This weekend, you might've watched Red, White and Royal Blue, Amazon Prime's big summer blockbuster. Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine star in this saccharine romance story between a British prince and the American president's son. And though deeply unrealistic, and not the sort of backchannel diplomacy recommended by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it's successful: the internet is ablaze with heart eyes emojis, and Red, White and Royal Blue is sitting pretty at the top of Amazon's charts. And this weekend has been a big one for Zakhar Perez.
Lauded by fans and critics alike for his portrayal as the First Son of thirst, the 31-year-old is as celebrated off-screen for being something of a fashionhead.
Zakhar Perez is approaching getting dressed with the sort of star power you'd expect from a guy who's about to Make It Big (he's already amassed near to one million new Instagram followers since Red, White and Royal Blue's release). Case in point: he was photographed enjoying some downtime in New York City in not one, but two massive fits. Big, confident and, in one outfit, very royal blue too.
First up he wore a Versace cobalt denim two-piece, comprising a jacket and jeans. He wore a black vest, which he teamed with a pair of Bottega Veneta's leather ankle boots. It was workwear, but elevated. Next up he wore a more chill fit: a sweater vest and a pair of tailored joggers from French label Ami. It was slick. Biceps are out, which always helps with the stans. But most of all, it was a smart take on the standard tank top and sweatpants everyone wears to the gym. Not overly adventurous by today's standards, but also not the entry-level, slubby T-shirt and jeans many rising stars wear in their downtime.
“I sort of go with the same rule with clothes as I do with food. When I go out to eat, if I can make the dish at home I won't order it,” Zakhar Perez told GQ following his bout of weekend big fits. “I want to try something different and interesting. Same with my fits. If I buy an outfit at the store I usually go for something that makes me feel some kind of way and scares me a little. We only live once!”
But this isn't the first time Zakhar Perez has proven that he's one to watch when it comes to his big fits. Last month, he was a guest at Miu Miu's Malibu beach party, where he wore a seriously chic sleeveless vest and trouser combo (we spot a trend here), while prior to that he made waves at fashion week when he arrived for the Prada menswear show, er, topless, before throwing on a boxy jacket from the Milanese fashion house. The nod from Miuccia Prada? No big deal. Run with it Taylor.
Although prior to that, big brands were just a bit of a dream for him. “I remember my dad getting me a subscription of GQ when I was about 12 years old and it kind of became my clothing bible,” he admits, “I could never afford what was in it, but I usually wound up taking the train and thrifting with my siblings in Chicago.”
Please be upstanding for the newly elected First Son of internet thirst, and very big fits.
