The proceedings at the 90th Academy Awards were a little bland, no? The dull evening was set ablaze, as soon as Frances McDormand got on stage to receive her second Oscar. However, till that moment the best speech had come from James Ivory, who left many misty-eyed by thanking his long-time partner Ismail Merchant. Ivory was collecting the award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Call Me By Your Name. And one thing that stood out more than the 89-year-old’s refined acceptance speech, was the shirt he was wearing.
It wasn’t just your average white shirt under the black tuxedo, but it had the face of Elio drawn on it. For the uninitiated, Elio is the character played by actor Timothee Chalamet in the film. The portrait is reminiscent of the film’s powerful last scene which sees Elio stare into distance, as Sufjan Steven’s Visions of Gideon plays in the background.
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And when Ivory walked up on stage to collect the award, the shirt stood out and understandably everyone wanted to find out where they could get their own Elio shirt from.
This report from Esquire uncovered the man behind the beautifully-drawn shirt, that Ivory wore for the Oscar night. Artist Andrew Mania painted the face of the film’s lead character on a white shirt, which he confirmed on his Intagram page. And even though he didn’t disclose the price, he did say that the shirts were for sale and could be commissioned by reaching out to him.
Call Me By Your Name is one of the most loved films from 2017, and Chalamet’s worldwide fame after his role as Elio should mean that Mania will soon be flooded with requests. It’s still unclear whether all of us will be able to afford it though, but it’s good to see the oldest Oscar-winner of all time dictating fashion trends and owning the red carpet.
