ‘Nah, we’re going for it,’” muses Urbinati, who was introduced to the rising Irish star by her partner, Keoghan’s Muay Thai coach (before acting Barry wanted to be a boxer, which makes Ilaria’s punchy styling approach all the more apt). From the earrings to the trouser chain and pearl button detailing adorning the 31-year-old’s custom red plaid Louis Vuitton suit, it would be impossible to choose one accent to remove from Keoghan’s boldest look to date. “It’s pretty unique,” asserts Urbinati, before praising her collaborators. “I love the little love triangle we have going on between me, Barry and Louis Vuitton.”
The cropped jacket and slim-cut trousers (two Keoghan signatures) are adaptations from Pharrell Williams’s first collection for the French house, which was one of the biggest fashion moments of last year, thanks to the Pont Neuf bridge takeover and the galaxy of stars (Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Rihanna, Naomi Campbell) who attended the show. The newly-instated creative director’s work is the perfect match for Keoghan, who, according to his dresser, has “zero interest in anything overly traditional” and is “rebellious, adventurous and creative”.
If the Globes nominee, who garnered attention on The Banshees of Inisherin press tour, backs up his style ambition with knowledge–“he’s the biggest fashion fan and knows he can pull off certain things”–Keoghan also loves hiding Easter eggs for his fans. His fiery tailoring is punctuated by a vintage Tiffany & Co. brooch bearing a pink-eyed animal with antlers – a nod to his Saltburn character Oliver’s fancy dress costume from the chaotic, climactic party scene in Emerald Fennell’s polarizing film. “The whole thing is kind of insane, but it’s really beautiful,” adds Urbinati.
While the skinny pants and boots are more Sex Pistols than Paris Fashion Week–Ilaria would have done a slouchier silhouette for the Globes, but Barry understands what works for his frame–the color of his heavily frosted suit puts him at the forefront of menswear conversations this awards season. “I just love red on men,” asserts Urbinati. “With pale skin and blue eyes, it really makes guys stand out.” Keoghan, who has already worn sheer Stella McCartney tailoring this January, needs little help on that front.
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.