Ke Huy Quan’s Stylist Talks About His “Classic, Timeless” Oscars Look (Exclusive)

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Few awards season runs have matched Ke Huy Quan’s winning streak this year, with the actor capturing trophies at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild and Independent Spirit Awards for his supporting role in 2022’s Everything Everywhere All at Once. Little did the actor and his stylist, Chloe Takayanagi, know that it would all culminate at the 2023 Oscars when they first worked together when the film’s press tour kicked off.

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“Ke’s first appearance for the film was at SXSW [in 2022], and nobody knew anything about the movie at the time,” Takayanagi recalls. “So yes, it was a little difficult to get clothes for those early premieres, though I remember Thom Browne and Giorgio Armani generously loaning from the start.”

What a difference a year makes. As the film has gained traction and buzz, Takayanagi says other designers and brands were happy to jump in with pieces. “The movie had such great word of mouth, and we just watched the buzz grow, though the awards season was something we weren’t even thinking about at the time,” she says. “Now to be able to watch Ke have this experience, hear his speeches, it’s been so touching. It’s been incredible to watch him go on this journey, and he really deserves it. He is a very sweet, very optimistic person; the energy you see onstage is who he is every day.”

For his Oscar night look, Takayanagi returned to one of those designers who committed to the actor from the start. Quan is wearing a black single-breasted tuxedo by Giorgio Armani, featuring a black grosgrain shawl-collar lapel, with a white tuxedo shirt and classic black bowtie, finished with black patent-leather shoes, also by Armani.

“We wanted to go very classic and timeless for this night,” Takayanagi explains. “It’s his first Oscars, so we wanted his look to feel really elegant and traditional. Perhaps if he attends another Oscar night in the future, we can have a bit more fun with it. But for this one, ultra-classic was the definite choice, and I know Ke agrees: The suit arrived on Monday, and when he tried it on for the first time [on Wednesday], he said, ‘It’s the most beautiful tux I’ve ever worn.”

Quan indeed has been exuding a bit of fun via his fashion choices at previous events, including the March 4 Independent Spirit Awards, where the actor wore a plaid Thom Browne suit, paired with a detail that’s become his signature at awards shows: a lapel brooch. At that event, Quan wore a custom design by Montreal-based Vargas Goteo, an “Everything Bagel” pin that was an homage to a plot point in the film.

Arriving on the champagne-hued carpet at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, Quan paired his tuxedo with a vintage brooch by Fred Leighton, an Art Nouveau design crafted of platinum, diamonds and velvet to form a small, elegant pansy flower. “From the moment I started looking at Fred Leighton’s vintage pieces, this was the one that really stood out,” Takayanagi says. “It really was love at first sight, and looks perfect on Ke’s tuxedo.”

Quan’s look is finished with accessories likewise exuding a traditional vibe: David Yurman’s Streamline Cushion Cufflinks in sterling silver, which have been engraved with the actor’s initials, as well as an Omega Globemaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer, featuring a silvered dial in a 39mm steel case on a black leather strap. He’s also wearing Oliver People’s Sheldrake eyeglasses.

Takayanagi adds that Quan’s wife, Echo, also is set to wear Armani at the Oscars, a black velvet pantsuit style embellished with crystals, also accessorized with Fred Leighton jewels. Meanwhile, the stylist is also working with Judd Hirsch, who like Quan is nominated for best supporting actor for his role in The Fabelmans. And while she is too smart to play favorites, it’s clear that Quan’s experience with Everything Everywhere All at Once has left an impression.

“When I started working with him last year, early on he said, ‘I want a black suit,’ because he was nervous and it was his first premiere in a while,” Takayanagi says. “As I’ve continued to work with him, he’s become more open to ideas and has trusted me more to put him in things I know are going to look good and play a little more with colors and fabrics. It’s been fun to see him grow with that.”

Adds the stylist, “And I can tell you Ke is also pretty shocked by the whole experience — sometimes he’ll look at me and say, ‘Can you believe where we’re at?'”

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