The exclusive story behind Paul Mescal’s vibe shift Celine suit for the 2026 Oscars
Mescal’s stylist Felicity Kay hopped on a call to give us the lowdown on the Irish actor’s custom Celine look
WHEN IT COMES to the Oscars, I definitely have my favourite looks. Back in 1995, Leonardo DiCaprio made his Oscars debut tieless, exuding a rebellious, very cool 21-year-old attitude. In 1973, Sonny (of Sonny and Cher) channelled the decade’s splendour in a fabulous velvet tuxedo. More recently, however, Paul Mescal has delivered what I consider one of the finest Oscars looks, beating out a slew of other very famous men.
In 2023, the Irish actor wore custom Gucci: a white tuxedo and slightly flared trousers. A Cartier brooch, formed out of a red rose and a cluster of diamonds, completed the ensemble. For me, it was proof that Mescal is a true Hollywood star. Despite not winning an award for his performance in Aftersun, he bagged the prize for best outfit of the night, if not the decade. He has certainly come a long way from those rugby shorts.
Well, the Hamnet actor has gone and bloody done it again. For the 2026 Oscars, Mescal, photographed by Hollywood’s favourite lensman Greg Williams at Chateau Marmont exclusively for Esquire, wore a custom Celine look designed by creative director Michael Rider, comprising a cropped collarless jacket and trousers. His bow tie was stylishly limp, and his lapels were tiny and folded. Fresh and modern, there was no old-school tux to see here! It was a departure from what we’ve previously seen Mescal wear at award ceremonies – perhaps his relaxed and deconstructed Prada tuxedo at the BAFTAs should have been an indicator of where he was headed for the Oscars.
This evening, he opted for full black, which complemented his girlfriend Gracie Abrams’ black Chanel two-piece. “After seeing Michael Rider’s first collection, I knew Paul would be drawn to his work, and I knew I had to find the right moment for us to work together,” Felicity Kay, Mescal’s long-term stylist, told me over the phone ahead of the Oscars. “The cropped jacket is a pendulum swing from the shapes we’ve worked with in the past, but it still works with many of the ideas Paul and I have previously explored. It’s elegant, with a little sense of being undone. It feels like Paul, but also distinctly different.”
Kay worked closely with Mescal to perfect the look. “I wanted every look to feel like it’s in conversation with the past while still feeling contemporary,” she shares, explaining that he is extremely hands-on with all his looks, especially during this awards season run. “At the beginning of the process, Paul and I put together a board of references we loved: different suiting shapes and small styling details such as eclectic brooches and evening shirting through different periods. We wanted to thread these through the looks. We shared these with the designers we worked with as a starting point and asked how those ideas might translate through their lens. It meant each look carried the designer’s own point of view while still feeling authentic to Paul’s style.”
Mescal completed the look with two very “Mescal” accessories: first, a neat and tidy single Cartier Juste un Clou earring, and on his wrist, one of his signature tiny Tank timepieces, also from Cartier, but from his own collection rather than one borrowed from the brand. This particular timepiece aligns nicely with his appreciation for vintage watches, and the smaller mini size echoes the elegant, compact proportions of Tank models from the 1920s. Taste!
The Oscars is a funny thing, really. The most esteemed awards ceremony, the Academy can be slightly rigid when it comes to dressing codes, but still you get the odd left-fielder. Some guys take it too far, and others, like Mescal, nail it. Another solid, expert-level look from our Irish friend, Hollywood’s reigning menswear king.
This article first appeared on Esquire UK
Related:
