How Colman Domingo earned the title of best-dressed man this award season
Ahead of the 2024 Oscars, theGrio is celebrating Oscar nominee Colman Domingo’s award-worthy style.
The countdown to the 96th Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, is well underway. Known as the biggest night in Hollywood, the ceremony brings an array of wins, shocking losses, and, most importantly, interesting fashion looks. Though experts can never fully predict what viewers will see on the red carpet, there’s one man fans can count on to fashionably deliver: Colman Domingo.
In addition to serving stellar performances on screen in films like “Rustin” and “The Color Purple,” Domingo has been known to serve looks on every red carpet he steps onto. So much so that the Oscar nominee has unofficially been crowned the “best-dressed” man this award season. However, regardless of the requisite, Domingo takes his personal style very seriously.
“I come from a very working-class family, and in order to make people see us, we had to define ourselves. And it starts with fashion. It starts with style,” Domingo told Esquire. “How do you walk down the street? How do you wear your hair? That’s why I change my style. Not a lot — I wear what looks good on me — but my style is always based on the story that I want to tell right now.”
In addition to his own affinity for fashion, the actor accredits his stylists Wayman and Micah for helping him craft his unique sartorial story. Using classic tailored cuts to accentuate his tall stature, the stylist duo explained how they use accessories to elevate his looks.
“No matter how I was dressing — because I’m always dressing — people are noticing it more now. I usually thought that people went for the noisier, louder [outfits], wearing bells and whistles and everything. I’m a bit more understated — masculine cuts, tailoring. I love classic things that reference, like, Teddy Pendergrass,” Domingo added, per Vanity Fair. “I like to feel sexy and playful. I like to look like a big flirt at all times. I flirt all day long.”
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Though the actor may describe his style as “understated,” fashion watchers know he has been making statements on red carpets for years. From wearing unexpected colors to styling his looks around meaningful accessories like a ring previously owned by Bayard Rustin, Domingo’s sartorial catalog is both impressive and intentional. According to the actor, the decision to wear pieces like the hot pink Versace suit he sported at the 2021 Oscars was inspired by a general desire to cultivate joy following the pandemic.
“True to Colman’s Sagittarius nature, he really loves to play and have fun in every facet of his being, so his style and sense of fashion fully thrives,” his stylists told Vogue. “To top it all off, Colman’s energy, confidence, and charisma always take every red carpet moment to the next level.”
“As artists, among fellow artists, I think it’s important to bring a bit more of your personality to this event and not be as austere as you would probably be for another event,” Domingo added, sharing his approach to red-carpet fashion.
In preparation for his appearance at the Oscars on Sunday, March 10, theGrio is revisiting some of Domingo’s best fashion moments through the years.
Colman Domingo attends the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on February 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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