Today is the first day of my annual weeklong sojourn at the beach. I’m honored to present the first-ever contributor post at BAMF Style. Please enjoy the following submission by BAMF Style reader “W.T. Hatch”.

L.Q. Jones as County Commissioner Pat Webb in Casino (1995)

Vitals

L.Q. Jones as Pat Webb, cowboy Clark County commissioner

Las Vegas, Spring 1977

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

Background

I appreciate you taking the time to see a poor old civil servant.

In a rare moment of uncontrolled anger, Tangiers casino boss Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro) fires his slot machine manager Don Ward, accusing him of outright incompetence or collusion with a gaming scam. Don hails from an influential Las Vegas family and is the brother-in-law of powerful county commissioner Pat Webb (played by Hollywood character actor L.Q. Jones).

Shortly thereafter, Webb makes an unannounced visit to request Sam rehire Don as a personal favor. Unfortunately, Sam fails to see the bigger issue at stake and refuses Webb’s request to disastrous effect. Although he appears in just four all-too-brief scenes, Webb leaves a lasting impression on both the viewer and eventually Sam himself.

What’d He Wear?

Pat Webb’s cowboy-themed ensemble contrasts against Sam Rothstein’s flashy silk suits, further highlighting the clash of cultures inherent between these two determined men. Commissioner Webb wears a light tan unstructured corduroy jacket, ideal for the Nevada climate, which lends an air of quiet authority and professionalism befitting his position. The jacket is minimalist and understated, with a single peak front and a simple yoke on the back. There are two large pockets with flaps on the bottom of the jacket mirroring the yoke design from the coat’s backside. The buttonless sleeves show a bit of flair through stitched-on brown suede elbow patches. The jacket has two buttons on the front, but Webb wears his coat unbuttoned, further demonstrating his folksy openness. Like the rest of the coat, the deeply cut notch lapels are conservative in their width, thereby avoiding the worst pitfalls of late ’70s fashion. Indeed, Webb’s corduroy coat, like much of his clothing, would not seem out of place in the western United States today.

Webb and Rothstein look out over the latter’s Tangiers “casino empire.”

Underneath the jacket, Webb wears a vibrant red shirt of uncertain material, but given the era, climate, and his personality, one would assume it to be made of cotton or perhaps rayon. Simplistic in design, the shirt has two large chest pockets with pointed flaps and a front placket with marbled brown buttons. More than anything, the solid red color symbolizes his power and influence as a presumably long standing member of the Las Vegas elite. Additionally, it serves as a fitting background to the obscenely large turquoise bolo tie worn in keeping with Webb’s cowboy image. The tie’s slide is likely of Native American design with a bear claw motif made from the turquoise stone and silver bear claws. Dark braided leather cords with 2″ silver bolo tips complete the look.

Barely visible throughout the brief, but pivotal, meeting are Webb’s silver and turquoise bracelet on his right wrist and his gold wristwatch on his left.

Unsurprisingly, Webb chooses to pair his corduroy coat with a pair of neatly pressed bootcut blue jeans. Although the exact manufacturer is unknown, the smart money is on the Wrangler brand.

The flared bootcut of the jeans may distract you, but check out the gold watch shining on Webb’s left wrist.

In addition to a large leather belt worn through his jeans’ belt loops, Webb has a second smaller belt of tooled leather below his waist. Webb wears these two belts as a gunfighter would have in the Old West – one for your pants and the other for your firearm– although it is unlikely he is exercising his Second Amendment rights in a casino. The larger belt is fastened with an ornate silver oval cowboy belt buckle whereas the second belt has a standard tongue and punch hole combination closure.

Webb hooks his thumbs through the smaller belt while cooling his heels in Rothstein’s outer office.

Webb’s rattlesnake skin cowboy boots are mostly hidden by the length of his pants. The shank of the boot is a much darker color, the details of which are further obscured by Rothstein’s desk when Webb unceremoniously throws himself into a chair.

The men’s differences are as obvious as their choices in footwear.

Webb tops off his outfit with a brown felt Stetson cowboy hat distinguished by its tall crown and rattlesnake headband. The lighter colored rattlesnake skin neatly contrasts with the darker brown of the hat, but the prominent placement of the open-mouthed snake head on the brim ensures it remains the focus.

Surprisingly, Webb wears a cowboy hat while indoors in each of his appearances – an oddity for a man who uses phrases like “little lady”– and who would normally remove his hat upon entering a building.

The snakehead reinforces Webb’s personality and approach while discussing his less than astute brother-in-law’s firing. Webb rattles several warnings to Rothstein about the consequences of his rather public dismissal – warnings that Sam, almost fatally, chooses to ignore. Webb would later strike Rothstein by moving up his gaming license hearing and simultaneously ensuring the board members unanimously voted against him. Enraged, Rothstein embarks on a long expletive rant later broadcast by multiple TV stations. Without a license, Sam may no longer legally manage the casino and his subsequent actions bring additional scrutiny to the mob’s involvement, ultimately leading to the downfall of the local mafia, Sam and the Tangiers itself.

How to Get the Look

Western or cowboy themed attire is a timeless American look perfect for formal and informal occasions.

• Tan pinwale corduroy single-breasted 2-button sportcoat with notch lapels, pointed Western front and back yokes, padded shoulders, brown suede elbow patches, set-in hip pockets (with pointed flaps), and single back vent
• Red cotton shirt with spread collar, brown urea buttons on front placket, chest pockets (with pointed flaps), button cuffs
• Blue denim jeans with tall belt loops and flared bootcut bottoms
• Rattlesnake skin cowboy boots
• Brown tooled leather cowboy belt with large oval two-tone silver & gold Western belt buckle
• Brown secondary belt for your (optional where legal) six-shooter
• Brown felt Stetson cowboy hat with tall crown and rattlesnake hat band
• Silver and turquoise bracelet
• Gold analog wristwatch
• And the pièce de résistance, a bear claw shaped turquoise and silver bolo tie

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

You have got me there. Ol’ Don’s as useless as tits on a boar.

Danny Huston as Ben “the Butcher” Diamond in “Sitting on Top of the World”, episode 2.06 of Magic City (2012-2013)

Vitals

Danny Huston as Ben “the Butcher” Diamond, sadistic and volatile Miami gangster

Miami Beach, Summer 1959

Series: Magic City
Episodes:
– “Crossroads” (Episode 2.04, dir: Ed Bianchi, aired July 12, 2013)
– “Sitting on Top of the World” (Episode 2.06, dir: David Petarca, aired July 26, 2013)
Creator: Mitch Glazer
Costume Designer: Carol Ramsey

Background

Easing into the end of July, I’m taking a look at the sunny summer style of Ben “the Butcher” Diamond, the ruthless gangster played to brutal perfection by Danny Huston on Starz’s Magic City.

Light up a cigar – one of Ben’s preferred Partagas, if you’ve got ’em – and read on.

What’d He Wear?

Danny Huston’s menacingly smooth performance as Ben Diamond means playing a badass who can pull off less intimidating colors like baby blue, rose pink, and – as seen here – bright yellow. In fact, Ben the Butcher strolls through the sidewalks of Miami Beach like a walking ray of sunshine in his yellow guayabera and cream trousers… despite bringing darkness everywhere he goes.

Ben the Butcher’s yellow long-sleeve shirt was made for the production by Anto Beverly Hills, the legendary California shirtmaker who created shirts for Magic City‘s male leads. The 100% linen shirting would be quite comfortable during the heat of a Miami summer.

Rather than the traditional alforza pleats of a guayabera, Ben’s shirt has a fancy yellow stitch pattern up the sides of the front and the center of his back; Anto would create a similar burgundy shirt with the same stitch pattern that Danny Huston would wear in “World in Changes” (episode 2.05). Although it shares many style points with the classic Caribbean guayabera and its Mexican variants, the lack of pockets on Ben’s yellow shirt makes the description of “pocketless guayabera” more apt.

Ben’s fancy-stitched yellow pocketless guayabera makes its first appearance in “Crossroads” (episode 2.04).

The traditional guayabera dress shirt has a straight bottom hem meant to be worn untucked, as Ben wears his, but also has patch pockets and two vertical rows of alforzas along the front and back. On Ben’s shirt, the front and back yokes have a button at the top and bottom of each fancy stitched strip where the alforzas would be on a typical guayabera.

Ben’s shirt has a narrow point collar and the yellow plastic buttons are concealed on the fly placket.

Ben takes in the splendor of Ike’s office in “Sitting on Top of the World” (episode 2.06).

The split vent on each side has a short three-button placket that Ben wears totally fastened. The sleeves have double (French) cuffs that he wears with yellow gold rectangular cuff links with a diamond-mounted center.

Ben gets down to business.

Ben’s cream flat front trousers add an additional degree of softness, creating the image of a man enjoying his summer holiday rather than a ruthless, bloodthirsty gangster. He typically wears his trousers with a belt; unseen in this sequence, his belt is likely black to coordinate with his shoes.

The current owner of a pair of Danny Huston’s screen-worn trousers, Eric J. Tidd, confirms that they were made by Brooks Brothers and are 100% linen. Ben’s trousers have side pockets, jetted back pockets, and straight legs with plain-hemmed bottoms.

Ben lives up to his nickname when it comes to dealing with Nicky Grillo.

“Sitting on Top of the World” (episode 2.06) features one of the rare occasions of Ben Diamond actually wearing visible socks with his loafers. In this case, the combination of his black socks and black shoes creates a somewhat jarring contrast to the bright, neutral tones of the rest of his clothing.

Ben’s shoes appear to be the same black leather bicycle-toe loafers that he’s worn since the beginning of the show with a black leather strap across the vamp that tightens through a silver-toned buckle on the outside, though it’s not the belt-style pronged buckle of the traditional monk shoe.

Eric, who also owns a pair of Ben’s shoes, has confirmed that they’re a pair of Aldo M-19261 loafers in size 44. If you’re interested in co-opting some Ben Diamond style, you can still find these shoes on Amazon as of July 2017 for less than $25, although sizes are increasingly limited.

Photo of Danny Huston’s screen-worn Aldo loafers courtesy of Eric J. Tidd.

Ben Diamond wouldn’t be much of a Miami gangster without the sweet vintage specs to shield his eyes from the sun. His black-framed wayfarers are the appropriately named Victory Suntimer “Palm Beach” VCS 752 with dark gray lenses. You can still buy the same model from the Victory Optical Collection site for $210.

MAGIC CITY

Through the second season of Magic City, Ben Diamond wears a yellow gold Hamilton Electric wristwatch on a dark brown alligator strap. The round silver dial has gold numeric markers.

MAGIC CITY

Ben nods to gangsters of the era, particularly Bugsy Siegel, with his gold-toned ring with a large diamond, worn on his right pinky. Eric, who owns several of Ben’s accessories in addition to his clothing, has confirmed that the show-used ring in his collection has found some of the “gold” rubbing off from extended wear to reveal copper underneath.

Danny Huston as Ben “the Butcher” Diamond in “Sitting on Top of the World”, episode 2.06 of Magic City (2012-2013)

How to Get the Look

Don’t let the bright colors fool you; underneath all that yellow and cream is a dangerous man who just knows a thing or two about stylish comfort in warm weather.

• Yellow linen “pocketless guayabera” shirt with spread collar, covered front fly placket, 3-button side vents, double/French cuffs, and fancy-stitched strips down each front panel and center back with decorative buttons
• Cream linen flat front trousers with belt loops, side pockets, jetted button-through back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Black leather bicycle-toe loafers with silver-toned buckle straps
• Gold rectangular cuff links with a center diamond
• Gold pinky ring with set-in diamond
• Hamilton Electric yellow gold wristwatch with a silver dial and dark brown alligator leather strap
• Victory Optical Collection Suntimer “Palm Beach” VCS 752 black-framed wayfarer-style sunglasses with dark gray lenses

The Gun

Ben “the Butcher” Diamond has a number of firearms at his disposal as a Miami mob kingpin, but it’s a shining nickel M1911 pistol that he keeps in an ornately carved wooden box that gets plenty of screen time in “Sitting on Top of the World” (episode 2.06). It’s this pistol that Ben’s wife Lily (Jessica Marais) handles when she decides to prematurely end Ben’s questioning of Nicky Grillo (Jamie Harris).

Ben: You just silenced a man I was interrogating.
Lily: Torturing!
Ben: Tell it to the Geneva Convention.

The M1911 semi-automatic pistol, designed by John Browning, changed the firearms landscape after it was introduced in Colt’s lineup in 1911. Chambered for the powerful .45 ACP with a seven-round magazine capacity and impressive single-action trigger, the M1911’s reliability, power, and ease of use set the gold standard for service pistols to follow.

MAGIC CITY

Though the manufacturer is unconfirmed, Ben’s pistol clearly has the long hammer spur, long trigger, and flat spring housing characteristic of the early M1911 series before Colt developed the 1911A1 variant with its curved spring housing in the mid-1920s. Based on its condition and more prominent front sight, it’s likely a more recent variant of the venerated pistol with original M1911 details incorporated into the design.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the series and check out the second season to see both episodes that feature this outfit.

The Quote

I have remarkably steady hands… I would have been a glorious surgeon had the educational opportunities afforded me. I can, with one single cut, remove a man’s entire face.

…and that’s why they call him Ben the Butcher.

Footnotes

Thanks, as always, to Eric J. Tidd, the owner of a vast collection of Magic City memorabilia, who provides one-of-a-kind images and insight as I write about Ike, Stevie, and Ben’s style in “the year of the fin”. Among the items in Eric’s Miramar Playa closet is Ike’s cream dinner jacket, which is featured in a BAMF Style post from April 2016.

Thanks also to you for welcoming W.T. Hatch’s submission of Monday’s post, an exploration of L.Q. Jones’ Western-influenced clothing in Casino. I’m back for now, but I certainly hope that there will be more great guest submissions featured on BAMF Style in the future. – Nick

Al Pacino as Tony Montana in Scarface (1983)

Vitals

Al Pacino as Tony Montana, impulsive and hotheaded cocaine dealer

Miami, Fall 1981

Film: Scarface
Release Date: December 9, 1983
Director: Brian De Palma
Costume Designer: Patricia Norris
Tailor: Tommy Velasco

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Miami, Florida, was incorporated as a city 121 years ago today – July 28, 1896. Today’s post focuses on one of the city’s most infamous fictional residents.

And, of course, that would be Tony Montana, the Cuban-born drug dealer portrayed by Al Pacino as he works his way to the top of the Miami drug world in the 1983 remake of Howard Hawks’ Prohibition-era pre-Code crime classic, Scarface.

As in the 1932 film, Tony’s swift seduction of the boss’ blonde moll leads to said boss ordering a hit on Tony’s life. Armed with his smooth young protégé and the element of surprise, an injured Tony heads to the oblivious boss’ office to confront him and force him into a confession. The boss desperately begs for Tony not to kill him; Tony agrees… then his protégé swings in and ends the boss’ life with a single shot.

The exact same scene description applies to both the 1983 film and its 1932 predecessor, where Paul Muni played the role of Tony Camonte, a hotheaded Mafia lieutenant rising through the Chicago Outfit à la Al Capone. Osgood Perkins played Camonte’s boss, Johnny Lovo, a thinly disguised version of the real-life Johnny Torrio. As Tony’s protégé Guino Rinaldo, George Raft’s first major cinematic role found him in a part that paralleled Raft’s own scrappy salad days as a crony of Bugsy Siegel and Owney Madden.

In 1983, Steven Bauer played the Raft role of Tony Montana’s protégé Manny Ribera, a fellow Cuban immigrant. Robert Loggia brought both charisma and just the right amount of sleaze to the role of Frank Lopez, Tony’s treacherous boss who meets his fate at the end of Manny’s gun. The ’83 update also adds a few new elements to the scene such as the presence of corrupt Miami detective Mel Bernstein (Harris Yulin) and Lopez’s burly bodyguard, Ernie (Arnaldo Santana), who sweats through the scene but lives after Tony presents him with the offer of a lifetime.

What’d He Wear?

They wanted to spoil my $800 suit…

Sitting before Frank Lopez in his bloodied red, white, and blue, Tony Montana personifies the cutthroat nature of the American dream. His sky blue three-piece suit may have been appropriate for the pastel party atmosphere of The Babylon nightclub, but it also provided a stark palette for the bloodshed that would engineer his final pole vault into power.

That’s no way to treat an $800 suit…

This sky blue gabardine suit was made for the production by Paramount tailor Tommy Velasco. Like many of other Tony Montana’s three-piece suits, the single-breasted jacket has peak lapels, perhaps a nod to the fashions of the early ’30s when the original film was made as this style – though briefly revived in the ’70s – was falling out of fashion again by the early 1980s.

The peak lapels have dramatically slanted gorges and roll to the low stance two-button front, which Tony wears open throughout the suit’s time on screen. The shoulders are padded with roped sleeveheads, each sleeve ends with three buttons on the cuff, and the back is split with double vents. The straight hip pockets are jetted, and Tony wears a white silk display kerchief puffed in his welted breast pocket, but the lights of the nightclub reflect on the pocket square’s shiny satin finish and it often appears pink.

Tony’s arm seems to make a full recovery, but his suit will never be the same again.

The suit has a matching single-breasted vest (waistcoat) with lower welt pockets and a notched bottom. Tony wears all six buttons fastened… until the aftermath of his shooting when he wears it totally open under his jacket. The satin-finished back is covered in an indigo blue tonal foulard pattern with an adjustable strap to tighten or loosen the fit.

Another sartorial highlight? Nick the Pig’s bold mustard printed shirt.

Tony wears his white-on-white striped silk shirt as open as he can with at least the top three or four buttons undone and the long-pointed spread collar draped over the collar of his suit jacket. The shirting is all white silk with double satin tonal stripes adding a touch of contrast.

The shirt has a front placket and single-button “Lapidus” pointed-tab cuffs, a popular detail in the era of the late ’70s and early ’80s that can also be found on the shirts of Roger Moore’s James Bond and Robert De Niro in Casino.

Octavio, we hardly knew ye.

The flat front suit trousers have a medium-low rise and straight pockets along the side seams. When Tony opens his vest, we see the light brown leather belt he wears, hooked in the front with a Western-styled gold single-prong buckle.

SCARFACE

Tony’s tan patent leather cap-toe oxfords make another appearance, worn with beige socks that create a boot-like effect. He previously wore these shoes with his gray silk suit and would later wear them with the cream three-piece suit he sports for his wedding.

It’s all fun and games until Octavio the dancing clown gets peppered with rounds from a set of MAC-10s.

Tony Montana festoons himself with gold jewelry to flash his status. He wears two yellow gold necklaces, a larger Cuban-style chain and a slimmer rope necklace on a longer chain, that both get plenty of screen time due to his low-buttoned shirts.

Manny clearly takes after his mentor Tony when it comes to how to best button – or unbutton – your shirt to show off any flashy gold jewelry you’ve got.

Tony also loads up his right hand with gold rings, wearing a diamond ring on his third finger and a ruby stone on his pinky.

Sign of success or excess? Tony flashes his double gold rings while conversing with the corrupt Mel Bernstein at The Babylon club.

A fashion plate like Tony Montana wouldn’t wear just any gold wristwatch. Tony wears a Omega La Magique watch in yellow gold with a small round black dial and a gold bracelet. Introduced in 1981, the La Magique was positioned as one of the thinnest watches on the market. Tony begins wearing it as a symbol of success, flashing it on his wrist at moments like his and Omar’s fateful first meeting with Sosa in Colombia.

Tony Montana would have been an aggressive bathroom monitor.

Tony also wears a gold chain-link ID bracelet on his right wrist.

How to Get the Look

Tony Montana doesn’t plan on this simple visit to a nightclub to result in one of the biggest nights of his life, but he is nonetheless dressed for the occasion in his sky blue three-piece suit. Tailored for today and worn with a tie, this outfit could work just as well 35 years later.

• Sky blue gabardine tailored suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 2-button suit jacket with peak lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and double vents
  • Single-breasted 6-button vest with lower welt pockets, notched bottom, and adjustable back strap
  • Flat front medium-rise trousers with belt loops, side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• White satin tonal-striped silk dress shirt with spread collar, front placket, and 1-button “Lapidus” tab cuffs
• Light brown leather belt with gold Western-style single-prong buckle
• Tan patent leather cap-toe oxfords/balmoral shoes
• Beige socks
• Omega La Magique wristwatch on left wrist with gold expanding bracelet, gold rectangular case, and round black dial
• Gold chain-link ID bracelet
• Gold ring with diamond, worn on right ring finger
• Gold ring with square ruby stone, worn on right pinky
• Two yellow gold necklaces

By the time he gets back to Miami and is introducing Sosa’s henchmen to his “little friend”, Tony’s already ditched his tie and overcoat. The white silk pocket square stays in his breast pocket, though it certainly isn’t white by the end of the battle.

The Gun

Tony Montana’s blue steel Beretta Model 81 pistol is as much a loyal companion to him as his pal Manny, carrying it from his first botched drug deal through to the film’s bloody climax.

Introduced in 1976, the Model 81 was the first in Beretta’s “Cheetah” series of compact blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols in low-to-medium calibers. The Beretta Model 81 and Model 82 are both chambered in .32 ACP, but the Model 82 has a slimmer grips to accommodate the single-stack 9-round magazine while the Model 81 has a double-stacked magazine that carries 12 rounds. Tony adds extra bulk to his Model 81 with wraparound Pachmayr grips.

Al Pacino’s screen-used Beretta Cheetah 81, sourced from The Golden Closet.

IMFDB has exclusive photos from The Golden Closet of one of the Beretta Model 81 “Cheetah” pistols used by Al Pacino in Scarface, serial #D87016W.

Tony uses his Beretta to great effect after he finds himself cornered by assassins at The Babylon club.

When a wounded but relatively unfazed Tony shows up at Frank Lopez’s office, he still carries his Beretta but it is now fixed with the suppressor that The Golden Closet noted was custom made for the film. Tony typically carries his Beretta in an IWB holster in the small of his back, but his shoulder sling provides a very convenient makeshift holster for Tony’s weapon after he is injured by Lopez’s hitters.

“He produces his Baretta [sic] from his sling and holds it in his left hand pointed at the big man,” wrote Oliver Stone the screenplay for Scarface, one of many script-to-screen details that was clearly part of Stone’s vision for the way the action would unfold.

Tony’s methods for dealing with cockroaches would not endear him to New York City landlords.

Three Beretta Model 81 pistols were rented to the Scarface production for Al Pacino’s Tony Montana to carry over the course of the film.

It’s a different Beretta, a suppressed Beretta M951, that Manny Ribera uses when he executes Lopez on Tony’s behalf. The M951 ended its nearly three decade production run in 1980, just a few years before Scarface was made, as its popularity was being eclipsed by the more modern Beretta 92 series of pistols.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the deluxe DVD gift set… which also comes with a copy of the original Scarface from 1932!

The Quote

A man who ain’t got his word… is a cockroach.

Roger Moore as Commander James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Vitals

Roger Moore as James Bond, sophisticated British MI6 agent

Sardinia, Italy, Summer 1977

Film: The Spy Who Loved Me
Release Date: July 7, 1977
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Wardrobe Supervisor: Rosemary Burrows

Background

Have you heard of Black Tot Day?

On July 31, 1970, the British Royal Navy ended its centuries-old tradition of providing its sailors with a daily rum ration. The day became known as Black Tot Day, as I first learned in a Facebook post from my favorite Pittsburgh bar, Hidden Harbor, when they announced their acquisition of a Black Tot “Last Consignment” bottle, bottled from the last remaining stocks of Royal Naval rum.

To commemorate this tragic day in the history of the British Royal Navy, I’m revisiting The Spy Who Loved Me for the second time this month with a look at the naval battle dress worn by Commander James Bond, RNR, during the climactic battle aboard the Liparus, the massive supertanker owned by the film’s Goldfinger-esque villain, Karl Stomberg (Curd Jürgens).

What’d He Wear?

The British Royal Navy first introduced battle dress in the middle of World War II. Royal Navy air crewmen had been approved to wear Army battle dress beginning in 1941, but 1943 saw the introduction of navy blue battledress specifically for all Royal Navy personnel. With its epaulettes, chest pockets, and adjustable waistband, the British battle dress jacket – also known as the “working dress” blouse – would inspire the design of the classic American “Ike jacket” that also emerged later in WWII.

Many examples of wartime British Royal Navy battle dress jackets can still be found online (see here and here), but the example worn by Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me likely shares more with the garment after it was significantly altered in 1948. The jacket would have been obsolete by the time of the film as it had been phased out of service in 1973, three years before the film is set.

Bond takes in his surroundings.

Roger Moore’s screen-worn jacket was made by Berman’s & Nathan’s of London, as confirmed by its listing in a Bonhams auction where it sold for more than $15,000 in March 2007: “A Navy battle dress jacket, the jacket being of black [sic] wool, complete with commander’s epaulettes and inner pocket for Walther PPK, labelled ‘Bermans & Nathans, 40 Camden St, London NW1’ stamped ‘ROGER MOORE 11523 SPY WHO LOVE ME’.”

Bond’s British Royal Navy battle dress blouson is dark navy wool serge with three naval crested brass shank buttons on the front and three smaller buttons on the right side of the waistband to adjust the fit. A large box-pleated patch pocket on each chest panel closes with a button-down pointed flap.

Bond with Commander Carter (Shane Rimmer, the Canadian character actor who made his 007 franchise debut ten years earlier in You Only Live Twice.)

Unlike the double-breasted “Blue No. 1C” dress uniform jacket with peak lapels (seen earlier in The Spy Who Loved Me), the battle dress blouson is single-breasted with notch lapels.

Bond’s rank of Commander (OF-4) is denoted on his epaulette shoulder straps rather than on his sleeves. The Commander rank is denoted with three ½-inch gold embroidered braids with a circled loop on the uppermost stripe.

Commander Bond, RNR.

Underneath his battle dress blouson, Bond wears a a lightweight cotton knit turtleneck in a lighter shade of navy blue. He would go on to wear a similar turtleneck shirt with a navy blouson and trousers for another battle scene four years later in For Your Eyes Only.

His predecessors had both sported both mock and full polo neck shirts as 007, but Roger Moore mastered the art of successfully executing the full turtleneck, beginning with his black “tactileneck” in Live and Let Die.

Bond’s trousers appropriately match his dark navy serge jacket with a long rise that buries his black belt under the jacket’s waistband. The front appears to be darted, allowing Moore a more generous range of motion than a pair of traditional flat front trousers without the added material of full pleats. The trousers have side pockets, jetted back pockets, and straight legs finished with plain hems.

Stromberg’s escape pod is decked out with more luxury than most people’s bedrooms.

In a departure from his usual horsebit loafers, Moore wears a more militaresque pair of black leather three-eyelet derby shoes with squared cap-toes, worn with black ribbed dress socks.

The Spy Who Loved Me marks the first appearance of Bond’s streak of Seiko watches, beginning with a stainless steel digital Seiko LC Quartz DK001 – identified as model 0674-5009 on Dell Deaton’s blog, James Bond Watches and at James Bond Lifestyle, which includes more details about this particular timepiece.

Bond finds convenient means of escape.

Though not a naval uniform, Daniel Craig’s James Bond sported a similar look in Spectre with his dark navy suede John Varvatos jacket, dark charcoal cashmere/silk N.Peal mock turtleneck, and dark tic-checked flat front trousers. Although Commander Bond would certainly have the clearance to wear military clothing, Craig’s Spectre outfit shows an interesting take on achieving the same effect of Moore’s battle dress and turtleneck adapted with all civilian clothing.

(All military uniform posts are written strictly for educational purposes. The accomplishments of military Veterans should be respected and not copied.)

What to Imbibe

Any man who drinks Dom Pérignon ’52 can’t be all bad.

Seven years after Black Tot Day, James Bond doesn’t mourn for the loss of his daily rum ration and instead stays true to his sophisticated character with his appreciation for Stromberg’s Dom Pérignon which, interestingly enough, he finds in Stromberg’s escape chamber.

If you’re looking for a taste of rum in the spirit of the British Royal Navy, Pusser’s Rum was founded in 1979 with the blessing of The Admiralty Board of the Royal Navy and a blend of five West Indies rums to produce the original recipe.

The signature Pusser’s cocktail is the Painkiller, concocted with two (or up to four!) ounces of Pusser’s rum, four parts pineapple juice, one part cream of coconut, and one part orange juice. The mixture is shaken with ice and poured into a big glass filled with ice. Fresh nutmeg is grated on top and – voila! – you’ve got a dangerously smooth tropical cocktail on your hands. Splice the mainbrace!

Bond’s Battle Dress

James Bond’s battle dress in The Spy Who Loved Me is a contextually appropriate approach to assault attire, combining functionality with the elegance of the British Royal Navy’s stylish heritage.

• Dark navy blue serge waist-length British Royal Navy battle dress jacket with notch lapels, three crested brass shank buttons, button-down flapped pleated chest pockets, 3-button adjustable waistband, and Commander epaulette insignia
• Light navy blue cotton knit turtleneck long-sleeve shirt
• Dark navy blue serge high-rise darted-front trousers with side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Black leather belt
• Black leather squared cap-toe 3-eyelet bluchers/derby shoes
• Black ribbed dress socks
• Seiko LC 0674-5009 Quartz DK001 stainless steel digital wristwatch

The Gun(s)

Although the Walther PPK was never officially adopted for British military service, James Bond still uses his trademark weapon when attired in his Royal Navy battle dress, carried in an inner pocket that was specifically created for that purpose.

A few continuity errors in The Spy Who Loved Me feature a Beretta Model 70 rather than the PPK (such as the Cairo sequence), but the Walther remains his signature sidearm and is prominently featured in several close-ups.

Note that Bond’s PPK suffers a stovepipe jam after shooting Stromberg through his table tube.

Apropos his cover as “Robert Sterling”, Bond arms himself with a Sterling submachine gun from the Liparus armory, as do many of the other British, American, and Russian sailors with whom he is captured.

The Sterling submachine gun entered British service in 1944 with multiple variants designed and produced over the following decade until the Mark 4, designated the L2A3, was adopted in 1956 as the last version in regular service with the British Army, Royal Marines, and RAF Regiment.

The Sterling made its first appearance in the Bond series during the volcano lair battle in You Only Live Twice with 007 himself first using the weapon in the following film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, when George Lazenby wielded one during the Piz Gloria attack.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

Keeping the British end up, sir!

Gallery

The Spy Who Loved Me is often considered among the best of Sir Roger Moore’s seven films as 007, and his 2012 book Bond on Bond recounts many fun tales from the production, an attitude reflected in the below behind the scenes photos.

Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter in Quantum of Solace (2008)

Vitals

Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, cynical CIA agent

Bolivia, Summer 2008

Film: Quantum of Solace
Release Date: October 31, 2008
Director: Marc Forster
Costume Designer: Louise Frogley

Background

The brilliant Jeffrey Wright was the first actor to reprise the mercurial role of Felix Leiter in consecutive Bond outings, appearing as the reliable if cynical CIA agent in Quantum of Solace two years after his introduction in Casino Royale. (David Hedison is the only actor to have played Felix twice: first with Roger Moore’s Bond in Live and Let Die in 1973, then reprising his role with Timothy Dalton’s Bond in 1989’s Licence to Kill.)

Ian Fleming wrote Felix Leiter to be the closest thing to a friend that James Bond would have, first described as a lanky Texan in the first literary Bond adventure Casino Royale. Leiter reappeared in the next novel, Live and Let Die, where he lost his leg in an incident that fans of the 007 cinematic universe would recollect from the events of Licence to Kill.

The role of Felix Leiter has been played by an almost comical number of actors since the character’s first appearance in Dr. No (1962), where Jack Lord provided what Bond scholars Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall call “one of the most satisfying portrayals of Leiter.” Unfortunately, Lord’s demand for top co-billing and salary to reappear in Goldfinger led the EON team to recast the role, and a total of four actors would play Felix Leiter during Sean Connery’s six-film run as 007.

Following Hedison’s well-received non-consecutive appearances and one yuppie-ish take from John Terry, the role was absent during the Pierce Brosnan era but became one of the few staples of the Bond series to be revived in the Casino Royale reboot in 2006. Jeffrey Wright brought charisma, chemistry, and gravitas to the role, elevating the character into a more fully fledged persona rather than merely Bond’s “sidekick”.

What’d He Wear?

For his second brief but pivotal appearance in Quantum of Solace, Felix Leiter is living the life of a deep cover spy in South America, dressed in ragged and rugged warm-weather casual wear that calls out his deftness when it comes to fitting in – as a true spy should – rather than opting for 007’s designer-influenced apparel.

Felix may well have delved into a bargain bin to find the rumpled short-sleeved summer shirt that he wears when meeting Bond for beer. His cotton shirt has a white ground with thick blue gradient stripes; each stripe is blue along each side and fades to a lighter blue center. The white space between these thick stripes is bisected by a hairline-thin rust stripe. All of the shirt’s stripes are vertical, crossing over the shoulder to form a “V” at the center of the back yoke. Below the yoke, all stripes are straight and vertical again.

Felix reconnects with an old friend over drinks… sort of.

Felix wears his shirt with the top three buttons undone on the seven-button placket. All buttons are cream plastic, but the collar buttonhole is stitched with a contrasting navy thread. The large spread collar itself rolls and folds like it’s been poorly washed a few too many times.

The set-in short sleeves are elbow-length, but Felix casually rolls each sleeve up once to form loose 1″ cuffs over his biceps. The shirt has two patch pockets on the chest, but only the right-side pocket has a flap. The wide flap closes through a single cream plastic button that matches those on the placket. The shirt has a short and slightly rounded hem with a self-gusset on the right and left sides.

As Felix spends most of this sequence bellied up to the bar, drinking generic “Cervecita” beers (ah, the pre-Heineken days of the Bond series), little is seen below his waist. He wears a baggy pair of khaki flat front trousers with straight side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms. His shirt covers the waistband, but it’s more than likely that they are worn with a brown leather belt to coordinate with his footwear.

A brief shot of Felix strolling up to 007 at the bar shows a pair of well-worn brown leather shoes, likely the same pair of loafers with heavy black soles that he wore earlier in the film with his tan linen suit.

Mission accomplished.

Felix’s wardrobe may be generic, but his watch is anything but. With both this outfit and his tan linen suit, Felix wears a Hamilton Khaki X-Wind Automatic pilot chronograph with a stainless steel 44mm case and plenty of crowns and pushers designed to help aviators make quick calculations of crosswinds.

The watch – ref. no. H77616533 – has a black dial with two silver sub-dials (at 12:00 and 6:00), a black sub-dial at 3:00, and a day-date double window at 9:00. The 22mm-wide light brown leather strap (H600.776.103), edge-stitched in tan, has a stainless double-prong buckle and two visible silver tacks on each side of the case.

Learn more about Felix’s Hamilton in Quantum of Solace from James Bond Lifestyle. You can also purchase the exact model of watch straight from the Hamilton site for only $1,595.

“That’s why I eat the peppers.”

While Felix’s simple casual attire is certainly the yin to Bond’s dark and sleek yang, his outfit of a striped short-sleeve summer shirt and light earth-toned trousers does recall the warm-weather attire of Sean Connery’s Bond in Thunderball (1965), sported for a summer afternoon of skeet shooting with Emilio Largo.

You can also read about the navy Tom Ford polo and Harrington jacket, dark jeans, and brown desert boots that Daniel Craig wears as James Bond in this post from November 2013.

How to Get the Look

Felix confers with James Bond (Daniel Craig) and a much-needed beer in Quantum of Solace (2008)

Felix Leiter dresses with comfort and authenticity in mind for his deep cover role in South America, incorporating traditional pieces of Bond’s summer style into a low-key, rumpled package.

• Blue-on-white multi-striped cotton short-sleeve shirt with large spread collar, button-flapped right chest pocket, patch left chest pocket, and front placket
• Khaki flat front trousers with side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Brown leather slip-on loafers
• Hamilton Khaki X-Wind Automatic H77616533 stainless pilot chronograph with black dial (with sub-dials) on light brown leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

Move your ass.

Kevin Spacey as President Frank Underwood (with Robin Wright as Claire Underwood) in “Chapter 40” of House of Cards (2016).

Vitals

Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood, ruthless and calculating U.S. President

Dallas, January 2016

Series: House of Cards
Episode: “Chapter 40” (Episode 4.01)
Streaming Date: March 4, 2016
Director: Tucker Gates
Costume Designer: Johanna Argan

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

In the fourth season premiere of the Netflix U.S. version of House of Cards, Frank Underwood’s presidential re-election campaign takes him from his own home state of South Carolina to his wife’s home state of Texas, where Claire (Robin Wright) has been visiting with her mother, Elizabeth (Ellen Burstyn), who has been suffering from terminal lymphoma. Relations between the Underwoods haven’t been so hot… even for a couple whose intimacy ranges from icy to lukewarm.

The opportunistic couple uses her mother’s illness to quell rumors about Claire’s absence from Frank’s campaign by making a joint announcement about the impact that Elizabeth’s health has been taking on the couple.

What’d He Wear?

What does a presidential take on casual Friday look like?

Dressing down for Frank Underwood typically means an outfit no less formal than a suit and open-neck shirt worn sans tie. It maintains presidential professionalism even in a non-professional setting, and it gives Kevin Spacey an opportunity to wear the first of several impressive suits provided to the production through the Hugo Boss made-to-measure program.

“The great thing about Boss is they gave me access to their complete fabric library for all their suiting, all their shirting, all their silks to make ties,” costume designer Johanna Argan explained to The Hollywood Reporter.

For his arrival to the Hale homestead in Texas, Frank wears a blue-gray suit in what appears to be a lightweight worsted wool with pick stitching. The single-breasted, two-button jacket has slim notch lapels, four-button cuffs, a welted breast pocket, and straight flapped hip pockets.

The suit jacket is tailored to emphasize Frank’s power with padded shoulders (with roped sleeveheads), a darted front, and long double vents rising to the slightly suppressed waist.

Underwood’s blue-gray suit reflects varying colors depending on his surrounding light.

Frank Underwood typically wears solid-colored dress shirts in blue and white with his business suits, so this casual setting calls for a different shirt. The mini-grid in blue and gray on a white ground calls out both the blue and gray tones of his suit while nodding to the subtle complexity of Underwood’s Machiavellianism.

The cotton shirt has a slim button-down point collar with hidden tabs to present a cleaner appearance, which is strengthened by a clean shirt front with no placket and no pocket. The rounded cuffs close with a single button, and the back is fitted with side pleats. As Frank wears the top button unfastened, the crew neck of his white cotton short-sleeve undershirt is often visible.

The suit’s matching flat front trousers have the low-medium rise that is currently fashionable with straight side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms. His leather belt is dark brown to coordinate with his footwear.

President Underwood on Air Force One.

Frank wears dark brown leather apron-toe derby shoes.

Claire and Frank’s impromptu presser on the front steps of her mother’s home in Dallas.

Though they don’t appear to be Ray-Bans, the favored brand of our former vice president in real life (and Frank’s wife Claire in the show’s universe), Frank Underwood channels Joe Biden when stepping out of his limo in a pair of cool steel-framed aviator sunglasses.

Frank steps out of his limo in style.

Underwood doesn’t appear to be wearing one of his usual IWC wristwatches, but he still wears his yellow gold class ring from The Sentinel” on the third finger of his right hand and his gold wedding band on his left hand.

How to Get the Look

Frank Underwood keeps it professional even when dressing down, sporting traditional business colors of blue and gray in his lightweight suit and open-neck shirt.

• Light blue-gray pick-stitched linen Hugo Boss made-to-measure suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with slim notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, and double vents
  • Flat front trousers with belt loops, side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Blue-gray mini-grid-on-white cotton dress shirt with hidden-button-down collar, plain front, and 1-button rounded cuffs
• Dark brown leather belt with squared steel single-prong buckle
• Dark brown leather apron-toe bluchers/derby shoes
• White cotton crew neck short-sleeve undershirt
• Steel-framed aviator sunglasses with dark gray lenses
• Gold “Sentinel” class ring
• Gold plain wedding band

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out House of Cards on Netflix or find the first, second, third, and fourth seasons on DVD. You may also be interested in the original British series.

The Quote

I need to know you won’t meddle with my campaign.

George Lazenby as James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

Vitals

George Lazenby as James Bond, British secret agent

Bern, Switzerland, Fall 1969

Film: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Release Date: December 18, 1969
Director: Peter R. Hunt
Tailor: Dimi Major
Costume Designer: Marjory Cornelius

Background

Heading back into the office on a Monday, BAMF Style is also following James Bond into the office for the 00-7th of August… albeit another person’s office rather than his own.

Perhaps not living up to the “secret” part of his secret agent profession, James Bond works a mission objective into the end of a slow romantic drive with his girlfriend (and her father!), following a lead on the true identity and location of his enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Bond breaks into the office of the Gebrüder Gumbold law firm (Gebrüder Gumbold = “Gumbold Brothers” for all you non-German speakers), where he uses one of the film’s only gadgets, a practical if rather clunky and time-consuming safe cracker. The safe-cracking takes up the better part of Herr Gumbold’s lunch break, and 007 narrowly misses being caught on his way out with both the evidence he needs against Blofeld and a pictorial periodical that satisfies his personal rather than professional needs.

What’d He Wear?

While later incarnations of 007 would reestablish the character to suit their portrayal, George Lazenby was the first actor to replace Sean Connery in the official EON Productions franchise and the filmmakers faced an unprecedented decision: would it be more advisable to let Lazenby make the character his own (likely not, given the actor’s penchant for scraggly facial hair and hippie culture… as well as his dislike for the role itself) or reincarnate him in the image of Connery before him?

Lazenby had worn a Connery-style haircut and a Connery-commissioned suit by Anthony Sinclair to his audition for the role so the choice became clear to follow the latter decision. This stylish outfit of a glen check suit, light blue shirt, and navy tie recalls the suits worn by Sean Connery in his earliest Bond outings: Dr. No and From Russia With Love.

Lazenby isn’t the only one channeling early Connery films here; the chauffeur behind him appears to have taken some style points from Doctor No.

Lazenby’s suiting is a variation of the classic black and white glen plaid with a blue overcheck that coordinates with his shirt and tie.

To read more about the exact check created by Lazenby’s tailor Dimi Major and to see a digital recreation of the suiting, check out Matt Spaiser’s comprehensive post at The Suits of James Bond.

The life of a secret agent involves plenty of looking over your shoulder. In this case, it gives us a better view of Bond’s distinctive glen check suiting.

The single-breasted suit jacket has medium-width notch lapels, signifying the shift in fashion from the slim ’60s to the wider ’70s, that roll down to the top of the two-button front. The three buttons on each cuff match the dark gray horn buttons on the front.

Dimi Major tailored Lazenby’s suit with soft English shoulders, reflecting Connery’s Conduit Cut suits from Anthony Sinclair. The more fashion-forward Lazenby embraced elements of the “Peacock Revolution” even with a business suit like this, wearing a closer-fitting and shorter jacket with foot-long double vents that flare out like a trapezoid at the bottom. The flapped hip pockets are slanted with a smaller ticket pocket slanted high on the right side, above the top button line.

Though more closely fitted than Connery’s suits, the flattering tailor avoids the excessive tightness of Daniel Craig’s suits in Skyfall and Spectre, illustrating this as a suit where timelessness meets forward fashion that would also be on par with the current decade’s trends.

The suit’s flat front trousers are likely fitted with darts, slightly slanted side pockets, and button-top side adjusters to match the rest of Lazenby’s trousers in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The fit is straight and narrow through the legs down to the short break plain-hemmed bottoms.

Like his predecessor Connery and eventual successor Roger Moore, Lazenby wore shirts made by Frank Foster including this sky blue cotton poplin shirt with a front placket and single-button rounded cuffs. The shirt’s point collar has considerable tie space to fit the half-Windsor knot of Lazenby’s slim navy wool knit tie.

Bond waits semi-patiently for his safecracking device to work.

Bond wears a pair of black leather dress shoes, likely slip-on loafers rather than the Connery-esque derby shoes that would be more appropriate with this outfit. His dress socks appear to be a dark shade of navy.

Bond eases his way past a bunch of office drones filing into the elevator for lunch.

Bond keeps an eye on his progress by sliding off his trademark Rolex and placing it on the copy machine. Lazenby wears a stainless Rolex Submariner 5513 with a black ceramic bezel and black dial with no date window.

Sean Connery’s Rolex watches had always been worn on a leather band or nylon strap, making Lazenby the first to wear his Rolex Sub with a metal bracelet, in this case a matching stainless steel “Oyster” link bracelet. (Roger Moore’s ref. 5513 Rolex in Live and Let Die would also have an Oyster bracelet…in addition to an integral metal saw.)

A safecracker and a copy machine? You’ve outdone yourself this time, Q.

As common with the Bond actors, George Lazenby wore his 007 suits off-screen. In her “Playboy Photo Album”, former Playboy bunny Diana Ann Turner (aka “Bunny Deana”) includes several photos of herself being crowned “Bunny of the Year” in 1969 by Lazenby. Though his longer hair and mustache date the photo to a few months after On Her Majesty’s Secret Service production wrapped, he is almost certainly wearing this same suit.

George Lazenby crowns Diana Turner as 1969’s “Bunny of the Year”. Congratulations, Diana.

Lazenby’s real life crowning of 1969’s Bunny of the Year is only one of many of this suit’s connections to the Playboy universe… as you’ll read below.

How to Get the Look

Comparing the width of the pocket flaps and the slightly different direction of the check, it appears that two differing suits were used in the production: one for exteriors and another for the Pinewood Studios-filmed interiors.

George Lazenby’s 007 dresses fashionably but professionally in the spirit of his predecessor, wearing a glen check suit, sky blue shirt, and navy tie to the office.

• Black-and-white glen plaid (with blue overcheck) tailored suit:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, slanted flapped hip pockets and slanted right-side ticket pocket, 3-button cuffs, and long flared double vents
  • Darted flat front trousers with button-tab side adjusters, slanted side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Sky blue cotton poplin dress shirt with point collar, front placket, and 1-button rounded cuffs
• Navy blue wool knit tie
• Black leather slip-on loafers
• Dark navy socks
• Rolex Submariner 5513 with stainless steel case, black bezel and dial, and stainless “Oyster” link bracelet

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

Has anyone watched Becoming Bond yet? I’ve heard it’s a fascinating exploration of George Lazenby’s life and the circumstances that led to his unique single-shot chance in the role of a lifetime.

The Quote

Just keep my martini cool.

Footnote

Perhaps foreshadowing his future role in crowning Bunny of the Year, Bond finds himself quite engrossed in an issue of Playboy magazine that Gumbold had hidden away in his office. Based on the cover, it has been identified as the February 1969 issue featuring centerfold Lorrie Menconi.

Just as they don’t seduce female patients in clinics, respectable baronets from the College of Heralds do not read Playboy magazine, 007!

Looking for your own piece of, erm… Bond memorabilia? eBay’s got you covered for affordable back issues here.

Bond gives audiences an R-rated glimpse at Lorrie as he heads for the elevator. Should you be so inclined, you can find the very centerfold that 007 was peeping here.

Whether coincidental or not, the appearance of Playboy in this particular film recalls the fact that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was the first of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels to be serialized in the magazine, appearing in the May 1963 issue.

Robert Shaw was born 90 years ago today, August 9, 1927. To celebrate the birth of this iconic actor and writer, BAMF Style presents another contributor post submitted by BAMF Style reader “W.T. Hatch”. Enjoy!

Robert Shaw as Quint in Jaws (1975)

Vitals

Robert Shaw as Quint, grizzled and tough shark hunter and U.S. Navy veteran

Amity Island, July 1974

Film: Jaws
Release Date: June 20, 1975
Director: Steven Spielberg
Costume Design: Louise Clark, Robert Ellsworth, and Irwin Rose

Background

Y’all know me. Know how I earn a livin’. I’ll catch this bird for you, but it ain’t gonna be easy.

In 1975, director Steven Spielberg scared the bejesus out of America with the summer blockbuster hit Jaws. Based upon author Peter Benchley’s novel of the same name, Jaws is the harrowing tale of a 25′ man-eating shark which terrorizes the small beach community of Amity Island. Technical problems forced Spielberg to largely abandon the mechanical shark, dubbed “Bruce” after his attorney, instead using mood, music, and a set of yellow barrels to suggest the beast’s on-screen presence. One viewing of the film is enough to make even the bravest soul think twice before taking a swim in the ocean.

But one other persona in the movie is more frightening than the shark. I speak of the shark’s archenemy known only by the name of Quint. No doubt inspired by another single-minded sea captain, namely Ahab of Moby Dick, Quint is one of cinema’s most enigmatic, famous, and all-around badass characters.

What’d He Wear?

A hardened veteran of WWII, Quint eventually left the United States Navy returning to Amity Island to pursue a career in charter fishing and shark hunting but his attire still reflects that of a career sailor. Indeed, with the exception of wearing a black work coat when ashore and a wool sweater in his shop, Quint wears the same clothes throughout the entirety of the picture. He is a complex man – independent, intelligent, and irreverent – who clearly cares little for the trappings of modern fashion. Quint’s daily “uniform” is utilitarian in nature and befitting of a working man who spent his life at sea.

Brody and Quint at sea.

Once aboard the Orca, Quint the irascible fisherman rapidly transforms into Quint the U.S. Navy sailor still very much at war with his old enemy the shark. He dons a M1951 field jacket retained from his time in the U.S. Navy as shown by the faded nametag bearing QUINT in stenciled military block letters above the right breast pocket. The coat is made of 9-ounce cotton material in olive green (OG) shade 107.

First developed at the height of World War II in 1943, the field jacket is a ubiquitous item issued to generations of U.S. military servicemembers (this author still has his from basic training). While the M1951 is not truly waterproof, the jacket may be worn under a separate wet weather coat or with a removable inner liner for additional warmth. This layering system allows the wearer to easily adapt to changing weather conditions and is perfect for off shore fishing. Quint wears his jacket open with the sleeves rakishly unbuttoned. The coat has four large pockets with snap enclosures and a drawstring waist.

Unlike so many other movies featuring staunch blue-collar characters, Quint’s jacket shows clear evidence of extended use. The left breast pocket flap is missing and the coat’s shell, much like Quint’s body, shows the ravages of hard living with several stitched repairs, small holes, and lost buttons.

Quint’s field jacket has doubtless seen plenty of adventure… and plenty of beer.

Under the field jacket, Quint wears a standard issue U.S. Navy enlisted man’s chambray long-sleeve shirt. The pocket flaps and longer collar tabs point to this being a 1970s era version rather than a remnant from his wartime service of the 1940s. The shirt, a composite blend of 65% polyester and 35% cotton, has two large chest pockets and black plastic buttons. Always a man looking to shock his friends, he uses the left chest pocket to store the dental appliance worn in place of a tooth lost in a fight long ago. Quint runs the gamut in the wear of his shirt, from almost completely unbuttoned (and his pants undone) when he and Hooper toast to their shared scars to fully buttoned to the neck in his final moments aboard the doomed Orca.

Quint at play and at work in his trusty blue chambray shirt.

Briefly visible while attempting to land the beast with rod and reel, Quint dons a white thermal underwear top, i.e. “long johns,” underneath his chambray shirt. One may assume he adjusts the buttons and adds the long johns to match the Atlantic’s changing weather patterns throughout the hunt for the titular shark.

Quint’s thermal undershirt is visible beneath the battered half-buttoned cuffs of his chambray shirt and field jacket.

Quint’s signature clothing piece is his broken-brimmed and much soiled baseball cap. The hat itself is the subject of no small amount of online debate as to its origins and material. Several sources, citing the military-themed style and khaki color, suggest the hat is a WWII Navy flyer or mechanic cap although there is no agreed-upon answer. This author believes Quint’s hat is either a custom-made piece or locally purchased in a sporting goods store. The cap has a broad brim to keep the sun from the wearer’s eyes and two small pockets on the front below the peak. Quint’s hat appears to be made of waterproof waxed canvas and is fitted without adjustment tabs.

Quint sizes up his new mates.

In his final scenes, Quint exchanges his cap for a dark blue bandanna rolled “DeNiro style” to keep the sweat from his eyes while attempting to breathe life into the Orca’s failing engines. Again, this choice reflects Quint’s pragmatic nature as a brimmed baseball hat would be a detriment whilst working in the confines of the boat’s cramped engine room. Much like his chambray shirt and field jacket, Quint’s bandanna is a hangover from his days fighting in the sweltering Pacific theater on the ill-fated heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis.

Quint’s pants also emphasize function over fashion. Their faded black color (he also wears a brown pair) hide the inevitable oil, diesel fuel, or blood stains inherent to commercial fishing. The pants are likely made of cotton cloth with a straight leg cut, flat front, and four large pockets. Quint is not a blue jeans man as cotton dries faster than denim and wears more comfortably through a long workday. Quint wears a plain, if broad, black leather belt with brass hardware.

A good day for a Narragansett.

For his footwear, the no-nonsense Quint wisely chose a pair of tan cotton canvas tennis shoes with taupe laces and rubber soles perfect for negotiating wet, slippery decks. These shoes, worn with and without his brown socks, have the additional benefit of being easily removed if need arises to abandon ship. Quint, a survivor of one tragic wartime boat sinking, certainly remembered that life changing experience in his shoe selection.

Classic canvas sneakers are a nautical classic.

Quint wears no visible jewelry nor a watch which comes as no surprise given his chosen profession. Bracelets, necklaces, and watches pose safety hazards as they may catch on machinery, ropes or other fixtures on the boat. Given his unsentimental nature – after all the man celebrated his third wife’s demise by entering an arm wrestling contest in San Francisco – Quint also eschews a wedding ring.

What to Imbibe

Quint is a man who likes his drink. He quaffs Narragansett beer while fishing and humorously negotiates two cases of apricot brandy (and a color TV) in his shark hunting fee.

Hooper stares in awe of Quint’s guzzling prowess.

Quint is something of a bootlegger himself, offering Chief Brody his own homebrew. The Orca‘s galley stocks include a bottle of Canadian Club and a large bottle of vodka. During Quint’s iconic Indianapolis speech – arguably the finest moment ever captured on film – he drinks an unidentified alcohol from a white china coffee mug. A man of Quint’s demeanor strikes me as an inveterate whiskey drinker. Given his Irish heritage, I am betting Quint is a Jameson man. It is a safe bet that an evening spent drinking with Quint would be memorable… if you survived it.

How to Get the Look

Apart from his hat, every item in Quint’s rather spartan closet is easily found online or in vintage clothing stores. While not appropriate for formal events, the look is ideal for a day of sharkin’ or far less arduous tasks about the house.

• Olive drab (OD) M1951 field jacket with button/zip front, four bellows pockets, epaulettes, button cuffs, and drawstring waistband
• Blue chambray long-sleeve U.S. Navy surplus shirt with long point collar, front placket, two chest pockets with button-down flaps, and 2-button rounded cuffs
• Black cotton flat front work trousers with belt loops, side pockets, jetted back pockets with snap closure, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Wide black leather belt with squared brass single-prong buckle
• Tan canvas five-eyelet sneakers with off-white rubber outsoles
• Brown socks
• White thermal long-sleeve underwear top
• Fitted brown waxed cotton cap with two front pockets
  • Readers may learn more about the saga behind a reproduction of Quint’s iconic hat here
• Dark blue bandanna

… and the best mutton chops this side of Logan.

The Gun

Quint employs several weapons including a fishing rod, harpoon gun, and even a machete in his ultimately forlorn attempt to kill the shark. Quint’s personal arsenal also includes the venerable, reliable and hard hitting .30-caliber M1 Garand rifle of WWII fame.

Quint fires at his foe.

Like much of Quint’s clothing, the M1 is likely a relic from his US Navy days… indeed, one expects Quint “liberated” the rifle from the ship’s armory as a souvenir of the war.

Spoiler alert: after Quint’s rather graphic death (shudder), Chief Brody seizes the M1 rifle and ultimately uses it to kill the shark with a well placed bullet to one of Hooper’s SCUBA tanks. On a related note, interested readers may wish to peruse Mythbusters‘ special Jaws episode which puts this particular tactic to the test.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

Better yet, read the gripping true story of the USS Indianapolis in In Harm’s Way by Doug Stanton.

The Quote

Anyway, we delivered the bomb.

Footnote

For more great takes on the costuming in Jaws, check out Chris Scott’s Primer article from summer 2015.  – Nick

Aidan Turner as Philip Lombard in And Then There Were None (2015)

Vitals

Aidan Turner as Philip Lombard, adventurer and ex-mercenary

Devon, England, August 1939

Series Title: And Then There Were None
Air Date: December 26-28, 2015
Director: Craig Viveiros
Costume Designer: Lindsay Pugh

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie’s classic mystery thriller, finds ten strangers summoned to a mysterious island off the English coast. Aside from the married couple hired to serve as butler and cook, the newcomers are all unknown to each other and are quickly thrown into a spiral of suspicion and death that would engulf them all.

The action in the novel lasted three days, beginning on August 8, 1939, making it 78 years ago to the day that the last survivors of the weekend were forced into a fatal confrontation of their own dangerous pasts.

The book, one of my favorites ever since my sister introduced me to it in the fifth grade, has been adapted for the big screen several times. Other than a relatively obscure Russian adaptation, all of the major English-speaking movie versions incorporated the more romantic ending that Christie penned for the less grim 1943 stage adaptation. As the decades progressed, the setting and characters evolved with the tone until nearly unrecognizable versions of the story were being told with matinee idols and glamorous movie stars in a ski chalet or on an African safari.

I will be forever grateful to BAMF Style reader Eric for pointing my attention to the BBC’s three-part miniseries produced in 2015, a mostly faithful and incredibly entertaining interpretation of Christie’s 1939 novel with the characters, setting, and tone mercifully intact. (Aside from the rather welcome PC decision to rebrand Christie’s “Indian Island” as “Soldier Island”… and I don’t even want to explore the very first name she used for the setting!)

Philip Lombard, the ex-mercenary scoundrel with an eye for adventure and romance, is as close as the story gives us to a traditional “hero” with his dashing looks and quick wit, and he is ably played here by Aidan Turner, the Irishman famous for his performance as the titular hero in Poldark and considered by many to be a candidate for the next James Bond.

What’d He Wear?

Philip Lombard makes a hell of an impression on both audiences and his fellow travelers in a sharp three-piece suit in vivid blue chalkstripe flannel. The mauve colored chalkstripes better neutralize the intensity against such a bold color than a stark white stripe would.

Lindsay Pugh, the series’ costume designer, brought vast talent and knowledge of period attire to the production. “Men’s suits were well tailored with strong shoulders and wide lapels,” she explained in a Q&A with WWD.com regarding the 1930s fashion she created for 2013 series Dancing on the Edge. Lombard’s suit reflects many style trends of the late ’30s, including a strong padded shoulder with roped sleeveheads and wide peak lapels that slightly pull away from the collar, seemingly expressing a desire to take flight.

Philip Lombard travels in style.

Three-piece suits with double-breasted jackets were at the height of their popularity in the 1930s, particularly with the wide, sharp lapels and high-fastening six-on-two button front seen on Lombard’s suit jacket. Lombard’s ventless jacket has a welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, and three-button cuffs.

Lombard unpacks his Webley .38 revolver as soon as he gets to his room… like you do.

The suit has a matching vest (we should probably call it a waistcoat as this is an English character in an English setting of an English production) with four narrow-welted pockets.

Production photo of Aidan Turner as Philip Lombard, showcasing the jacket’s broad peak lapels and inner pockets as well as the four narrow-welted pockets of his waistcoat.

The high-fastening waistcoat has a six-button front, with the lowest button placed high above the notched bottom so that it can be comfortably worn with all buttons fastened without bunching at the waist.

The single reverse-pleated trousers rise well enough to conceal the waistband under the waistcoat for the most part, but his trouser band occasionally falls below the open notch of his waistcoat bottom, revealing very long belt loops despite the trousers being worn sans belt. A shot taken during the production shows a button to the right of the right-side pleat just below the waistband (see the photo at the top of this post).

Production photo of Aidan Turner as Philip Lombard. Note the generous trouser fit thanks to the pleats and the full cut as well as the elevated lowest button on the waistcoat situated so that the vest can be worn fully fastened.

Pugh explained in a documentary of the film’s production: “’30s fashion was absolutely high-waist in the trousers,” which caused more than a few adjustments for Aidan Turner. The actor stated that “the pants are a little high for my liking… I have all the costume people comin’ in, and they’re hoofin’ them up all the time… and it feels so high.”

Turner would later sing a different tune in a December 2015 interview with the Daily Mail Magazine in the appropriately titled feature “Poldark in Pinstripes!”, telling interviewer Tim Oglethorpe that “I was wearing these high-waisted pants a lot for this show, they’re really comfortable and quite flattering!”

The trousers have side pockets where Lombard casually slips his hands and a full cut through the legs down to the bottoms finished with narrow cuffs (turn-ups).

In his flashy suit and sunglasses, Lombard presents an immediate contrast to stodgy old timers Blore (Burn Gorman) and Justice Wargrave (Charles Dance) in their hats and heavy coats.

In non-formal situations, Lombard always wears a pair of tan leather oxford quarter brogues with a medallion cap toe and five lace eyelets. His socks appear to be black, though navy would be a slightly more interesting choice to continue the leg line of his trousers.

Lombard arrives at Soldier Island wearing this suit with a dull mauve shirt that coordinates with the mauve chalkstriping in his suit. The lightweight cotton shirt has a spread collar, front placket, and single-button rounded cuffs. The shirt’s buttons are white mother-of-pearl.

Printed ties were quite popular during the late 1930s, and Lombard wears a red-and-gold leafy paisley silk tie that is comparatively subdued both in color and size against other ties of the era.

Lombard flashes Vera a roguish smirk on the train to Devon.

A flashback in the second episode shows Lombard receiving his “invitation” from Isaac Morris just before heading off to Soldier Island. He wears the same suit with a similarly styled gold shirt and a red-on-red jacquard silk tie.

Lombard listens to Isaac Morris’ enticing offer of adventure on Soldier Island during a second episode flashback.

Lombard’s simple timepiece is also common to the early decades of men’s wristwatches, a square steel or silver-toned case on a russet brown leather strap. The tan square dial has gold hands and numeric markings.

Lombard further sets himself apart from the older coat-and-hat crowd by eschewing both traditional pieces of outerwear and donning a pair of cool vintage sunglasses with round tortoise frames and dark gray lenses connected by a thin gold bridge over his nose.

Though not a particularly sunny day, Lombard finishes dressing to impress with a pair of tortoise-framed sunglasses.

Looking for a similar pair and don’t want to break the bank on Oliver Peoples, Persol, Polo, or Ray-Ban? Primer has got you covered with this in-depth look at the A.J. Morgan “Castro Round” with its tortoise plastic frames and gold-toned metal accents that ooze every ounce of throwback cool. The best part? Less than $13 on Amazon.

How to Get the Look

Philip Lombard makes an immediate impression on his fellow travelers, disrupting their traditional sartorial sensibilities with a flashy yet fashionable outfit that would be hard to replicate but easy to remember.

• Blue mauve-chalkstripe flannel three-piece suit:
  • Double-breasted 6-on-2-button jacket with wide peak lapels, strong shoulders, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
  • Single-breasted 6-button vest with dropped notched bottom and four narrow-welted pockets
  • trousers
• Mauve lightweight cotton shirt with spread collar, front placket (with mother-of-pearl buttons), and 1-button rounded cuffs
• Red-and-orange leaf-printed silk tie
• Brown leather medallion cap-toe 5-eyelet oxford quarter brogues
• Dark navy dress socks
• Light tortoise round-framed sunglasses with gold bridge and gray lenses
• Silver-cased square watch with tan dial on russet brown leather strap

Lombard proves to be a surprisingly loud dresser, sporting a pair of burgundy fleck trousers with a light brown tweed jacket in the days to come. (Read more about that outfit here!)

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the series and read Agatha Christie’s classic thriller; it’s the world’s best-selling mystery novel for a reason!

Footnote

Interestingly, Louis Hayward had also worn a chalkstripe flannel double-breasted suit as Philip Lombard in the 1945 film And Then There Were None, previously the closest adaptation to Christie’s original novel.

Hayward’s two-piece suit has a six-on-one buttoning jacket, worn with a more traditional white shirt, dark tie, white pocket square and – at times – a heavy overcoat.

Louis Hayward as Philip Lombard in 1945’s And Then There Were None, co-starring an indignant-looking Roland Young as Blore.

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

In honor of my parents’ 35th wedding anniversary today, I’m delving into Cary Grant’s well-tailored wardrobe from the romantic classic An Affair to Remember.

What’d He Wear?

For a brief scene aboard the SS Constitution and later when visiting his grandmother’s Italian villa, Nickie Ferrante wears an elegant worsted summer suit in what appears to be a fine black-and-white glen check plain weave for a light gray plaid effect, similar to the legendary blue-on-gray plaid suit that Cary Grant would wear two years later in North by Northwest.

The single-breasted suit jacket in An Affair to Remember has notch lapels which roll over the top of three buttons on the front, a welted breast pocket, and straight hip pockets with flaps. Each cuff is finished with three buttons and there is a single vent in the back.

Nickie relives more pleasant memories when touring his grandmother’s home months after his visit with Terry.

The suit is perfectly tailored for Grant’s lean physique with the drape cut jacket’s buttoning point meeting the trouser waistband, although Grant is briefly seen making the faux pas of fastening both of the lower two buttons of his 3-roll-2 front.

The high-rise trousers have double reverse pleats, side pockets, and narrow turn-ups (cuffs) on the bottoms.

Elegance at sea.

Grant wears a white cotton dress shirt with a point collar that de-emphasizes his famously thick neck. The shirt has a front placket and double (French) cuffs. He also wears a silver silk tie, worn in a four-in-hand knot with a perfect dimple.

As he would in North by Northwest, Grant wears brown leather shoes with light gray socks that continue the leg line from his trousers into his shoes. These particular oxfords are a lighter shade of mahogany brown than the cordovan derby shoes he wears in North by Northwest, appropriate for the lighter colored suit.

In his hand, Grant carries Nickie’s dark gray felt short-brimmed fedora with its slim gray grosgrain ribbon. He appears to be wearing the same gold Cartier tank watch that Grant wore in real life.

How to Get the Look

Cary Grant’s dashing plaid summer suit in An Affair to Remember appears to be a lighter colored prototype for the famous suit that he would wear in North by Northwest, right down to the monochromatic solid tie and brown shoes.

• Light gray plaid silk tailored summer suit:
  • Single-breasted 3-roll-2-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and single vent
  • Double reverse-pleated high-rise trousers with side pockets and narrow turn-ups/cuffs
• White cotton dress shirt with point collar, front placket, and double/French cuffs
• Silver silk tie
• Mahogany brown leather oxfords/balmorals
• Light gray dress socks
• Dark gray felt short-brimmed fedora with slim gray grosgrain ribbon
• Cartier Tank yellow gold wristwatch with square white dial and black leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

Jean Dujardin as Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath in OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006)

Vitals

Jean Dujardin as Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, suave French agent OSS 117

Cairo, Spring 1955

Film: OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies
(French title: OSS 117: Le Caire, nid d’espions)
Release Date: April 19, 2006
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Costume Designer: Charlotte David
Tailor: Joseph Kergoat

Background

Our debonair protagonist spends most of OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies in one tailored suit or the other, but he briefly dressed down for an adventure in the desert, sporting a black long-sleeve polo shirt reminiscent of Sean Connery’s preferred covert casual wear in James Bond films like Goldfinger and Thunderball.

What’d He Wear?

Hubert’s black long-sleeve polo shirt appears to be a luxurious lightweight silk or silk-like knit material. Hubert buttons the bottom two of the three black plastic buttons, leaving the top button undone and allowing the large self-collar to sit flat. The set-in sleeves have plain, elasticized cuffs that Hubert rolls partway up his arm. (One could take issue with the wisdom of Hubert’s decision to wear black silk on a hot day in the desert, but it’s hardly the most problematic of his decisions…)

The “early Bond” look isn’t limited to Hubert’s Goldfinger-esque shirt. His sky blue flat front trousers also recall the pants worn by Connery in his first 007 outing, Dr. No, during an expedition on the island of Crab Key. Hubert’s untucked shirt mostly covers his waist so we can’t tell if his trousers have side adjuster tabs à la Bond or are worn with a belt, but they certainly have side pockets, jetted back pockets, and taper down to the short break plain-hemmed bottoms.

Hubert’s beige-colored suede loafers coordinates with his sandy surroundings and appear to be worn sockless. The soles are brown leather.

Hubert springs into action.

Hubert’s watch is a vintage-inspired Tissot Heritage 150 Chronograph, introduced in a limited run celebrating Tissot’s 150th anniversary in 2003 when it retailed for $3,300. Though technically anachronistic for a film set in the mid-1950s, the classic look of the Heritage 150 Chronograph with its stainless 39.5mm case, dark brown alligator band, and silver dial (with three sub-dials and date window) serves its purpose as evoking the look of a timepiece that would have been worn by both dashing bon vivants and rugged adventurers alike.

Note Hubert’s Tissot Heritage 150 Chronograph, discussed above.

How to Get the Look

Whether intentionally or not, OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies pays homage to Sean Connery’s casual wear in early entries of the James Bond series, mixing 007’s black and blue to create a comfortably debonair outfit for an afternoon in the sun.

• Black silk long-sleeve polo shirt with large collar, three black buttons, and set-in sleeves with elasticized cuffs
• Sky blue flat front trousers with side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Beige suede loafers with brown soles
• Tissot Heritage 150 Chronograph T66.1.712.31 with stainless 39.5mm case, silver dial (with three sub-dials), and dark brown alligator leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

Sean Connery as James Bond in Diamonds are Forever (1971)

Vitals

Sean Connery as James Bond, British government agent

South America, Spring 1971

Film: Diamonds are Forever
Release Date: December 17, 1971
Director: Guy Hamilton
Wardrobe Master: Ray Beck
Tailor: Anthony Sinclair

Background

Making mud pies, 007?

Did you know that today, August 19, is National Potato Day? In Diamonds are Forever, James Bond’s hunt for vengeance after the events of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service leads him to an undisclosed location in search of his enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who has taken to cloning himself in order to form a group of decoy doubles to distract 007. Part of the pre-operation procedure consists of a volunteer decoy resting in an 80°F mud bath (while armed with a revolver, for some reason), and that’s where National Potato Day comes in.

Bert Luxford, an uncredited assistant in the film’s special effects department, recalled that the “mud” was created with a mix of mashed potato powder and cocoa. Much to the dismay of the cast and crew, the mashed potatoes began to “cook” after 24 hours under the hot studio lights, creating an unbearably awful smell.

(Credit must be given to Bill Morgan, the uncredited stunt performer who found himself submerged in the mashed potato mixture in the “role” of Blofeld’s double.)

You tell us, Sir Sean. Was it worth a million bucks to come back and stick your hand into a vat of rancid mashed potatoes?

In other Sean Connery news, less than week remains until the legendary Scottish actor’s 87th birthday…so prepare to see a little more of Sir Sean on BAMF Style in the coming days!

What’d He Wear?

Following a horribly sexist opening sequence that finds James Bond wearing a considerably dated beige-patterned terrycloth shirt while throttling a woman with her own bikini top, the setting shifts to Blofeld’s South American hideout where 007 is disguised in doctor garb over that most timeless of country garments: a tweed jacket.

Bond’s brown-and-black herringbone tweed sports jacket incorporates some design elements from the Norfolk jacket, a classic piece of English sportswear. The unique lapel is shaped like a traditional notch lapel but with a dog-eared self-tab extending from the top portion of the collar to fill the gap, reducing the notch itself to a short slanted vent.

The mixed brown and black fabric gives the jacket a dark muted brown effect that both flatters Connery and coordinates nicely to his black shirt and trousers.

“Who, me?”

Both this tweed jacket and the more mustard-toned check jacket he later wears in Las Vegas are detailed with the half-belted back, bellows pockets, and leather buttons consistent with Norfolk and half-Norfolk jacket elements. (Neither jacket has the “action back” pleats found on many Norfolk jackets, but the lack of said pleats doesn’t disqualify the terminology.) The back of the jacket is split with double vents that rise to the half-belted waist.

Dr. Bond administers to his patient.

It ain’t a PPK, but it’ll do in a pinch.

Q branch comes through with another winner.

The color treatment in this publicity photo gives Bond the appearance of wearing all black clothing, as Sean Connery’s Bond had previously done for covert assignments in Goldfinger and Thunderball.

How to Get the Look

Sean Connery channels 007’s previous “sneaking around” attire from Goldfinger and Thunderball of an all-black polo and trousers ensemble, though he layers it here with a dark tweed half-Norfolk jacket to create a more versatile and fashionable outfit.

• Brown-and-black herringbone tweed single-breasted half-Norfolk jacket with dog-eared notch lapels, 3-roll-2 leather button front, flapped bellows pockets, half-belted back, 2-button cuffs, and long double vents
• Black knit long-sleeve polo shirt with three-button placket
• Black flat front trousers with “Daks top” 3-button tab side adjusters, side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Black leather ankle boots
• Black socks
• Tan chamois leather shoulder holster with blue nylon strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

If you’re interested in an interesting behind-the-scenes account from a man with several Bond credits to his name, check out Bert Luxford’s memoirs, Albert J. Luxford, the Gimmick Man: Memoir of a Special Effects Maestro, where he recounts the “mashed potato” incident on set as well as many other tales from the British film industry’s special effects history.

…and, of course, buy the movie.

It’s worth watching just to see Connery pull off this gesture.

The Quote

Welcome to hell, Blofeld.

Jon Hamm as Don Draper in “Seven Twenty Three”, Episode 3.07 of Mad Men.

Vitals

Jon Hamm as Don Draper, mysterious ad exec and suburban dad

Ossining, New York, July 1963

Series: Mad Men
Episode: “Seven Twenty Three” (Episode 3.07)
Air Date: September 27, 2009
Director: Daisy von Scherler Mayer
Costume Designer: Janie Bryant

Background

“Why can’t you stare into the eclipse? I mean, what’s it gonna do, really? I stare at the sun every day,” wonders Carlton Hanson (Kristoffer Polaha), the philandering husband in Don and Betty Draper’s suburban social set.

After a few dismissive seconds staring through his sunglasses, Don merely responds by asking “You stare at the sun every day?”

In all of the excitement of the total solar eclipse crossing the U.S. yesterday, I had almost forgotten about this brief scene in Mad Men‘s third season when Don and Carlton accompany their kids to build camera obscuras to view the solar eclipse of July 20, 1963 with their idealistic new teacher, Suzanne Farrell (Abigail Spencer).

Though only one of an army of suburban dads in plaid shirts who stand ogling the attractive Miss Farrell, it is of course Don that finds himself in conversation with her. In a moment that parallels Helen Bishop calling Carlton out for his more obvious attempts in the first season, Suzanne proves to be more than used to “the game” even if Don didn’t quite know he was playing it yet: “Most just come right out and ask if I’m going to be around… You’re all the same. The drinking. The philandering.”

Hit where it hurts by that last word – after all, he’s gone an entire year without an extramarital affair! – Don sidles away from the children observing the eclipse before responding with a twist on his favorite advertising adage: “I was just making conversation. You can change it if you want to.”

Don: Where I come from, schoolteachers especially used to say “You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”
Suzanne: So you’re different, huh?
Don: Is that impossible?
Suzanne: You’re all wearing the same shirt.

Don smirks. She got him there.

Indeed, Suzanne has a point about the sartorial uniformity of Westchester County’s dads.

What’d He Wear?

It may be easy for Suzanne to dismiss Don Draper’s choice of casual attire as yet another plaid short-sleeved shirt favored by the dads of the “Silent Generation”, but the ace work of Mad Men‘s costume designer Janie Bryant differentiates Don’s shirt from the pack.

This is the most prominent appearance of Don’s brown and azure plaid cotton sport shirt with its curved one-piece collar that rolls over the non-functional top button on the right side. Aside from this relatively useless top button, there are five mother-of-pearl buttons down the plain front to the straight-hemmed bottom.

Rather than the traditional patch pocket, the pocket on left side of Don’s chest is jetted for a cleaner look against the bold but organized plaid pattern of his shirt.

Don tries to convince Suzanne that he wasn’t suggesting an affair with her. Of course, they are only two episodes away from engaging in a consensual affair anyway…

The day is “hot as hell,” as Roger observed to Don in the elevator the previous morning, so Don forgoes his usual undershirt, which would also cause an unsightly white triangle in the space of his open-necked collar.

There are double shoulder pleats on each side of the back for four total back pleats. The shirt’s short set-in sleeves extend halfway down each bicep with a fixed turned-up cuff that is sewn all the way around.

Suzanne and Don chat among the box-headed children (yes, that includes you, Carlton).

With their military heritage, khaki chinos are a reasonable weekend trouser for a war veteran like Don. In “Seven Twenty Three”, he wears a loose-fitting pair of lighter cream-colored flat front chinos with slightly slanted side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms.

Though the shirt is worn untucked, covering the waistband, Don reels back to get a look at Carlton’s camera obscura handiwork and gives viewers a glimpse of his dark brown leather belt with its shining brass buckle.

Don finds himself entertained by the students’ eclipse hijinks.

Loafers are the ideal shoes for a casual outfit like this, and Don’s dark brown slip-ons both coordinate with his belt as well as the earth tones present in his shirt and chinos. The quick look at his footwear also reveals a dark pair of socks, though whether they’re brown or the less seasonal black isn’t clear.

(The most comfortable option, in my opinion, would likely be cream or tan cotton socks that continues the leg line of his trousers while also keeping cool… although I guess absorbing the sun’s light isn’t as much of an issue with a solar eclipse.)

Don moves the conversation away from his daughter Sally after his “philandering” is called out by Suzanne.

In the second and third seasons of Mad Men, Don Draper wore a yellow gold Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classique luxury watch with a yellow gold squared case on a brown alligator strap.

Interested in a Reverso? You could pay up to $50,000 – or more! – for a new one.

Don prefers a pair of sunglasses to a cardboard box on his head.

Far more accessible are Don’s rugged square-framed sunglasses, confirmed by BAMF Style reader Preston Fassel to be the American Optical Flight Goggle 58 (FG-58), developed in 1958 to meet U.S. Air Force specifications right down to the “bayonet” temples designed to flex around the head while wearing a flight helmet.

To read more about the correct identification and history of Don’s AO FG-58 aviators, check out Preston’s thoroughly researched (and thoroughly entertianing) article for 20/20 magazine and this article from Primer.

Don Draper’s Saturday: sunglasses, stubble, and satisfaction.

Randolph Engineering, which was founded in the early ’70s and has been supplying handcrafted eyewear to the U.S. military since 1982, promotes the fact that Don’s sunglasses resemble their battle-tested RE Aviator in 23k yellow gold.

You can pick up a pair of American Optical sunglasses on Amazon for less than $60, a fraction of the price of Randolph’s $180 pair.

How to Get the Look

Don Draper may be wearing the uniform of a standard suburban dad, but his eye-catching duo-toned plaid shirt and simple yet elegant gold accessories separate him from the rest of the schlubs in the pack… as well as the fact that he looks like Jon Hamm.

• Brown and azure blue plaid cotton sport shirt with curved one-piece collar, plain front with five mother-of-pearl buttons, jetted chest pocket, cuffed short sleeves, double side pleats, and straight hem
• Cream-colored cotton chino flat front trousers with belt loops, slanted side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Dark brown leather belt with brass buckle
• Dark brown slip-on loafers
• Dark brown socks
• American Optical Flight Goggle 58 (FG-58) square-framed aviator sunglasses in yellow gold with brown lenses and “bayonet” temples
• Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classique wristwatch with a yellow gold case, square white dial, and brown alligator leather strap

Don goes sans undershirt, as he does when briefly wearing the shirt again in a fourth season episode when chronicling his post-divorce progress.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

…don’t be one of the people Googling “my eyes hurt” today! Always wear proper eyewear if you plan on staring at the sun.

Those RE Aviators may look badass, but there’s nothing badass about damaged retinas.

Watch the entire series, but check out the third season if you want to see this episode.

The Quote

So how do people live… elsewhere?

Footnote

Thanks to my friend Dan for reminding me yesterday about this episode, just in time for me to acknowledge it with an Instagram post before the eclipse was first spotted over Oregon. Incidentally, Dan’s birthday was Sunday so please join me in wishing a happy belated birthday to the very helpful Dan!

Sean Connery as Colonel John Arbuthnot in Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Vitals

Sean Connery as Colonel John Arbuthnot, British Indian Army commanding officer

Istanbul, December 1935

Film: Murder on the Orient Express
Release Date: November 24, 1974
Director: Sidney Lumet
Costume Designer: Tony Walton

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Happy birthday, Sean Connery, born August 25, 1930!

After playing James Bond in six films over the course of a decade, Connery was more than tired of the demanding role that had made him a star, and he began seeking work in different projects. One of his first films after putting 007 behind him (for the second time) was as part of the ensemble cast of Murder on the Orient Express, a 1974 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic 1934 mystery novel.

Though the 1974 film has been well regarded by critics, audiences, and – perhaps most importantly – by Christie herself, a fourth adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express was recently announced with Kenneth Branagh in the iconic lead role of detective Hercule Poirot. This latest adaptation, scheduled for release in November 2017, thankfully retains its period setting but re-imagines Connery’s ex-military character as a doctor, played by the talented Leslie Odom Jr. of Hamilton fame.

What’d He Wear?

The “old school” Colonel Arbuthnot looks every bit the traditional British sportsman in the plaid flannel half-Norfolk jacket and tweed “plus fours” that he wears for his introduction in Murder on the Orient Express. Though this outfit may be better suited for the country, it isn’t the first time Sean Connery played a character wearing plaid suiting on the Bosphorus ferry.

The jacket’s brown-and-tan plaid pattern is formed with sets of woven twill stripes alternating between tan and brown over a dark sand birdseye ground, crossing vertically and horizontally to create a large-scaled plaid check. Each set of nine stripes – five tan, four brown – are bordered by a thin light blue stripe on each side. The horizontal stripes are more muted than the vertical stripes.

Colonel Arbuthnot’s plaid on display while embracing Mary Debenham (Vanessa Redgrave).

Colonel Arbuthnot’s full-belted jacket includes many elements of a classic Norfolk jacket, though it lacks the “action back” pleats and the pleated strips on the front and back, thus making the “half-Norfolk” appellation more appropriate in this context. (For an example of a full Norfolk suit with a belt and pleat strips, see Jimmy Darmody’s tweed suit from the first episodes of Boardwalk Empire here.)

Unlike the dark herringbone tweed half-Norfolk jacket that Connery wore in the pre-credits sequence of Diamonds are Forever (featured in last Saturday’s post), this half-Norfolk jacket has two pockets on the chest in lieu of front pleat strips. All four of the jacket’s front pockets are inverted box pleat patch pockets with pointed button-down flaps.

The single-breasted jacket has wide lapels with large notches, a likely indication that this jacket was made for the production rather than a vintage piece from the 1930s. It has four horn buttons on the front with a smaller button on the front of the full belt. The spaced two buttons on each cuff are also made of horn. The jacket has a long single vent in the back that extends up to the belt.

Arbuthnot’s bag identifies him as an officer of the “12th Gurkha Rifles” which, according to my research, never existed.

Colonel Arbuthnot balances his loud jacket with a solid white cotton shirt. Connery presents a dignified image of military correctness in the shirt’s point collar, held with a gold collar bar under his tie knot. The shirt also has double (French) cuffs, likely fastened with gold cuff links as he would later wear with his houndstooth three-piece suit.

Arbuthnot’s striped repp tie is likely the Gurkha Brigade regimental tie, befitting Arbuthnot’s service as an officer with the fictional “12th Gurkha Rifles”. The design consists of three thin black, red, and black stripes crossing from the left shoulder down to the right hip on a forest green ground. Gurkha Brigade ties are available for £55 from Benson & Clegg (link) and Ben Silver for $128.

Colonel Arbuthnot eagerly greets Mary Debenham after boarding the ferry.

Sean Connery and Vanessa Redgrave on set in Istanbul during production of Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

The Norfolk jacket may have a long heritage dating back to at least the 1860s, but it remains a timeless if traditional-leaning piece of men’s countrywear. On the other hand, Colonel Arbuthnot’s brown tweed “plus fours” considerably age the outfit.

“Plus fours” were named for the four additional inches that they extend below the knee, allowing its wearer greater movement for athletic pursuits. Not as old-fashioned (or juvenile) as knickerbockers, the slightly longer plus fours continue to enjoy some popularity by traditionally dressed golfers, bicyclists, and André 3000, though their heyday was arguably the mid-1920s after the Prince of Wales introduced them to the United States.

Ten years before Murder on the Orient Express was made, Connery’s James Bond played a round of golf against the titular plus fours-wearing villain in Goldfinger. As Auric Goldfinger, the large and corpulent Gert Fröbe looked comical in his old fashioned getup of a brown tweed plus fours suit that fit Ian Fleming’s description in the eighth chapter of the source novel: “It was as if Goldfinger had gone to his tailor and said, ‘Dress me for golf – you know, like they wear in Scotland.'”

The defining characteristic of all knickerbockers, including plus fours, are the short bottoms which are worn tightened up the calf to allow the loose trouser fabric to blouse out over the knees. In the case of plus fours, these would be worn four inches below the knee; I’m sure you can deduce on your own where “plus twos” or “plus eights” are worn.

Hosiery can make or break the plus fours effect, but Connery correctly wears a pair of tight dark brown ribbed socks that provide the desired look. Connery also wears the same brown leather five-eyelet wingtip oxford brogues that he wears throughout the film.

Dismissing Poirot as “obviously a frog” (but he’s Belgian!), Colonel Arbuthnot escorts Mary inside.

The obvious headgear for such a country-inspired outfit would be a brown tweed flat cap which Colonel Arbuthnot wears until gallantly removing it when he finds himself in Mary Debenham’s presence.

Boarding the ferry, Arbuthnot also removes the mustard-colored leather work gloves that he had worn when carrying his bags.

Sean Connery on location in Istanbul during filming of Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

How to Get the Look

Colonel Arbuthnot infuses his traditional country outfit with old-fashioned sensibilities for his Bosphorus crossing.

• Brown-and-tan large-scale plaid (with blue overcheck) flannel half-Norfolk jacket with wide notch lapels, four horn buttons, four inverted box-pleat patch pockets, spaced 2-button cuffs, full belt with button, and long back vent
• White dress shirt with gold-pinned round collar, front placket, and double/French cuffs
• Gurkha Brigade regimental striped tie with black and red stripes on forest green ground
• Brown tweed “plus fours” breeches with side pockets
• Brown leather cap-toe 5-eyelet wingtip oxford brogues
• Brown dress socks
• Brown tweed flat cap
• Mustard leather work gloves

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie and book.

Brad Pitt as Robert “Rusty” Ryan in Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Vitals

Brad Pitt as Robert “Rusty” Ryan, hustler and casino heister

East Jersey State Prison, Summer 2001

Film: Ocean’s Eleven
Release Date: December 7, 2001
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Costume Designer: Jeffrey Kurland

Background

“I hope you were the groom” is Rusty Ryan’s greeting as the tuxedo-clad Danny Ocean (George Clooney) is released from serving “three to six months” in prison.

Danny allows himself a second to smirk, processing his old pal’s remark before responding appropriately:

Ted Nugent called, he wants his shirt back.

What’d He Wear?

Rusty Ryan’s flashy fashion sensibilities have always been the yin to Danny Ocean’s more subdued yang, but never in Ocean’s Eleven had their sartorial differences been more apparent than in this final scene as the film’s dialogue (not in the original script, mind you) aligns Rusty’s shirt as yet another of the questionable choices made by reactionary rocker Ted Nugent.

In order to really deliver the moment, Rusty needed a shirt to outdo anything he’d worn before. Luckily, the Ocean’s Eleven team was working with the creative and experienced shirtmakers at Anto Beverly Hills.

The pièce de résistance of Rusty’s distinctive wardrobe? A genuine snakeskin shirt, custom made for the production by Anto Beverly Hills.

To create what arguably the most distinctive shirt of Rusty’s unique wardrobe, the Anto team used 2″-wide strips of actual snakeskin, strung together to form a surprisingly flattering dress shirt consistent with the style and fit of Rusty’s other shirts with a wide collar, plain front, and extra-long sleeves with unfastened single cuffs.

Exclusive photo courtesy of Anto Beverly Hills.

“Blew it all on the suit,” is Rusty’s sarcastic response to Danny’s criticism of driving the same old Ford despite his recent $13 million payday. Despite Rusty’s flippancy, the suit likely was a post-heist gift to himself as this is its first and only appearance in the film. (I highly doubt that it would have cost anything close to $13 million, of course.)

The cream suit is tailored and styled similarly to the light gray cotton summer suit he wore before the heist when visiting Reuben, though this suit’s single-breasted jacket has notch lapels rather than peak lapels. The lapels roll to a single cream plastic button at the waist. The wide shoulders are strongly padded with roped sleeveheads, shaped with curved darts through the torso with a ventless back.

Rusty escorts Danny out to his “piece of shit”, an unfortunate moniker for his considerably cool 1963 Ford Falcon Futura convertible whose only real sin rests with Rusty for not keeping it adequately clean.

Original promotional poster for Ocean’s Eleven (2001), featuring a look at Rusty’s footwear.

The jacket has a welted breast pocket and low, slanted flapped hip pockets. Pitt wears both of the jacket sleeves with the functional 4-button cuffs totally unbuttoned, rakishly showcasing his bespoke suit to the world.

The trouser waistband is fitted with no visible adjusters and certainly no belt loops. The flat front trousers have straight side pockets and a straight cut through the legs to the plain-hemmed bottoms.

My widescreen DVD of the film doesn’t show Rusty’s feet at all, but some promotional art features this suit with a pair of what appear to be snakeskin shoes that coordinate with his shirt, similar to these python-skin derbies.

It would be a shame if the filmmakers went to the trouble of outfitting Rusty with a pair of snakeskin shoes to wear without actually showing them, but it may perhaps be ultimately beneficial to the survival of the snake population to not have Brad Pitt popularizing their skin as footwear.

More visible on screen are Rusty’s accessories and jewelry. The unfastened shirt cuff reveals the white gold watch (possibly a Rolex) on his right wrist. He also wears his usual thick silver ring with a blue set-in stone on the third finger of his right hand and a simpler small silver ring on his left pinky.

Rusty’s relentless eating throughout the caper finally catches up with him with a cheeseburger-induced bout of heartburn during the final scene.

Rusty wears a pair of rimless sunglasses with tinted gray gradient lenses and gold hardware (arms and nose bridge) that are decidedly not the same Oliver Peoples “Whistle” sunglasses that he wore in earlier scenes with his light gray summer suit or tan double-breasted suit.

How to Get the Look

Brad Pitt as Robert “Rusty” Ryan in Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Rusty certainly dresses to turn heads, but this outfit might capture PETA’s attention more than anyone else… or worse, you’ll be mistakenly accused of sharing a closet with Ted Nugent.

• Cream lightweight cotton two-piece suit:
  • Single-breasted 1-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, double vents, and functional 4-button cuffs
  • Flat front low-rise trousers with fitted waistband, straight on-seam side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Snakeskin custom Anto shirt with large point collar, plain front, and open squared single cuffs
• Snakeskin shoes
• Thick silver ring with blue stone on right ring finger
• Silver pinky ring on left hand
• White gold wristwatch with silver dial on link bracelet
• Rimless gray-lensed sunglasses with gold arms and nose bridge

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

There’s a women’s prison down the road…

Richard Gere as Julian Kaye in American Gigolo (1980)

Vitals

Richard Gere as Julian Kaye, high-price L.A. escort

Palm Springs, Spring 1980

Film: American Gigolo
Release Date: February 8, 1980
Director: Paul Schrader
Costumer: Bernadene C. Mann
Costume Coordinator: Alice Rush
Richard Gere’s Costumes: Giorgio Armani

Background

For Richard Gere’s 68th birthday (happy birthday, Richard!), I’m taking a look at the role that made him famous: high-profile escort Julian Kaye in the stylish 1980 neo-noir American Gigolo.

Julian, riding high at the top of the L.A. escort scene, is called in by pimp Leon (Bill Duke) to fill in for one of his regulars for a client in Palm Springs. Unaware of the circumstances ahead of him, Julian finds himself at the swanky home of Mr. and Mrs. Rheiman, a yuppie couple looking to have the husband’s cuckold fantasy fulfilled as usual.

What follows is the most pivotal night of Julian’s young but eventful life as he finds himself submerged in a murder mystery before he can even comprehend what’s happening…and how to get out of it.

What’d He Wear?

American Gigolo‘s distinctive ambience owes a lot to the two Giorgios: Italian music composer Giorgio Moroder who scored the film and emerging fashion designer Giorgio Armani. Armani, a former window dresser who cut his teeth as a designer for Nino Cerruti, founded his own label in the mid 1970s and was looking for major exposure for his high-end but accessible couture. Armani found the perfect outlet for his creativity and ambitions when tasked with designing the costumes for American Gigolo‘s voguish lead… John Travolta.

Travolta left the project with nary two weeks to production, and Richard Gere swiftly assumed the challenge of stepping into Julian’s stylish shoes. Rather than undergoing a complete redesign, Julian’s Armani wardrobe was simply re-tailored for the differently built Gere. The decision was fortuitous for both Armani and Gere, establishing both as bona fide stars in their respective industries.

Filmed in 1979 and released early the following year, American Gigolo kicked off “the Armani revolution” as Julian Kaye’s narrow, unstructured “second skin” style marked an immediate departure from the floppy collars and bell bottoms characteristic of the disco era to in the slim new look for the ’80s.

One of the most distinctive items in American Gigolo is the high-yoked single-button gray sport jacket that Julian wears when calling upon the Rheimans of Palm Springs. The jacket exemplifies the tailored yet relaxed silhouette that Armani achieved by deconstructing the restrictive lining and padding from his suits and jackets, building up the natural shoulders on Gere’s jacket with roped sleeveheads and a distinctive yoke that slightly curves out from the collar along the shoulders.

Though Julian may be uncomfortable as Mr. Rheiman explains his assignation for the evening, you’d never know it to look at him.

This single-breasted jacket has narrow and short lapels that end well above the jacket’s single button with low, wide notches. The low stance of the single front button is closer to the belt line. The Italian influence is evident with the curved “barchetta” breast pocket opening and the straight jetted hip pockets. There are three buttons on each cuff.

Colored in the medium gray end of Armani’s signature “greige” spectrum, a close looking at the suiting reveals a gray basketweave micro-check, possibly woven silk or a silk-wool blend.

Julian cruises through southern California in his Mercedes convertible.

Julian’s shirt is also gray silk, albeit a much lighter gray in a luxurious linen/silk blend. The front placket is stitched very close to the edges unlike the traditional English placket. The shirt has two flapped set-in pockets on the chest with no buttons on the wide flaps. The wide cuffs are each tightly fastened with a single button. Julian wears no undershirt.

Julian’s slim green dotted silk is a dull shade of green that appropriately enough resembles “Hooker’s green”, a pigment named after English botanical illustrator William Jackson Hooker that also happens to describe Julian’s profession. Julian rakishly wears the tie a few inches too long, extending below the waistline and starkly contrasting against the dark trousers like an arrow suggestively pointing to his groin… essentially advertising his services.

From the appellation of its color to the suggestive blade placement, Julian’s tie essentially serves as an advertisement for his “companionship” services.

The gray tones continue through the outfit with Julian’s dark charcoal darted flat front trousers, worn with a narrow gray leather belt.

Mrs. Rheiman meets her date for the evening.

Julian’s unique gray leather belt coordinates with his gray leather loafers, worn with black socks to continue the leg line of his dark trousers.

Julian’s Cartier Tank Americaine is a timepiece befitting a man of his wealth and era. Hardly ashamed to flash his status, Julian wears his watch with the dial facing inward, a style typically preferred by ex-military operatiors (which he might be) or people trying to conceal their luxury accessories (which he assured he is not!)

Julian also sports a pair of large sunglasses with light tortoiseshell frames and brown gradient lenses, almost certainly an Armani product and one of the few items Julian wears that nods to the excessively wide fashions of the late ’70s.

Though American Gigolo is very much a film of its era, its sartorial impact endures – particularly for its star and designer. As Chris Laverty wrote for Clothes on Film: “This film established the Armani brand, and not just for years to come, but forever.” For Richard Gere’s role in that establishment, Armani continues to pay it forward and Gere reportedly can walk into any Armani store around the world and pick out the clothing of his choice gratis. (Source: The Guardian)

How to Get the Look

Julian Kaye showcases the effectiveness of mixing shades of gray, aided by the fashion-forward designs of Giorgio Armani.

• Gray basketweave micro-check silk/wool single-breasted 1-button tailored sport jacket with distinctive shoulder yokes, short, narrow notch lapels, curved “barchetta” welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
• Pale gray linen/silk shirt with narrow point collar, plain front, two flapped set-in chest pockets, and 1-button rounded cuffs
• “Hooker’s green” dotted silk tie
• Dark charcoal darted flat front trousers with belt loops, straight/on-seam side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Narrow gray leather belt with small rounded gold single-prong buckle
• Gray leather loafers
• Black socks
• Cartier Tank Americaine watch with a square yellow gold case, black dial, and smooth black leather strap
• Light tortoiseshell large-framed Giorgio Armani sunglasses with brown gradient lenses

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

Sources

Giorgio Armani’s contributions to Richard Gere’s wardrobe in American Gigolo has been well documented in the nearly 40 years since the film’s release. To read more, check out:

• AnOther (Maisie Skidmore)
• Classiq (Ada Pîrvu)
• Clothes on Film (Chris Laverty)
• GQ UK (Kevin Perry)
• The Guardian (Imogen Fox)
• Men’s Flair (Andrew Hodges)
• Robb Report (Jill Newman)

This has been one of the most requested films on BAMF Style, so I will continue to explore Gere’s screen-worn outfits in detail.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale, Jr. in Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Vitals

Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale, Jr., teenage con artist

Atlanta, Summer 1965

Film: Catch Me If You Can
Release Date: December 25, 2002
Director: Steven Spielberg
Costume Designer: Mary Zophres

Background

Having made a fortune from passing his forged checks posing as a Pan Am pilot, 17-year-old Frank Abagnale Jr. is living the high life, hosting a fondue party in his swanky Atlanta condo full of era-specific goodies like The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” on the Hi-Fi and Nesbitt’s soda in the hand of every giggling go-go dancer present.

What’d He Wear?

Christ, Terry! This is Italian knit!

Frank seems to be the only one unable to relax at his party, but how could one be expected to relax with clumsy friends like Terry and Lance, the latter of whom falls into the “conversation pit” and sets the next deceptive chapter of Frank Abagnale Jr.’s life in motion.

But returning to the “Italian knit” in question, Frank is referring to his unique orange-and-white casual knitwear, a bright choice for a lazy summer afternoon and fitting with Frank’s brighter, reinvented life after running away from home. According to blogger Josie Sampson at Film Reel Fashion: “As he falls deeper into his false world of impersonation, his ‘off-duty’ clothes become increasingly flamboyant and vivacious as his confidence grows. Fitting with the sixties vibes, out of uniform he kits himself out with a palette of vivid and loud colors.”

With its bright colors and sharp angles, this orange knit self-cardigan polo shirt exemplifies these “sixties vibes” while also clearly differentiating Frank’s new jet-setting lifestyle from his drab but legal and age-appropriate high school life.

Little did Frank know his trip to visit an injured friend would become a job interview.

Frank’s unique shirt essentially consists of a solid orange knit short-sleeve polo with a cardigan-like layer attached at the shoulders that drapes across the front of his torso like a double-breasted waistcoat. The polo has three smoke gray plastic buttons with the top button worn open for the large soft self-collar to flap over the top layer. A smaller smoke gray button on the back of the collar holds it in place.

The cardigan-like layer is white with orange stripes to match the shirt below it. Thicker orange striping follows the edges of this layer, forming a sharp sideways “V” where the left side crosses over the right at the waist, stitched in place in the bottom corner to keep the front layer from draping open. The elasticized bottom is straight-hemmed.

We all know that feeling when your house is full of uninvited guests making a mess of everything.

Frank coordinates his trousers to his shirt stripes with a pair of white cotton straight-leg chinos. The only two pockets are slanted on the front rather than along the sides with just a straight yoke across the back seat.

The trouser fit is slim and straight through the legs down to the short break, plain-hemmed bottoms. The trousers have tall belt loops but no visible belt, although brown would match the shoes.

Frank wears dark brown suede apron-toe tassel loafers, apparently sockless.

In his orange sherbet-inspired casual garb, Frank stands out against the hospital’s pale beige-and-mauve color scheme.

While an aviator’s chronograph like a Breitling Navitimer may be more consistent with Frank’s pilot persona, he wears his usual steel-cased wristwatch with a black dial on a black leather strap. The exact model is unconfirmed, but Watches2U suggests this timepiece from the aptly named Dogfight watch company.

Two different kinds of stripes.

DiCaprio and Spielberg on set.

How to Get the Look

Seemingly inspired by orange sherbet, Frank’s brightly colored and uniquely styled casual knitwear signifies his newfound popularity among the mid-’60s jet set crowd.

• Orange knit short-sleeve polo shirt with striped white double-breasted front layer
• White cotton flat front chino trousers with belt loops, slanted front pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Dark brown suede apron-toe tassel loafers
• Stainless steel wristwatch with black dial on black leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

I’m a doctor.

Footnote

While I have no doubt that Frank’s Italian knit layered shirt is inspired by actual men’s fashions of the ’60s, I’ve yet to actually see a contemporary example of it whether in a movie, TV show, or catalog.

If anyone knows more about this specific style or has seen it elsewhere, please feel free to share!

Brad Pitt as Wing Commander Max Vatan in Allied (2016)

Vitals

Brad Pitt as Max Vatan, Royal Canadian Air Force intelligence officer

Casablanca, Morocco, Fall 1942

Film: Allied
Release Date: November 23, 2016
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Costume Designer: Joanna Johnston

Background

On a pleasant Sunday in Casablanca, Parisian couple Maurice and Christine Berne walk arm-in-arm into the town square for an afternoon coffee. Of course, it’s smack in the middle of World War II so not everything is as it appears. “Maurice and Christine” are actually spies Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) and Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard) and, to further complicate things, Max has been recognized by a German officer who swiftly marches to the nearest phone booth. Max covertly follows the officer, armed only with a chunk of bread…

Some sartorial sticklers will tell you it’s inappropriate to wear white after Labor Day. Given that today is Labor Day and we’ve still got some hot weather ahead of us, you’d be well-served to keep a “not-quite-white” suit – like Max’s pale blue three-piece suit – in your closet for your natty warm-weather needs this time of year.

What’d He Wear?

“You look okay. Let’s go,” Marianne tells Max before they leave the house. Resplendent in a pale blue-gray pinhead suit possibly made from Irish linen, Max looks considerably nicer than “okay” for his afternoon outing with Marianne.

“You look okay. Let’s go.”

Most of the suits that Max wears for his French cover in Morocco are designed with a very unique lapel that looks like a cross between a standard peak lapel and the appropriately Parisian “cran necker” lapel. These lapels are differentiated from a normal peak lapel (as found on the beige suit that Max wears when first meeting Marianne) by the length of the collar, which extends the same length as the peaked point below the notch.

When in Casablanca…
Marianne channels Ilsa Lund with her wide-brimmed hat. (Max’s lapels, on the other hand, are hardly like anything Bogie had ever worn.)

The single-breasted, two-button suit jacket has a welted breast pocket, flapped hip pockets, and an era-appropriate ventless back. The shoulders are padded with roped sleeveheads and each sleeve ends with three buttons at the cuff. The buttons on the jacket and vest are blue smoke.

Max’s suit has a matching vest (waistcoat) with six buttons that are all worn buttoned. The corners at the top and notched bottom of the vest are mitred, and the vest has two welted lower pockets.

The suit trousers have a full cut with added roominess through the hips due to the double forward pleats. The waist is covered by the jacket and vest through the scene, but Max likely wears his trousers with suspenders (braces) as he does his other suits in Casablanca. They have side pockets and narrow cuffs (turn-ups) at the bottom.

Max coordinates the tones of his suit to his light blue shadow-striped cotton shirt with periwinkle and white stripes on a pale blue ground. The shirt has a long point collar – appropriate to the era – as well as single-button squared cuffs and a front placket stitched close to the edges.

One minute, he’s sitting down for a dignified mid-day meal. The next minute, he’s throttling the life out of an enemy in a phone booth. You think you know some people…

Like the shirt, Max’s tie is also triple-toned in white and two shades of blue, though the loud floral print and the contrast between the blues makes it a much less understated element of his outfit.

Max would later wear this same periwinkle, navy, and white cotton tie with his light gray double-breasted three-piece suit when he and Marianne meet with Herr Hobar before the party.

Max reels upon realizing he’s been recognized by a Nazi!

This is the only one of his “Morocco suits” with which Max wears footwear other than his off-white oxford brogues, sporting here a pair of cognac brown leather derby shoes with medium gray socks.

Etiquette tip: it’s always nice to pull out your date’s chair, whether she’s your wife or a fellow resistance fighter supporting your cover story.

Like any gent in the ’40s, Max wouldn’t dream of strutting around outside without his hat, in this case a gray felt fedora with a short brim, tall pinched crown, and wide black grosgrain ribbon.

For extra protection against the bright Moroccan sun, Max wears a pair of gold-framed Nylor “Doublé Or Laminé” sunglasses with a fashion-forward French pedigree to match his Parisian cover story… even if the Space Age-style frames are a tad anachronistic. (ID by SunglassesID.com.)

Max and Marianne are ready prepared for a sunny day with their hats and sunglasses.

On his left hand, Max wears a gold wedding band prop ring and a dressy yellow gold tank watch on a dark brown leather strap.

No garrote wire or mini-saws here; evidently Max’s British spy handlers weren’t quite as well equipped as they would be for 007 a few decades later.

In addition to Casablanca (for obvious reasons), costume designer Joanna Johnston reportedly found sartorial inspiration in the simple yet elegant costuming of Now, Voyager, a 1942 drama starring Bette Davis, Paul Heinreid, and Claude Rains.

How to Get the Look

Max Vatan’s elegant and comfortable warm-weather suit fits his cover as a debonair French businessman unaffected by the war.

• Pale blue pinhead-patterned Irish linen suit:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with long-collared peak lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
  • Single-breasted 6-button vest with lower welted pockets and notched bottom
  • Double forward-pleated trousers with side pockets and narrow turn-ups/cuffs
• Pale blue shadow-striped cotton dress shirt with long point collar, front placket, and 1-button squared cuffs
• Navy, periwinkle, and white floral-patterned cotton tie
• Cognac brown leather derby shoes
• Medium gray socks
• Gray felt short-brimmed fedora with wide black grosgrain ribbon
• Nylor “Doublé Or Laminé” vintage sunglasses with curved gold-filled frames
• White gold wedding band
• Yellow gold tank watch with square gold dial on dark brown leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

George Lazenby as James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

Vitals

George Lazenby as James Bond, British secret agent

London, September 1969

Film: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Release Date: December 18, 1969
Director: Peter R. Hunt
Tailor: Dimi Major
Costume Designer: Marjory Cornelius

Background

George Lazenby celebrated his 78th birthday two days ago, so BAMF Style is featuring his arguably most famous role of James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service for the 00-7th of his birth month of September.

For those interested in astrology, the first two actors to play James Bond in the official EON Productions franchise – Sean Connery (born August 25, 1930) and George Lazenby (born September 5, 1939) – are both Virgos… as is four-time Bond director Guy Hamilton (born September 16, 1922).

What’d He Wear?

George Lazenby’s James Bond appropriately wears the most staid of his tailored suits for a day at the office, though this navy blue herringbone wool suit could hardly be called boring. In fact, Lazenby himself appeared to make much use of this suit in real life, having worn it when he was officially announced as the next James Bond in an October 1968 press conference and even after he had put the role well behind him.

As the filmmakers were wary to establish Lazenby as anything but a “new” Bond in Sean Connery’s image, he wears a suiting not new to the series; Connery had previously worn a navy herringbone suit for the iconic scene in Goldfinger where 007 receives his Aston Martin DB5 from Q.

I believe Lazenby’s navy herringbone three-piece suit, tailored for him by Dimi Major, makes its first appearance during the opening gunbarrel shot of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but he most prominently wears it during his first visit to M’s office that finds him resigning in a spiteful huff… until Miss Moneypenny wisely intervenes.

Bond turns on the charm after learning that Miss Moneypenny saved his job.

The single-breasted jacket has moderately wide notch lapels that roll to the top of a three-button front that compliments Lazenby’s lean 6’2″ stature. Full through the chest and suppressed at the waist, the soft shoulders are lightly padded and the long double vents rise approximately 12″ high, a harbinger of the approaching excessive lengths and widths that would define the coming decade’s style. The jacket has a welted breast pocket, flapped hip pockets, and three buttons on each cuff.

The matching vest (waistcoat) has a standard single-breasted, six-button front with the lowest button left open over the notched bottom. The vest has four welted pockets and a navy satin-finished back. As the waistcoat was tailored to fit Lazenby, there is no adjustable back strap.

A beaming Lazenby grins for the cameras at London’s The Dorchester hotel where he was officially announced as the new James Bond on October 7, 1968.

Bond removes his jacket when he gets back to his office, revealing an black leather shoulder holster that suspends his trademark Walther PPK under his left armpit for a smooth right-handed draw. The all-black shoulder rig is a more lethal-looking departure from the beige leather and blue-strapped holster of the Connery era.

Daniel Craig’s Bond would wear a similarly all-black leather holster, customized for the production by Skyfall costume designer Jany Temime.

Departing from Sean Connery’s template to reflect fashions of the late ’60s, George Lazenby wears non-pleated suit trousers with darts as a first for the Bond series, setting a flat-fronted example that would last through Roger Moore’s tenure until Timothy Dalton took over the role in the more pleat-happy 1980s.

While the flat front and plain-hemmed bottoms may be more unique to Lazenby than Connery, Lazenby’s Bond continues to wear narrow trousers fitted with the “Daks top” button-tab side adjusters rather than belt loops or suspenders. They have slightly slanted “quarter top” pockets on the sides and two jetted pockets on the back.

Of course, it’s a Gucci case that Bond uses when packing up his office belongings.

Frank Foster made shirts for Connery, Moore, and Lazenby to wear as Bond and this white poplin dress shirt for the latter has a front placket, single-button rounded cuffs, and a point collar. In Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion, Alan Flusser suggests that men with longer faces avoid point collars, but the wider allotment for tie space on Lazenby’s shirt balances out a collar that might be otherwise less flattering.

Lazenby wears a dark navy silk knit tie, reminiscent of the usual “thin black knitted silk tie” of Ian Fleming’s original novels though its half-Windsor knot would hardly meet with Fleming’s approval.

Bond is understandably displeased when M forces him off of “Operation Bedlam”.

As Lazenby had already considered Bond a relic by the time he had assumed the role, it makes sense that we never see him wearing the rather old-fashioned trilby that gets its signature toss onto Moneypenny’s hat rack (other than in the gunbarrel and opening scene, of course.) The hat appears to be black felt with a short brim and wide grosgrain ribbon.

Bond seeks to infiltrate “Britain’s last line of defense.”

Hardly glimpsed on screen, behind-the-scenes photos seem to reveal Lazenby wearing black cap-toe derby shoes similar to those he wore during the 1968 presser with a pair of dark ribbed socks.

Lazenby sports black patent leather derbies both at his October 1968 press conference (left) and when taking direction on set in March 1969 with Lois Maxwell (right).

By On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the Rolex Submariner had been well-established as James Bond’s preferred watch. However, Lazenby again wades into new territory by wearing his ref. 5513 Rolex on a stainless steel “Oyster” link bracelet rather than the NATO straps or leather bands of Connery’s tenure.

Don’t be jealous, 007. “The other fella” never even got to wear the garrote-wire watch.

Like the glen plaid suit and the navy chalkstripe flannel suit, there is photographic evidence that Lazenby kept this suit and wore it well after the production despite his well-publicized opinions about Bond’s “outdated” image.

Lazenby continued to wear Bond’s clothes even as a “civilian”.

Lazenby being Lazenby, one of those instances of him wearing this suit in real life was naturally for a reception at the Playboy Club.

To read more about this suit and its use in the film, check out Matt Spaiser’s The Suits of James Bond.

How to Get the Look

George Lazenby’s 007 meant several “firsts” for James Bond’s lounge suits – three-button jackets, flat-fronted trousers, button-cuffed shirts – incorporating all of these details into the conservative yet stylish three-piece suit he wears for a day in the office.

Lazenby sits with a drink and a smoke, easing into his role as 007 during the October 1968 presser. He appears to be wearing a pale blue shirt rather than the white shirt that he would wear with this suit in the actual film.

• Navy blue herringbone wool tailored suit:
  • Single-breasted 3-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and long double vents
  • Single-breasted 6-button vest with four welted pockets and notched bottom
  • Darted flat front trousers with button-tab “Daks top” side adjusters, slanted side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• White cotton poplin dress shirt with point collar, front placket, and 1-button rounded cuffs
• Navy blue wool knit tie
• Black leather derby shoes
• Dark navy ribbed socks
• Rolex Submariner 5513 with stainless steel case, black dial and aluminum bezel, and stainless “Oyster” link bracelet

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

Moneypenny, what would I do without you?

Steve McQueen as Eric “The Kid” Stoner in The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

Vitals

Steve McQueen as Eric “the Kid” Stoner, hotshot poker player

New Orleans, Fall 1936

Film: The Cincinnati Kid
Release Date: October 15, 1965
Director: Norman Jewison
Costume Designer: Donfeld (Donald Lee Feld)

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

“King of Cool” Steve McQueen could also be called the king of the cardigan, considering his role in re-establishing the sweater as a functional and fashionable garment for young rebels rather than as the staid staple of TV dads like Ward Cleaver.

Both on and off screen, the shawl collar cardigan was a McQueen favorite. He notably wore a bulky navy shawl cardigan during William Claxton’s famous photo sessions of McQueen and his first wife, Neile, in California in 1964.

Steve and Neile, photographed by William Claxton. California, 1964.

In The Cincinnati Kid, filmed and released around the time of Claxton’s Carmel and Big Sur sessions, McQueen’s Eric “the Kid” Stoner sports a brown cardigan that works just as well 80 years after the film was set for gents seeking casual weekend attire… or attention from Ann-Margret or Tuesday Weld-types.

What’d He Wear?

Steve McQueen’s timeless sartorial sensibilities made it easy for him to incorporate many of his favorite items in real life – a waxed motorcycle jacket and a tweed sport coat, to name two – into the wardrobe of his titular character in the 1930s-set The Cincinnati Kid. As I noted above and in an article for Primer magazine earlier this year, the shawl collar cardigan is a classic McQueen essential item.

The Kid’s brown ribbed wool knit cardigan makes its first appearance during an evening shoe shine when he is met on the street by his girlfriend Christian Rudd (Tuesday Weld) and her reckless friend Melba (Ann-Margret), the sultry wife of a rival poker player. The sweater has six black sew-through double-hole buttons down the front with a smaller seventh button fastening at the neck to protect against the nighttime chill.

The Kid chats up Melba and Christian.

Once he’s inside, The Kid wears the sweater open to reveal the wide shawl collar and his rust brown shirt. The sweater has the same features as his navy cardigan in the Carmel sessions, including patch pockets on the hips and elasticized cuffs that he rolls once over his wrists. To find similar cardigans for a range of prices, check out this comprehensive feature from Iconic Alternatives.

McQueen’s sweater fully buttoned outside and totally open indoors.

The Kid wears his cardigan over a button-up utility shirt in rust brown flannel, with the shirt’s warmer orange-like shade nicely contrasting against the cooler chocolate brown of his sweater. The shirt is similarly colored to the rust orange wool sweater that he wears with his black waxed jacket and his olive corduroy sportcoat in other scenes.

The shirt has a spread collar, button cuffs, and a front placket with the top button undone at the neck. The two patch pockets on the chest have mitred-corner flaps that McQueen wears unbuttoned, allowing the flaps to do just that.

The Kid’s brown wool trousers are a bit too matchy with the cardigan, but they fit the character and the context. They share styling with the gray wool trousers he wears elsewhere with single forward pleats, a hook-and-eye extended tab waistband front closure, small belt loops, slanted side pockets, and cuffs (turn-ups) on the bottoms.

The Kid settles back for an evening shoeshine as Melba and Christian approach.

The Kid’s black patent leather derby shoes have never looked better, as we catch him in mid-shine at the beginning of the scene. He wears them with black socks.

How to Get the Look

Steve McQueen, Ann-Margret, and Tuesday Weld in a promotional photo for The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

Steve McQueen’s penchant for timeless style allows for a character’s outfit in 1936 to translate just as well to your early fall weekend casualwear in 2017. You can’t go wrong with a shawl collar cardigan!

• Brown ribbed wool knit shawl collar cardigan sweater with six black buttons and smaller neck button, patch hip pockets, and elasticized cuffs
• Rust brown flannel utility shirt with spread collar, front placket, two button-down flapped patch pockets, and buttoned cuffs
• Brown wool single forward-pleated trousers with slim belt loops, extended concealed-hook front tab, slanted side pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Black leather derby shoes
• Black socks
• White cotton undershorts

Looking for a versatile approach to the same aesthetic? Try it with other McQueen-approved staples like khaki chinos and a pair of desert boots.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.