By his own account, there was a time that the former WWE champion Dave Bautista would never have envisioned himself as a professional actor. But nowadays, with megahits like Guardians of the Galaxy and Dune under his (title) belt and artier projects like the upcoming Gia Coppola film The Last Showgirl on the way, the wrestler-turned-actor is dressing like a Hollywood hotshot.
Bautista attended the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Coppola’s film alongside its co-stars Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Kiernan Shipka this week. For the occasion, he wore a taut, logo-printed Gucci suit with shiny black Chelsea boots and a black tank top, whose scooped neckline showcased the strands of diamonds and pearls draped around his neck.
It’s a move that places him squarely aboard the Men Wearing Pearls Train, where he’s in good company (if perhaps a few years late, but who’s counting) among conspicuous young guns like Harry Styles, A$AP Rocky, Pete Davidson, and hell, even pro outfielder Joc Pederson. Welcome to the long tail of the 2020s’ opulent new era of high-end men’s jewelry.
He finished the look with a pair of dark Gucci shades—a coordinated take on his signature accessory.
Sunglasses are “my pacifier,” Bautista told GQ last year. Without them, he said, “I feel exposed. But if I put on glasses and a hat, that’s my security blanket. I want to cover up and have some protection.”
