Despite his New York upbringing, Timothée Chalamet is famously French. His father: French. His tiny little ‘tache: French. The second language that he speaks with varying degrees of accuracy: French. So who could’ve known that, this whole time, the 29-year-old actor was secretly pining to be a Brit. That much was clear last night at the London premiere of Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, when silly little Timmy arrived at the BFI Southbank on the back of a Lime bike.
At the premiere, the actor’s UK assimilation included parking his Lime exactly where he stopped (the red carpet), struggling with the flip-out bike stand, then finally taking that annoying picture to successfully end the ride. While you might be thinking ‘but Dazed Fashion, don’t they have Lime bikes in other cities?’ you would be correct – but his cosplay didn’t end there. Because, racing through London on the back of an e-bike, what other brand could Timmy be wearing but Martine Rose?
The British-Jamaican designer is practically the official outfitter for young, fashion-forward Londoners, and quickly confirmed on her Instagram story that the look was custom Martine. Consisting of a double-breasted jacket with Rose’s signature oversized sleeves, slim-leg trousers and a swirly, oil-spill shirt, the actor then completed his wide-leg stance on the carpet after clambering down from the mud-splattered Lime. In a fitting homage to the city, both Lime bikes and Martine Rose are adored by young Londoners, and the duo of hyper-local references wouldn’t have gone amiss for those looking on.
That snot-green mode of transport spotted on the carpet has been having a bit of a cultural moment of late, recently referenced by Caroline Polachek on Charli xcx’s “Everything is romantic featuring caroline polachek”. Not only did Polachek – a London-dwelling US transplant – describe how a “Girl throws up from the back of a Lime”, but she also promoted the song with a IG grid shot of her riding one of them through the city. And if you’ve been to one of those overstuffed pubs for “creatives” in the last couple of years – Skehans in Nunhead, Spurstowe in Hackney, etc, etc, etc – you’ll see a million of them dumped outside. It’s that specific reference – trendy pubs, drunk Lime rides and the Caroline Polachek of it all – that Timmy is channelling here, and someone on his team is clearly very London literate in whacking him in a brand that’s become synonymous with that kind of cool.
So, just when we thought the actor was sticking with the Dylan fancy dress, last night presented us another whiplash 180. In a world overrun with “method dressing” wardrobes and stale archival referencing, Timothée has managed to do something quite novel with this press run, which is to make red carpet dressing look genuinely funny. From the ridiculous Bob Dylan blond hair cosplay, Soulja Boy sunglasses and Beyblade, to the insane interviews and now this moment, Timmy’s press tour has centred on fashion and culture references no one else is reaching for, and their unseriousness is key to the actor’s dominance. Stars and stylists, take note.
Scroll through the gallery above to see all of Timothée’s press tour looks.