Written by Leah Dolan, CNN
Most of us are dealing with record temperatures across Europe and parts of the US this week. Even though the heat of concern is drawing the blinds, turning up the fan, and wanting to sleep as much as possible, there are jobs to be done and paychecks to be made, and that’s the reality of Brad Pitt.
On Tuesday, the star was in Berlin for a movie preview of his new action flick, “Bullet Train,” when the city saw high rises in the mid-’90s. Pitt wore a brown dress, matching jacket and salmon button-down shirt in a head-to-toe linen look by slow fashion designer Hans Nicolas Mott, half-open at attention.
Fans and critics took to the Internet to weigh in on Pitt’s knee-jerk line, but the jury was out on whether the outfit was “perfectly executed” or “with a warning,” as some Twitter users put it. The dress earned Pitt a popular trending hashtag on Twitter.
The all-linen look has raised some eyebrows online. Credit: Tristar Media/WireImage/WireImage
But those shocked by Pitt’s dress are probably too young to remember that this isn’t the first time. In the year In 1999, to promote “Fight Club” — essentially a film that examines the perils of traditional masculinity and the obsession with achieving alpha status — Pitt covered Rolling Stone magazine in not one, but five miniskirts. Shot by famed photographer Mark Selinger, Pitt’s photo shoot became a cultural touchstone that made a strong case for a gender-neutral dress code. And for any skeptics, the global sex symbol remained intact, even while sporting a skin-tight, pink sequin dress.
However, men in tuxedos continue to make headlines 25 years later, be it Harry Styles on the front of Vogue or Billy Porter’s tuxedo gown at the 2019 Oscars. The progress is slow, but the more it goes on, the less shocking it is. Many gender-defying fashion statements seem to be reserved for high-profile cultural events, but they seem to be making their way into low-key events and everyday life. And why not? Sometimes, as was the case with Pitt, perhaps a person in a dress is not at all outrageous fashion, but simply a practical decision. If you can’t stand the heat, take a linen shirt.
