Men

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The basic-black tux is starting to show its age at least for some Oscar attendees.

Among less traditional options being considered this year is a black leather tuxedo by Tommy Hilfiger. Dolce & Gabbana is pushing a silky black velvet tux on nominees.

Men can also have their tuxedos tailored for anywhere from one button to four on single-breasted models. If they select Versace, the buttons are in rhinestones. Designers like Prada have added a shine to many of their fabrics, instead of the dull matte look.

Then there are the shoes. J.P. Tod, known for its driving loafers, will fit Dustin Hoffman, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Jack Nicholson in a square-toed loafer in velvet and leather. If your feet hurt, Donald J Pliner has the answer rhinestone-studded sandals, $198 a pair.

Yes, that’s right: Sandals have apparently become formalwear. “It’s the part of the new-wave tuxedo look,” said a spokeswoman for Pliner. “It’s where we are heading in the new millennium.”

But more is involved here than millennium mania.

“Men are bored and they want some personal style,” said Phillip Bloch, a stylist who works for the Santa Monica-based Cloutier Agency and whose clients include John Travolta, Jim Carrey and Billy Bob Thornton.

It’s not uncommon for Bloch to present a harried client with more than two dozen Oscar outfits. At last year’s event, he suggested that Carrey wear a midnight blue morning coat traditional but hardly typical.

“It’s like Mick Jagger wearing jeweled pants or a velvet jacket with sequins, or Madonna in a cone bra,” said Don Gray, a personal shopper for many celebrities at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills. “They want to make a statement. It’s not always the best statement or in the best of taste.”

Elliot Maltz, a USC professor who follows the retail industry, said far-out styles are part of a bigger trend. “It’s OK for men today to be fashionable, even faddish, if it fits the person’s image,” he said. “There is no stigma attached to being fashionable.”

Designers, however, say the fear of looking foolish keeps men from going too far.

“You want to be different, but not too different,” said Djordje Stefanovic, fashion director for Zegna, North America. “If they want to wear a strange outfit, it will still be a tux. They won’t show up in a T-shirt and khakis.”

Frank Swertlow

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