Evening Star

By Caroline Tell

MARLENE DIETRICH canonized the masculine look for women when she appeared in Morocco in 1930 and sang Give Me the Man. These days, it's Giorgio Armani's job to keep the tuxedo--now a black-tie staple for both men and women, thanks to the Italian tastemaker--au courant. Guys like Cuba Gooding Jr., Ben Affleck and Sean Penn are obvious fans. But it took the more outlaw style of Russell Crowe to update this classic menswear look with a ribbon tie and longer tails in 2001. Jodie Foster wore a crystal beaded version to the Oscars in 1991, and Woody Harrelson ordered a hemp tux for his 1997 Golden Globe appearance. Taking a cue from Dietrich, Julia Roberts famously chose Armani's black-satin lapels in 1991. Glamour girls like Kate Hudson and Angelina Jolie have donned white versions on the red carpet. And ueber-trendsetter Kate Moss showed up at a gala in a classic tux jacket over sleek satin leggings. These days Armani is so closely associated with the tuxedo that he names each iteration of it after the boldface name who wears it: Travolta, Depp, Beckham. He even provided tuxedos for the Jackie Chan movie The Tuxedo, a comedy about a tux containing magic powers.