Brad Pitt wears a skirt to the Bullet Train screening in Berlin on 19 July 2022. (Getty Images) (Gerald Matzka via Getty Images)
Brad Pitt's been toeing the line between casual and formal while promoting his latest film, Bullet Train. But while his tees, tracksuits and crumpled, linen suits have been a big talking point in the fashion community, it's his latest look - a loose-fitting linen skirt - that has made global headlines.
After all, despite it being 2022, the world still isn't used to seeing man - particularly a heterosexual heartthrob like Pitt - in a garment traditionally associated with females.
Paired with a matching brown jacket, a salmon pink shirt and chunky boots, the 59-year-old actor looked comfortable, cool and arguably quite progressive.
Pitt's by no means the first male superstar to challenge mainstream style conventions.
Stars in the ‘70s and ‘80s led the way in terms of embracing what might have previously been seen as “feminine” attire with the likes of glam rock legend David Bowie regularly pushing boundaries with dresses, skirts and sequins.
But it wasn’t just glam rock paving the way. Rock’n’roll stars started to cotton on to the skirt trend too. Guns’N’Roses front man Axl Rose was seen wearing a leather pleated skirt during a Freddie Mercury tribute concert in 1992, and Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain was known for pushing the boat out on stage and in photoshoots with floral dresses and knitted skirts.
Elsewhere, the Noughties have seen a new wave of rappers and hip hop stars taking on the mantle of the skirt, with Kanye West, A$AP Rocky and Kid Cudi all opting to bare their legs on stage and the red carpet.
As Brad Pitt is the latest celebrity to embrace the 'breeze-between-the-knees', these are the men and non-binary stars who have championed wearing a skirt long before him.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt wore a linen skirt on the Bullet Train red carpet at the film's premiere in Berlin. (Getty Images)
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2003. (Getty Images) (Stephane Cardinale - Corbis via Getty Images)
Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac at the 2022 Met Gala. (Getty Images) (Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Billy Porter
Billy Porter attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards in 2019. (Getty Images) (Frazer Harrison via Getty Images)
Jonathan Van Ness
Reality TV star Jonathan Van Ness wore a Maison Margiela sheer top and sequinned skirt to the 2018 Emmy Awards. (Getty Images) (Paul Archuleta via Getty Images)
Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi wore a vibrant neon skirt to match his new hair colour on the 2021 Met Gala red carpet. (Getty Images) (Theo Wargo via Getty Images)
Lil Nas X
Singer and rapper Lil Nas X wore a plaid red skirt on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2021. (Getty Images) (NBC via Getty Images)
Pete Davidson
A pre-Kim Kardashian era Pete Davidson attended the 2021 Met Gala in a Thom Browne skirt and jacket. (Getty Images) (Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Lewis Hamilton
Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton chose a monochrome blue outfit complete with checked over skirt at the F1 Turkish Grand Prix in 2021. (Getty Images) (Mark Thompson via Getty Images)
A$AP Rocky
Singer, rapper, and Rihanna's beau A$AP Rocky chose a traditional kilt-style skirt to perform at Lollapalooza Brazil in 2022. (Getty Images) (Mauricio Santana via Getty Images)
Kanye West
Musician Kanye West slipped a leather Givenchy pleated skirt over his leather trousers during the Watch The Throne tour with Jay-Z in 2011. (Getty Images) (Jason Squires via Getty Images)
Dan Levy
Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy took a leaf out of his character's book with a skirt suit for the 2020 digital Emmy Awards. (Getty Images) (ABC via Getty Images)
Marc Jacobs
Designer Marc Jacobs has been flying the flag for wearing skirts for decades, seen here at an event in 2008 in New York City. (Getty Images) (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
David Bowie
David Bowie was of course the king of genderless fashion during his time, seen here in a skirt suit on the set of Saturday Night Live in December 1979. (Getty Images) (NBC via Getty Images)
Axl Rose
Axl Rose, Guns'N'Roses front man, in a leather pleated skirt during a Freddie Mercury tribute concert in 1992. (Getty Images) (Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
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