The requisite stoicism of the Kennedy Center Honors gala, during which the sitting American president awards artists, entertainers, and other creatives for their achievements, does not typically make it an especially fashion-forward event. But that quality does make for something else: a snapshot of what passes for ever-so-slightly offbeat decorum.
The honorees, per the official wording, are “living individuals who throughout their lifetimes have made significant contributions to American culture through the performing arts,” so it would make sense that these grown-up art kids would probably want to freak their formalwear a little bit. This is especially true if you are, as is the case for half of this year’s eight honorees, a member of the Irish rock band U2—who, alongside musicians Amy Grant and Gladys Knight, composer Tania León, and actor George Clooney, accepted their rainbow-ribboned awards at the White House this past weekend. The group posed for their official portrait last week ahead of the Sunday ceremony, and both opportunities have provided ample material to tabulate the five menswear looks—aka the four members of U2 plus Clooney—in the context of today’s increasingly strange menswear landscape.
Here goes:
Clooney, who always looks nice in a bowtie, opted for a classic-if-conventional three-piece tux for the ceremony. This is fine, but seriously pales in comparison to the pantheon of Clooney menswear covering the custom Moschino gown that his friend Julia Roberts wore that evening. The potential is there! Bring back the custom Yayoi Kusama Armani tux.
As the bassist of U2, Clayton has had ample opportunity to get some big fits off both on- and offstage, of which he seems to have mostly seized. He, like Clooney, played it pretty safe during the official portrait with a bowtie and tux, which he swapped out for a floral printed jacket and cummerbund for the party. A little something!
Admittedly, the Kennedy Center Honors (or any other lifetime achievement ceremony) is probably not the ideal setting for a big fashion switch-up—especially when you are as devoted to uniform dressing as Bono. Tinted sunglasses and tiny hoop earrings are his thing. The round rose-colored glasses are a nice touch, but can you imagine if he’d whipped out some sick Matsuda lenses or weird Gentle Monster frames for the occasion?
Drummers tend to be the coolest-looking members of any given band, and Mullen delivered on this front. Major ups to his thin-ribboned Western bow tie—a romantic and sort of poetic accessory that, if I had my druthers, really ought to have a big red carpet comeback next year, in a Daniel Day-Lewis at the 1994 Golden Globes type of way. Makes for a perfect “grown-up art kid” look.
But then we have The Edge, who positively freaked this White House formal dress code. A bolo tie, baubled lapels, his signature skull cap, monk-strap shoes… This is the kind of outfit you can accept a lifetime achievement award in and still keep the twinkle in your eye.