The Hamnet star isn’t alone, either. He’s simply the newest addition to the Sheer Shirt Club—a rapidly expanding group of well-dressed famous dudes who’ve decided that fabric opacity is totally optional. Austin Butler, Brad Pitt, Cillian Murphy, and Jeremy Allen White are all members, and now, Mescal’s joined the crew.
So, why’s every famous man suddenly dressing like a sexy Victorian ghost? Partly, it’s the red carpet shift we’ve seen over the past few years—more experimentation, more texture, more risk-taking. But mostly, it feels like a collective decision to stop caring about looking “season-appropriate.” The old rules (“wear wool in winter,” “don’t freeze to death”) are being ignored in favor of fits that feel fun, a bit daring, and a little bit unserious.
It works. Not because it’s practical (absolutely not), but because it’s just the right amount of experimental. Menswear often defaults to the same navy-tuxedo-but-make-it-slightly-different template. A sheer shirt, even in the middle of a freezing week, jolts the whole thing awake.
Will you or I be wearing sheer shirts this November? Maybe. Maybe not. But it’s nice to know Paul Mescal is out there doing brave work in the dark of winter.
A version of this story originally appeared on British GQ.