fashion review by Chance Goode
all images courtesy of Getty Images and Saint Laurent
Seeing leather pants, bootlicking, and pup masks at the Cannes Film Festival was not on my 2025 bingo card, especially after they rolled out their prudish new dress code prohibiting nudity and voluminous trains. Alexander Skarsgård shook up the red carpet over the weekend with his wardrobe while promoting his latest film, Pillion. In this upcoming film, Skarsgård will be playing a queer biker who is in a sadomasochistic relationship with his costar, Harry Melling.
During the Pillion premiere, Skarsgård was seen in a tight white shirt depicting a Tom of Finland-style cartoon of a man licking a boot, leather pants, and Loewe motorcycle boots. When the movie was over, he was seen wagging his butt in his leather pants and taking photos with men in pup masks. He looked hot; there is no question about that. Whenever I see someone on the red carpet dressed in something I would wear, my eyes light up, but this got me thinking. Is Alexander Skarsgård queerbaiting? When does method dressing become appropriation?
Later that evening, Skarsgård wore a tuxedo with thigh-high leather boots by Saint Laurent. The look is from their Fall 2025 menswear collection, in which Saint Laurent’s creative director, Anthony Vaccarello, was inspired by Robert Mapplethorpe. I understand why Skarsgård would want to reference Mapplethorpe, as he was known for his transgressive photographs of the gay BDSM scene in the 1980s, but would it receive the same attention if it was worn by a queer man? It is something that should be considered.
There are several complex factors at hand here. Skarsgård could be queer; he has gone on record talking about making out with men and even dressed in drag, but it does feel like a publicity stunt when these conversations are had while promoting his films. It should be noted that his looks are curated by his stylist Harry Lambert, who is part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Lambert is known for working with white, straight-presenting actors, like Harry Styles, who has also been called out for his queerbaiting ensembles. It’s natural for Lambert to pull inspiration from his community, but how does this translate when worn by others? At any rate, the styling did what it was supposed to because it now has me anticipating the film’s release.