If you keep up with pop culture — or simply have access to the internet — you’ve probably encountered the term ‘method dressing’ since it’s the latest trend that has the celebrity fashion world buzzing. But for those who aren’t in the know, method dressing is when an actor incorporates the characters, themes, or aesthetics of the film they are promoting into their style. For example, Zendaya and stylist Law Roach continuously pulled from designer archives, including the iconic 1995 Thierry Mugler ‘Gynoid suit’ for Dune: Part Two. Jenna Ortega delivered her signature gothic glamour (bleached brows and pout included) for Wednesday by wearing dark feminine looks from trendy designers such as Ashi Studios, Vivienne Westwood, and Ann Demeulemeester. Margot Robbie delivered pretty-in-pink Barbie fashion via a custom Armani gown inspired by the 1977 SuperStar Barbie, and an archival Vivienne Westwood Couture pink satin gown. It would be remiss not to mention her latest Wuthering Height’s outing as well — the film’s London Premiere last night showcased the actress in a custom Dilara Findikoglu dress made with rope-like embellishments of hair, two archival Boucheron brooches, and a replica of “The Bracelet of Charlotte”, created in collaboration between Wyedean and the Brontë Parsonage Museum. Regardless of if you find method dressing corny and overdone or exciting and campy, you must admit: it has impact.

But as for who is method dressing and making fashion headlines, it’s no surprise that it’s mainly women carrying the weight of red carpet publicity. I guess Hollywood fashion mirrors the Barbie movie in that on the red carpet she’s everything — and he’s just Ken.

The Men Behind the Method (Dressing)

While some male Hollywood actors have dabbled in incorporating their films into their style (like Wicked and Barbie’s leading men), when you search ‘method dressing’ online, the men — if they even appear at all — usually pale in comparison to their leading ladies.

Although the term method dressing is relatively new, the concept of dressing in theme with a movie is not just a recent fad. One of the earliest examples of method dressing was in 1992, when Geena Davis wore a Nicole Miller dress inspired by the stitchings on a baseball at the A League of Their Own red carpet.

The confluence of fashion and film — on and off screen — has always had pop culture in a chokehold. For example, Christian Bale — typically known for his American Psycho-esque sharp suits and clean grooming — was looking camp right in the eye with silver eyeshadow and pink blush for the premier of his glam-rock movie The Velvet Underground in 1998. Although this look isn’t typically referenced in method dressing features, Bale’s playful red carpet look goes viral every few years and has been inducted into the pop culture hall of fame. Case in point, the catalyst for me watching this queer cult classic was through falling in love with a photo on Pinterest of Bale’s red carpet eye-makeup look.

So to prove that menswear can be fun and worthy of method dressing headlines, here are three men who deserve a shoutout for doing method dressing right this past year.

Alexander Skarsgård’s Kinky Pillion Fashion

In 2025, Alexander Skarsgård consistently dominated the headlines for the press tour from his movie Pillion. Skarsgård, styled by Harry Lambert, submitted to method dressing by adding kinky BDSM charm to his promotional outfits. Starting the promotions off hot at Cannes, the Pillion star rocked Yves Saint Laurent’s thigh-high boots with his suit and also paired tight Loewe leather pants with a cheeky vintage tee to channel his character’s biker and BDSM roots.

But the method dressing fun didn’t end there. A subtle look turned not so subtle with a very phallic Magliano shirt and sailor/school boy inspired short shorts by Olly Shinder and S.S.Daley allowed for playful, yet sexy whimsy. Entirely unforgettable — and one of the best celebrity menswear looks of 2025 — was Skarsgård wearing Ludovic de Saint Sernin’s Fall 2025 halter top suit. This sexier take on the traditional mens suit perfectly demonstrates how method dressing doesn’t have to be too literal or over-the-top to steal the spotlight. But for those who have followed his career, these subversive and exciting red carpet looks don’t come as too much of a surprise considering he wore a dog collar and leash for the Sundance premiere of Infinity Pool in 2023. Alexander Skarsgård has always been someone to look forward to on the red carpet.

Timothée Chalamet’s Sporty Marty Supreme Style

No stranger to going viral, Timothée Chalamet has been creating hype for his starring role in Marty Supreme and his fashion has been central to this campaign. Although he tried his hand at method dressing for the Dune: Part Two premiers, his Marty Supreme fashion shows Chalamet at his method-dressing-best.

EsDeeKid – I mean Chalamet – sent the internet into a frenzy with his matching Marty Supreme couples outfit with Kylie Jenner. The couple wore full monochromatic tangerine Chrome Hearts in a nod to the bright orange colour of ping-pong balls. In fact, the bright orange was a signature colour throughout Chalamet and other Marty Supreme cast member’s promotional looks. If 2024’s signature colour was brat green, Timothée and the Marty Supreme press team are making sure 2026’s colour is bright orange. And in case you still don’t know what the movie is about, Timmy paired his Chrome Hearts look with a custom ping-pong paddle holder.

In addition, Chalamet also caused a viral sensation outside of the red carpet with the movie’s limited edition promotional bomber jacket. The Marty Supreme jacket is a retro sports windbreaker with the movie’s name and three star logo and it has been dubbed by several fashion publishers as the defining fashion piece of 2026. Now that’s good marketing.

Jacob Elordi’s Subtle Frankenstein Looks

Instead of traditional gothic glamour or era specific styling, the internet’s current heartthrob Jacob Elordi casually embodied Frankenstein’s creature’s muted green colour palette and merged it with his signature style. Looking far from monstrous, Elordi rocked a light green Calvin Klein suit at the Mexico City premiere as well as a darker green Celine suit at the Newport Beach Film Festival.

Opting for smart casual instead of his usual suit, Elordi also gave a nod to his Oscar nominated character with a vintage Christopher Kane sweater featuring the original monster from the 1931 film.

Despite his London Film Festival Bottega Veneta suit not immediately reading as method dressing, the large silhouette heightened Elordi’s already freakishly tall stature, giving him the aura of someone (or creature) not from this earth, but instead, painstakingly handcrafted and assembled from the best parts a mad scientist can find.

Can Method Dressing Save Cinema?

With cinemas closing globally, theatrical release windows shortening, and general instability within film and television, the industry has been scrambling to maximise press attention and increase interest. As a result, viral spectacle has become Hollywoods biggest star. After all, with the fast pace of the news and media cycle, you can’t expect them to write headlines every time a man wears a nice black suit.

Furthermore, whilst most viral method dressing looks come from big blockbusters (Barbie, Dune, Wicked), A24’s Pillion was a small budget affair with a limited theatrical release, meaning that every article written about Skarsgård was also an article written about Pillion — free of charge. So if method dressing or just stepping outside of the box fashion-wise can help promote independent movies and allow companies to take creative risks, I expect to see more men slutted out on the red carpet…for cinemas’ sake.

The Anticipated Method Dressing Stars of 2026

From Wuthering Heights, Dune: Part III, The Odyssey, The Devil Wears Prada 2, and the 2026 Oscars red carpet (where Elordi and Chalamet are nominated for their aforementioned films), these are some of this years big blockbuster releases and red carpet events which seem like a match made in heaven for viral method dressing looks. Whether or not the men can keep up with method dressing connoisseurs like Zendaya and Margot Robbie is one thing, but I for one want them to put their best foot forward and try — not just wear another plain black suit.

Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our December/January 2026 issue.