Playing Dress Up: Prom King Kai Ko in Gucci Livery - Men's Folio
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Playing Dress Up: Prom King Kai Ko in Gucci Livery

  • By Men's Folio

Still wet behind the ears—he’s just 21!—Kai Ko won big at this year’s Golden Horse Awards, grabbing the Best New Actor accolade in a suffocating all-Gucci ensemble that was just a tad too formal for his boyish mien and fumbling, gauche demeanor.

To be fair, showing up in a penguin suit was a respectful, safe move for the up-and-coming Taiwanese tenderfoot, but the sheer opulence of the ensemble was just overkill for the poor kid. Our Gucci press rep tells us the young man was bedecked in 18kt yellow gold “Diamantissima” cufflinks and a clunker of an 18kt pink gold and blue sapphire ring…way too much moneyed bling for anyone who isn’t say, Wyman Wong or Anthony Wong.

Here’s how we would have styled this year’s Best New Actor. We do like Kai Ko’s Cruise 2013 black notch lapel tuxe, particularly his trousers’ fit which, on the other end of the spectrum, isn’t as obnoxiously skinny as is de rigueur for the youngish set these days. So Kai Ko’s suit will stay, but we’ll lose the stuffiness by ditching the frilly white dress shirt. Something sleeker…maybe a tailored Turnbull & Asser in solid navy? And because you get to get away with just about anything at 21, we’ll shoehorn him into a pair of Lanvin’s cult sneakers in blue patent and suede, which are city-slick, age-appropriate but still dressy enough for the red carpet. There, all done!