London shut down for the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise and John Boyega killed it on the Red Carpet. Everyone else might have been waiting with baited breath to see what was in store in The Last Jedi but for us BellaStylistas it was all about the red-carpet glam and our current favourite Anglo-Nigerian chap more than brought it in a Navy Burberry Smoking Jacket.
Everyone else might have been a tad bore-snore with their usual Dinner Jacket/Tuxedo attire but John gave us a few old-school vibes with a new school flavour in wearing a smoking jacket. The clue is in the name; a gentleman would repair to his study after drinks and dinner and smoke cigars with his friends whilst the ladies gossiped over sherry. A smoking jacket equates to being literally at home, chilled but still elegant and smart, ready to attend to guests but still essentially in control. Perhaps, this can be seen as a deeper discourse, one which sees Boyega who since his debut in Attack The Block has not only developed into a bankable global superstar but someone who by definition is at home on the red carpet. Extra props for the velvet betassled slippers which would have made the original gentleman dandy, Beau Brummell give John a high-five.
One also has to give mad-props to Boyega for not forgetting his Naija roots, which were evoked in how he made last night’s red-carpet a full-on family affair. This was not a case of me alone, but the ‘and co’ including his mother, siblings, and nephews who were all there to share in his success. It was particularly poignant, as before there were the screaming fans and the fashion pundits, they were his constants: cheering him on to follow his dream. So it was only right and proper and quintessentially African that they should be there to share in his success.
A final word on his grooming, that is sure to be copied by brothers from Lagos to London, New York and beyond: the Afro high top is back, back, back!. Not only that the moustache is a suggestion rather than fully grown in and beards are completely over – all the better to show off a chiseled jawline. Did we mention the brows gentlemen? It no longer suffices to brush and hope for the best. Slightly shape so that eyes are properly framed – but tapered at the end is definitely not required.
Boyega was definitely the Beau of the Ball, but he has also shown that owning the red carpet is best done when you mix it up. A winning combination of the best in class of British fashion design, the swag that only comes from hailing from South of the River and of course bringing your ‘personal people’ to cheer you every step of the way. We heart you and put it out there to gentlemen everywhere to consider the Smoking Jacket as the new cool addition to your formal attire arsenal.
[…] John Boyega is having his fashion moment. At every sighting, since the beginning of the press tour for his new film Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker – in which he plays a Stormtrooper, the Nigerian-British actor has been elevating his style status with each look. Be it attending interviews with the biggest names in the industry, to gracing covers of high-end publications, the fast-rising act makes it his duty to only step out snatched. And with his new cornrows hairstyle, he sure is making a statement. […]