The Real-Life Wardrobe of Jamie Campbell Bower, Who Only Wears Suits if They’re McQueen

The Stranger Things alum—who’s headed to Middle-earth for season three of The Rings of Power—tells us about his rockstar style icons, the Vecna hand in his suitcase, and why he copied Dev Hynes’s skinny jeans as a teen.“I don’t know, I suppose I’m an artist,” Jamie Campbell Bower says with a laugh, after I ask him to describe himself. He’s correct, in more ways than one. If you’ve been consuming pop culture for the last decade and change, it’s less a matter of if you’ve seen the 37-year-old Londoner before, but where. He’s acted in some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood—including Twilight, Harry Potter, The Mortal Instruments, and Stranger Things—while also nurturing a multifaceted music career. As of this month, he’ll be heading to Middle-earth as Celeborn in the third season of Amazon Prime’s epic Lord of the Rings series, The Rings of Power.During a hectic week of Rings of Power in New York City, Bower and I spent a quiet afternoon talking about the bands that helped him find his style as a teenager, the difference between performing as an actor and a musician, and why he loves playing the bad guy.All clothing and accessories, subject’s own. Coat by MM6 Maison Margiela. Sweater by John Lawrence Sullivan. Vintage skirt. Shoes by John Lawrence Sullivan. Sunglasses by Persol (throughout). Jewelry by Pianegonda. GQ: You’ve played your fair share of villains, including Vecna on Stranger Things. What attracts you to those types of roles?Jamie Campbell Bower: It’s complexity. With any character, there has to be a level of complexity. Playing in the shadow self is really illuminating, to be Jungian. You have to know it in order for it to not take over. I found it particularly interesting to rationale and reason, even though this character was doing terrible things. I have always found it really interesting to dig away and find the why. So much of that character was really about isolation and pain and not feeling like they had a sense of belonging in the space for them. Obviously, they find this power that gives them this sense of safety. It becomes the wall, and it gives them purpose, and it hides them from the world and from being hurt. What draws me to any character is complexity and understanding the balance. It’s almost anthropological in a way.Joining a show like Stranger Things later in its run, what was it like breaking in with the rest of the ensemble? Have you kept in touch with any of the other cast members?It was amazing. I was so terrified on day one. I’m always nervous about joining any show, doing any gig. But I remember day one of actually shooting with other cast members, turning around to Nick Müller, our A-camera operator, and I just went, “Look, Nick, you’ve been here way longer than I have. If I’m in your way, just tell me to fucking move.”I’d been a part of Twilight as well—joined that on the second movie after watching a cultural moment explode—and I was in that position again with Stranger Things. It was so big. I was joining this new world, but everyone was wicked and super kind. I made some amazing friends. I love Millie [Bobby Brown]. She’s just the best. She’s like my little sister, and also like my big sister at times as well. She’s got so much sage advice and is so brilliant at what she does and so driven. I am in awe of her, and I was from the moment I met her.Did you keep any props or memorabilia from the show?I’ve got the hand of Vecna. I took it out on Fallon [the other] night. I told this story, but I got my bag searched in Mexico City on the way in over the weekend. We pulled up and one of the people there looked at me—her eyes got big. She said, “Vecna.” I’ve got three massive fuck-off suitcases. They’re going through them and I’m like, “Look, I’ve got the hand of Vecna in here. Do you want to see it?” And then it ended up being the quickest bag search ever. I got some elf ears with me as well, both made by the same guy, Barrie Gower.When did you first become interested in clothing and style?It was the summer when I was 15. I spent it wearing a visor with spiky hair, because I used to skate growing up in super baggy jeans. I remember turning up being like, “That’s not you.” Skating is a part of who I am, but I was looking to represent myself in some way, shape, or form.Then we started this indie band when I was 16, 17. Devonté Hynes had this band called Test Icicles. I always used to look at those guys with their skinny jeans and their big hair, and I was just like, “That’s a bit of me, that.” How skinny can my jeans get? How drain pipe-y am I? That’s where I really started to find my own identity.I’ve been fortunate enough throughout my career to meet and work with such beautiful creative people in fashion and find myself more within that, too. I was talking about it to somebody yesterday: When you try a fit on that is not you, it’s like having a bad haircut. You don’t want to do that. I’m even the same if I’m doing a photoshoot. I always go through the rail and I’ll say, “That’s not my vibe. I can’t say that I’m going to wear that.” Of course, I’m always willing to try, I’m always willing to push. But you know yourself better as you get older.What was your first significant purchase?It was from Alexander McQueen. I loved the identity of that brand, but I couldn’t afford a jacket, or a suit, or even a scarf. But the smaller pieces, the rings and the wallets, were like 100 bucks. Those were the things that I would gravitate towards and buy.More recently, within the last 10 years, I remember coming here to New York for a show that I did called Will, going to Bergdorf, and buying a couple of pairs of Comme des Garçons trousers. As they were being rung up, I was like, “All right.” It wasn’t loads—we’re not talking thousands—but it was still a lot of money. That was probably the first big clothing purchase that I ever made. And I’ve still got the trousers. I used to wear them on stage in the band as well, which is foolish.No, that’s cool, dude. You’ve got to wear your stuff. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten less precious with my gear because otherwise it’s going to sit in your closet. What’s your most recent purchase?Got a bunch of stuff from H. Lorenzo the other day—some great shirts, some great jackets. I really like how they curate the store. My most recent purchase is a lot of stuff from the new Ann Demeulemeester collection. I actually just bought a sick leather trench from it—brown leather, which is fire.Jacket by Thom Browne. Shirt, jeans, shoes by Ann Demeulemeester. Who are your biggest style heroes? Have you gotten to meet any of them?Going back to when we were kids: Test Icicles, the Libertines, the Rakes, Franz Ferdinand, Editors. Got to meet a few of those guys throughout my travels, which was always pretty sick. Nick Cave. Warren Ellis. Nick has got such a sharp style, as does Warren. Warren’s a bit more unbuttoned. I met Warren in Venice five years ago. He was stood at the end of the pier and I was so excited to meet him, I just bounded up. I was like, “Hi, Mr. Ellis. My name’s Jamie.” And I just blurted out to him for ages, and then I was like, “Thank you so much.” He said, "Good to meet you, mate. Bye.”You became a little kid again.Yeah, exactly. Literally.Do you have a vibe you try to aim for on red carpets? What’s it like navigating all the cameras, other celebrities, and questions being lobbed at you?I think fluidity and being myself is always the main thing. I’ve never felt wholly comfortable in a regular suit. I remember we were invited to do a show in Venice, and the band that we were in was pretty heavy. We wore suits in an environment that for us felt almost quite subversive. The music that we played didn’t really fit that. I quite enjoyed that.But on the whole, I don’t love suits too much. I like to keep it more interesting and fluid. I’m not saying that they can’t be interesting for other people, but I’ve never been interested [in them myself]. Apart from McQueen, but that’s because something like the McQueen shoulder is so identifiable and creates such an incredible silhouette. That’s probably the only time I’ve ever really been like, “I can wear this suit for a long time.” But yeah, I avoid anything that doesn’t feel right for me.All clothing by Ann Demeulemeester How does performing as a musician compare to performing as an actor? Are there any similarities to how you approach both art forms, or do they scratch different itches?It’s hard to say. I do feel like so often they can blend. I’ve been so fortunate in my career, being drawn to things that feel like me and getting to explore different parts of myself on film. That does have an effect on the music that I’m making at the time.With a film or a television series, you’re saying someone else’s words and building a character, but also at times injecting your own personal experience into that. In music, they are your words. You can make a choice to be like, “I’m going to build a world in this song to express something.” Or I can just be like, “This is me.” So, they can scratch different itches, but I think that they work in symbiosis sometimes.You’re in the upcoming season of The Rings of Power as Celeborn. What’s your relationship to The Lord of the Rings?The original movies came out when I was 12, so they were pretty seminal. I remember being in Hong Kong on a trip when The Hobbit was coming out. I was on my own, and I went to a cinema in a place called Pacific Place to watch it. That made a really big impact on me—it felt like a fantastical world that I could see myself in.What was it like entering that world? What was it like trying your costume for the first time, seeing the scale of the sets?I started auditioning for it in 2024. Walking into it, of course, I was elated. I felt so lucky and so happy, like I was a little kid again. Like, I was 11 or 12 on stage in some provincial town outside of London, and now I get to fuckin’ walk into this Lord of the Rings world and be an elf? Dude, that’s sick.Can you give me three non-negotiable albums you think everyone should listen to?Three non-negotiable albums that everyone… Oh, bloody Nora!I discovered Dylan when I was like 16, when we were reading [J. D.] Salinger and Allen Ginsberg and books like On the Road. Let’s go with a classic. Freewheelin’ is old-school enough. It’s cool, pre-him going electric, which I adore as well. Highway 61 Revisited is a great record too. Take your pick between those two. Chopin’s Nocturnes are amazing. That’s a beautiful, beautiful piece to get into. Then there’s Nick Cave. I did an interview before and I chose Murder Ballads, which is a great record. But I also love some of the more recent work, like Ghosteen or Skeleton Tree. Ghosteen is amazing.I actually never dove in on Nick Cave.Oh, Ghosteen’s wicked. Let’s go with that. I referenced the artwork for Ghosteen on my last release. My album cover was by an artist called Thomas Cole, who did a collection of paintings about the journey from birth to death. He also did paintings of the Garden of Eden. From what I have now seen, those paintings heavily inspired the artist that did the paintings for Ghosteen as well, which is kind of insane.By the way, where in London are you from?Hammersmith, originally. Southwest.One of my best friends is from Essex. Your accent is not too far off from his.So, he’s from the East. It’s the swearing.Sign up for Show Notes to get news on the latest runway shows, parties, and insider events on the international fashion circuit.Christopher Fenimore writes and photographs GQ’s Real-Life Wardrobe column. He currently splits time between Cutchogue and Brooklyn, NY. ... Read More