I wrote this for Variety

Mickey Rourke is, was, and shall forever be the absolute opposite of wallflower—and the same goes for his dress sense. Since the release of his much-hyped comeback vehicle “The Wrestler”, we’ve seen Rourke work the red carpet with renewed panache, sporting an array of eye-popping designer looks wild enough to K.O. even his flamboyant wrestler alter ego, Randy “the Ram” Robinson.

“He’s never been one for a classic black tuxedo,” says his stylist, Michael Fisher, hired by Fox Searchlight to style Rourke for the “Wrestler” press tour. Fisher, a former assistant to photographer Annie Leibovitz, earned his stripes working with uber-stylists Rachel Zoe and Lori Goldstein, and was set up with Rourke four months ago. Unlike so many male stars, Rourke “likes to take chances on the red carpet” says Fisher. “He has a look that’s all his own. Very masculine, put together, and decadent. ” (Picture Robert Evans, Hugh Hefner and Frank Sinatra on a yacht in Monte Carlo—with lots of hair product.)

Read the rest at Variety.com