Robert Redford as Jack Weil in Havana (1990)

Vitals

Robert Redford as Jack Weil, smooth, cynical gambler and U.S. Navy veteran

Havana, December 1958

Film: Havana
Release Date: December 14, 1990
Director: Sydney Pollack
Costume Designer: Bernie Pollack

Background

The new year is a time of resolutions, but instead of dropping a few hundred quid on a gym membership that will be used three times until it’s finally dropped in March, invest those dollars in a perfectly tailored dinner jacket… then resolve to find the occasion in 2017 to wear it. Whether it’s to class up a night out or just to feel confident at the grocery store, you’ll be glad you made the investment!

To illustrate the impression a great dinner jacket can make, BAMF Style is delivering a double dose of Robert Redford’s formalwear leading up to the new year. (Thursday’s post analyzed his black tie ensemble in Spy Game.) In this sequence from Havana, Jack Weil (Redford) dresses to the nines for an evening meeting with Meyer Lansky (Mark Rydell) and Joe Volpi (Alan Arkin) at one of Lansky’s casinos.

It isn’t New Year’s Eve yet, but it’s getting close…

What’d He Wear?

Jack sports a ivory wool shawl-collared dinner jacket, perfect for a warm evening soiree in Havana and evocative of Humphrey Bogart‘s classic double-breasted jacket in Casablanca.

A Christmas tree in the background isn’t going to make meeting with Meyer Lansky any less tense.

The shawl lapels are self-faced save for the strip of white satin piping along the edge. The top and sides of the welted breast pocket are also piped in white satin, further embellished by an ivory silk display kerchief poking out of the pocket. The jetted pockets are straight, and there appear to be two buttons on each cuff that match the single ivory plastic button on the front.

The details of Weil’s dinner jacket set him apart as more of an individualist than Joe Volpi.

He wears a black or midnight blue pleated silk cummerbund that remains visible above the low button stance of his jacket. Cummerbunds are the most popular waist covering for warm-weather formalwear as it keeps its wearer cooler than a waistcoat would.

The ventless dinner jacket is fully cut as was fashionable in the late 1950s with wide padded shoulders and roped sleeveheads.

Weil and Volpi hit the streets.

Redford once again wears an Anto Beverly Hills shirt, and Anto confirmed that this white formal shirt has five 3/4″ pleats on each side of the placket, just like his Swiss cotton tuxedo shirt in Spy Game. Also similar to his Spy Game shirt is the long point collar, the three gold-trimmed round black studs visible above the waist, and the double (French) cuffs for his gold cuff links.

Weil’s buddy takes on a much more tragic black tie ensemble.

The slim butterfly-shaped bow tie is either black or midnight blue silk.

Jack wears a pair of reverse-pleated dark wool formal trousers, either in black or midnight blue with a black satin stripe down the side of each leg. His high-rise trousers also have plain-hemmed bottoms and side pockets where he often places his hands.

Weil wears a pair of black patent leather oxfords with black dress socks.

Weil’s accessories remain the same throughout Havana with an ornate gold signet ring on his right pinky and a gold wristwatch on his right wrist. The watch has a round yellow gold case with a gold dial and a flat gold bracelet.

Weil ends his night looking cooler than ever.

Interestingly, this is one of the few times that Redford does not wear his usual silver Hopi-gifted ring.

Go Big or Go Home

This scene features Bobby Darin’s 1959 classic “Beyond the Sea”, but for your festive New Year’s Eve celebration, you’ll definitely want Darin’s bittersweet “Christmas Auld Lang Syne” from his 1960 album The 25th Day of December, available on Amazon.

How to Get the Look

As always, Robert Redford makes dressing well look effortless.

• Ivory wool single-breasted 1-button dinner jacket with satin-piped shawl collar, satin-piped breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 2-button cuffs, and ventless back
• White Swiss cotton formal shirt with long point collar, 3/4″-pleated front, gold-trimmed black studs down front placket, and double/French cuffs
• Black slim silk bow tie
• Gold cuff links
• Black silk cummerbund
• Black reverse-pleated formal trousers with black satin side stripes, side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Black patent leather oxfords/balmorals
• Black dress socks
• Gold wristwatch with round gold dial on flat bracelet
• Gold signet pinky ring

For an extra subtle touch, Weil wears a white silk display kerchief in his jacket breast pocket.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie…

…and have a happy, healthy, and safe new year!

(Yes, I know this gif is from Sneakers. That post will be coming someday.)

Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Charade (1963)

Vitals

Cary Grant as Brian Cruikshank (aka Peter Joshua, Alexander Dyle, or Adam Canfield), U.S. Treasury agent

Paris, April 1963

Film: Charade
Release Date: December 5, 1963
Director: Stanley Donen

Background

Heading back to business for the first day in the new year, nothing is more appropriate for a winter’s day in the office than a charcoal flannel suit similar to the one that Cary Grant’s multi-named hero wore to the office for the finale of Charade.

What’d He Wear?

Accompanying Reggie Lampert (Audrey Hepburn), Brian Cruikshank is directed to his own office at the U.S. Embassy while wearing a warm charcoal flannel business suit that reflects a cyanic shade in certain light.

Cary Grant was a noted advocate of gray flannel suits, stating as much in his iconic piece for This Week in the 1960s:

What about a second suit? Well, I think a grey worsted or flannel would be most serviceable. Not too light in color, not too dark. And, this time, of medium weight but not more than what is known as ten-ounce cloth.

Brian Cruikshank in his office.

The single-breasted suit jacket has notch lapels that are fashionably slim for 1963 and gently roll over the top of the three buttons down the front. He carries his thick-framed eyeglasses in his welted breast pocket. The ventless jacket also has straight, jetted hip pockets and 3-button cuffs.

One of Cary Grant’s less suave moments… and yet still charming.

The flat front trousers rise just high enough to perfectly meet the pointed blade of his tie and the center button of his jacket. Not much is seen of Grant’s trousers in this sequence, as he spends most of it with either his jacket buttoned or behind his desk, but they are likely styled the same as his others with straight side pockets and two jetted back pockets. He also appears to wear his trousers with a belt, as he did in other scenes for clipping his holster.

Grant’s poplin dress shirt is pale ecru, just a shade away from white, with the same semi-spread collar with longer points designed to de-emphasize Grant’s muscular neck. The shirt has a front placket and single cuffs – rather than double, or French, cuffs – for his silver rectangular cuff links. His silk tie is dark blue.

And back to being suave!

Grant likely wears the same black leather 2-eyelet plain-toe derby shoes and thin black dress socks that he wore with his earlier-seen dark navy suit.

How to Get the Look

A timeless style icon, Cary Grant exemplifies an ideal springtime business suit with his charcoal flannel in Charade.

Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Charade (1963)

• Charcoal blue flannel business suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 3-roll-2 button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
  • Flat front trousers with belt loops and plain-hemmed bottoms
• White poplin dress shirt with semi-spread collar, front placket, and single cuffs
• Dark blue silk tie
• Silver rectangular cuff links
• Black leather 2-eyelet derby shoes with a long tie
• Thin black dress socks

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie and try to get the Criterion Collection version, which was restored to the highest quality after the various low-definition versions released during the film’s tenure in public domain.

The Quote

Reggie: Is there a Mrs. Cruikshank…?
Brian/Adam/Peter: Yes.
Reggie: But you’re divorced.
Brian/Adam/Peter: No…
Reggie: Oh.
Brian/Adam/Peter: My mother, she lives in Detroit, you’d like her, she’d like you too.

Footnote

I tend to schedule my posts pretty well in advance. For some reason, all of my first 2017 posts (until Cary Grant’s birthday on January 18th) are all from movies with titles that begin with the letter “C”. Hm.

Al Pacino as Carlito Brigante in Carlito’s Way (1993)

Vitals

Al Pacino as Carlito “Charlie” Brigante, paroled nightclub owner and former heroin dealer

New York City, September 1975

Film: Carlito’s Way
Release Date: November 3, 1993
Director: Brian De Palma
Costume Designer: Aude Bronson-Howard

Background

After his parole, Carlito’s “street uniform” is typically a cool ’70s leather jacket in black or brown, but nights that find him hosting in his hot spot –  El Paraíso – call for a slick black three-piece suit.

What’d He Wear?

Carlito wore elements of this suit during the movie’s climactic sequence that leads him from El Paraíso to Grand Central Station and, thus, as a blend of both his street and nightclub roles, he wore the suit’s vest and trousers under a badass black leather coat.

The three-piece suit is comprised of a jacket, vest, and trousers in black wool with black tonal striping. A popular fashion of 1970s men’s suits was the revival of wide peak lapels on single-breasted jackets and this suit is no exception with its extra-long lapel points and gorges pointed up toward each padded, roped shoulder.

You know it’s the ’70s when you see lapels like that.

The two-button suit jacket also has three-button cuffs, long double vents, straight flapped hip pockets, and a welted breast pocket where Carlito frequently wears a black silk display kerchief for a just a subtle touch of luxury.

Not much of a fashion plate, Carlito likely only wears suits because he is aware of the respectability that comes with them as he tries to make his “way” in legitimate business. He wears the suit’s matching vest almost as an after thought, fastening just a few of its five buttons and allowing the notched bottom to ride high over his waist line, exposing both his shirt and trouser belt.

The single-breasted vest has four welted pockets and a self-lined back with an adjustable strap along the bottom.

Carlito’s tense meeting with Lalin (Viggo Mortensen) also serves as a de facto fashion show for sartorial bloggers looking for details of his outfit…

The low rise of his flat front suit trousers is a poor match with his waistcoat, and Carlito makes the additional faux pas of wearing a belt (and an easily exposed one, at that) with a three-piece suit. Despite the faux pas, his black leather belt matches the black leather Cuban-styled ankle boots that he wears. His socks are likely black, unseen under the slightly flared plain-hemmed bottoms of his trousers.

Carlito struts into his new job.

Carlito first wears this suit for a brief meeting with Saso (Jorge Porcel), the original owner of El Paraíso. He wears a mustard brown silk shirt with a point collar and button cuffs, and his gold printed silk tie provides only a subtle contrast against the solid-colored shirt.

On several occasions, Carlito wears the suit slightly more dressed down with a black shirt with a muted blue and purple foulard check pattern. This shirt has a front placket and a long point collar, which he wears open with no tie.

Carlito is wowed after a visit to Gail’s strip club.

Although it is the least formal shirt that he wears with his suit, this shirt has double (French) cuffs that Carlito fastens with a pair of silver ovular links.

Carlito’s all-black attire in this scene further draws the line of contrast between “old school” Carlito and the brash, flashy, and irresponsible Benny Bianco in his bright red three-piece suit.

The third shirt that Carlito wears with this suit, most notably for his meeting with paraplegic informant Lalin, is likely the same mottled mulberry purple shirt that he wore in other scenes with his brown leather jacket. The shirt has a breast pocket and a large collar with long but soft points. The buttons on the front placket, cuffs, and gauntlets are all dark gray plastic.

As he did with the gold shirt, Carlito wears a similarly colored but subtly patterned silk tie, this time featuring a small light blue ovals on a muted purple ground.

Carlito may be trying to stay legit after his parole, but his propensity for gold jewelry gives him away as a gangster at first sight. Luckily for him, of course, this is the mid-’70s during the height of men’s tacky jewelry, making his gold pinky ring and gold chain-link ID bracelet subtle when compared to his contemporaries in the decade.

Carlito and Gail enjoy a drink together to the bumpin’ sounds of ’70s disco.

Carlito’s watch is also yellow gold, worn on his left wrist as opposed to the rest of his jewelry which adorns his right hand. Supposedly, the book calls out Carlito’s wristwatch as an 18-karat Piaget, but that certainly doesn’t confirm that this was his on-screen choice as well.

How to Get the Look

Carlito defines his nightclub host persona differently than his street persona, although his black suit and gold jewelry still mark him more as a gangster than the legitimate businessman he aspires to be.

• Black tonal-striped wool three-piece suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 2-button suit jacket with wide peak lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and double vents
  • Single-breasted 5-button vest with four welt pockets and notched bottom
  • Flat front trousers with belt loops, slanted side pockets, jetted back pockets with button loops, and flared plain-hemmed bottoms
• Black blue/purple-foulard patterned shirt with long point collar, front placket, and double/French cuffs
• Silver oval cuff links
• Black leather belt with gold rectangular single-prong buckle
• Black leather Cuban-style ankle boots
• Black socks
• Gold chain-link identity bracelet
• Gold wristwatch with dark blue dial on gold bracelet
• Gold pinky ring with black square-set stone

For extra touches of color, Carlito wears a solid dress shirts and matching printed ties in shades of gold and purple. He always wears a black silk display kerchief in his breast pocket, despite the color of his shirt and tie.

The Gun

As noted in an earlier post, Carlito Brigante’s preferred sidearm of a Beretta 92F is slightly anachronistic for the film’s 1975 setting; the first Beretta 92 wasn’t introduced until that year with the 92F only appearing a decade later.

Carlito shows an impressive familiarity with a firearm that won’t even be developed for another ten years.

Kept in his office safe, Carlito’s Beretta is indeed one of the 92F models produced in the mid-1980s, similar to the one famously carried by Bruce Willis in Die Hard, although Carlito opts for the more practical carry method of his waistband rather than taping it to his bare back. Like the earlier Beretta 92 and the later 92FS, the Beretta 92F is a full-size semi-automatic pistol with a traditional double-action trigger and chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum ammunition.

If the filmmakers were so hell-bent on Carlito carrying a full-size 9mm Beretta, a more chronistically-appropriate choice may have been the Beretta M1951, which was produced from the 1950s through 1980 in Italy, where it was the standard sidearm of the Italian Navy, Carabinieri, and national Polizia Stradale highway patrol.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

What, you think you like me? You ain’t like me, motherfucker. You a punk. I’ve been with made people, connected people. Who you been with? Chain-snatching, jive-ass, maricón motherfuckers. Why don’t you get lost? Go ahead, snatch a purse. Come on, take a fuckin’ walk.

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale (2006)

Vitals

Daniel Craig as James Bond, British government agent

Prague, Winter 2006

Film: Casino Royale
Release Date: November 14, 2006
Director: Martin Campbell
Costume Designer: Lindy Hemming

Background

For the first 00-7th of the new year, I want to recall the first on screen appearance of Daniel Craig’s James Bond.

Casino Royale begins like no official Bond film has before it – in black-and-white! A much older man (Malcolm Sinclair) – clearly a spy but certainly not Bond – covertly boards an office elevator during a snowy evening in Prague. As the man steps into his darkened office, we immediately learn that his name is Dryden and that he’s been betraying M by selling secrets… thanks to James Bond, sitting in the shadows.

A seasoned MI6 pro, Dryden subtly opens his drawer to reveal his own pistol while easing in behind his desk.

Dryden: If the theatrics are supposed to scare me, you have the wrong man, Bond. If M was so sure that I was bent, she’d have sent a 00. Benefits of being section chief, I’d know if anyone had been promoted to 00 status, wouldn’t I? Your file shows no kills, and it takes…
Bond: Two.

This is straight from Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel, where Bond described his first two kills – a Japanese spy and a Norwegian double agent – that led to him receiving 00 status.

Dryden whips up his pistol (a 9mm Star Ultrastar, if you’re curious) and bids farewell to Bond – “Shame… we barely got to know each other…” – but the pistol clicks empty. Holding back a wink and a smile, Bond raises the Star’s magazine:

I know where you keep your gun. Suppose that’s something.

Dryden resigns himself to his fate and determines that he will die with dignity, helping Bond through the moral entanglement that comes with a 00’s second kill. Of course, this is a new Bond and not one that concerns himself with his own feelings after beating a man to death in a dirty bathroom.

Dryden: Made you feel it, did he? Well, you needn’t worry. The second is-
Bond: (shoots him) Yes… considerably

What’d He Wear?

Our introduction to 007 in Casino Royale uses his costume to firmly establish both the character’s brash and tough youthfulness while evoking his naval background with a timeless navy pea coat layered over a cardigan and t-shirt. This is the first time we see James Bond wearing a traditional pea coat, although certainly not the last as the enduringly popular Billy Reid coat from Skyfall proved.

This pea coat is classic in every sense from its dark navy blue wool melton construction to its double-breasted layout. The eight front buttons are dark horn rather than the traditional anchor-decorated plastic, and the wide Ulster collar has a small metal throat latch that goes unused as Bond wears the front of the jacket totally open.

Though his non-00 status doesn’t quite intimidate Dryden, Bond’s dark layers add a menacing and mysterious appearance.

Although the finished film is presented in grayscale, promotional photos inform the colors of the garments worn on screen. The heavy ribbed knit cardigan that Bond wears under his pea coat is charcoal with a tall standing collar that would have made him the toast of Transylvania. The cardigan has five large black plastic buttons – each reinforced on a stitched square – up the placket from the ribbed hem to the neck of his ribbed collar, which is left open to flap over his pea collar. The sleeves are cuffed back over his wrists, best seen when he raises his pistol to shoot.

More details can be seen in a photo posted by user Kittlemeier on a AJB007.co.uk forum where he identified the garment as one also worn by Daniel Craig in real life. The heavy ribbing on the collar, hem, and cuffs are seen well in this photo, as well as the square stitching that reinforces the buttons. The sweater also has set-in sleeves and two patch pockets on the hip with ribbed open tips that each slant slightly back.

Craig later wears another dark cardigan ensemble when standing on his hotel balcony with Mathis, and I imagine that oufit uses the same base layer of dark gray t-shirt, gray trousers, and black shoes under a different cardigan. The fitted cotton t-shirt is likely the same dark gray t-shirt seen in this scene, and it is almost certainly one of the many Sunspel shirts that Craig wore in Casino Royale.

A full-color promotional photo showcases the colors of Bond’s assassination attire.

Bond likely also wore the same lower half of this outfit when “visiting” M in her London flat. If so, his wool flat front trousers are a black-and-white glen urquhart check with a subtle light blue plaid overcheck. I surmised in my earlier post that these trousers may be from Ted Baker. He doesn’t appear to be wearing his Vega IWB holster clipped to his belt – and, in fact, may not be wearing a belt at all – since he places his entire Walther P99 (suppressor attached!) inside his jacket before leaving Dryden’s office.

The bottoms of the trousers are finished with cuffs with a short, high break that shows off his black socks and black leather shoes, likely the same black calf John Lobb “Romsey” two-eyelet chukkas that he wears in M’s flat.

Bond’s “theatrics” of a confrontation from the shadows may not scare Dryden initially, but the guy sure starts shitting his pants when he realizes his gun isn’t loaded.

Bond’s watch remains unseen under the sleeves of his jacket and cardigan, but he is likely wearing the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean “Big Size” 2900.50.91 that he wore in all of his early Casino Royale scenes… unless it was given to him after this as a “Congrats-on-your-second-kill-to-become-a-oo” gift.

How to Get the Look

Daniel Craig’s 007 injects youth into an outfit centered around the stylish but centuries-old pea coat.

• Dark navy blue wool melton double-breasted 8-button pea coat with wide Ulster collar and side pockets
• Charcoal ribbed knit cardigan sweater with tall standing collar, 5-button front, and slanted-open patch pockets
• Dark gray fitted cotton t-shirt
• Black-and-white glen urquhart check (with light blue plaid overcheck) wool flat front trousers with on-seam side pockets and turn-ups/cuffs
• Black calf John Lobb “Romsey” two-eyelet chukka boots
• Black socks
• Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean “Big Size” 2900.50.91 with stainless steel case and black dial/bezel on a large black rubber strap

The Gun

Casino Royale rebooted the 007 franchise by going back to the very first novel as roots, but we don’t find James Bond carrying his traditional Walther PPK (or, thankfully, the anemic .25-caliber Beretta that Fleming had originally given him in Casino Royale.)

Instead, Craig’s Bond maintains his armament as established by Pierce Brosnan in 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies – a Walther P99 semi-automatic pistol, chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum. Given the context of the scene, a covert assassination in an office building, Bond’s use of a suppressor is certainly appropriate.

“Yes… considerably.” Bond decocks his P99 after shooting Dryden.

Although the P99 is technically his primary weapon throughout Casino Royale, he does appear to be using a Walther PPK during the intercut sequence that shows him killing Dryden’s contact, the traitorous Fisher. Craig’s Bond would adopt the PPK as his sidearm of choice, without explanation, in the next film, Quantum of Solace.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

M doesn’t mind you earning a little money on the side, Dryden. She’d just prefer it if it wasn’t selling secrets.

Jack Nicholson as J.J. Gittes in Chinatown (1974)

Vitals

Jack Nicholson as J.J. Gittes, private investigator and ex-policeman

Los Angeles, September 1937

Film: Chinatown
Release Date: June 20, 1974
Director: Roman Polanski
Costume Designer: Anthea Sylbert

Background

J.J. Gittes begins his final day investigating the Mulwray case in Chinatown with his usual cheekiness, even when surprised by walking into a murder scene. He trades barbs with increasingly suspicious detectives, including the pugnacious Detective Loach (Richard Bakalyan) who inquires about Gittes’ sliced-up nose; Edward Norton’s character in Rounders would pay homage to Gittes’ response of “Your wife got excited. She crossed her legs a little too quick.”

But Gittes’ good humor wears off by the end, following a series of misadventures – mostly at gunpoint – involving sisters, daughters, and a shot-out eyeball. As his assistant Walsh (Joe Mantell) sagely – and now famously – advises him:

Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.

What’d He Wear?

Gittes’ panache is stripped away from him by the last scenes of Chinatown as he faces the very serious facts of the case that have swamped him. His cheery off-white and earthtone suits and sport coats are behind him as he wears one of his most conservative suits, a gray pick wool suit with tan chalk stripes that are all bisected by a muted brick red stripe.

“Bad for glass.”

Gittes’ suit jacket is single-breasted with very wide notch lapels that roll to the top of a two-button front. The straight hip pockets are jetted, and Gittes wears a white linen display kerchief poking out of the welted breast pocket. The four buttons on each cuff are spaced apart and are the same black plastic as those on the front and on the waistcoat.

The cut of the suit jacket is very ’30s from the padded shoulders with strongly roped sleeveheads to the ventless back and flared skirt that contribute to the suppressed-waist silhouette.

The smug uniformed officer behind Gittes is a real gem.

Nicholson wears all six vest buttons fastened high on the chest from the top to the notched bottom. The vest (or waistcoat, if you will) has four welted pockets, as was stylish in the 1930s.

The suit trousers have a luxuriously full cut amplified by single reverse pleats. Although the rise is slightly lower than was fashionable during the era, the waist line is at least high enough to remain correctly hidden under the waistcoat and it is only a behind-the-scenes photo (in which Nicholson had his vest unbuttoned) that informs that the trousers have no belt or belt loops and were likely worn with suspenders.

A behind-the-scenes photo (right) shows Jack Nicholson and director Roman Polanski on the set of the Mulwray house, where Gittes found a vital clue on screen (left).

The bottoms of Gittes’ trousers are finished with 1″ cuffs that break fully over his black leather cap-toe derby shoes, worn with black socks.

Yikes, that glass – I mean grass – doesn’t seem to be faring too well, after all.

Gittes wears one of his standard white dress shirts with a fashionably long point collar and double (French) cuffs that appear to be worn with large flat silver disc links.

As he did always does with his gray-toned suits (such as his glen plaid or chalkstripe suits), Gittes opts for a red patterned silk tie that, in this case, nicely brings out the muted red stripes of his suiting. Gittes’ tie has a series of gray and cream stripes of alternating thickness in a right-down-to-left direction as well as a thick black stripe bordered by a thin yellow stripe beneath it.

Once again, smug mustache cop steals the show.

The P.I.’s P.I., Gittes rarely ventures out without his fedora, in this case a fairly conservative one with a wide gray grosgrain band that barely contrasts against the dark gray felt of the hat.

This shot also gives us another good look at Gittes’ striped suiting.

Gittes wears his usual gold-toned wristwatch with a flat square dial on a link bracelet that uniquely fastens with a single-prong buckle.

The distinctive buckle of Gittes’ watch strap is best seen as he picks a lock.

Although not an exact replica of the suit featured on screen, the “Chinatown Suit” tailored by Magnoli Clothiers is a fine-looking suit that incorporates many elements of Gittes’ suits, particularly this one.

How to Get the Look

J.J. Gittes may be known for his louder and flashier suits, but he can also dress with the best of ’30s businessmen in a gray striped three-piece suit, white shirt, red striped tie, and – lest we forget his profession – gray fedora.

• Gray red-on-tan striped wool three-piece suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with wide notch lapels, welted breast pocket, jetted hip pockets, 4-button spaced cuffs, padded shoulders with roped sleeveheads, and ventless back
  • Single-breasted 6-button vest with four welted pockets and notched bottom
  • Single reverse-pleated trousers with slanted side pockets and turn-ups/cuffs
• White dress shirt with long point collar and double/French cuffs
• Red multi-striped silk tie
• Silver disc-style cuff links
• Black leather cap-toe bluchers/derby shoes
• Black socks
• Gold-toned wristwatch with flat square dial on buckle-strap link bracelet
• Dark gray lightweight felt fedora with wide black band

Gittes also wears a white linen display kerchief poking out of his jacket’s breast pocket.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

You’re dumber than you think I think you are.

David Duchovny as Hank Moody in “The Ride-Along”, Episode 5.05 of Californication, with a Desert Eagle-wielding RZA.

Vitals

David Duchovny as Hank Moody, womanizing novelist and screenwriter

Santa Monica, Spring 2012

Series: Californication
Episode: “The Ride-Along” (Episode 5.05)
Air Date: February 5, 2012
Director: Millicent Shelton
Costume Designer: Peggy A. Schnitzer

Background

Two years before Ice Cube and Kevin Hart took their seats in a police car, Hank Moody joined unstable rapper Samurai Apocalypse (RZA) for an Santa Monica PD ride-along to prep for Sam’s new movie, Santa Monica Cop.

Writing a movie called Santa Monica Cop (no, it’s not supposed to be a very original concept) is an unexpected scenario for Californication‘s cynical, hard-drinking protagonist, but even more unexpected is the setting for the episode’s cold open: an L.A. gun range.

Hank isn’t much of a gun guy, but Sam is loving every bit of firing his chrome Desert Eagle down range. The episode’s titular ride-along finds Charlie Runkle joining the crew for a series of debauched sexual hijinks that became a hallmark of the show’s later seasons. (Hank counters Charlie’s insistence on riding along by saying “I feel like crushing one of your testicles right now.”)

What’d He Wear?

Hank’s black leather jacket is the same cool Dolce & Gabbana jacket that Duchovny first wore in the fifth season premiere “JFK to LAX” (Episode 5.01). Given that he likely lost most of his clothes when his apartment was set on fire in that episode, it makes sense that he would stick with the same one through most of this season. The soft lambskin jacket has a silver zip front with a shirt-style collar, slanted hand pockets, and silver-toned snaps on each cuff. The back is stitch-divided into three panels.

Hank evaluates Charlie as a law enforcement partner.

Since Dolce & Gabbana isn’t exactly a cheap brand, Moody aficionados can explore a replica of the jacket sold on Amazon, marketed by JJacket as the “Hank Moody Leather Jacket” and currently retailing for $135 (as of January 2016).

Hank’s dark gray cotton t-shirt would be a much simpler item to track down. Like all of his t-shirts, it has a crew neck and short sleeves, and it’s likely James Perse – still available as the “carbon pigment” jersey t-shirt at Nordstrom.

Doing what he does best.

Hank never deviates from his denim bootcut jeans, and a day at the range followed by a night in a cop car would be no reason to change. His jeans in “The Ride-Along” are a dark blue wash with the usual five-pocket layout and unused belt loops.

Hank hikes up his jeans during an intense night out with Charlie and Sam.

Throughout the fifth season, Hank’s go-to footwear are his tan suede Chelsea boots with black elastic side gussets, likely the Timberland “Torrance” model that he’d worn steadily since the first episode. Although the Torrance has been discontinued, some examples always show up on retailers like eBay, and Amazon also carries the latest generation of Timberland Chelsea boots: the Chestnut Ridge in dark brown oiled leather.

Hank goes from one kind of crazy to the next: from the violently paranoid Samurai Apocalypse to the unstable immodesty of literary rival Richard Bates (Jason Beghe).

If Hank were doing any shooting, the silver double-ridged ring on his trigger finger might have gotten in the way of his accuracy, but he leaves the actual gunplay to Sam. He also wears his usual black leather bracelets – one studded with snaps and the other braided and tied – on his left wrist.

Oop!

UrbanWrist sells fine reproductions of Hank’s bracelets in a $40 bundle pack.

How to Get the Look

Officer Moody reports for duty.

Hank Moody’s outfit in “The Ride-Along” (Episode 5.05) serves as a prototype for his base look in the show’s later seasons – a black leather jacket, gray t-shirt (rather than his usual black or blue from earlier seasons), dark jeans, and brown Chelsea boots.

• Black soft leather Dolce & Gabbana jacket with shirt-style collar, silver zip-front, slanted side pockets, and snap cuffs
• Dark gray cotton short-sleeve t-shirt
• Dark blue bootcut denim jeans
• Brown sueded leather Timberland “Torrance” slip-on Chelsea boots with black elastic side gussets
• Black socks
• Silver ring with two ridged bands, worn on the right index finger
• Black leather bracelet with silver hexagonal and round studs, snapped on the left wrist
• Thin black braided leather bracelet, also worn on the left wrist

The Gun

Samurai Apocalypse (RZA) chooses an IMI Desert Eagle Mark XIX as his character’s sidearm in Santa Monica Cop, and thus his day at the range with Hank Moody finds him firing a brushed chrome model. As a Californian, Sam may be using a DE44CA, the only Model XIX approved for dealer sales to the public in the state. Chambered for .44 Magnum as its name implies, the DE44CA differs from standard Mark XIX models with a firing-pin block incorporated in its design.

Sam admires his Desert Eagle.

The Desert Eagle has attained iconic status over the decades for its use as a powerful and flashy manstopper in movies and video games. The first model, Mark I, appeared on the market in 1983, chambered for the .357 Magnum which is typically only found in revolvers. Additional variants over the years meant more available calibers (.44 Magnum and the formidable .50 Action Express are still available; .41 Magnum and .440 Cor-Bon have been discontinued), and the most recent model – Mark XIX – was introduced in 1995 with the ability to change calibers by swapping out barrels.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the whole series. My favorites are the first and second seasons, but you’ll have to visit the fifth season to find this episode!

And do yourself the favor of always wearing proper eye and ear protection when you go shooting!

Safety first!

The Quote

So what’s the move here: good cop, bad cop, bald cop?

Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein in Casino (1995)

Vitals

Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, Vegas casino executive and mob associate

Las Vegas, Fall 1980

Film: Casino
Release Date: November 22, 1995
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Design: Rita Ryack & John A. Dunn

Background

Today’s Mafia Monday post is the final in a two-week streak where, for no reason at all, I chose only to feature movies and TV shows beginning with the letter “C”.

This scene in Casino finds Sam “Ace” Rothstein anxious waiting for his daughter’s return from the airport after she was kidnapped by her drug-addicted mother Ginger (Sharon Stone) and Ginger’s boyfriend and former pimp Lester (James Woods). After happily picking up his daughter and reluctantly greeting Ginger, the “happy” couple heads to Oscar’s Steakhouse at the Plaza Hotel for an attempted reconciliation dinner.

What’d He Wear?

Ace Rothstein’s plaid suit for his “reunion” with Ginger after she absconded with their daughter is one of the most vibrant of his many outfits in the whole movie, and it is sadly underfeatured given its uniqueness.

The silk suiting is a blue and muted hunter green large-scale plaid, boldly worn over a dark red silk monochromatic shirt and tie combo with a touch of red popping from the matching display kerchief. You know Ace is very proud of his suit, as he mocks Lester for his taste in clothing while driving Ginger to the restaurant:

First of all, he’s not gonna wear thousand dollar suits. But let’s say he did, which he won’t. How you gonna get fitted for twenty-five suits in three days? I mean, how could you get fitted that fast? I can’t get fitted that fast, and I pay twice as much.

Ace’s suit jacket, which evidently is part of his $2,000 suit, is single-breasted with the distinctive cran Necker-style fishmouth lapels seen on some of his other jackets earlier in the film such as his salmon pink jacket and his burnt orange jacket. The shoulders are wide and padded with roped sleeveheads. The two-button jacket has a welted breast pocket and hip pockets with pointed flaps. It appears to have a single button on each cuff and long double vents, similar to Ace’s other suit jackets.

The suit trousers have a darted or flat front with frogmouth pockets, a fitted waistband, and slightly flared plain-hemmed bottoms.

I’d hate to be the server that had to deal with their table that night.

Anto Beverly Hills designed all of De Niro’s beautiful silk shirts and ties in Casino, often based on the fabrics and designs specified by Ace’s real life counterpart, Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal. The shirt and tie in this scene were made from the same dark red silk with the shinier satin side used for the tie and the duller side used for the shirting. The shirt is very ’70s-inspired with its long point collar and distinctive single-button extended-tab cuffs developed by Ted Lapidus.

Earlier in the film, Ace wore this same red shirt and tie combination with an ivory Western-themed suit when confronting Ginger and Lester in a Vegas diner. In a post describing that suit, I suggested that perhaps Ace chose to wear that outfit again here to subtly remind Ginger about Lester’s violent treatment that afternoon…

“He’s lucky I didn’t kill him last time… lucky he’s fucking living. And if you had stayed with him, and you would have run away, you would have been dead, both of you. Dead! Dead!”
Ace isn’t one for polite dinner conversation.

Ace’s footwear is likely black leather loafers with dark socks, possibly black although Ace isn’t above popping some complementary colors into his hosiery. (Ibraheem Youssef’s distinctive poster illustrating all of Ace’s suits and odd jackets represents his shoes as burgundy, possibly to match the shirt.)

This is one of the few cold-weather outfits in the film as Ace sports the same black wool overcoat for the airport pickup as he does later over his red silk sportcoat. If it is the same jacket, it’s single-breasted with notch lapels, three buttons, a single vent, and wide, padded shoulders.

Ace goes from relief to rage.

But even if you bought him a watch, a really nice watch, one that he thought was nice – and he doesn’t know what the fuck a good watch is – so, you go, five, ten, twelve grand?

Ace can’t resist insulting Lester at every opportunity (and, given the circumstances, why should he resist?), and part of his cross-examination of Ginger includes trying to figure out how much the sleazy hustler would have spent on a watch. Ace’s own watch in this scene is likely one of the vintage Bueche Girod pieces sourced for the production, a flat yellow gold watch with a plain red square dial and gold link bracelet.

The colors of the wristwatch are nicely called out by his pinky ring, a 14-carat yellow gold ring with a ruby stone. Ace wears both the watch and ring on his right hand.

How to Get the Look

Ace livens up a somber dinner out with his bold blue, green, and red outfit… the perfect ensemble for a restaurant that prides itself on its “Beef, Booze, and Broads.”

• Blue-and-green plaid silk suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with fishmouth lapels, welted breast pocket, pointed-flap hip pockets, 1-button cuffs, and long double vents
  • Darted front trousers with fitted waistband, frogmouth front pockets, and slightly flared plain-hemmed bottoms
• Dark red dull silk dress shirt with large point collar, front placket, and 1-button “Lapidus” tab squared cuffs
• Dark red satin silk necktie
• Black leather apron-toe slip-on loafers with high vamps and raised heels
• Black dress socks
• Black wool single-breasted 3-button overcoat with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, hip pockets, single back vent
• Yellow gold wristwatch with a rectangular case, red dial, and flat link bracelet
• Yellow gold 14-carat pinky ring with ruby stone

For an added touch of bold luxury, Ace wears a dark red silk display kerchief to match his shirt and tie.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

You’re lookin’ at me a certain way. You – you’re teary-eyed, huh? You’re upset. You’re a good actress, you know that? Good fuckin’ actress.

Cary Grant as T.R. Devlin in Notorious (1946)

Vitals

Cary Grant as T.R. Devlin, American government agent

Miami and Rio de Janeiro, Spring 1946

Film: Notorious
Release Date: September 6, 1946
Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Background

It’s impossible to over-celebrate the elegant yet understated sartorialism of Cary Grant, born this day in 1904. One of my favorite of Grant’s movies is Notorious, the 1946 espionage adventure that paired him with Ingrid Bergman as a pair of American spies tasked with exposing Alexander Sebastian, a former Nazi played with charmingly evil affability by Claude Rains.

Notorious was the second collaboration between Grant and director Alfred Hitchcock, and it marked the start of a string of wildly successful and ultimately timeless movies that Hitch would direct over the next two decades. Grant and Bergman would also pair up again a dozen years later for Stanley Donen’s 1958 rom-com Indiscreet.

What’d He Wear?

T.R. Devlin’s main suit through most of Notorious is a sharp pinstripe suit in dark flannel, perhaps a bit warm for his tropical spring days and nights in Miami and Rio, but the perfect business suit for a 1940s G-man. Devlin’s suit is likely charcoal or dark gray, as a colorized photo suggests.

Grant’s suiting is best seen in close-up shots such as his car ride with Alicia (left).
A behind-the-scenes photo with Hitch and Ingrid colorizes Grant’s suit to a dark gray (right).

The long single-breasted suit jacket is typical of the ’40s drape cut with its full chest, ventless back, and wide, padded shoulders. The notch lapels roll down to a three-button front, of which Devlin always and correctly wears only the middle button fastened. The hip pockets are jetted and each sleeve ends with three buttons on the cuff.

Devlin suspects that something is amiss…

Devlin’s suit jacket has a welted breast pocket, where he occasionally wears a white or printed silk display kerchief that likely added a touch of color to the outfit.

A bolder pocket square for Devlin’s reintroduction to a drowsy Alicia.

The reverse-pleated trousers rise high on Grant’s waist to meet the tie blade under the jacket’s center button. The bottoms are finished with plain hems. An indication of Grant’s supreme tailoring is the relationship between the jacket’s waist button, trouser rise, and tie blade all coming together at the waist for a harmonious flow. All that is visible above the button is the shirt and tie, and only the trousers are visible below it. Well done, Cary Grant’s tailor.

A refreshing sight for a sartorialist.

Since Grant liked soft collars and was playing an American in Notorious, his white shirts all have button-down collars with the characteristically incongruous detail of French cuffs rather than button cuffs. These types of shirts, though rare, are still available from traditional clothiers like Brooks Brothers (such as this striped shirt…for $375!)

Details of Devlin’s shirt include a long-pointed button-down collar and wide front placket.

Devlin’s usual tie with this suit is very dark silk, likely black, tied in a four-in-hand knot.

Oh what fun!

One scene of Devlin meeting with his supervisor, Captain Paul Prescott (Louis Cahern), finds him wearing a dark repp tie with thick stripes that alternate between two dark shades, occasionally broken up by a much thinner white stripe. All stripes are in the English left shoulder-to-right hip direction. A colorized lobby card from the time of the film’s release presents this as a tie in duo shades of red and worn with a dark navy suit.

Devlin meets with Captain Prescott.

Another quick scene of Devlin and Captain Prescott includes the same suit and shirt with yet another striped tie, this one much lighter in color with double sets of thin white stripes, also in the left-down-to-right direction.

Devlin wears a pair of black leather derby shoes with socks much lighter in color than both the shoes and suiting, possibly a mid-gray.

If you think Cary’s too impatient here, just wait another ten years until Deborah Kerr stands him up on the top floor of the Empire State Building!

Cary Grant often wore a Cartier Tank in real life, and that may be the dark-strapped watch that he wears on his wrist in Notorious as well.

Too difficult to tell?

How to Get the Look

By the time of Notorious, Cary Grant was already a well-established enough star to incorporate his own style details into his character’s clothing, and this comfortable business suit is no exception.

• Charcoal pinstripe flannel suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 3-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
  • Single reverse-pleated high-rise trousers with side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms
• White cotton shirt with button-down collar, front placket, and double/French cuffs
• Black silk tie
• Black leather derby shoes/bluchers
• Gray socks
• Cartier Tank gold dress watch with square white dial on brown leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

Robert Redford as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby (1974)

Vitals

Robert Redford as Jay Gatsby, enigmatic millionaire and eager romantic

Long Island, NY, Summer 1925

Film: The Great Gatsby
Release Date: March 29, 1974
Director: Jack Clayton
Costume Designer: Theoni V. Aldredge

Background

Things are looking good for Jay Gatsby by the end of summer. He’s reunited with his former love, Daisy Buchanan (Mia Farrow), and – for better or worse – he’s established himself as the party king of West Egg. Sure, no one knows where his curiously vast fortune came from, but as long as he keeps the champagne flowing and hot jazz booming, no one cares either.

For his ultimate summer bash, Gatsby reaches across the bay to invite the Buchanans, but the adulterous cuckold Tom (Bruce Dern) is none too amused by this nouvreau riche showcase. Tom’s disapproval only fuels Gatsby as he and Daisy steal away for a few private moments during the party.

Despite his one-on-one time with Daisy, Gatsby is morose the next morning when surveying the remnants of his party with neighbor and confidante Nick Carraway (Sam Waterston).

Gatsby: Thank you for staying, Nick. She didn’t like it.
Nick: Of course she did.
Gatsby: She didn’t have a good time.

Ah, but just when you think Gatsby is realizing that his dream is over, the “eternal reassurance” that Fitzgerald described in his smile returns in an instant, now directed inward to allow Gatsby to reassure himself.

Gatsby: I’ll fix everything… Just the way it was before. She’ll see.
Nick: You can’t repeat the past.
Gatsby: Can’t repeat the past? Of course you can!

What’d He Wear?

This is Gatsby’s biggest part of the season, so he pulls out the stops to look as dashing as possible to impress Daisy (and subtly intimidate Tom) by upping his usual garden parties into a white tie affair. The classic evening tailcoat – when custom made and worn correctly – is one of the most flattering garments that a man can wear, and thus the perfect choice for a 1920s gentleman looking to impress a fashionable woman of means.

Gatsby’s evening tailcoat is midnight blue worsted wool with wide peak lapels faced in satin silk with no buttonhole. The only external pocket is a welted breast pocket where Gatsby wears a white linen display kerchief. The coat’s shoulders are wide and padded with heavily roped sleeveheads.

Like a proper dress coat, the psuedo double-breasted front isn’t meant to be closed, and the six buttons on the front (three on each side of the cutaway opening) are all covered in the same midnight satin as the lapel facings, as are the two decorative buttons over the tail vents in the back and the three ornamental buttons on each cuff.

Daisy and Gatsby are having far too much fun for Tom’s liking…

The waistcoat is the one place where personalization is most welcome in a white tie ensemble, providing that it is white and low-fastening, of course. Gatsby’s double-breasted waistcoat is white piqué with a cross-check pattern that provides additional contrast against his solid white shirt. The low opening is U-shaped rather than the traditional V-shape with slim shawl revers, eight silver-toned buttons (four to close), and a straight-cut bottom.

The thin gold chain of Gatsby’s pocketwatch is worn across his waist and through the second buttonhole with the watch itself in the left jetted pocket of his waistcoat.

Gatsby delights in introducing the cuckolded Tom as “Mr. Buchanan… the polo player.”

Gatsby wears forward-pleated formal trousers that appropriately match the midnight blue worsted dress coat. The trousers rise high with the waist unseen under his waistcoat, ending just above the bottom of the coat fronts and likely held up with white silk suspenders in keeping with white tie tradition. The side pockets are concealed along satin stripes which extend down the side of each leg to the plain-hemmed bottoms, although Gatsby often disregards the intent of this elegantly minimalist design by frequently placing his hands in his pockets.

Ever the gentleman, Gatsby looks just as ready for a party when cleaning up his previous soiree the next morning.

With its narrow pleated front, Gatsby’s white cotton formal shirt is more appropriate for black tie as white tie always calls for more formal and cleaner-looking starched bib. Gatsby’s shirt has a detachable wing collar with broad, pronounced wings. Three diamond studs are visible down the front placket above the opening of the waistcoat, although they don’t match the red oval cuff links (with silver trim) that he wears in his stiff single cuffs.

This is about as ’20s as it can get, folks.

Gatsby wears a butterfly-shaped white cotton piqué bow tie. Appropriately, the back band of the tie is concealed by the back collar of the dress coat. Because he’s no slouch, it’s a self-tied model that was likely custom made to perfectly fit Robert Redford’s neck.

Note the subtle piqué texture of Gatsby’s white cotton bow tie.

The scene mostly keeps Gatsby’s feet out of frame – the story is more advanced by his facial expressions that range from romantic joy to nostalgic sorrow – but he is almost definitely wearing black patent leather balmorals, the most formal practical footwear for white tie. Derby shoes are decidedly less formal and – pink suits aside – Gatsby isn’t enough of a dandy for court shoes or opera pumps. The glimpse we get of his black dress socks also rules out that he may be wearing dress boots.

Gatsby’s cuff links, pinky ring, and even socks can be spotted best when cleaning up with Nick the next morning.

Gatsby sports both of his rings during the party. On the third finger of his right hand is the silver ring that Robert Redford had received as a gift from Hopi tribesmen in 1966 and wears in almost all of his movies; his left pinky features an ornate gold ring with a dark green stone that evokes the light at the end of Daisy’s dock.

Go Big or Go Home

Thanks to Nelson Riddle’s orchestration, Gatsby’s parties always feature a festive soundtrack that immediately transports audiences back to a summer night during the early years of the roaring twenties. This party features “Whispering”, a 1920 ballad made famous by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra; “Charleston”, the classic 1923 dance hit that has become synonymous with the decade; and, perhaps chosen specifically by Gatsby for Daisy, the jazz standard “It Had to Be You”.

Likely the best known from that trio of songs, “It Had to Be You” was penned by Isham Jones in 1924 with lyrics by Gus Kahn. It was an immediate hit when released, and – like “Whispering” and “Charleston” – received the Paul Whiteman treatment to further popularize it. In the decades since, it has become a ballad of sweet romance in romantic comedies like Annie Hall (1977) and When Harry Met Sally… (1989). The Harry Connick Jr. version used as the theme in the latter was ranked #60 in AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs in 2004.

How to Get the Look

Gatsby’s approach to white tie is less formal than traditional sartorialists would prefer, but he is nouveau riche, so it should be expected that he would add some youthful flair to a classic ensemble.

• Midnight blue worsted wool six-button evening tailcoat with satin-faced peak lapels, welted breast pocket, satin-covered 3-button cuffs, and 2 decorative buttons over tail vents
• White cross-checked piqué double-breasted full-dress waistcoat with slim shawl revers, 8-on-4 silver-toned buttons, jetted pockets, and straight-cut bottom
• Midnight blue worsted wool forward-pleated formal trousers with straight/on-seam side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms
• White formal shirt with detachable wing collar, front placket with narrow pleats and diamond studs, and stiff single cuffs
• White textured cotton piqué self-tied bowtie
• Red enamel-faced oval cuff links with silver trim
• Black patent leather oxfords/balmorals
• Black dress socks
• Gold pocketwatch on thin gold chain, worn in waistcoat pocket
• Plain silver ring, worn on right ring finger
• Ornate gold ring with dark green stone, worn on left pinky

Gatsby doesn’t wear a boutonniere, instead opting for a white linen display kerchief in his breast pocket.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie and read the book – it’s one of my favorites!

If you’re interested in pursuing your own formal white tie ensemble, check out what the experts at Black Tie Guide have to say on the subject.

The Quote

Can’t repeat the past? Of course you can!

Gabriel Byrne as Tom Reagan in Miller’s Crossing (1990)

Vitals

Gabriel Byrne as Tom Reagan, pragmatic Irish mob fixer

Upstate New York, Fall 1929

Film: Miller’s Crossing
Release Date: September 21, 1990
Director: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Costume Designer: Aude Bronson-Howard

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Miller’s Crossing is one of my favorite Coen Brothers movies as well as one of my favorite crime films. Perhaps overshadowed the year it was released by higher pedigree mob flicks like Goodfellas and, uh, The Godfather Part III, the Coens’ neo-noir black comedy has gained a cult following in the years since for its spirited tribute to the works of Dashiell Hammett, particularly Red Harvest (1929) and The Glass Key (1931).

Roger Ebert even noted at the time of its release: “It is likely to be most appreciated by movie lovers who will enjoy its resonance with films of the past.”

The central mover-and-shaker in Miller’s Crossing is Tom Reagan, a slick Irish mob fixer whose influence comes from his subtlety. Unlike the two reigning mob bosses in the unnamed Prohibition-era town, Tom has no ambitions to be sitting in the top spot, but it is his machinations that drive the plot as he works each side against the other, a classic narrative structure also found in Yojimbo (1961), A Fistul of Dollars (1964), and Last Man Standing (1996).

What’d He Wear?

Tom Reagan wears two warm suits in Miller’s Crossing, both appropriate to the era as well as the climate in what appears to be a northeast American small town in late fall. The suit that gets the most screen time is a charcoal striped flannel three-piece suit.

Tom’s sense of sartorialism is certainly greater than that of the schlubby screaming pugilist seated behind him.

The single-breasted suit jacket has notch lapels – with a buttonhole through the left lapel – that roll to a two-button front. In addition to the welted breast pocket, Tom’s suit jacket has straight jetted hip pockets that may have flaps which are tucked into the pockets. The back is ventless. The straight shoulders are roped at the sleeveheads, and each sleeve ends with three buttons on the cuff.

Leo’s office is one of the few places where Tom actually takes off his coat (without taking off his jacket and shirt as well!)

Tom wears his matching suit vest with all five buttons fastened, even the lowest button over the notched bottom. The vest has two lower welted pockets.

By the late 1920s, it was typically customary to wear the lowest waistcoat button unfastened to avoid bunching at the bottom… Tom didn’t get the memo.

Unlike most suits featured on this blog, we get much better looks at the trousers than the jacket as Tom has a tendency for not wearing the suit’s jacket and waistcoat without sporting his overcoat as well.

The trousers have double forward pleats and an appropriately high rise that buries the waistband under the waistcoat when the suit is worn as a whole. There are no belt loops or adjusters on the waistband, just buttons along the inside that fasten to his suspenders’ ear tabs for a clean look. (His other trousers, part of his taupe tweed suit, have buttons along the outside of the waistband. That suit will be the focus of a future post.)

The only back pocket is a jetted right-side pocket that closes through a button, and each side pocket is open along the side seams. When fully dressed, Tom wears his keys in the left-side pocket with a long silver chain.

The back of the trousers is split with a small fishmouth notch that divides each inner button that connects to his suspenders. About an inch or so below that is a cinch adjuster loop with a buckle, a period detail found on many suits of the 1920s. The bottoms are finished with cuffs.

Tom kicks back in his trousers at home.

Tom’s suspenders (aka braces) are tan fabric with olive brown stripes; there is a thick stripe near each edge of the suspenders with two thinner broken stripes between them. They have silver metal sliding adjusters in the front and a black leather back patch that matches the black leather double ear tabs that connect to the buttons along the front and back of his inner trouser waistband.

Tom has a habit of lounging around his apartment in his suit trousers and undershirt, a beige cotton long-sleeve henley with a three-button placket and a wide, reinforced crew-neck collar. The henley shirt is oversized with his shoulder seams falling off the shoulders to well down his biceps.

One of many lonely nights with only an endless supply of cigarettes and a striped pair of suspenders to keep Tom company.

Tom has a clear preference for lighter blue striped shirts, wearing a few with this suit and one that alternates with other more colorful shirts with his taupe tweed suit. His main shirt, worn in many scenes – including Tom’s first appearance – consists of tonal blue stripes against a periwinkle ground. It has a point collar, squared button cuffs, and a breast pocket.

The opening scene also features Tom’s first tie, a green silk tie with scattered yellow ovals split in the center with a short red line.

Tom takes the first of many – and I mean many – swallows of whiskey.

Tom’s other shirt, which makes a brief appearance with his first tie and is worn again during the final scene at Bernie’s funeral, is periwinkle striped cotton like the other shirt but with light blue stripes bisected by a muted red stripe.

As opposed to the all-blue striped shirt, this one has a muted red stripe.

The second tie that Tom wears with this suit – when he is getting beat up by Leo and again for Bernie’s funeral – is deco-patterned silk with a pattern resembling indigo-colored amoebic floral bursts with white borders on a dark purple ground.

Tom’s “amoeba tie” is best seen just before Leo gives him the kiss-off.

Returning to the nightclub later (even though he’s persona non grata), Tom wears a more conventional foulard tie with alternating navy and olive cross-checked boxes, all with red dots in the center.

Finally, when Tom confronts Bernie in his apartment hallway toward the end, he wears a duo-toned tie comprised of an interlocking pattern of orange shapes connected by a red grid that zig-zags down the tie.

Tom sports some colorfully patterned ties through the latter half of Miller’s Crossing.

Tom wears a pair of dark brown leather cap-toe oxfords with gray striped dress socks that nicely continue the color and pattern of the trouser down the leg line and into his shoes.

Tom kicks back in Leo’s office.

Tom spends much of the film wearing a knee-length double-breasted overcoat in brown diagonal-ribbed flannel. The coat has wide peak lapels, detailed with swelled edges, felt under the collar, and a buttonhole through each lapel. It has a six-button (two to close) front, padded shoulders, turned-back gauntlet cuffs with no buttons, and a belted back over the single vent. Tom’s coat has a welted breast pocket and straight flapped hip pockets.

When surrounded by so many disappointing faces in the middle of the woods, Tom is always wise to be on his guard.

“There’s nothing more foolish than a man chasing after his own hat,” Tom concludes after recalling his recurring dream, and yet who is Tom Reagan without his trusty fedora? Tom’s felt hat is a rich dark brown, like his coat, with a pinched crown, wide black grosgrain band, and brown grosgrain edges.

The life of a noir hero.

Tom wears an ornately engraved silver ring throughout the film, although – unlike many movie gangsters – he opts to wear it on the third finger of his right hand rather than his pinky. Further up his right arm, he wears a round-cased steel wristwatch with an off-white dial on a black leather strap.

Tom wears both his ring and watch on his right hand.

Tom’s Dressing Gown

When receiving late night visitors, Tom has the decency to cover up his big, dirty undershirt by slipping into a luxurious navy blue printed paisley silk dressing gown with shawl lapels and turnback cuffs both faced in solid navy satin.

Tom lounges comfortably around his house.

There may be some significance in the fact that the pragmatic, rational Tom wears a cool-tinted blue robe compared to the fiery red robe worn by the hot-blooded, impulsive Leo… right?

How to Get the Look

Tom dresses practically and warmly for his profession and setting, but his ties especially allow for some subtle creativity.

• Charcoal striped flannel three-piece suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
  • Single-breasted 5-button vest with two welted pockets and notched bottom
  • Double forward-pleated high-rise trousers with straight/on-seam side pockets, jetted button-through back right pocket, adjuster cinch back loop, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Periwinkle blue cotton striped dress shirt with point collar, breast pocket, and squared button cuffs
• Deco-patterned printed silk tie
• Tan fabric suspenders with brown stripes, silver adjusters, and black leather ear tabs
• Dark brown leather cap-toe balmorals/oxfords
• Gray striped dress socks
• Beige cotton long-sleeve henley undershirt with 3-button placket
• Brown diagonal-ribbed flannel knee-length overcoat with peak lapels, 6-on-2-button double-breasted front, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, turnback gauntlet cuffs, belted back, and single rear vent
• Dark brown felt fedora with wide black grosgrain ribbon
• Silver etched ring
• Steel round-cased wristwatch with round off-white dial on black leather strap

The Gun

I’ve seen it identified as both an Official Police and a Police Positive, but I believe that Tom’s bedside Colt revolver is actually a .32-caliber Colt Pocket Positive, similar to the one later seen in the hands of Verna Birnbaum (and possibly intended to be the same gun.) The Pocket Positive is a practical choice for Tom, who would favor functionality over flash despite the many interesting and lesser-seen period firearms in Miller’s Crossing like the Astra 400 and CZ-27 pistols.

Tom quickly grabs his Colt after Bernie Birnbaum returns to life. Note the key chain next to it; this is typically worn on his trousers with the keys tucked into his left side pocket.

Though only briefly seen, I deduce the revolver to be a Pocket Positive due to the pre-1927 black hard rubber grips (ruling out the Official Police) and the 2.5″ barrel with its rounded front sight. Tom’s Pocket Positive revolver has a smaller frame than the otherwise cosmetically similar .45-caliber Colt New Service that Leo keeps on his bedside table (and draws in a similarly quick shot when assassins enter his home.)

Introduced in 1905 as an evolution of the Colt New Police, the Colt Pocket Positive was also a favored sidearm of J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover was presented with his nickel-plated .32 New Police model with its two-inch “snub nose” barrel in 1938, two years before Colt ended production of the Pocket Positive. Hoover would keep his revolver – serial #157299 – in his desk drawer for much of the career, an unsecured place for a firearm but decidedly safer than out on his nightstand.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

Is there a point… or are you just brushin’ up on your small talk?

Sam Neill as Sidney Reilly in Reilly: Ace of Spies (Episode 10: “The Trust”)

Vitals

Sam Neill as Sidney Reilly, shrewd anti-Bolshevik and former British agent

New York City and London, Fall 1924

Series: Reilly: Ace of Spies
Episode: “The Trust” (Episode 10)
Air Date: November 2, 1983
Director: Martin Campbell
Costume Designer: Elizabeth Waller

Background

Throwback Thursday is always a great opportunity for BAMF Style to revisit Reilly: Ace of Spies, the fictionalized miniseries that depicts the life of Sidney Reilly, an early 20th century master of deception. This post will examine Reilly’s frequent wearing of black lounge, a semi-formal day dress known in the U.S. as a “stroller”. Black lounge makes quite a few appearances in the latter episodes, first seen for Reilly’s day in London court in “After Moscow” (Episode 9) and, finally, during his third and final wedding in “The Last Journey” (Episode 11).

The tenth episode, “The Trust”, finds erstwhile government agent Reilly in New York City, desperately trying to finance his friend Boris Savinkov’s anti-Boleshevik movement. Part of Reilly’s fundraising includes selling off his vast collection of antiques, art, and priceless Napoleona… all while being courted by a secretive Russian organization known as The Trust.

We assume Reilly is acting independently with his government ties cut behind him, but then – ah! – he has a meeting with Commander Cummings (played by the great Norman Rodway and based on MI6’s first chief, Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming, who had died the previous year in real life.) In addition to informing the audience that Reilly is still in the employ of the British secret service, this meeting also wraps up the Zinoviev letter, a controversial document that was 1924’s answer to today’s “fake news”. The real Reilly’s involvement in the authorship of the Zinoviev letter, while suspected, has never been totally proving… contributing further to his mysterious legend.

What’d He Wear?

Black lounge is certainly a throwback look, recalling the days of the early 20th century when gentlemen took it upon themselves to bridge the gap between full formal and informal daytime occasions with a new style of semi-formal dress for both professional and non-professional occasions. It takes full morning dress down a formal step with a black lounge coat rather than a tailcoat.

Black lounge guidelines are relatively loose, dictating a waistcoat in matching black or a contrasting shade of buff yellow or dove gray. The dove gray trousers may be solid, but stripes and checks are also accepted. Given the outfit’s suggested formality, black lounge calls for white shirts and well-shined black oxfords.

Reilly wears a black worsted single-breasted lounge coat with peak lapels and a single-button closure. It has padded shoulders with roped sleeveheads, and each sleeve ends with a turned back gauntlet cuff and a single button. The production quality of the 1983 series makes it difficult to ascertain some details of the jacket, but it appears to correctly be ventless with jetted hip pockets. The white linen display kerchief in his welted breast pocket is an optional but certainly accepted affectation for black lounge.

Reilly lights up in Cummings’ office.

Although contrasting waistcoats are also acceptable for black lounge, Reilly wears a black single-breasted vest with six buttons from the notched bottom up to the appropriately high-fastening opening. The stripes of white cloth piped along the top edges of the waistcoat are known as slips and, according to Morning Dress Guide, are designed to “create the impression of an under-waistcoat.” Read more at The Fedora Lounge.

See the white “V” bordering the opening of Reilly’s waistcoat? Now you know what waistcoat slips are.

Reilly appropriately wears gray wool trousers, although we never get a close enough look to see if there is any pattern or stripe. His trousers have double reverse pleats, straight side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms. They are likely worn with suspenders.

At first glance, Reilly and his butler appear to be dressed identically with black coats, wing collars, and dark ties, but the details – and contrasting gray trousers – of Reilly’s outfit set him apart.

Reilly’s outfit is mostly dated by his choice of wearing a four-in-hand tie with a wing collar. This would have still been popular around the early 1920s, but black lounge was eventually segmented into four-in-hand ties with turndown collars (as Ronald Reagan wore for his 1981 presidential inauguration) or day cravats with wing collars (as my dad wore for his 1982 wedding). Reilly would update his look the following year, in “The Last Journey” (Episode 11), with a turndown collar dress shirt and four-in-hand ties, as explored below.

In addition to the detachable wing collar, Reilly’s white cotton formal shirt has a plain front with mother-of-pearl buttons and double cuffs with flat metal links. His black tie, secured by a silver horseshoe-shaped tie pin about two inches below the knot, has thin white hairline stripes in the classic British left shoulder-to-right hip direction.

Cigarettes look cool even when they’re not being smoked. A good lesson for us all.

The formality of the outfit calls for the most formal shoe, so Reilly’s black plain-toe lace-ups are likely patent leather oxfords. The traditional hosiery is black silk, and that may be Reilly’s sock of choice here.

In both “After Moscow” (Episode 9) and “The Trust” (Episode 10), Reilly’s preferred and correct footwear appears to be well-polished black lace-ups.

Most of Reilly’s black lounge appearances are set in the fall, necessitating a warm overcoat. Reilly thus wears a black wool knee-length overcoat with notch lapels and a belt. The left chest has a jetted pocket that slants toward the center in addition to a slanted flapped pocket on each hip.

Reilly keeps extra warm by donning a heavy wool overcoat and standing next to a fire.

Briefly seen, Reilly also wears black leather gloves for driving.

Reilly takes Eugenie for a ride… although it ends on a decidedly more positive note than the one-way ride she takes toward the end of the episode.

Reilly’s final outerwear accessory in “The Trust” (Episode 10) is a black-and-cream checked silk scarf, worn loosely around his neck.

Reilly shows Eugenie his piece.

Fashionably ahead of his time, Reilly abandons his pocket watch after his Russian escapades and begins wearing a wristwatch with everything from casual sweaters to black tie. His gold tank watch has a white square dial and a black leather strap.

Reilly’s tank watch is best seen as he embraces his pal Savinkov in “After Moscow” (Episode 9).

In Other Episodes

Reilly’s black lounge in the previous episode, “After Moscow” (Episode 9), is similar but with a narrower tie in solid black. Reilly also wore a more formal white silk scarf and a black homburg, also appropriate for black tie.

The context of this episode is an inquiry into Reilly’s Russian operation after he returned to London shortly before the end of World War I in November 1918.

“After Moscow” (Episode 9)

For Reilly’s wedding to Pepita Bobadilla in “The Last Journey” (Episode 11), Reilly again wears his single-breasted black lounge coat but with a dove gray vest, gray striped tie, and white shirt with a turndown collar. These accepted variations of black lounge are also more commonly seen with modern interpretations.

Another scene later in “The Last Journey” finds Reilly wearing the same single-breasted stroller and turndown collar shirt fro his wedding but with the white-slipped black waistcoat and black-and-white striped tie featured in today’s post.

Reilly and Captain George Hill (Hugh Fraser, also known to audiences as Captain Hastings in Poirot.)

Black lounge has fallen considerably from popularity since Reilly’s day and has often been used as a costuming cue to denote a stubborn, stodgy, or old-fashioned character. Even by the time of It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), the miserly Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) was portrayed wearing nothing but black lounge; like Reilly, Potter’s waistcoat had white slips.

More information about black lounge can be found in Black Tie Guide’s Morning Dress section or on Wikipedia’s stroller entry.

How to Get the Look

Sidney Reilly’s traditional black lounge in the latter episodes of Reilly: Ace of Spies serve to note not only the fashions of the setting but also to establish Reilly’s societal position as he has matured in the decades since the first episode.

• Black worsted wool single-breasted 1-button lounge coat with peak lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 1-button turnback cuffs, and ventless back
• Black single-breasted 6-button waistcoat with white slips and notched bottom
• Gray wool double reverse-pleated trousers with straight/on-seam side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms
• White cotton formal shirt with wing collar, plain front, and double/French cuffs
• Black tie with thin white left-down-to-right stripes, tied in four-in-hand knot
• Silver horseshoe-shaped tie pin
• Black patent leather plain-toe balmorals/oxfords
• Black silk dress socks
• Gold tank watch with white square dial on black leather strap
• Black wool single-breasted knee-length overcoat with notch lapels, slanted jetted breast pocket, slanted flapped hip pockets, belt, and single vent
• Black-and-cream checked silk scarf
• Black leather gloves

Although not needed for correct black lounge, Reilly wears a white linen display kerchief in his stroller’s breast pocket. He also wears a black homburg atop his head in an earlier episode, “After Moscow” (Episode 9).

The Gun

While giving his duplicitous new secretary, Eugenie (Eleanor David), a brief tour of his New York home, Reilly pauses to show her where he keeps his sidearm, a 9mm Browning Hi-Power semi-automatic pistol. As this is an anachronism, it’s likely meant to stand in for the cosmetically similar M1911 pistol, also designed by John Browning.

“You know how to use one of these things? I always keep it handy… you never know when they may decide to pay us a visit.”

Though John Browning had filed a patent for the Hi-Power in 1923, a year before this scene is set, the design wasn’t completed and the pistol wasn’t produced until more than a decade later when it was adopted for Belgian military service as the Browning P-35. Sadly, Browning never lived to see the finalization of the pistol that would become famous as Serpico’s sidearm of choice; he died in 1926.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the series. This outfit is featured throughout the tenth episode, “The Trust”, although Reilly’s black lounge ensembles are also featured in “After Moscow” (Episode 9) and “The Last Journey” (Episode 11).

The Quote

In that case, Commander… you’re in trouble.

Robert Redford as Bob Woodward in All the President’s Men (1976)

Vitals

Robert Redford as Bob Woodward, investigative journalist for The Washington Post

Washington, D.C., late summer 1972

Film: All the President’s Men
Release Date: April 9, 1976
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Costume Supervisor: Bernie Pollack

Background

Bob Woodward had only been at The Washington Post for nine months when he received an assignment in June 1972 to look into the arrests of five men who had been caught breaking into the DNC office at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. As the story continued to build over the following months, Woodward and Carl Bernstein relentlessly investigated for a series of Post articles that would expose an unprecedented level of government corruption that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

August 1974 saw not only Nixon’s resignation but also delivery of the first draft of William Goldman’s screenplay adaptation of All the President’s Men, Woodward and Bernstein’s written account of their reporting. Several drafts and newsroom visits later, filming began in D.C. with Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein and Robert Redford as Woodward. Although the book covered the duration of Nixon’s presidency until his eventual resignation, the film ends with Nixon’s scandal-tarnished second inauguration in January 1973, an effectively eerie finale that reinforces the significance of media persistence and government transparency.

As controversy swirls around media relations in the wake of “fake news”, Woodward and Bernstein’s work with The Washington Post remains a sterling example of the importance of dedicated journalists and a free press.

What’d He Wear?

As a tireless reporter working full shifts in the newsroom and taking late night meetings in parking garages over the course of a hot D.C. summer, Bob Woodward would have benefited from clothing bridging the gap of professionalism and comfort. Redford’s Woodward has a habit of mixing the elements of his outfits, mostly earth-toned jackets and trousers with blue patterned shirts and dark ties, all worn with the same brown belt, brown bluchers, and black socks for a realistic degree of interconnectedness.

One of Woodward’s jackets is a  beige sportcoat in a lightweight cotton that wrinkles easily, visually establishing Woodward’s hardworking reputation.The notch lapels are appropriately wide for the ’70s without stretching too far into disco width, and the edges are swelled. The single-breasted front closes with two buttons, which Redford typically wears open, and there are three buttons on the end of each sleeve.

In addition to the welted breast pocket, the sport jacket has patch pockets on the hips with squared flaps. The shoulders are padded, and the back is split with a long single vent.

A tense elevator ride leads to an office breakthrough.

The shirt that Redford most frequently wears with this jacket is navy and gold check over a white ground, worn with a wide navy textured tie in a four-in-hand knot. The navy check and tie nicely interact while the shirt’s gold interacts with the earth tones of both this outfit and the light brown pinwale suit that he also wears. The shirt has a spread collar with long points, front placket, breast pocket, and rounded single-button cuffs that he often wears rolled up his forearm for long days in the office.

Woodward briefs his editors after his first meeting with “Deep Throat”.

Woodward wears a different checked shirt for brief later scene that finds Woodward and Bernstein chatting with executive editor Ben Bradlee (Jason Robards). The details and fit of the shirt are the same but with a smaller scaled blue check. He also wears a different tie, comprised of navy-dotted cream ovals over an old gold ground.

Working hard.

Woodward typically wears a pair of olive brown cotton chino trousers with this sportcoat. They have on-seam side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms. The belt loops accommodate a wide brown leather belt with a steel single-prong buckle.

Woodward and Bernstein are all smiles when they pop into Ben Bradlee’s office…

As the weather gets cooler when the investigation extends into the fall, Woodward sticks with brown trousers but swaps out the olive chinos for a pair of darker brown flat front corduroys, worn with the same belt.

…although meetings with Bradlee don’t always tend to end with Woodward and Bernstein smiling.

A brief scene that provides some comic relief finds Woodward and Bernstein visiting someone they believe to be a cooperative employee of the Committee to Re-elect the President but turns out to be a similarly-named woman in fervent support of their investigation. For this visit, Woodward wears a pair of navy blue flat front trousers with plain-hemmed short break bottoms that nicely showcase his brown leather plain-toe derby shoes that match his mid-brown leather belt.

“Oh, I don’t work at the Committee to Re-elect the President. I work at Garfunkel’s… in the accounting department.”
Woodward and Bernstein’s promising lead, though courteous, turns out to be a dud.

Woodward seems to wear exclusively black socks despite the color of his trousers. As Hardy Amies observed in his 1964 ABC of Men’s Fashion: “Young men often wear black socks with almost everything. I do not find this objectionable. It has a rather pleasant insouciant air.”

Both of his onscreen accessories are Robert Redford’s own personal items. On the third finger of his right hand, he wears the silver imprinted ring that he received as a gift from representatives of the Hopi tribe in 1966 and has appeared in most of his movies. He also wears his own stainless steel Rolex Submariner 1680 that he wore in many of his 1970s films, including The Candidate (1972).

While I don’t believe that Woodward’s watch at the time was a Rolex (just from looking at contemporary photos), he certainly adopted wearing what appears to be a two-tone DateJust later in life.

Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, respectively, in All the President’s Men (1976)

How to Get the Look

As Bob Woodward, Robert Redford finds an intersection of professional and comfortable that also rings very true for a young, ambitious, and hardworking reporter in the 1970s.

• Beige cotton single-breasted 2-button sportcoat with wide notch lapels, welted breast pocket, flapped patch pockets, 3-button cuffs, and long single vent
• White, navy, and gold checked cotton shirt with long-pointed spread collar, front placket, breast pocket, and button cuffs
• Navy textured tie
• Olive brown flat front cotton chino trousers with belt loops, straight/on-seam side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Wide brown leather belt with tall squared steel single-prong buckle
• Brown leather 3-eyelet plain-toe bluchers/derby shoes
• Black socks
• Silver Hopi ring with black imprint, worn on right ring finger
• Rolex Submariner 1680 stainless steel wristwatch with black bezel, black dial, and steel link bracelet

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie and read Bernstein and Woodward’s book!

The Quote

The money’s the key to whatever this is.

Blogging is hard work, but the much-appreciated support, encouragement, and feedback from my readers makes it all worth while!

If you’re willing and able, please consider supporting BAMF Style on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/bamfstyle.

Certain levels of financial support get special perks (A hand-drawn guy in a suit! A random vintage tie! Sneak peeks at new posts!), but please know that any and all support is always appreciated by yours truly.

If you think that I’m selling out, then please feel free to roll your eyes but still explore the many great artists at patreon.com who could always use help to support their creative efforts!

Thank you!

Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in Ray (2004)

Vitals

Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles, groundbreaking R&B musician

Indianapolis, Fall 1961

Film: Ray
Release Date: October 29, 2004
Director: Taylor Hackford
Costume Designer: Sharen Davis

Background

On a suggestion from a great reader of this blog, I revisited Jamie Foxx’s Academy Award-winning performance as Ray Charles in 2004’s Ray and noticed the abundance of excellent period costumes that Foxx wears as the titular virtuoso.

In addition to Foxx’s Oscar for acting, the 2005 Academy Awards also gave a well-deserved nod to costume designer Sharen Davis, who beautifully recreated the era through Ray’s natty attire both on and off the stage. One outfit that particularly stood out was the black satin-trimmed stage suit in blue flecked silk that Ray wears during a couple of early 1960s gigs across the Midwest.

The outfit is showcased during the opening credits, set against Charles’ improvised 1959 hit single “What’d I Say?”

What’d He Wear?

Likely inspired by something worn by the real Ray Charles, the costume was nicely brought to life on screen from the initial sketches, which can be found here.

The styling details of Ray’s blue silk suit would technically place it in the realm of a dinner suit or tuxedo, but the flashy suiting makes it far more appropriate for a vibrant stage performance. In addition to the black satin silk piping, Ray’s blue silk suiting has a subtle fleck that suggests shantung silk.

Ray belts out “Unchain My Heart” for adoring fans in Indianapolis.

The blue stage jacket is single-breasted with a single-button closure that is covered in the same black satin silk as the piping on the shawl collar, cuffs, and pockets. The breast pocket and hip pockets are all welted with a strip of black satin piping across the straight top openings, and the breast pocket is further accented with a black silk display kerchief.

The cuffs have no buttons but have a strip of black satin piping – the same width as the lapel piping – a few inches up the sleeve. The sleeveheads are roped and the shoulders are padded. The long double vents allow Ray to sit at the piano more comfortably while still wearing his jacket buttoned.

Different vibes after and before the show.

Very little is seen of Ray’s stage suit trousers, but they appear to have flat fronts and plain-hemmed bottoms that break high over his shoes. Interestingly, they do not have the black satin side striping that would follow the “creative black tie” approach to this stage suit and also continue the stylistic themes of the jacket.

Ray brings the house down.

As his ensemble is essentially a dinner suit, Ray appropriately wears a white formal tuxedo shirt with narrow pleats on the front.

Ray wisely keeps his shirt buttoned up for his stage appearance, but his casual post-show look reveals his white sleeveless undershirt.

Ray wears a set of round black cuff links with gold edge trim that nicely match the shirt studs.

Ray pounds the keys of his black Baldwin piano during a 1962 gig in St. Louis.

Ray Charles was famous for fining his band mates $50 if they showed up without a bow tie, but Ray also often sported a much less frequently seen type of neckwear that resembled a silk strip that fastened under the collar with a single stud. The effect is similar to an untied batwing-shaped bow tie worn wrapped under the collar. This particular and peculiar neckwear recalls pioneering jazz musicians of the post-Edwardian era, such as the Original Dixieland Jass Band.

In these scenes, Ray’s neckwear is black silk with a gold-trimmed round pearl stud.

The opening credits provide some great close-ups of Ray’s blue stage suit, including his distinctive tie…

The only close thing I’ve been able to track down online is this item, unhelpfully described as “Women Pure Pattern Press Stud Button Pre-tie Nylon Neck Tie Neckwear”… so if anyone knows any detail at all about this interesting type of neckwear, please let me know! It also resembles the black neck tab worn by female service members in the U.S. military with dress uniforms.

Ray’s footwear is much more common than his neckwear, as he wears a pair of black leather oxfords with five eyelets and no back quarters. His ribbed socks are also black.

Ray’s footwear also gets some attention during the opening credits. You couldn’t ask for a better shot of his oxfords… except maybe without the “Baldwin Entertainment” credit getting in the way.

Sunglasses are an essential part of Ray Charles’ image. The tortoise-framed sunglasses worn by Jamie Foxx as Ray were auctioned by Nate D. Sanders as part of the “Entertainment, Sports, and Presidential Auction” in April 2014 with a starting price of $1,250. The lot describes these particular sunglasses as: “Tortoiseshell color glasses by Beausoleil feature print on the inside left temple. Hand made in France. Measures 5.5″ across and 4.5″ from the lenses to the bend of the earpiece.”

The distinctive Beausoleil triple dots can be clearly seen on the temples of Ray’s sunglasses as he plays in Indianapolis.

Ray’s wristwatch with this outfit is only briefly glimpsed on his right wrist, but it appears to not be the same steel Raketa with a flip cover and brown leather strap that he wore during a few earlier sequences set during the 1950s. Instead, Ray’s stage watch appears to be a more traditional yellow gold dress watch with a light-colored dial.

Ray’s watch is seen in the opening credits, reflected in the lenses of his sunglasses.

How to Get the Look

“The inimitable Ray Charles, clad in immaculate electric-blue suits and wrap around glasses, embodied the most rakish qualities; a life of sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ soul. His strength and sophistication were born from unconventional beginnings,” wrote Dolores Carbonari for The Rake in July 2016.

• Blue shantung silk stage suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 1-button jacket with black satin-piped shawl lapels, black satin-welted breast pocket, black satin-welted straight hip pockets, black satin-piped cuffs, and double back vents
  • Flat front trousers with plain-hemmed bottoms
• White cotton formal shirt with spread collar, narrow-pleated front, front placket, and double/French cuffs
  • Black gold-trimmed round studs
  • Black gold-trimmed round cuff links
• Black satin silk neckwear
  • Pearl gold-trimmed round stud
• Black leather cap-toe 5-eyelet oxfords/balmorals
• Black ribbed socks
• White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt/A-shirt
• Beausoleil tortoiseshell sunglasses
• Yellow gold wristwatch with light dial

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie and pick up a few of Ray’s albums to familiarize yourself with “The Genius”.

The Lyric

♫ Why lead me through a life of misery
When you don’t care a bag of beans for me ♫

Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein in Casino (1995)

Vitals

Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, Vegas casino executive and mob associate

Las Vegas, Spring 1973

Film: Casino
Release Date: November 22, 1995
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Design: Rita Ryack & John A. Dunn

Background

Aren’t you gettin’ tired of all this shit? Bangin’ around, hustlin’ around?

Ah, yes. The words that every woman loves to hear.

BAMF Style is kicking off the annual Week of Weddings with a proposal. Sam “Ace” Rothstein, the analytical gambler played by Robert De Niro in 1995’s Casino, is at the top of his game by 1973 with a top job at the Stardust Tangiers casino in Las Vegas, an endless array of loud and custom tailored suits, sport jackets, and shirts, and a beautiful – albeit troubled – ex-hustler named Ginger (Sharon Stone) on his arm.

Ace sets aside his excessive pragmatism for a romantic setting when he decides to propose to Ginger. The two are enjoying beautiful penthouse views of the lights of a Las Vegas night and the slow, easy sounds of Dinah Washington crooning “Unforgettable” when Ace pitches her the idea of marrying him, ultimately making it sound like more of a business investment than a romantic connection. Oh, Ace.

What’d He Wear?

Ace takes a debonair approach to his proposal, wearing a red silk dressing gown with gold pin-dots and deep burgundy piping on the edges of the shawl lapels and on the cuffs. If it’s styled like his other robes, it also has patch pockets on the hips and left breast as well as a sash that’s tied around his waist.

Ace seems to think that a red and pink outfit will hit all the romantic notes needed to make Ginger fall in love.

The light pink striped shirt was one of many made by Anto Beverly Hills for Robert De Niro to wear in Casino, made in Swiss cotton and distinctively detailed with a long “1977” point collar and single-button “Lapidus” tab cuffs. Both the plain front and cuff tabs fasten with pink plastic buttons.

Note the two-toned light pink shirt stripes with the paler pink stripe bisected by a thin, richer pink stripe.

A quick “bird’s eye” establishing shot that opens the scene reveals that Ace is wearing light pink trousers. Since he’s wearing a dress shirt, he’s likely wearing actual trousers rather than the pajama pants he sports with his “John Barrymore” pink robe later in the film. These are probably the same light pink trousers worn with the pink sweater-and-shirt ensemble when meeting with federal agents on his golf course, as he is definitely wearing the same shirt from that scene. In that case, these would have a flat front and plain-hemmed bottoms and almost definitely the same fitted waistband and frogmouth front pockets as many of his other ’70s trousers.

These may be the same pair of “pink silk pants” that is cataloged as #1273 in the collection at The University of Texas at Austin’s Harry Ransom Center.

With a view like that, a proposal would be hard to resist.

Slippers would make the most sense in this context, so Ace is very likely wearing the same black velvet “Prince Albert” slippers – noted in the collection as Neiman Marcus slippers with a gold beaded “embellishment” on the vamp and – that he wears when Ginger later asks him for money before sneaking out to meet Lester at a diner.

Ace’s only visibly jewelry in this scene is the yellow gold 14-carat ring on his right pinky, boasting an emerald-cut diamond set in a geometric polished shank.

Ace retreats to his usual comfort zone, puffing on a cigarette, when Ginger shows reluctance to marry him.

Despite Ace’s problematic proposal, Ginger eventually agrees and the next scene finds these two crazy kids actually getting married. Curious what he wore for the nuptials? Check out my 2013 post here.

Go Big or Go Home

The one thing Ace does right during his botched proposal to Ginger is set the mood. The views from his penthouse, ostensibly on the top floor of the Stardust Hotel and Casino, are spectacular at night. His romantic choice of music is also perfect.

Frequently associated with Nat King Cole, “Unforgettable” was written by Irving Gordon and published in 1951 after Gordon’s publishers wisely convinced him to change the title from “Uncomparable”. Nat King Cole recorded his first version of the song that year, using an arrangement by Nelson Riddle. The song was a romantic standard over the next few decades, recorded by artists ranging from Marvin Gaye and Sammy Davis Jr. to Aretha Franklin and Cole himself, who re-recorded it in 1961 for The Nat King Cole Story. In 1991, Cole’s original recording was edited and remixed to create a posthumous duet with his daughter, Natalie, and the new recording won three Grammy Awards the following year; the original 1951 recording would later be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000.

One of the most notable versions to be recorded was Dinah Washington’s rendition, recorded in 1959 as a single and re-released two years later on an album of the same name. The song was just as popularly associated with her, and Aretha Franklin even titled her 1964 Dinah Washington tribute album Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington. Washington’s version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.

How to Get the Look

Ace dresses the part of a suave, romantic gentleman… but his efforts are wasted by neither him nor Ginger being the right person for that moment.

• Red silk dressing gown/robe with gold pin-dots, burgundy piped shawl lapels, patch pockets on left breast and hips, and tied waist sash
• Light pink striped Swiss cotton dress shirt with long point collar, plain front, and single-button “Lapidus” tab cuffs
• Light pink silk flat front trousers with fitted waistband, frogmouth front pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Black velvet Prince Albert slippers with a gold-beaded vamp “embellishment”
• Yellow gold 14-carat pinky ring with emerald-cut diamond

For a similar example of a red silk dressing gown worn with black velvet Prince Albert slippers, check out Albert Finney as Leo O’Banion in Miller’s Crossing here.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

For a guy who likes sure things, I was about to bet the rest of my life on a real long shot.

Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby in the third season premiere of Peaky Blinders.

Vitals

Cillian Murphy as Thomas “Tommy” Shelby, cunning Peaky Blinders gang leader and jaded WWI veteran

Birmingham, England, February 1924

Series: Peaky Blinders
Episode: Episode 3.01
Air Date: May 5, 2016
Director: Tim Mielants
Creator: Steven Knight
Costume Designer: Alexandra Caulfield

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Today’s Week of Weddings post focuses on the sadly short-lived union of Tommy Shelby and Grace Burgess that kicked off the third season of Peaky Blinders.

This is the second Peaky Blinders wedding to be featured on BAMF Style after the first season nuptials of John Shelby and Esme Lee. While that first wedding was considerably spontaneous (at least for the groom), this union had been in the fire since Tommy and Grace first laid eyes on each other across the Garrison in 1919. Five years and one dead Irish investigator later, the two are finally tying the knot.

Grace’s family is comprised of several members of the “King’s Irish” cavalrymen that nearly abandoned the Peaky Blinders on the battlefield a decade earlier, so Tommy is forced to lay down some relatively unorthodox rules for a wedding:

No cocaine. No sport. No telling fortunes. No racing. No fucking sucking petrol out of their fucking cars… But the main thing is, you bunch of fuckers, despite the provocation from the cavalry, no fighting!

As Michael Hogan from The Telegraph reported: “Sex, drugs and ragtime: welcome to a fairytale wedding, Shelby-style.”

What’d He Wear?

Tommy’s blue wedding suit is the first of Cillian Murphy’s on-screen outfits from new costume designer Alexandra Caulfield, who took over for the third season of Peaky Blinders. This outfit is a comparative anomaly for Tommy Shelby with its bold blue suiting, solid white shirt, and two-tone dress boots.

Luckily for the horse, Tommy and Grace forewent tying “Just Married” cans to the back of their carriage.

Tommy’s wedding is the only appearance of his navy flannel three-piece suit, signifying its relatively significant place among his grayer garments. The short-fitting jacket is single-breasted with a two-button front, slightly flared skirt, and a single vent in the back. The jacket has straight, jetted hip pockets and a welted breast pocket where Tommy wears a white display kerchief poking out; likely linen, as that would be the most era-appropriate choice. Each sleeve ends with three-button “kissing” cuffs.

Tommy enjoys a brief post-nuptial smoke.

Tommy’s peak lapels have a short gorge and point up toward the roped sleeveheads at the end of each padded shoulder. Single-breasted jackets with peak lapels grew increasingly popular during the 1920s, enjoyed a revival during the 1970s, and are undergoing another resurgence today in a slightly slimmer form.

To commemorate the day, Tommy fastens a white boutonnière through left lapel.

A very stoic groom.

Waistcoats are an essential part of the Peaky Blinders’ look, and, as the gang’s leader, Tommy wears exclusively three-piece suits with matching single-breasted vests. This waistcoat has four welted pockets and six buttons down the front, with the lowest button correctly worn unbuttoned over the notched bottom. The satin-lined back is a rich navy to match the suiting with an adjustable strap along the bottom.

In addition to a new costume designer, the third season of Peaky Blinders also means a new style of pocket watch for Tommy. He wears a yellow gold “half-hunter” pocket watch, which gets better exposure in the following episode, on a gold single Albert chain attached to a burgundy-faced fob. The watch is worn in the lower left pocket of his waistcoat.

Tommy is overflowing with intensity on what should be “the happiest day of his life”.

Pleated trousers also grew in popularity as “the Roaring Twenties” continued, and the double forward pleats on Tommy’s trousers would have been quite fashionable in 1924. They have straight side pockets, no back pockets, and the bottoms are plain-hemmed.

The appropriately high rise of the trousers hides the waistband under the waistcoat. As a belt would create an unfortunate “bunching” effect under the vest, Tommy correctly wears a pair of suspenders (braces) to hold up his trousers. They are a wide dark navy fabric that nicely matches his suit – although that’s certainly not a requirement for suspenders – with silver clasps.

Coitus interruptus.

Tossing aside his previous penchant for striped shirts, Tommy wears a white cotton collarless dress shirt with a plain front and squared double (French) cuffs, fastened by a set of etched gold octagonal cuff links. Tommy retains his habit of wearing sleeve garters and sports a set of gold-toned garters just above the elbow on each shirt sleeve.

Although the shirt’s white collar is detachable, it is of the same slim and widely spread style that is very popular (albeit attached) on fashionable men’s dress shirts today. Tommy’s collar attaches through studs on the front and back of the shirt collar band.

Yet another cigarette!

Detachable collars on men’s shirts were popular through the 1920s. As laundering became easier and cheaper and as less situations called for crisp white shirts, attached collars became standard and attained the nearly universal popularity that they have today.

Tommy keeps his colors simple with a navy blue knit silk tie that nearly matches his suiting. It is held into place with a long, slim silver-textured tie bar that he clips to the tie and shirt just above the opening of the waistcoat. A waistcoat essentially reduces the tie bar’s utility to decoration, marking one of the few instances when Tommy – or any Peaky Blinder, for that matter – puts form before function.

Tommy’s shirt collar appears to have a considerably narrower spread during his harangue in the kitchen.

Form again becomes the order of the day as Tommy sets aside his tried-and-true hobnail work boots for a nattier pair of brown two-tone oxford dress boots. These boots appear to have darker brown leather vamps with a tan suede upper quarter. The toe is capped and the lacing is closed, like a balmoral or oxford dress shoe, with brown laces. Tommy wears dark socks, possibly black.

Tommy wears his fancy boots when he isn’t expecting the need to kick the shit out of anyone to arise.

The “blinding” razor sewn into his peak isn’t visible, but Tommy proudly wears the peaked flat cap that gives his gang its name. Tommy’s charcoal wool cap has a paneled top with a button in the center, signifying it as a “newsboy” cap rather than just a flat cap.

Tommy’s black leather gloves add an extra layer of protection on his chilly wedding day, especially after he gallantly offers his overcoat to Grace.

Tommy gallantly offers his coat to Grace.

The aforementioned overcoat is a black heavy wool Chesterfield that extends down to his knees. It has a wide, full-bellied peak lapels with a long gorge and a black velvet collar, a feature found on many Chesterfields as a worn or dirty collar is easier to replace when it’s velvet rather than trying to find matching wool.

Tommy’s single-breasted Chesterfield coat has a covered front fly, but he leaves all three buttons open, likely giving him better access to his holstered Webley revolver. The shoulders are padded and roped with three buttons at each cuff. The coat has a welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, and a flapped ticket pocket on the right.

Tommy looks like a deer in the headlights during the official wedding photo (left) and literally stands in front of the headlights later that night (right).

With the pomp and circumstance of the day behind him, Tommy retreats to his bedroom for a few private moments with Grace, stripping down to only his beige cotton underpants, which have double forward pleats in the front and back with a double-ended tab on the back waistband. Each end of the tab is pointed with a large tan plastic button.

Very era-correct underwear!

The events of the day also mean a new piece of jewelry for Tommy, who begins wearing a gold wedding ring on the third finger of his left hand, no longer sporting either of the previous rings that he had worn on his right hand.

Probably not the best day to test Tommy’s temper…

Go Big or Go Home – Wedding Edition

The Venue

Church has always been a part of the Shelbys’ life, from the very first episode when Tommy tracks down Polly in a pew to tell her about the arms deal to the following episode when Inspector Campbell does the same. Tommy himself seems to regard churches as no more than just another place to take off his hat, and his religious cynicism is no doubt fueled during his dealings with the corrupt Father John Hughes (Paddy Considine) throughout the third season.

Steve Harvey would certainly be intimidated by this take on Family Feud.

After the church wedding, the Shelbys invite their guests to Tommy’s new estate, Arrow House, in Warwickshire. According to Hogan’s piece in The Telegraph: “The filming location is Grade II-listed Cheshire house Arley Hall, home to Viscount Ashbrook. Production designers took inspiration from Citizen Kane, The Shining and American photographer Saul Leiter.”

The Refreshments

Like any proper Peaky party, there’s no shortage of champagne, whiskey, and wine.

Toasting badassery.

Notable Guests

Here come the fucking cavalry. Late as usual.

Neither the Peaky Blinders nor the British Army cavalrymen are particularly thrilled to be connected as family through the marriage of Tommy and Grace, but the Shelby clan takes its disgust a step further by disobeying Tommy’s commands and fighting, “playing the snow”, and almost definitely sucking the gas from the officers’ cars.

With family like this, who needs enemies…?

“The Russians have made contact,” heralds the arrival of Anton Kaledin, the ill-fated Russian who provides a problematic code name when seeking out Tommy on his wedding day to make good on an arms dealer. The short-lived Kaledin wouldn’t live to see the couple’s honeymoon, but another new guest – charming portrait painter Ruben Oliver – seems to have a romantic eye for Aunt Polly.

The Music

The soundtrack has very little music you’d expect to hear in 1924 but plenty music that you’d expect to hear on Peaky Blinders. If you’re looking to recreate the moment for yourself:

• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Breathless”
• Arctic Monkeys – “Dangerous Animals”
• Mearl – “Creases”
• Radiohead – “You and Whose Army?”

How to Get the Look

Tommy’s wedding may have been set in 1924, but his timeless three-piece navy suit and accessories would still be fashionable nearly a century later.

Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby and Paul Anderson as Arthur Shelby.

• Navy blue flannel suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 2-button suit jacket with peak lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 3-button “kissing” cuffs, and single back vent
  • Single-breasted 6-button vest/waistcoat with four welted pockets, notched bottom, and adjustable back strap
  • Double forward-pleated high-rise trousers with straight side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms
• White cotton collarless dress shirt with plain front and double/French cuffs
  • Detachable white spread collar
  • Etched gold octagonal cuff links
• Navy blue knit silk tie
  • Silver-textured tie bar
• Wide dark navy fabric suspenders/braces with silver clasps
• Brown two-tone oxford cap-toe dress boots
• Black socks
• Beige cotton double forward-pleated underpants with buttoned waist tabs
• Charcoal wool newsboy cap
• Black leather gloves
• Black heavy wool single-breasted Chesterfield overcoat with black velvet collar, wide peak lapels, covered 3-button fly front, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, flapped ticket pocket, 3-button cuffs, and single back vent
• Gold wedding ring
• Gold “half-hunter” pocket watch on yellow gold chain with burgundy-faced fob

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out Peaky Blinders on Netflix or pick up the third season to own.

The Quote

Those bastards out there are our family now… No cocaine, no sucking petrol out their fucking cars, and no fucking fighting!

Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn as C.K. Dexter Haven and Tracy Samantha Lord, respectively, in The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Vitals

Cary Grant as C.K. Dexter Haven, cheeky socialite yacht designer

Philadelphia, summer 1940

Film: The Philadelphia Story
Release Date: December 26, 1940
Director: George Cukor

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Many weddings are elaborate events planned out months, if not years, in advance. In The Philadelphia Story, C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) and Tracy Samantha Lord (Katharine Hepburn) have only a few minutes before taking their place [back] at the altar for a memorable wedding that results in an appropriately informal “casual Friday” post to conclude BAMF Style’s Week of Weddings.

The Philadelphia Story had been a runaway Broadway hit after premiering in March 1939, and plans soon became inevitable to turn Philip Barry’s play into a movie. Katharine Hepburn had been deemed “box office poison” in Hollywood, but her critical success as the headstrong Tracy gave her the opportunity to revive her cinematic career by starring in the film adaptation.

With Hepburn cast, the filmmakers looked to fill the two remaining male starring roles. Riding high from the success of a recent string of hits, Cary Grant was given the first choice. Grant took the role of the caddish C.K. Dexter Haven, agreeing to star only if he could receive top billing and the then-massive salary of $137,000… all of which, it was learned, was donated by Grant to the British War Relief Fund.

The Philadelphia Story would go on to be nominated for six Academy Awards – including one for supporting male lead James Stewart, who believed he was merely receiving overdue credit for his work the previous year in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. It would be remade in 1956 as High Society with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Grace Kelly filling the shoes of Grant, Stewart, and Hepburn, respectively, and The Philadelphia Story was listed as one of the top ten romantic comedy films by the American Film Institute in 2008.

What’d He Wear?

C.K. Dexter Haven’s weekend leisure attire is a time capsule back to the summer of 1940 when The Philadelphia Story was filmed. Free from the shackles of the Great Depression, the United States was again embracing luxury and leisure… albeit briefly, as World War II was right around the corner. The post-1945 world would be an informal one; even as the nation celebrated postwar piece, the excesses that defined luxury in the early years of the 20th century would be abandoned in favor of casual comfort.

Bunny Wall’s “daytime jacket minus collars” as illustrated in a 1939 issue of Life magazine. (Image found at A Hole in the Head)

Thus, we return to those brief months between the end of the Depression and the beginning of the war when eccentric socialites like Dex and Tracy traveled from party to party, wearing luxurious leisurewear by day and stylish formalwear at night. For the first time in a decade, fashion was in focus and designers were quick to get back to work to design the newest look for tomorrow.

One short-lived look was the collarless jacket designed by the exquisitely named Bunny Wall, a Macy’s stylist whose design landed itself in a 1939 issue of Life magazine, as highlighted in this A Hole in the Head blog post. The original 1939 article reported:

Mrs. Bunny Wall, a vivacious, energetic little woman, divides her year between the South of France, the Lido, Florida, West Indian resorts, California playgrounds, and a hole-in-the-wall office in New York… On this page are some of Mrs. Wall’s new selections which smart males will wear at winter southern resorts and at summer playgrounds… A great many more will wear collarless jackets over shirts and slacks.

Though Mrs. Wall may not have had Philadelphia in mind when crafting her collarless jacket, she would have certainly been delighted to see Cary Grant sporting one on screen for the final scenes of The Philadelphia Story. His is clearly one of the “daytime jackets minus collars” illustrated in the Life article, cut like a single-breasted sport jacket without lapels or collar.

The three front buttons are widely spaced, with Grant usually wearing only the middle button fastened, leaving the vast drape of the jacket to cover much of his torso. The breast and hip pockets are patch pockets, further signifying the jacket’s informality. It is ventless, per 1940 fashions, with a single decorative button on each cuff.

Second hand smoke wasn’t a major concern in 1940, so Dex had no qualms smoking his pipe around Tracy’s little sister Dinah (Virginia Weidler).

Grant’s jacket appears to be a light-colored and lightweight wool. The grayscale film makes it difficult, if not impossible, to definitively determine the color of Grant’s garment, but it’s very possible that he is wearing a light shade of the “smoky blues and greens” that Mrs. Wall had evidently predicted would be fashionable when submitting her concepts to Life the previous year.

A slightly different style of collarless jacket would be briefly revived in the mid-1960s, worn by Elvis Presley in 1964’s Viva Las Vegas and also popularized by The Beatles, but the impracticality of the look and the shifting images preferred by those musicians all but killed the concept of the collarless jacket.

The Life piece signaled that this type of collarless jacket was meant to be worn with a sport shirt, particularly unbuttoned at the neck with the collar spread over the jacket. Grant follows this direction, wearing a light-colored short-sleeved sport shirt with subtle stripes and a long-pointed spread collar. He wears the shirt open at the neck until his wedding, when he attempts to add a dose of formality by buttoning the neck button. (For some reason, I always remember Tom Selleck doing the same thing in a blue chambray shirt in Three Men and a Baby.)

The wide collar points of Dex’s shirt attempt to compensate for the lack of lapels on his jacket.

Grant wears a pair of very light-colored silk slacks with a full cut and forward pleats for a comfortable, luxurious fit. His buttoned jacket covers the waistband most of the time, but some shots – particularly when he raises his arm to smoke his pipe – appear to show a white leather belt with a single-prong buckle. The trousers have straight side pockets and cuffed bottoms.

Dex enjoys a morning libation.

Grant wears a pair of dark leather loafers, likely brown as black would be a harsh contrast with such a bright summer outfit. Loafers had been growing in popularity throughout the decade. His socks are very light in color, a shade away from white.

Dex’s light-colored clothing enhances his bright, summery image… right down to his dark loafers.

Cary Grant was known to wear a Cartier Tank for many years in real life, and it’s very possible that the square-cased wristwatch he wears in The Philadelphia Story is also a Cartier. It is worn on a light-colored leather strap, possibly tan.

Dex’s watch strap is notably lighter in color than the popular black and brown watchbands of the era.

Go Big or Go Home – Wedding Edition

The Venue

Recalling its origins as a play, most of the action of The Philadelphia Story is set in a single location: the Lord home, located in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Of course, the movie was actually filmed at MGM Studios in Culver City during six summery weeks in 1940… a very appropriate setting for Grant’s warm-weather attire.

The Refreshments

G.H. Mumm Extra Dry champagne seems to be the bubbly of choice for the characters in The Philadelphia Story, and it would be a fine choice to toast the renewed marital union of C.K. Dexter Haven and Tracy Samantha Lord.

Notable Guests

Dex went from not even being invited to the wedding to taking the groom’s place when Tracy realizes she doesn’t want to marry the banal George Kittredge (John Howard). She also rejects the offer from Mike Connor (James Stewart) and chooses to take another go at marriage with Dex.

In addition to buttoning up his shirt, Dex also prepares for his spontaneous wedding by fastening all three buttons of his jacket. Grant had previously committed this fashion faux pas earlier in the film with the three-button jacket of his windowpane business suit.

Ever a mensch, Mike is comfortable with his rejection from Tracy and stands behind Dex as he takes his place at the altar. Of course, Mike’s got some nuptial plans in his future too with the accommodating Elizabeth Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) proudly accepting his offer as the second woman he offered to marry that day.

How to Get the Look

Arguably a precursor to the 1970s leisure suit, Cary Grant’s pre-war casual wear in The Philadelphia Story recalls a period of eccentric sartorial experimentation with an emphasis on relaxed luxury.

• Light-colored lightweight wool single-breasted 3-button collarless jacket with patch breast pocket, patch hip pockets, decorative 1-button cuffs, and ventless back
• Light-colored striped short-sleeved sport shirt with long-pointed spread collar and plain front
• Light-colored silk single forward-pleated trousers with belt loops, straight/on-seam side pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• White leather belt with single-prong buckle
• Brown leather loafers
• Off-white dress socks
• Cartier Tank wristwatch on tan leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

Be whatever you like, you’re my redhead.

Cary Grant as Nickie Ferrante in An Affair to Remember (1957)

Vitals

Cary Grant as Nicolò “Nickie” Ferrante, socialite playboy

Onboard the SS Constitution in the Mediterranean, December 1956

Film: An Affair to Remember
Release Date: July 2, 1957
Director: Leo McCarey
Executive Wardrobe Designer: Charles Le Maire

Background

Valentine’s Day being on a Tuesday this year is no excuse for not pulling out the stops to impress that special someone. The romantic holiday calls for a double dose of Cary Grant, known for his debonair demeanor both on and off screen.

Following a reader request from Gleb received last October, BAMF Style is taking a look at the distinctive and sophisticated tuxedo that Grant wears while romancing Deborah Kerr aboard the SS Constitution in 1957’s An Affair to Remember.

What’d He Wear?

Given that the film lent its title to a number of tuxedo rental shops, it’s only fitting that An Affair to Remember would feature Cary Grant in one of his most debonair black tie ensembles. Grant’s character, Nickie Ferrante, dresses for dinner in a midnight blue worsted dinner jacket with a distinctive single-link button closure. The link-front design had fallen relatively out of vogue by World War II, mostly popular during the waning years of the Edwardian era as the dinner jacket itself was eclipsing the formal tailcoat in men’s eveningwear though it remained a natty alternative through the early decades of the 20th century.

Nickie and Terry trade barbs in her stateroom.

Grant’s dinner jacket has sharply pointed peak lapels with satin facings and buttonholes. The long, wide lapels extend down to the low stance of the link-button front, working in tandem with Grant’s tall 6’2″ frame to create a luxurious V shape that follows the flattering fifties cut of the dinner jacket, widest at the padded shoulders and suppressed through the waist for a strong silhouette.

Grant wears a distinctive matching midnight waistcoat with a low V-shaped opening and a large single-button closure. The full back appears to be covered in midnight satin, glimpsed at certain angles when Grant shifts around in Kerr’s stateroom. The waistcoat nicely complements the low button stance of his dinner jacket.

Although smoking is a frequent motif in An Affair to Remember, it was while filming this movie that Cary Grant eventually dropped his sixty-a-day cigarette habit that he had developed since he was 7 years old. (Yes, 7!)

The trousers are midnight blue worsted to match the dinner jacket with a satin side stripe down each leg and side pockets – likely cut just behind those stripes – where Grant often places his hands, even when sitting. The bottoms are appropriately plain-hemmed with no cuffs.

Clever framing with Grant and Kerr in the middle, flanked by the “angel on her shoulder” (her fiance’s photo) on the left and the “devil on her shoulder” (her bed, albeit a single one) on the right.

The white formal shirt has a long-pointed semi-spread soft collar, a favorite of Grant’s, and a plain front where he wears two diamond studs visible above the waistcoat. The squared double (French) cuffs are fastened with a set of silver-trimmed mother-of-pearl chain-style links. The midnight blue satin silk bow tie is butterfly-shaped and, naturally, self-tied rather than adjustable or pre-tied.

The chain-style links are two-sided, visible on both sides of his wrist as Cary Grant here appears to be mansplaining either elevator mechanics or appropriate serving methods to Deborah Kerr.

The most appropriate shoe for black tie is the formal oxford (balmoral), and Grant here wears a pair of square-toed black leather oxfords with black silk socks.

The Cary Grant fan club awaits him as he descends the deck stairs.

Nickie’s wristwatch is likely the same gold Cartier tank watch that Grant preferred to wear in real life.

Never call him late for dinner.

For a rainy evening at the opera, Nickie Ferrante opts for practicality over formality, wearing a black waterproof raincoat with a short Prussian collar, fly front, and set-in sleeves. He leaves only the top button of his raincoat undone, revealing a white cashmere scarf tied in an ascot-style overhand knot. Once his cab pulls away, he dons a black felt homburg with a black grosgrain band.

Back in New York, a little rain must fall.

What to Imbibe

Nickie Ferrante glides into the lounge of the SS Constitution and at first orders a champagne cocktail before recalling his earlier conversation with Terry McKay.

Nickie: Don’t you think life should be gay and bright a bubbly like champagne?
Terry: I like pink champagne.
Nickie: Yes, that’s the kind I mean – pink champagne. Now is there any reason why from now on, this trip shouldn’t be pink champagne?

Although Terry had nixed his romantic advances by pointing to her fiance, Nickie’s spirits haven’t been soured and he amends his order to a glass of pink champagne before asking the bartender where he can pick up cigarettes. When he returns with his fresh pack of Chesterfields, Nickie is just as surprised as Terry to find that they have both been served glasses of pink champagne, placed inches away from each other on the bar.

So much for keeping a low profile…

The pink champagne served in the 1950s at the time of An Affair to Remember would have typically been the sweet sparkling variety that was developed in response to drinkers who wanted an alternative to dry Brut champagnes. Since then, dry variations of rosé champagne have been developed by adding a touch of still Pinot Noir to sparkling cuvée or the less common saignée method of bleeding the clear juice after limited black grape skin contact.

How to Get the Look

There are few looks as iconic as Cary Grant in a tuxedo and he looks ever bit the gentleman as Nickie Ferrante during his romantic transatlantic crossing.

• Midnight blue worsted wool single-breasted link-front dinner jacket with wide satin-faced peak lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, satin-covered 4-button cuffs, and ventless back
• Midnight blue single-button formal waistcoat with full satin-covered back
• Midnight blue worsted pleated formal trousers with satin side stripe, straight side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• White formal shirt with long-pointed semi-spread soft collar, plain front, and double/French cuffs
  • Diamond shirt studs
  • Silver-trimmed mother-of-pearl cuff links
• Midnight blue satin silk butterfly-shaped self-tied bow tie
• Black leather square-toed oxfords/balmorals
• Black silk dress socks
• Cartier Tank yellow gold wristwatch with square white dial and black leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

I’ll just take my ego for a walk.

Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation (Episode 2.08: “Ron and Tammy”)

Vitals

Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson, surly libertarian city parks director and jazz saxophonist

Pawnee, Indiana, Fall 2009

Series: Parks and Recreation
Episode: “Ron and Tammy” (Episode 2.08)
Air Date: November 5, 2009
Director: Troy Miller
Created by: Greg Daniels & Michael Schur
Costume Designer: Kelli Jones

Background

By design, little attention is paid to Ron Swanson’s clothing throughout Parks and Recreation. In fact, Ron’s style could best be summed up by saying he dresses like a non-threatening suburban dad, as opposed to Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), who basks in the show’s sartorial attention with his “Brooks Brothers Boys” suits. We even learn, in “Ron and Tammys” (Episode 4.02), that Ron has only spent $40 on clothes in the past five years.

That said, there is one thing that gets Ron to care about what he pulls out of his closet that morning… and that’s his activity from the night before.

In the spirit of yesterday’s St. Valentine’s Day holiday, here’s hoping that many of you have reason to waltz into work feeling like Ron Swanson in a red polo…

What’d He Wear?

When Tiger Woods feels invincible he wears a red shirt and black pants. Ron wears the same thing after he’s had sex.

Tom Haverford is often eager to explain the origins of Ron’s wardrobe, offering the above summary for the outfit’s first appearance in “Ron and Tammy” (Episode 2.08) and an abridged version at the close of the second season… unfortunately, his second explanation is quickly followed by the revelation that Ron is dressed in his post-coital garb after an encounter with Tom’s ex-wife Wendy (Jama Williamson).

Ron’s “red shirt” is a a bright red performance polo, likely made from polyester or a synthetic blend. This golf-oriented garment well suits the intended homage to Tiger Woods’s Sunday attire as well as Ron’s competitive nature. The shirt appears to be a size too large even for Nick Offerman’s ample physique with the short set-in sleeves bunching over his elbows. The shirt has three gray-toned plastic buttons on the top placket, although Ron typically only buttons the bottom one, occasionally exposing glimpses of his white sleeveless undershirt beneath it.

On the DVD commentary for “Ron and Tammy” (Episode 2.08), co-creator and executive producer Mike Schur explains: “This talking head was a chance for me to explain one of the most inexplicable pieces of set dressing that we had… this picture that we put on the wall, which made me laugh so hard just that he would have this picture on his wall.”

There appears to be a red-stitched manufacturer’s logo just above the edge of the left sleeve that appears to be the shape of a “U” or “V”. Folks better versed in performance attire – or perhaps the Parks and Recreation wardrobe team – may be able to shed more light on this.

If you’re looking to channel Ron (or Tiger, for that matter) in the future, Hanes offers an affordable and better-fitting performance polo available through Amazon. Of course, Tiger’s longtime association with Nike may make that brand’s Victory polo in “university red” a better match – also available on Amazon.

Ron continues his Tiger-inspired look with a pair of black slacks. Both of the outfit’s second season appearances find him in black double reverse-pleated wool trousers with belt loops, on-seam side pockets, button-through back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms. His black leather belt has a rectangular gold-toned single-prong buckle.

The day following Ron’s sexcapades is one of the few pleasant times to be a co-worker of his as he gleefully doles out compliments for Jerry(!) and cash for “the kids”.

Ron seems to have a knack for getting other men to unknowingly comment on his wardrobe before they are subjected to the knowledge that he is wearing it after a romp with their own romantic interest. “Hey, Ron… great red shirt!” compliments the energetic Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe) in “Lucky” (Episode 4.18) before learning that Ron is celebrating his one night stand with Linda (Danielle Bisutti).

For this fourth season appearance, Ron is wearing essentially the same outfit as the second season but he has swapped in a pair of flat front trousers and a belt with a silver-toned steel buckle.

Another subtle change for the outfit’s brief fourth season reappearance: Ron now buttons two out of three buttons rather than just the third button. Slightly more modest.

Better suited for his professional surroundings than on the green, Ron wears a pair of black leather bluchers that are a frequent element of his office attire, worn with black socks.

If you’re the sort of person who’s curious about Ron Swanson’s underwear, the previous day’s mad dash into a motel reveals his forest green cotton briefs, an appropriate color for an outdoorsy fellow like Ron. The briefs have light gray piping.

Oh, dear.

From the first episode through the last, Ron Swanson always wears a stainless Citizen AV0031-59A Eco-Drive watch, calibre 2101, with a 45mm case and 23mm stainless bracelet. The white dial has three black sub-dials.

Ron delights in recalling the events in the previous evening: “That woman knows her way around her penis.” Note the M18A1 Claymore mine with “Front Facing Enemy” greeting anyone who walks into his office.

A similarly styled Citizen Eco-Drive chronograph – the BL5400-52A – can be picked up on Amazon for less than $230 (as of February 2017), but the AV0031-59A is still available from retailers like Jomashop, where it is currently listed for $345.10.

It should be noted that this isn’t the only one of Ron’s sports heroes that he channels with his wardrobe. When coaching a youth basketball team and presenting his now-famous “pyramid of greatness” in “Go Big or Go Home” (Episode 3.01), Ron rocks a Bobby Knight-style bright red sweater, white shirt, and brown slacks. (Schur explains in the DVD commentary that Ron’s poster of Knight from the pilot episode had to be removed for legal reasons.)

How to Get the Look

According to Mike Schur’s DVD commentary for “Ron and Tammy” (Episode 2.08): “This is one of the most accidentally prescient things we’ve ever done. We had this joke that when Ron has sex, he comes in the next day dressed like Tiger Woods… and this was long before the scandal broke.”

• Red polyester performance polo with three-button placket and set-in short sleeves
• Black wool double reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops, straight/on-seam side pockets, jetted button-through back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Black leather belt with gold-toned square single-prong buckle
• Black leather bluchers/derby shoes
• Black socks
• White ribbed cotton sleeveless A-shirt/undershirt
• Forest green cotton briefs with light gray piping
• Citizen AV0031-59A Eco-Drive stainless wristwatch with white dial, three black sub-dials, and stainless 23mm bracelet

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the entire series. It’s available on Netflix, but the DVDs include commentary with gems like this insight from Nick Offerman himself from “Ron and Tammy” (Episode 2.08):

A very resonant piece of information with the audience… they really love the ‘brunettes and breakfast food’ talking head.

Offerman’s published books are also a good deal of fun to read:

• Paddle Your Own Canoe
• Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America’s Gutsiest Troublemakers
• Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop

And if you’re curious about the line to which Offerman was referring…

The Quote

I’m a simple man. I like pretty, dark-haired women and breakfast food.

Clint Eastwood as “Dirty Harry” Callahan in The Enforcer (1976)

Vitals

Clint Eastwood as Insp. Harry Callahan, reassigned San Francisco inspector

San Francisco, Summer 1976

Film: The Enforcer
Release Date: December 22, 1976
Director: James Fargo
Costume Designer: Glenn Wright

Background

After all the romance of Valentine’s Day, Clint Eastwood is bringing some toughness back to BAMF Style as one of his most iconic characters, “Dirty Harry” Callahan. The third film in the “Dirty Harry” series, The Enforcer, finds Harry teamed up with tough rookie detective Kate Moore (Tyne Daly) against a gang of militant revolutionaries.

Harry begins the final day of his investigation roughing up a massage parlor, noting that it’s the sort of place where “for $75, you get to make it with a rubber dolly.” A tip leads him to a gunfight in a church which ultimately leads to a gunfight at Alcatraz. (Eastwood would return to the island three years later as famous escapee Frank Morris in Escape from Alcatraz.)

What’d He Wear?

Harry’s go-to look is typically a tweed sport jacket, slacks, and a tie, but he takes a decidedly more casual approach for this sequence of The Enforcer. The staple of his off-duty look is a russet brown suede shirt jacket with dark brown leather trim, a garment that I previously described as “dated but cool” in my post about his gray windbreaker.

Worn like a jacket but styled like a shirt with its uneven hem, Harry’s shirt-jacket is a wise outerwear choice for an undercover San Francisco cop. It’s enough of an outer layer to keep him warm during a brisk summer afternoon while concealing his service revolver.

Maybe Harry should actually patronize a massage parlor so he can turn that frown upside down.

The shirt-jacket is detailed with dark brown leather piping along all edges, including the long-pointed collar, the front placket, the pocket and pocket flaps, around the armholes of the set-in sleeves, across the horizontal back yoke, and all buttonholes – five down the placket and one on each pocket flap. The inside of the collar is lined in the same dark brown leather, and all of the woven leather buttons are the same dark brown leather.

The shirt-jacket has plain cuffs and shiny brown satin lining. There are two bellows patch pockets on the chest – one on each side – and each closes with a slightly-pointed button-down flap.

That collar is something else. Welcome to 1976.

An updated version of a suede shirt-jacket in a similar shade of russet brown – but without the leather piping – is currently available from Brooks Brothers for $648.

Harry also wears a very unique brown long-sleeve pullover shirt.  I’ve seen polo shirts with half-zip closure and polo shirts with button cuffs, but I’ve rarely – if ever – spotted one like Harry’s that has both. The distinctive mitred barrel cuffs have a single clear plastic button in the inside corner, best seen when Harry is “plunging” the pimp Buchinski (Robert Hoy) in the massage parlor. The shirt has a silky effect when it wrinkles, indicating the possibility of polyester or a polyester blend.

Harry never takes his jacket off while he’s on screen, but there are some production stills (like this one!) that show Harry confronting Buchinski with his jacket off, better showcasing his unique brown half-zip long-sleeve polo shirt.

Since he’s undercover, Harry sports a pair of very ’70s blue jeans, tight through the thighs, straight through the legs to the fashionably flared bottoms. They’re not bell bottoms (luckily!), but then-trendy elements like the flared bottoms, wide denim strips down the sides, and lack of back pockets tell us that Harry may be a bit more fashion-focused than the straightforward character we met in Dirty Harry would have you think…

These may be a bit more fashion-forward than classic Levi’s, but it could have been worse…

Harry wears a wide leather belt in the same light russet brown shade as his jacket with heavy dark edge stitching. The belt has a large rounded gold-toned single-prong buckle.

Harry’s belt, as well as some of the distinctive stitching on his jeans, is showcased in this close-up.

Like another San Francisco detective before him, Harry’s casual footwear of choice is a pair of brown desert boots, essentially a suede chukka boot with a heavy rubber sole. Harry’s boots have coffee brown suede uppers, three lace eyelets for his matching brown laces, and black rubber soles.

You’d think tight jeans are a hindrance to martial arts, but Harry’s here to prove us wrong.

When Harry wore them with his other casual ensemble, he also sported a pair of blue socks, and it’s very possible that his dark socks in this scene are also blue.

Harry “disguises” himself for his visit to the massage parlor by donning a black twill San Francisco Giants baseball cap with the Giants’ “SF” insignia embroidered in orange on the front of the cap’s crown. The button on the top of the hat is also orange. Similarly styled caps, albeit with the updated Giants insignia, are available for less than $12 on Amazon. (And what is it with BAMFs “disguising” themselves with just a baseball cap?)

Harry is in no mood to hear what you think about Barry Bonds using steroids.

The Movie Shop currently sells a pair of “Enforcer Eastwood Style” plastic-framed sunglasses for £12.99, undoubtedly styled after the tortoise-framed sport aviators that he wears throughout The Enforcer.

Harry swaps in a pair of trendy sport aviators after wearing his wraparound Ray-Ban Baloramas in Dirty Harry and Magnum Force.

Between shots of him roughing up Buchinski and firing a rocket launcher at Alcatraz, Harry’s stainless wristwatch gets plenty of screen time. With its dark gradient dial that fades to a white center, it’s a good-looking watch but still remains unidentified by the pros at Watches in Movies where Citizen, Orient, and Tressa have all been suggested as the manufacturer.

Just before plunging Buchinski’s face, we get a good look at both Harry’s wristwatch and shirt cuffs.

We don’t see Harry’s usual light brown leather shoulder holster, but the presence of his .44 Magnum revolver indicates that it’s almost definitely worn under his jacket, fastened beneath his left armpit for a right-handed draw.

How to Get the Look

For better or worse, Harry’s exact look is a product of 1976, but the base outfit- a brown suede shirt-jacket, darker brown long-sleeve polo shirt, blue jeans, and desert boots – is stylish, rugged, and timeless.

• Russet brown suede shirt-jacket with dark brown leather trim, long-pointed collar, five woven leather buttons on placket, bellows pockets on chest with button-down flaps, and plain cuffs
• Dark brown polyester half-zip long-sleeve polo shirt with single-button cuffs
• Blue denim jeans with belt loops, front pockets, and flared bottoms
• Light brown leather edge-stitched belt with rounded gold-toned single-prong buckle
• Brown suede 3-eyelet desert boots with heavy black soles
• Dark blue socks
• Tortoise-framed plastic sport aviator sunglasses
• Black twill San Francisco Giants baseball cap with orange-embroidered insignia and top button
• Stainless wristwatch on an expanding bracelet with a round black faded-center dial
• Light brown leather shoulder holster (RHD) for a Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver

The Gun

Plenty has been written about Harry’s iconic Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver, including by yours truly, so let’s take a look at the other piece of weaponry he uses here, the M72 LAW rocket launcher.

“Maxwell…!”

The U.S. Army instructor that briefed Harry and Kate about the weapon referred to it as a “L.A.W.S.”, but it should be noted that the LAW in the weapon’s official designation stands for Light Anti-Tank Weapon. The M72 LAW, and all of its variants, is a disposable single-shot unguided weapon that fires a 66mm HEAT rocket at a muzzle velocity of 145 m/s. At 5.5 pounds and official stated penetration of up to 8 inches of steel plate, its portable potency makes it a dangerous weapon in the hands of both Harry and his enemies.

Production of the M72 LAW began in 1963 after a few years of development, and it was quickly adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army, where it replaced the M20A1 “Super Bazooka”. The M72A1 variant seen in The Enforcer employed an improved rocket motor.

The M72 LAW extends from 24.8 inches long to 34.67 inches when armed.

Read more about the M72 LAW’s usage in The Enforcer and find more screenshots of it in action at IMFDB.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie or, if you’re so inclined, buy the whole Dirty Harry collection.