A Complete Unknown No More: How Timothée Chalamet Became a Menswear Icon

Timothée Chalamet threw one of the biggest curveballs of the season by nabbing the SAG Award for Best Actor—an upset no one saw coming, least of all favored contender Adrien Brody (though the latter ended up nabbing the Oscar). The victory, tied to Chalamet’s riveting portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, proves that we might be witnessing the full bloom of an actor once best known for minor roles in Homeland and a blink-and-you-missed-it cameo in Interstellar.

Flash back to 2017, when Call Me By Your Name turned him into a breakout sensation—complete with his first Oscar nod at age 22. Back then, he was partial to outfits that exuded a sort of “golf cart cabby chic,” a style that felt charmingly unpolished. But somewhere between flirting with the idea of playing a desert messiah in Dune and dating Kylie Jenner, Chalamet began leaning decisively into a futuristic dapperness that has fashion editors and street-style watchers alike on high alert.

Now, the same actor who once gravitated toward loose slacks and boyish caps can show up in a harness suit that reads equal parts runway and rebellious. Whether he’s rumored to be donning a teased mustache for a comedic globe-trotter flick called Marty Supreme or returning as Paul Atreides for Dune 3, his name consistently sparks intrigue. He’s part of a new wave of men who confidently refashion tailoring and silhouettes—luxe accessories, fluid cuts and inventive layering—into something distinctly personal.

Chalamet appears poised to keep transforming modern menswear and Hollywood’s leading-man archetype in one fell swoop. It’s a performance no one’s complaining about—and one the industry can’t wait to see more of.