Murray Bartlett Likes His Fashion Served With a Wink
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From the metropolitan bustle of Paris Fashion Week to the salty beaches of Cape Cod, Murray Bartlett is a global guy. Having just taken his dog for a swim in the ocean, the Australian actor seems at peace as we talk about his latest role in Loewe’s fall/winter 2023 pre-collection campaign.
Loewe is known for is its ability to turn the ordinary extraordinary, a quality in which The White Lotus star was drawn to. “The shots that they did of me for the campaign just felt playful,” he says. “Like, yeah, this is fashion, but with a bit of a wink. They’re really beautiful shots, great clothes, and it’s a wink to the creative process while being awesome fashion and awesomely creative.”
Loewe, for its part, calls the Juergen Teller-shot campaign “a signature mix of raw gaze, dry sense of humor, and sculptural approach towards body and poses.” It’s this sculptural approach to fashion that has Barlett rethinking his own day-to-day style.
“I’ve been to two Loewe shows now, and it’s mind blowing to watch the pieces of art walk down the runway. And they are pieces of art that I really want to wear—or at least aspire to wear. I have a very utilitarian relationship with clothes. I guess stylish utilitarianism is what I go for, but I want to step out of that at times, and I’m just inspired by what [L0ewe designer] Jonathan [Anderson] envisions and creates,” Bartlett says.
Here's how a humble Australian man became one of the faces of a leading luxury global brand.
The Beginning
I went to a couple of events, and I just fell in love with the group. I think the thing that struck me about that group of people—like Jonathan and those that he's gathered around him—is that I find them really unpretentious and very excited by what they're doing. It was just very lovely hanging out with them. And then I guess I fit into this campaign that they did, which was about gathering a bunch of artists and creators together. For me, it's been a lovely development of a relationship with a group of people that I really like.
The Campaign
To me, it’s visionary. Artful is the word. I was lucky to be at the runway show last weekend, and the clothing was like pieces of art, mixed in with some really wearable things. Not that the artful things aren't wearable; I would probably just need a stiff drink to wear it because I don’t think I can carry that kind of stuff. But what I love about Jonathan is that he's pushing boundaries and making waves in terms of what you can wear—the sculptural stuff that he does is just so phenomenal. And finding that connection point between art and something that you can wear is what the brand does really beautifully while pushing the boundaries of fashion. One of the things that I loved about this campaign with them is that Jonathan is one of the masters of a spontaneous, fresh look, but it feels unpretentious. Like we were encouraged in those shots to just be ourselves. It has a sense of humor, and that’s what I love about the Loewe group and Jonathan. It’s that they’re very serious about what they do and very good at it, but they also have a sense of humor and playfulness. It’s a good combination.
A Fishy Fit
It's no surprise that I wanted to wear that denim outfit to the show, because I tend to like this utilitarian feel of sturdy fabric that wears well and looks better as you wear it. Denim is definitely something that falls into that category. Although it's denim, long sleeves, and long pants, it felt summery. And the whole fish motif on it—I live by the ocean and am a Pisces, so I have a lot of fish and water in my life and in my personality so it felt like a no-brainer to me.
Vintage Looks
A lot of things that I love in my closet are vintage, to be honest. I like the fit of a lot of vintage clothes so I tend to gravitate towards those. The pieces that I want in my closet—which I’m trying to get—are the boots that I wear in the campaign. They’re these brushed suede boots that have this amazing shape. I’m not even sure if they are out yet. But I’ve got wide feet and they widen out. They’ve got this really unique, awesome shape and are incredibly comfortable. In my closet, I like to have very hard-wearing utilitarian stuff with some vintage thrown in and then some really cool stylish pieces like those boots.
On Choices
I have some really wonderful choices in my life, in a way that I haven't had before. So I'm trying to make good choices and do work that I love. I've done a couple of films in the last six months that I am really excited about. One is called Ponyboi, which is set in New Jersey. It's an awesome story about this intersex person figuring out life. And I just finished work on this other film, which is a rock opera called O’Dessa. I’m successfully finding some really great stories that are told in interesting ways with good groups of people. I will shortly start on the second season of this TV show Nine Perfect Strangers, which I'm really excited about. So yeah, there's things going on. I luckily have time in between to be home, but I’m trying to make the most of this time where there are some cool work opportunities around. We moved up here just before the pandemic. I’ve lived in New York for many, many years and just wanted to slow things down a bit and really enjoy being at home. I’m trying to get that balance between making the most of these cool opportunities that I’m lucky to have and spending time at home.
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