The 2 best-dressed men at the Oscars had one vital thing in common
Unless you're at the star-studded extravaganza that is the Oscars - then, once you've nailed the basics, it's time to stand out in a major way.
Two Oscar-nominated men - Eddie Redmayne and Mark Ruffalo - did just that on the red carpet Sunday night, each in their own special way.
Let's take a closer look at the winners (in our book).
Eddie Redmayne
Redmayne, who was up for best actor for his role in "The Danish Girl", took a risk with his velvet Alexander McQueen tuxedo jacket. And we daresay it paid off.
The velvet contrasts magnificently with the satin lapels, providing just enough material contrast to keep the outfit interesting. Redmayne played it judiciously. Black was a fantastic choice for the material, as when you're going off-script, there's no need to follow it up with an outlandish color like red or green. The black fit in very well and didn't look out of place.
The jacket also fit him wonderfully, and there were no tailoring mistakes to be seen. He paired it with velvet loafers, which we ordinarily wouldn't be huge fans of, but with this outfit it really brings home the velvet look.
Bravo, Eddie.
Mark Ruffalo
Ruffalo, who was up for an Oscar for his supporting role in "Spotlight", also took a risk with his formal getup. Instead of a bold material, however, Ruffalo decided to mix it up with color.
We already know that navy tuxedos are in these days. But in no world could you consider Ruffalo's jacket navy. It's more royal blue than anything.
The theory behind the navy tuxedo is that, since it's close enough to black, both are acceptable in formal wear. Ruffalo flaunts that guideline and goes bright blue.
And it works precisely because he didn't overdo it. If he had paired it with a similar color pant, like Michael Strahan did to ill effect, he would have looked more clown than Oscar-nominated actor.
The patent black leather shoes round out an excellent Oscars ensemble.