14 July 2025

Is Nicholas Hoult the New Superman of Style?

The British actor, who first rose to fame at 17 in Skins, has recently emerged as one of the world’s best-dressed it-boys.

By Bryan Ferreira

Photo: Getty Images. Collage: Derin Dogruoglu

It took time for Nicholas Hoult to find his stride on the red carpet. Now 35, the actor—who made his screen debut as Tony, Effy’s older brother in the British cult series Skins—has racked up nearly two decades in film and television. From the sensitive boy in About a Boy to the romantic zombie in Warm Bodies, the blue-furred mutant Beast in X-Men, the war-obsessed Nux in Mad Max: Fury Road, and the wildly eccentric Tsar in The Great, Hoult has done it all.

Recently, he took center stage in Renfield, the latest reimagining of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, playing the vampire’s loyal servant. But it’s his promo tour for the new Superman film, currently lighting up screens worldwide, that has truly thrust him into the fashion spotlight. As Lex Luthor—Superman’s iconic nemesis—Hoult is leaning hard into his so-called “villain era,” delivering back-to-back style wins with a newly platinum-blond look and an arsenal of high-fashion fits from labels like Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent.

At the Los Angeles premiere on July 7, Hoult stole the show in a razor-sharp black blazer from Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent FW25 collection. The look was anchored by a sleek striped black tie and the now-iconic leather thigh-high boots seen on the FW25/26 runway—accessorized to perfection with David Yurman rings and a Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece. “The collection reflected Lex—tough but classic,” his stylist Jason Bolden told Vogue. “We also wanted to nod to past versions of Luthor with tailored silhouettes that feel modern.”

And it’s working. Some say Hoult is outshining even Superman himself, played by David Corenswet. At the London premiere on July 3, he opted for Italian finesse, stepping out in a grey, pinstriped Bottega Veneta suit with subtle oversized tailoring. He paired it with a bold plum tie and high-gloss leather loafers—elevated, effortless, and undeniably sharp.

The next day, he went off-duty in a more casual but equally stylish look: a sleek leather jacket from Burberry FW25 collection. This refined fashion renaissance is thanks in part to Jason Bolden—stylist to modern icons like Michael B. Jordan, Aaron Pierre, and basketball phenom Stephen Curry. It was Bolden who orchestrated Hoult’s NYC style marathon—a series of standout street-style moments ahead of the global red carpets.

In the heart of Manhattan on June 30, Hoult turned heads not once but three times in a single day. First up: a rich brown Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann suit, layered over a relaxed beige cotton tee and open jacket. Then came a breezy brown short-sleeved button-up worn over a white tank—easy, summer cool. And finally, a white ribbed tank with his biceps on display, a grey sweater nonchalantly knotted across the chest, and the pièce de résistance: oversized, pristine white jeans from Celine. The common thread tying two of the three looks together? A standout accessory: Prada’s signature Buckle bag.