By India Block — February 2, 2012

Whilst his red carpet outfits have always shown that he knows the importance of a well-cut suit, his stunning songstress wife, Alexandra Edenborough, usually outshines him. This has been the case in Gary Oldman’s career too; it seems shocking that at the age of 53, and with a career spanning over 30 years, it is only now that he has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. With an Oscar nomination under his belt he’ll be making waves at the awards ceremonies this season, but he’s also been stirring the waters in Men’s Fashion. Oldman was one of several notable actors who walked for Prada’s A/W12 Collection, looking every inch a model in the Eastern Bloc military inspired coats, despite being only 5’7” and clearly decades older that the average model.

It is perhaps not much of a surprise that Oldman played the part of a clothes horse so well. A consummate actor known for his ability to ‘disappear’ into a role with incredible skill, he has been described by fellow celebrity Ralph Fiennes as a ‘genius’ at his craft. Clearly he approached this new role on the catwalk with similar verve. Sartorially, Oldman’s roles have always had something of a flair for fashion – he made his name playing Sid Vicious in the 1989 film, Sid and Nancy, wearing the now-iconic Sex Pistols uniform. In 2004 he experienced something of a career renaissance, starring in the role of Harry Potter’s godfather in the Box Office smash Warner Brothers series. As Sirius Black, he had a fantastic wardrobe of crushed velvet suits in beautifully muted shades of rich purple sloe and olive green pinstripes, paired with contrasting waistcoats.

His latest Blockbuster roles have been perhaps less flamboyant in the costume department, but no less trend setting. In his Oscar nominated role, as secret agent, George Smiley, in the 2011 remake of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, he appears in some seriously covetable 70’s suits, often paired with every sleuth’s best friends – the beige mackintosh and a hidden revolver. This summer he will be gracing our big screens as Gotham’s eternal good guy, Commissioner James Gordon in the final instalment of the Batman trilogy: The Dark Knight Rises. Despite a questionable moustache, trailers show him reprising the familiar wardrobe of understated yet authoritative suits.
Oldman takes on the roles that all men dream of playing – from the bad boy punk rocker to the suave super spy. This ‘Oldman aftershock’ has been felt in men’s fashion. Having the ability to dress up, of taking on a new identity is something that has been explored in new depths in the latest rounds of Ready-to-Wear collections. The Hollywood Heartthrob look is out, this Autumn/Winter it’s all about the mysterious and discreetly sexy. Prada gave the look an extravagant twist with flashes of mustard, purple and deep orange peppering the sober blacks. Fur collars and rose tinted circular spectacles (modelled by another Actor-turned-Model for the night, Adrian Brody) added a fantasy element to the line of sleek double-breasted long coats. The over all effect was one of discreetly veiled masculine authority. None of the outfits would have looked out of place on the set of a sophisticated spy film, perhaps why Oldman and his fellow actors added such gravatus to the catwalk performance.

Other designers such as Raf Simon’s for Jil Sander continued the spy thriller fantasy with sophisticated greatcoat. Neat accessories gave a sleek and highly imitable edge to the collection, with many of the models clutching in their leather gloved grips discreetly monogrammed black paper bags. Rolled like an old fashioned lunch bag they glamorised the mundane in a bizarre way that really worked. The effect was as if last season’s Mad Men Don Draper-esque chap had undergone espionage training in a top-secret location behind the Iron Curtain.

In this context, Prada’s invitation to acting royalty was a stroke of inspiration, reinforcing the sense of simultaneous fantasy and reality – of amazing clothes allowing you to not only play a role, but to become that person for a night – or day. It would seem an exciting new door has been opened; allowing men to assume the dramatic costume or disguise usually reserved for women’s fashion. A walk to the shops or the pub will transcend the mundane if you wear one of these incredible spy coats, and it’s safe to bet the High Street will soon follow suit. Whatever the case, I predict both Gary Oldman and Men’s Fashion are in for a very exciting year.