Golden Globes 2012: Men of note include Downey, Gervais, Burrell

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Although most of the men attending Sunday night’s Golden Globes played it safe, the evening did serve up a handful of sartorial standouts -- both good and bad.

As host, it was Ricky Gervais who got the most screen time, and my first impression, based on TV coverage of him on the pre-show red carpet, was that his dirt-brown tuxedo with contrasting black satin peak lapels would be as polarizing as anything he’d say onstage. But once Gervais was holding court under the bright lights of the Beverly Hilton ballroom, the suit took on a more palatable shade that fell closer to maroon, though the folks at Ted Baker London, who made it for him, described the bespoke three-piece tuxedo as red.

What I really appreciated was the vest, which took center stage later in the evening when Gervais shed his dinner jacket. Done in the same shade of red, the vest also had black satin peak lapels, which, combined with his black dress shirt, helped maintain an air of formality.

Johnny Depp, the first presenter out of the gate, was also rocking a colorful vest -- a hint of bottle green could be seen peeking out from under his jacket. What was most eye-catching about Depp’s ensemble was the jacket lapel, which appeared to be a shawl collar on the right and a notch lapel on his left.

Award presenter Robert Downey Jr. continued his wardrobe winning streak, turning out in a black custom Gucci tuxedo jacket with tails, white pique cotton vest and white silk tie. The formality of the tailcoat (and being Robert Downey Jr.) helped balance the white-tie look, which didn’t fare as well on some of the other guys, including Albert Brooks and ‘Modern Family’ actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson whose black velvet, three-piece Z Zegna peak lapel tuxedo was paired with a white tux shirt and finished off with an ivory-colored bow tie.

But it was Ferguson’s costar, the dashing Ty Burrell, who managed to pull off one of the most difficult feats in men’s fashion -- wearing an all-white dinner jacket without looking like a banquet waiter.

[*Updated 1/17/2012 11:22 a.m.: Burrell was dressed in head-to-toe Brooks Brothers according to an e-mail from that label’s representatives, who told me he was wearing a white Fitzgerald dinner jacket, Brooks Brothers 1818 tuxedo trousers and formal, patent-leather lace-up shoes.]

RELATED:

Golden Globes 2012: Fashion risk-taking pays off on red carpet

Golden Globes 2012: Red dresses done wrong ... and right

Golden Globes 2012: Evan Rachel Wood’s simple and soft makeup

-- Adam Tschorn