Father figure fashion: how Oscar Isaac took summer back from Pedro Pascal
They called it the “summer of Pedro,” when the Chilean actor hit the ground running earlier this season, promoting three films in earnest: Eddington, Materialists, and Fantastic Four: First Steps.
For these appearances, Pascal appeared on red carpets in slightly more pared-down looks curated by Jamie Mizrahi, featuring Tom Ford, Celine, Bottega Veneta, and more; a shift from his previous series of best-dressed moments with Julie Ragolia–the stylist responsible for sending the internet into a frenzy with his red “slutty knee” Valentino ensemble at last year’s Met Gala, and the thigh-high Saint Laurent boots at the premiere of The Last of Us season 2.
It seemed like Pascal had the summer cinched–until the Venice Film Festival rolled around late last month.
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His “space sister” and long-time friend since their 2005 off-Broadway collaboration The Beauty of the Father, Oscar Isaac–who had been quietly absent from the social media spotlight–reappeared to promote three projects: Frankenstein, In the Hand of Dante, and King Hamlet, an intimate documentary directed by his Danish filmmaker wife, Elvira Lind, recounting his 2017 off-Broadway showcase wedged between a time of great personal joy and loss.
As one of the few actors who is notorious for his privacy, fans had only heard whispers of him in official announcements of upcoming projects and caught glimpses of him at scattered convention appearances–making the 82nd Venice Film Festival nothing short of a feast.
Slate grey blazer and matching pleated skirt by Thom Browne (Photo: Instagram / @thombrowne)
Oscar Isaac with wife Elvira Lind in Thom Browne at the Met Gala 2022 (Photo: Getty Images)
Isaac had switched gears as well in terms of styling; instead of working with longtime collaborator Michael Fisher, who was responsible for the head-turning Thom Browne slate grey blazer and matching pleated skirt at the Moon Knight premiere in 2022, and later a custom trompe l’oeil suit designed to look like a dress at the 2022 Met Gala.
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When stepping out for the Venice Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Isaac partnered with Matthew Henson–best known for shaping A$AP Rocky’s fearless style.
As trusted groomer Tim Nolan kept the Guatemalan actor’s salt-and-pepper beard and whiskered mullet in impeccable form, the calling card gave Isaac end-of-summer looks weight and sophistication, allowing him to experiment boldly with Henson’s curated colours, fabrics, and silhouettes.
Denim by definition
The Celine Homme tricotine wool blazer instantly sharpened the ensemble (Photo: Getty Images)
Leaning into off-duty casual with a Taiga Takahashi denim (Photo: Instagram / @oscarisaachourly)
Isaac arrived at the Venice Film Festival with a Parisian smart casual edge. The Celine Homme blazer instantly sharpened the ensemble, with the tricotine wool make adhering to the sweltering Italian weather–tightly woven yet lightweight, giving the soft-shouldered jacket structure without being stifling in summer.
Paired with a crisp white tee and vintage-wash straight-leg jeans that grounded the look in effortless cool, the black leather loafers struck the perfect middle ground–more polished than sneakers, less formal than oxfords.
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Meanwhile, at Telluride, Isaac leaned into grounded, off-duty casual with a Taiga Takahashi denim jacket–a light layering piece for Colorado’s mountainous evenings, draped over a limited edition The OLD Baby Gulf of Mexico short-sleeve T-shirt–a pared-down expression of solidarity with Mexican communities.
Setting the tone
Relaxed European tailoring with a sleek Lemaire shirt (Photo: Getty Images)
Monochrome colour blocking elongated the silhouette (Photo: Getty Images)
For daytime press with his Frankenstein counterparts–juxtaposing Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth’s all-white Bottega Veneta and Thierry Mugler fits–Isaac demonstrated relaxed European tailoring with a sleek Lemaire Western-style shirt with rolled-up sleeves, achieving ease without sloppiness with pleated trousers and Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses.
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For the In the Hand of Dante photocall, he returned peachy keen–doubling down on tonal dressing with a matching blush-pink shirt-and-trouser set layered over a black tank top, and grounded with black loafers, ensuring polish amid the pastel.
The monochrome colour blocking avoided the busy look that can come from layering, focusing instead on elongating the silhouette–streamlined styling that makes even breezy separates look intentional in late-summer Venice.
Breathing room
Playful polka dots at the Venice Film Festival ‘Frankenstein’ premiere (Photo: Getty Images)
A black three-piece suit, tempered with a splash of brightness (Photo: Getty Images)
Summer suiting is all about drape–the choice of light fabrics and cuts that keep formal looks airy without sacrificing shape.
On the Frankenstein red carpet at the Venice Film Festival, Isaac opted for white–while the easiest red carpet pivot for summer, Henson coordinated the suiting with a flared twist.
A white Celine tuxedo jacket with black lapels and buttons reduced the rigidity over a classic black tie, injecting playfulness with an open-collared polka dot shirt while still respecting a movie premiere’s formality with a hint of shine from a Tank Must de Cartier timepiece.
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Meanwhile, at the TIFF Tribute Awards–when Frankenstein director Guillermo del Toro received the Ebert Director Award–Isaac shifted into a black three-piece suit, tempered with a splash of brightness from the open-collared blue shirt that softened the severity of an otherwise all-black ensemble.
Final form
Classic Italian tailoring by Prada with elegant minimalism (Photo: Getty Images)
Monochrome confidence in Louis Vuitton’s brick-red suit (Photo: Getty Images)
During the Frankenstein premiere at TIFF, Isaac turned to Prada for a double-breasted suit that married classic Italian tailoring with elegant minimalism–proving that even the most formal silhouettes with old-school gravitas typically reserved for the winter months can work sartorially in summer.
Finally, for the In the Hand of Dante premiere at the Venice Film Festival, the actor revisited monochrome confidence in a brick-red single-breasted Louis Vuitton suit that proved as theatrical as Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award recipient Julian Schnabel’s drama film.
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While unusual for a summer premiere, the warm terracotta tones again avoided the harshness of black while still reading as formal and bold, simultaneously complementing Venice’s ornate backdrop.
With merely a peek of patterned scarf for texture–allowing the richness of colour to shine–Isaac showed restraint and maturity in the composed, understated styling; one could say, much like the man himself.
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