Pose star Billy Porter made a distinctive style statement on the Oscars red carpet, opting for an eye-catching black tuxedo dress.
The actor was the first star to arrive at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, wearing a custom high-necked dress by designer Christian Siriano which featured a velvet bow tie, a sweeping skirt and ruffled white sleeves.
The 49-year-old posted a message of appreciation to the American designer on his Twitter account, thanking Siriano for creating a “masterpiece.”
“When you come to the Oscars, you must dress up,” he wrote. “Thanks @CSiriano for creating this custom couture masterpiece.”
“@OscarHeymanBros you have outdone yourselves with your iconic jewels,” he added.
Porter told Vogue US that he opted for the eye-catching style in a bid to “challenge expectations” of masculinity.
“Women show up every day in pants, but the minute a man wears a dress, the seas part,” he said. “It happened to me at the Golden Globes.”
Porter’s ensemble was a huge hit on Twitter, with fans joking that other stars should “go home” as the actor had already “won” the red carpet.
“Billy Porter just set the bar impossibly high for #Oscars fashion,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Billy Porter is the level of extra [I] aspire to be in life,” another added.
“Billy Porter won. Everyone go home. Return your gowns and tuxes. GO HOME,” a third said.
