Paul Mescal Deirdre Reynolds: “Even Paul Mescal can’t convince me that white socks look good on a man”
Not to mention the mescalization of mullets and signet rings on the red carpet.
New pictures of the Maynooth actor making waves for the Italian label have sent the internet into a frenzy this week.
But I fear it’s one step forward for the 27-year-old – and two steps backwards for Irish men’s fashion.
Just when we’ve managed to convince husbands, fathers and brothers everywhere that GAA shorts are only seen on the football pitch or chain necklaces to Mr Kerry’s misguided chutzpah believes they might as well.
Dubbed “Argos chic” in Sally Rooney’s Normal People, Connell Waldron’s signature silver necklace – as worn by the actor in the lockdown TV sensation of the same name – sparked a flood of copycat jewelery on the high street, a hashtag and even a Instagram account thirsty for @connellschain, and the big-hearted star later auctioned off the original for mental health charity Pieta House.
Paul Mescal in the new Gucci ad
When he walked around London in 2020 in white thigh-length O’Neills shorts and was drooled over by GQ for showing off “his beefy pins,” there was a similar trickle-down effect, including a 550 euro lookalike from Gucci.
Not to mention the mescalization of mullets and signet rings on the red carpet.
Still, I have to take issue with the fashion house and its newest ambassador who are now trying to make the ultimate Irish Dad look a real head-turner this season.
A slippery descent towards the dreaded socks and sandals combo, the brown or black leather Horsebit 1953 loafer modeled by Mescal in the campaign will set you back a whopping €750, and that’s before you throw in a pair of the sporty white foot warmers that start at €150 on the brand’s official website.
So don’t you know that there are already hordes of twenty-somethings scouring Penneys in search of greedy scammers?
Really, I should just be grateful that he’s wearing socks at all, since the sockless look is still very common among millennial men here; or that the thigh-high black leather boots he wore Interview magazine last year it failed to gain traction in pubs across the country.
Drudgery aside, it’s great that young Irish people are finally experimenting with fashion beyond Ben Sherman check shirts and stonewashed Levi’s.
However, ahead of his starring role in the upcoming Gladiator sequel, let’s hope trendsetter Paul doesn’t do for loincloths what he did for everything else.
