When he stepped onto the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival this week, Dwayne Johnson looked like a new man. For the global premiere of his Benny Safdie-directed MMA biopic The Smashing Machine—which kicked off what may well become the 53-year-old actor’s first Oscars run—The Rock cooked up something special: his first-ever custom Prada suit. The sleek, modern ensemble boasted a double-breasted jacket and flowy trousers in a cool gray, layered over a taupe shirt with a simple white pocket square.
“It’s his first time wearing Prada. I wanted it to be really like, ‘A24 movie star Dwayne,’” Ilaria Urbinati, Johnson’s longtime stylist, told me by phone on Tuesday. “He’s got a big career pivot happening. I want to make sure the clothes reflect this new era that he’s in.”
A new era, indeed. For years, Johnson has dressed in flashy hues and taut silhouettes that showcase his WWE-honed body—a physique that initially made him an anomaly in Hollywood, before he became one of the industry’s biggest money-makers. Now, he is sporting minimal designer duds and a leaner look.
“He’s leaner right now, but I mean, he’s still really big,” Urbinati said. “Everything still needs to be custom, but of course, when someone is leaner, it’s always easier for fashion. He’s still got tricky proportions that you need to work with. He’s not ever going to be an off-the-rack kind of guy, because he’s still going to be the guy with huge shoulders, tiny waist, and that is not what you usually pull off a hanger in the store.”
The custom Prada suit also featured a slouchier, more modern cut than we’ve seen on Johnson in the past. This, too, was intentional. “We’ve just done the fitted look a lot. Like we all know, he’s muscular, and I think it’s fun now to play,” she said. “At some point you’re like, ‘Okay, this doesn’t look timeless anymore. This actually looks like a time stamp and we got to move on.’”
