The Extraordinary Story of a Call Me by Your Name Fan
The 2018 Academy Awards were memorable not only for the films being celebrated, but also for a few unexpected fashion moments. There were plenty of surprises on the red carpet — from Rita Moreno wearing the same dress she had won an Oscar in back in 1962 for West Side Story, to Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph stepping onto the stage in slippers instead of heels.
But one of the most talked-about outfits of the night belonged to James Ivory.
At 89, Ivory accepted the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Call Me by Your Name wearing a white button-down shirt printed with the face of the film’s lead actor, Timothée Chalamet. The image immediately recalled Elio, in one of the memorable scenes.
Time magazine called the shirt “the best part of the Oscars red carpet,” while IndieWire described it simply as “iconic.”
But who was behind this shirt — and how did it come to exist?
A shirt born out of fandom
The shirt was created especially for Ivory by portrait artist Andrew Mania. He explains that the idea came from his admiration for a shirt Elio wears in the film, printed with what looks like a series of Matisse-inspired faces.
“I wanted that Matisse shirt so much that I decided to paint my own one — it seemed like the easiest solution,” Mania says.
“I looked into how to do it, and then made myself a second one. It made sense to do one with Elio’s face, since I’d been inspired by the film.”
Mania later mentioned the shirts to a friend of Ivory’s, Xavier Salomon — an art collector and curator at The Frick Collection in New York. Unbeknownst to Mania at the time, Salomon had previously worked with Ivory and was still in touch with him.
Salomon sent a photo of Mania’s Elio shirt to Ivory, who, according to Mania, “immediately responded saying he loved it and wanted one.”
“I was secretly imagining him wearing it to the Oscars,” Mania admits.
“He then told me he would wear it to the awards if he got nominated. This was back in mid-December, so we had no idea any of this would actually happen.”
From studio to Oscars night
For Mania, dressing Ivory for the Oscars was deeply personal.
“I couldn’t be more flattered,” he says, especially given that Ivory had been someone he admired since his teenage years.
Watching Ivory accept the award turned out to be an emotional moment.
“Seeing him win was quite emotional,” Mania recalls. “I did shed tears of elation. His speech was so beautiful.”
Ivory’s shirt was finished with mother-of-pearl studs, which Mania explains “looked like teardrops and reminded me of the Man Ray photograph titled Tears.”
After the ceremony, Mania posted an image of himself with Ivory on Instagram. The response was immediate and overwhelming.
“My Instagram went crazy,” he says. “People were messaging me asking for shirts.”
Despite the sudden attention — and the unlikely Oscars-night promotion of his work — Mania remains grounded. He continues to work quietly from his London studio.
“I’ve always drawn portraits,” he explains. “It’s what I’m happiest doing. They’re mostly of my friends, or occasionally someone like David Bowie. I usually make them for myself, and sometimes that crosses over into fashion.”
So has Mania ever met the person whose face inspired the shirt?
“I haven’t been introduced to Timothée Chalamet yet,” he says. “But I’d definitely like to meet him. James told me he’s giving the shirt to Timothée, which is a lovely idea. I hope it looks good on him.”
Featured image via Instagram / @andrewmania
Film still © Sony Pictures.