Mahershala Ali takes risks. Lots of them, actually (we refer you to the Oscars beanie hat). But as one who normally rejigs red carpet attire, the Esquire cover star followed a slew of his contemporaries with his latest move: the big, all-black mob boss suit.
Yes, after Christian Bale's art of darkness at the BAFTAs, and Nicholas Hoult's origami blackout, Ali proved the merits of monochrome tailoring. What's more, it's the simplest way to nail the dress code (a tall order at the 47th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award to Denzel Washington) and stand apart from the crowd. An easy win when you're a Hollywood award winner, and even easier for the rest of us mere mortals in this move du jour.
Blackout tailoring has seen something of a renaissance. The black shirt - once the battle armour of Nine Pint Darren down your local boozer - is en vogue again, and its taken the black suit with it. Thank Hedi Slimane's Celine moodsuits, and Dior's reconstructed tailoring for the uplift in suits once pioneered by mafiosos.
You needn't forcibly request protection money to wear your own, either. The rules are simple. Like all good tailoring, focus on fit, and think slimline as opposed to skinny fit. Then, complete with a pair of sunglasses and a simple oath of brotherhood to the Cosa Nostra.
Or you can skip all of that and opt for the below.
