Brad Pitt's Rebellion at 61: Fashion Makeover or Midlife Style Crisis?

At the age of 61, Brad Pitt - Hollywood's masculine icon - is surprising fashionistas with his transformation into a more colorful, bold and unconventional fashion style than ever before.

Brad Pitt's colorful and somewhat feminine fashion style at age 61 - Photo: Harper's Bazaar

Brad Pitt is known for his simple, elegant American style. But recently, the actor has been wearing colorful, patchwork-dyed clothes, sewn from many different pieces of fabric, and even velvet.

According to The Telegraph, in Hollywood, actresses often have to adhere to strict standards of appearance and age. The younger, slimmer, more attractive they are, the more likely they are to be cast in leading roles. Their costumes also have to help audiences believe they can still play the role of a lover, not the lover's mother.

But it's different for men. Despite thinning hair or wrinkled faces, many male actors have been comfortable playing leading roles throughout their careers. Thanks to that privilege, they are rarely criticized for their appearance, sometimes dress sloppily, and even their "unscrupulous" style is praised as individual.

Daniel Craig's liberal fashion style in Loewe's advertising campaign - Photo: Loewe

Times have changed, actors now do not rely solely on fame and looks. They have to take better care of their image: exercise, beautify themselves, invest in their fashion sense, because men's fashion style is now scrutinized as closely as women's.

Typically, after leaving the role of James Bond, Daniel Craig chose a liberal style, quickly becoming a favorite face of the fashion world and even appearing in Loewe's advertising campaign.

Timothée Chalamet, with his creative dressing style and attractive expressions, has long been a "national crush" in both the fashion world and social networks.

Timothée Chalamet's genderless fashion style is causing a stir on social media - Photo: AFP

And now, at 61, Brad Pitt is getting in on the act. The question is: is this a bold image transformation, or just a “midlife style crisis”?

Where is Brad Pitt's classic, minimalist masculine fashion sense?

For a long time, Brad Pitt has been considered a classic masculine model, the complete opposite of Timothée Chalamet. At 29, Timothée Chalamet favors sparkling tank tops, silver Chanel bags, and bright pink puffer jackets.

Brad Pitt is different: he is associated with a minimalist, American style that blends the coolness of James Dean and the romanticism of Robert Redford.

On the red carpet, he chose a classic vest; in real life, he almost "sticks to" a gray sweater, white t-shirt, solid-colored jeans and his familiar Palladiums - simple, neat, and true "real man" style.

Timothée Chalamet and Brad Pitt's contrasting fashion sense - Photo: AFP

But now, Brad Pitt's wardrobe is undergoing a dramatic revolution that has surprised many audiences. At the age of 61, he has switched to wearing bright outfits that are far different from his familiar image before. The reason is actually quite clear: Brad Pitt has just collaborated with a new stylist - Taylor McNeill.

Notably, this is also the person behind Timothée Chalamet's series of famous styles from 2021 to now. The times the actor promoted the movies Dune (2021) or A Complete Unknown (2024) both caused a stir on social networks.

Stylist Taylor McNeill is no stranger to the fashion world. She has worked for top magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair, and is known for her ability to "turn celebrities into social media sensations" through her unconventional outfits.

According to analytics platform Launchmetrics, the Celine jeans worn by Kendrick Lamar brought in $2.3 million in media value - Photo: AFP

A prime example of McNeill's "trend-setting" skills was his collaboration with Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl in February. The Celine flared jeans Lamar wore – priced at £830 – quickly sold out after appearing on stage.

Midlife style crisis?

It seems that Brad Pitt is following the "image refresher" that Daniel Craig and Timothée Chalamet previously applied: elevating style with eccentricity and boldness.

Esquire magazine gave this style a rather interesting name: “Daniel Craig Syndrome.”

“Some would call this a midlife crisis, but it’s not really one. When they were young, both Brad Pitt and Daniel Craig were famous for their looks, but rarely praised for their taste.

They're still very attractive now, but their youth is gone. And one of the ways to continue to attract attention is through clothing," said fashion director Johnny Davies.

In the summer issue of GQ magazine, Brad Pitt wore a Louis Vuitton suede jumpsuit, combined with Saint Laurent leather boots worth more than 3,000 pounds, creating a dusty, rugged look. However, this was just a promotional image for the blockbuster F1, not necessarily the actor's everyday style - Photo: GQ

At recent movie promotions, Brad Pitt has chosen a more unpredictable style: sometimes a blue velvet shirt with jeans, other times a burgundy sweater with bright orange tango pants.

Does this new style really suit Brad Pitt? A British male fashion stylist said: “Brad Pitt has a very classic appearance, he suits popular fashion like leather jackets and medium blue jeans.

The fact that he suddenly abandoned his familiar image to dress like Timothée Chalamet - who is almost half his age - looked a bit... forced and a bit too much. It made people feel like he was playing a role, not being himself."

Brad Pitt's fashion sense at F1 movie promotions - Photo: Vogue

But according to fashion director Johnny Davies, Brad Pitt is just adapting to the times. “The most stylish men are no longer opting for the traditional suit.

They own the red carpet with their daring outfits. Menswear has moved on. Most importantly, both Daniel Craig and Brad Pitt look like they are enjoying what they wear. Maybe it's because they've reached an age where they don't care what others think.

It could also be because they still want to get attention on Instagram, especially when promoting a $300 million movie like F1 ".

SHANGHAI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/brad-pitt-noi-loan-o-tuoi-61-lot-xac-thoi-trang-hay-khung-hoang-phong-cach-tuoi-trung-nien-20250704171852447.htm