39 of the best dressed men to walk the Oscars red carpet in years gone by

From Mahershala Ali to Brad Pitt, the Hollywood gents who prove male red carpet style is far from boring

1958: A name synonymous with sharp dressing, Paul Newman wears a classic tux as he dances with Joanne Woodward after the 30th Annual Academy Awards on March 25, 1958. Getty Images

1968: The black and white photograph doesn't do Sammy Davis Jr's accessorising justice at the 40th Annual Academy Awards on April 10, 1968. SDJ is seen here with Barbra Streisand. Getty Images

1989: It is no secret that a young Robert Downey Jr was a bit of a wild child, and that is reflected in his statement accessorising at the 61th Annual Academy Awards on March 29, 1989. RDJ is seen here with then-girlfriend, Sarah Jessica Parker. Getty Images

1990: Spike Lee at the 61th Annual Academy Awards on March 26, 1990. Getty Images

1992: Brad Pitt's first Oscars. The young actor proved that monochrome tuxedos need not be classic or boring with his black cross tie at the 64th Annual Academy Awards on March 30, 1992. Pitt is seen here with then-girlfriend, Juliette Lewis. Getty Images

1994: A young Johnny Depp in a sharp tux at the during 66th Annual Academy Awards on March 21, 1994. WireImage

1996: 1990s fashion at its best, Will Smith in over-sized everything at the 68th Annual Academy Awards on March 25, 1996. WireImage

2000: Actor Samuel L Jackson wears a purple velvet suit at the 72nd Annual Academy Awards. Seen here with wife, LaTanya Richardson. Getty Images

2004: Clint Eastwood with now-ex-wife Dina Eastwood at the 76th Annual Academy Awards on February 29, 2004. WireImage

2004: Eternally, effortlessly cool in purple with a statement collar, Prince at the 76th Annual Academy Awards on February 29, 2004. Wire Image

2008: Viggo Mortensen opts for an evening coat over a tuxedo jacket, accessorised with a boutonniere, at the 80th Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2008. Getty Images

2012: Gary Oldman in Paul Smith at the 84th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2012. AFP

2014: Michael B Jordan wears Givenchy at the 86th Annual Academy Awards on March 2, 2015. AFP

2014: Jared Leto wears Saint Laurent at the 86th Annual Academy Awards on March 2, 2015. AFP

2014: Chris Hemsworth wears David August at the 86th Annual Academy Awards on March 2, 2015. AFP

2015: David Oyelowo wears rich, red Dolce and Gabbana at the 87th Annual Academy Awards on February 22, 2015. AFP

2016: Dev Patel in a black Burberry tux at the 88th Annual Academy Awards on February 29, 2016. AFP

2016: Jared Leto wears Gucci with red detailing and a corsage at the 88th Annual Academy Awards on February 29, 2016. AFP

2017: Mahershala Ali in black Ermenegildo Zegna at the 89th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2017. AFP

2017: Riz Ahmed wears Ermenegildo Zegna at the 89th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2017. AFP

2017: Justin Timberlake wears textured Tom Ford at the 89th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2017. AFP

2017: Dev Patel in an ivory white Burberry dinner jacket at the 89th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2017. AFP

2018: Chadwick Boseman wears black Givenchy with silver detailing at the 90th Annual Academy Awards on March 4, 2018. WireImage

2018: Jordan Peele wears Calvin Klein 205W39NYC at the 90th Annual Academy Awards on March 4, 2018. AFP

2018: Timothee Chalamet wears Berluti at the 90th Annual Academy Awards on March 4, 2018. AFP

2018: Miguel, here with wife Nazanin Mandi, went all-black with his tux, shirt, bow tie and velvet overcoat at the 90th Annual Academy Awards on March 4, 2018. AFP

2018: Daniel Kaluuya wears mustard velvet Brunello Cucinelli at the 90th Annual Academy Awards on March 4, 2018. AFP

2019: Jason Momoa wears blush velvet Michael Kors at the 91st Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2019. Getty Images

2019: Mahershala Ali accessorised his Ermenegildo Zegna XXX suit with a kufi hat at the 91st Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2019. EPA

2019: Nicholas Hoult wears a wrap jacket with a side train with a side train by Dior Homme at the 91st Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2019. BFA

2019: Michael B Jordan wears a midnight blue velvet dinner jacket by Tom Ford at the 91st Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2019. Getty Images

2019: Billy Porter wears a Christian Siriano tuxedo-gown at the 91st Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2019. AFP

2019: Henry Golding wears Ralph Lauren at the 91st Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2019. Reuters

2019: David Oyelowo wears Ralph Lauren at the 91st Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2019. AFP

Timothee Chalamet, wearing Prada, at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party after the Oscars on Sunday, February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. EPA-EFE

Rami Malek, wearing Saint Laurent, attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the 92nd annual Academy Awards ceremony. EPA-EFE

Mahershala Ali, left, in Ermenegildo Zegna XXX, and Amatus Sami-Karim arrive for the 92nd annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. EPA-EFE

LaKeith Stanfield, in a Saint Laurent jumpsuit, arrives at a screening of the Oscars on April 26, 2021, in London. AP Photo

Leslie Odom Jr, in custom gold Brioni, arrives for the 93rd annual Academy Awards ceremony at Union Station in Los Angeles, California, April 25, 2021. EPA-EFE

I was recently talking to a friend about my passion for great male red carpet fashion. "Isn’t that just a tux?" he asked. "Oh, no, no, no, sweet boy," I womansplained in response, "it can be much more interesting than that."

It is true to say that a part of the joy of men's red carpet style is the simplicity — a flawlessly cut tux holds its own in a world of velvet and brocade. But there is also a lot of fun to be had with texture, colour, accessories and detail, and the Oscars is historically a red carpet for the biggest names in Hollywood to be their most sartorially creative.

Ahead of the 2022 Academy Awards, I've taken a look at some of the sharpest dressers of years gone by on the Oscars red carpet.

From monochrome Brad Pitt walking the Oscars red carpet for the first time in 1992, to the style statement Billy Porter made with his tuxedo-gown in 2019, click through the gallery above to see some of the most memorable, creative and, simply, best dressed men from awards ceremonies gone by.

With red carpets back in full force after a two-year hiatus thanks to the pandemic, there's excitement in the air surrounding this year's style stakes.

If the style during the 2020 awards season is anything to go by, we're in for a show-stopping Oscars. Jason Momoa got people talking in his emerald velvet suit at the Golden Globes on January 5, John Legend proved that asymmetrical tailoring is having a moment in McQueen at the Grammys and Fleabag's Andrew Scott injected colour on to the Critics' Choice Awards red carpet.

Plus, a host of Hollywood's most stylish gents are slated to attend the Sunday, March 27 ceremony, including Best Actor nominees Will Smith, Andrew Garfield and Denzel Washington.

One gent who will not be surprising anyone with his Oscars apparel is Joaquin Phoenix who has vowed to wear the same custom-made Stella McCartney suit to every awards ceremony this year in a bid to reduce waste.

The 2022 awards will wrap up a busy awards season. Netflix’s The Power of the Dog leads with 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress and Actor. The film’s director, Jane Campion, is now the first woman to receive two Best Director nominations — the other was for 1993’s The Piano.

Dune, which was partly shot in Abu Dhabi, also has a strong showing, with 10 nods including Best Picture, Cinematography and Adapted Screenplay.

Scroll through the gallery below to see the Oscars 2022 nominees:

The Oscars will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will be broadcast in the US at 8pm Eastern Standard Time.

ABC is the home of the Oscars in the US. For those in the UK, the ceremony will begin at 1am on Monday, March 28, and will be be shown on Sky Cinema.

In the UAE, the ceremony will begin at 4am on Monday, March 28. OSN is the official broadcaster in the Middle East, and will stream the Oscars on its new OSN+ service, which recently replaced the OSN Streaming app.