Our team is dedicated to finding and telling you more about the web’s best products. If you purchase through our links, we may receive a commission. Our editorial team is independent and only endorses products we believe in.
We like
We don't like
It’s not every year that summer blockbusters span dinosaurs to zombies, Tom Cruise to Jonathan Bailey, Pedro Pascal to Pedro Pascal; 2025 is so beautiful. You would think the best fashion moments from press and premieres for Mission: Impossible, Materialists, or Jurassic World: Rebirth would come from Pom Klementieff, Dakota Johnson, and Scarlett Johnson, who have indeed been kicking off the summer in stunning transparent latex and Gucci bralettes. But the real fashion stars of these sweaty, slick, and sexy crowd pleasers are the men, bringing flip flops and dad hats to red carpets and stained white t-shirts to glossy photo spreads. As temperatures rise—regardless of gender—there seems no better place to look for outfit inspo than the whimsical ruggedness of our newest superheroes.
Not since 2022’s summer of Elvis have we seen so much movie making and marketing completely reliant on the premise: “what if there were a hot guy?” In the Superman trailer, our new hunk taunts, “Hey buddy. Eyes up here.” Posters for F1 are all helmed by Brad Pitt’s physique or striking blue eyes, in the second trailer thrown against a wall in an act of heterosexual passion. Reflecting on blockbusters just past and looking forward to spectacles to come, I’ve identified some key trends in these seemingly all-American celebrations of masculinity that are sexier and more challenging to fashion norms than you’d expect.
Break the Rules
As superheroic spy Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise has long broken the rules of hunky fashion. The newest Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is no different, as Cruise saves the world from nuclear implosion while wearing womanly boat neck t-shirts and slouchy crewneck sweatshirts. In the forthcoming Jurassic World: Rebirth, Jonathan Bailey looks to be a bit more prepared for danger in hiking boots and utility vests, but promoting the film has stuck to dad hats on the red carpet and fit flops for glitzy photocalls. The unexpectedness continues with David Corenswet’s Clark Kent, pairing solid-bridge aviators with a floppily Zoomer haircut, and even Damson Idris’s promotion of F1 with his racing-themed ensemble at this year’s Met Gala.
What all these outfits have in common is that, for superstar hunks, they’re borderline insane. What can we learn? Expose your skin, dress inappropriately, blend references, gender bend: as long as you’re hot, it doesn’t matter.
We like
We don't like
Un-groom Your Grooming
In the first major piece of press for F1, Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, and Lewis Hamilton dressed down in stained denim and untrimmed beards, posing in the wild with dewy faces. While this harnesses the rugged sportiness of the film’s stars, it also recalls a larger trend in this year’s summer flicks: think Aaron Taylor Johnson’s perfectly greasy hair flopping around while he fights zombies, or Chris Evan’s shadowy face and white undershirts while pursuing the impossibly coiffed Dakota Johnson in Materialists. Taking cues from these icons requires more than just skipping a shower, of course, necessitating fragrant waxes and just-the-right hats. But it still conveys effortlessness, beauty in athleticism and getting the job (fighting the bad guys) done.
We like
We don't like
Taste the Rainbow
When two of the summer’s biggest stars—Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise—joined forces at the F1 premiere, the first thing I noticed were their respectively jewel-toned and stony grey suits. Around the same time, Superman himself arrived in Manila to begin film promotion, donned in a monotone khaki suit with a whimsically floral tie. Then there’s Pedro Pascal, dressed to the nines—in and out of his blue Fantastic Four suit—and always putting the figure of “movie star” in technicolor.
It’s Hot: Dress Like You Are, Too
As temperatures wax and wane across the country, the sex appeal of this year’s most expensive, glossiest movies only heats up. And while a slate of hokey romcoms and conventional action movies seems like an opportunity for nothing but black tuxedos and corny superhero costumes, the men at their helm are proving that the only rule of being a hunk in 2025 is that there are no rules. Wear flip flops to a wedding, bright purple short-shorts to dinner, try harder on your skincare, and a little less on your hair. According to Superman and Mister Fantastic, this summer is as much a season of grit as it is of sparkly fun.
