Two weeks later, Schwartzman popped up at the Venice International Film Festival, where the real sartorial magic started to happen. First, for the festival’s famous boat arrival, it was a delightfully loud orange suit and chocolate-colored button-up, both from Bode, and some slick stompers from French label Adieu. An outfit change later, he was on the red carpet in a custom Loewe suit paired with a ruffled ribbon bow tie and a brooch from the brand’s collaboration with sculptor Lynda Benglis. He held his own against his Queer co-stars and style heavy hitters Drew Starkey and Omar Apollo, who were also decked out in the Spanish label.
The very next day, he switched over into Pavements mode, starting the day off on a more casual note in a sleek navy Lacoste polo and his beloved navy Dickies work pants. Later, on yet another red carpet, he went with a simple yet effective look from the newest season of Paul Smith. He paired the brown suit with a yellow shirt, a wink to the yellow raincoats in Pavement’s 1999 music video for “Carrot Rope.”
This advanced-level run of fits comes from the hand of artful stylist Rose Forde, who seems well-versed in Schwartzman’s long-running love of offbeat suits. “We only started working together this year, and it has already been an inspiring ride,” Forde told GQ. “He has brilliant ideas. He has surprised me with brilliant notes on styling from references that are lodged in his brain.” Some of those sources range from Keith Moon, the flamboyantly chic drummer from The Who, to obscure videos from the depths of the internet. Some video clips from the 1960s inspired the ruffles featured in the big-time Loewe look in Venice. “We often find ourselves deep diving into Google holes of old performances of artists we love and music videos,” Forde explained.
When considering peak Schwartzman style, it is easy to recall the trim suiting of the nouveau prep label Band of Outsiders. (The actor was a loyal wearer and frequent face for Scott Sternberg’s cult-loved brand back in the day.) It’s clear that Forde has studied Schwartzman’s likes and dislikes and has helped deliver that sartorial sweet spot. The slouchy cuts of the suits feel extremely right now and look pitch-perfect for the actor, who Forde says “loves to experiment” with style. One glance at Schwartzman’s Cheshire Cat smiles on the red carpet, and it’s as clear as the Venice late-summer sky that he knows the real secret to dressing well: Never to forget to have fun.
