Dev Patel a red carpet mess before Burberry styling rescue

Actor Dev Patel wore his school blazer on the red carpet when he first broke out in Hollywood before bosses at Burberry rescued him from making more fashion disasters.

The 26-year-old actor became an overnight sensation following the release of director Danny Boyle's Academy Award-winning 2008 drama, and he admits he was not prepared for the stylish side of fame.

Thankfully, stylists at Burberry saw the potential in Dev and reached out to help him, kitting him out from head to toe.

“We’ve had such a long relationship and they've (Burberry representatives) saved me from many red carpet disasters,” Patel told Women's Wear Daily at the Burberry Rodeo Drive flagship store in Beverly Hills.

And there's a very special place in Dev's heart for the fashion brand's CEO and chief creative mind Christopher Bailey, who personally dressed the young star for the 2009 Academy Awards ceremony.

“When I had just started in this industry I was working the red carpet in my school blazer and Christopher and the team at Burberry came to the rescue and dressed me for the Oscars, which was a really special time for me," he recalls.

These days Dev is considered one of the most dapper men in Hollywood, but he insists his style is simple.

"It’s pretty understated," he told Esquire Middle East in February (16), while reflecting on his fashion choices.

But the actor likes to add a little accessory 'bling' to his outfits to add some flair: "Put me in a casual suit, an American Apparel T-shirt with a little glimmer from my IWC Portugieser watch poking out from under the cuff and I'm ready to go," he smiled.