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When his turn on the Emmy Awards red carpet made a slate of best-dressed galleries, Killers of the Flower Moon’s Tatanka Means found himself pleasantly surprised, to say the least. “I was like, ‘Whoa, this is really cool,’ and I’m glad it made a little splash,” he says over Zoom, still incredulous.
The charismatic Means—who stole scenes in the Martin Scorsese historical epic as heroic, wise-cracking FBI agent John Wren—may profess to “not be the best at fashion.” But the six-foot-two actor and comedian looked like a natural in January in an emerald green, velvet, peak-lapel tuxedo by Jack Victor, with a diamond swirl brooch and statement studs by Gismondi 1754 accenting his signature Braids.
“He has a presence,” says his stylist, Leona Mizrahi.
But for Means, who’s of Oglala Lakota, Omaha, Yankton Dakota, and Diné descent, his milestone red-carpet moment holds a deeper—and farther-reaching—significance. “It’s not just an individual thing. It’s bigger because there’s not so many of us being seen in that light,” says Means, who grew up in Chinle, Arizona, in the Navajo Nation. “People back home on the reservation—in my community, my friends, families and kids—it’s so much more than just a single self-accolade thing. It’s the community behind you.”
The Albuquerque-based Means’s heritage was top of mind in selecting his look for the SAG Awards 2024: a red velvet double-breasted tuxedo jacket by Paisley & Gray, paired with black trousers and crisp shirt by Jack Victor. Means says that to the Lakota people, red represents the north, and thereby strength and endurance. The bold color combination also represents the American Indian Movement, co-led by his father, activist Russell Means, in the 1970s. “Red and black were the colors of my boxing team growing up,” adds Means. “I was like, ‘That’s it. It’s a done deal.’”
Courtesy of Leona Mizrahi.
“It was the first one that we tried on,” confirms Mizrahi, who puts a “twist on a classic” for Means through a rakish suit silhouette in dynamic textures and rich colors. She also works with him on elegant, statement-making accessories, including two Gismondi 1754 yellow and white diamond brooches, signifying the full bloom of the flower moon, and Zegna cuff links.
Means, who recently joined Netflix’s upcoming Ransom Canyon (and made a lasting impression as the handsome doctor in the season two aunties episode of Reservation Dogs), also adorns his outfits with jewelry by Indigenous designers. “I want to highlight that our artists are doing great and amazing work and are more than capable of providing accessories and jewelry on this level,” says Means.
The gleaming, handcrafted silver and gemstone pieces also bolster and hearten his red-carpet experience. Means wore a black onyx embellished cuff, and intricate bracelets by fifth-generation jeweler and friend Reggie Mitchell for the SAG Awards 2024, and Mitchell’s silver cast cuffs decorated with arrow bows to the Emmys. “[The bows] represent strength and moving forward,” explains Means.
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