Alain Delon as Tom Ripley in Purple Noon (1960)

Vitals

Alain Delon as Tom Ripley, charming American con artist and sophisticated sociopath

Italy, Late Summer 1959

Film: Purple Noon
(French title: Plein soleil)
Release Date: March 10, 1960
Director: René Clément
Costume Designer: Bella Clément

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley, Purple Noon put French actor Alain Delon on the international map. Only 24 years old when Purple Noon was released, Delon earned the endorsement of Ms. Highsmith herself for his performance as the smooth and wily young con artist whose petty crimes and deceptions graduate to multiple murders over the course of the film.

“It’s insidious, the way Highsmith seduces us into identifying with him and sharing his selfishness,” Roger Ebert wrote of both the novel and this cinematic adaptation in his 1996 review. “Ripley believes that getting his own way is worth whatever price anyone else might have to pay. We all have a little of that in us.”

Purple Noon is an aesthetic treat from Henri Decaë’s lush cinematography to the stylish costumes of Bella Clément, for whom Purple Noon remains her sole credit and whose possible relation to director René Clément remains a mystery to me. One particular item receives significant on-screen attention: Philippe Greenleaf’s boldly striped regatta blazer that betokens Tom Ripley’s wish to become him.

What’d He Wear?

Today, the most universal description of a blazer would be a jacket tailored like a suit coat but with a more casual cut, with ornamental buttons and made from a durable yet formal fabric like wool. Navy remains the most traditional color, though it’s not uncommon to see correctly described blazers in shades of gray, red, green, and brown.

In 2013, Brooks Brothers introduced its wool-and-cotton Red, White, and Navy Stripe Regatta Blazer as part of The Great Gatsby Collection, itself inspired by 1920s nostalgia.

Unfortunately, contemporary nomenclature has complicated the term for menswear enthusiasts, shrouding the once-specific garment terminology in the muck and mire of modern shortcuts that classify any odd jacket under the “blazer” umbrella. Strip away the decades of uninformed labeling and Macy’s marketing tactics, and you’re left with a vibrantly colored – and often boldly striped – jacket.

Like many menswear staples, the blazer’s origins can be traced to the sea. In post-Regency era England, the gentlemen of Oxford and Cambridge rowing clubs sported bright club jackets that took the venerable appellation of “blazers” based on their bold hue. In particular, the Lady Margaret Boat Club of St. John’s College is frequently cited as a major influence for its seminal red flannel blazers.

Over the 19th century, the terminology evolved to include the variety of boldly colored and striped jackets favored by nautical sportsmen to the point that “by the 1890s, all flannel, loose-fitting casual jackets (which were at the time generally brightly colored) began being known as blazers,” according to Town & Country Magazine. The blazer crossing the Atlantic at the dawn of the 20th century saw the rise of a more subdued style, the navy single-breasted blazer that remains a classic American staple to this day.

More than a century after their genesis, the original garment found popularity among English mods and bands of the British Invasion who often sported striped boating blazers or piped-collar rowing jackets for their performances. It was just before this resurgence in the 1960s that a striped boating blazer appeared in Purple Noon, first seen as Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) eagerly tears through the closet of his wealthy pal, Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet).

Philippe is not so amused by Tom trying on his clothes, although the fashion plate Philippe may be more offended by the clashing stripes of the jacket with the tie that Tom chose to wear with it.

A few murders and many deceptions later, Tom inexplicably dons the same garment when he returns to Phillippe’s home to frame the deceased man for the murder of their mutual pal Freddie. Of his newly expanded wardrobe, he couldn’t have picked a more conspicuous outfit while trying to lay low.

Philippe’s striped regatta blazer is actually subdued when compared to some of the stripes seen on early examples. Contrasting with the blazer’s navy ground is a pattern of bold red stripes, each shadowed along the right side with a slimmer “old gold” yellow stripe.

The single-breasted blazer has substantial notch lapels that roll to three flat gold shank buttons with two matching buttons on each cuff.. Tom wears the blazer with the center button fastened, correctly meeting the trouser waist line.

The blazer is always a little big on Tom as it was ostensibly made for Philippe’s broader, more athletic frame, most evident when looking at the shoulders. Per the film’s Italian setting, this regatta blazer shows indications of Neapolitan tailoring including a distinctive “Neapolitan shoulder” treatment. This con rollino (or “with roll”) shoulder is unpadded with excess fabric rolled around the sleevehead to create a pronounced bump similar to the roped sleevehead. (You can read more about Neapolitan tailoring, including the con rollino and spalla camicia shoulder styles, in Sonya Glyn Nicholson’s article for Parisian Gentleman.)

After Tom’s lack of success sporting the blazer with his own blue button-down collar shirt and Philippe’s striped tie, he wisely opts for a more dressed-down approach for his nighttime return to Mongibello and the forging of Philippe’s suicide note.

Tom’s white cotton pique shirt has a soft, one-piece spread collar worn open at the neck with a plain button-up front and rounded cuffs that each close with a button.

Note the unique unpadded shoulders with sleeveheads rolled to create the effect of roping, a signature of the Neapolitan “con rollino” technique.

Both the shirt and the trousers were previously worn during Tom’s trip to Naples with Marge, with which he wore the blazer-style three-button jacket from his light gray linen suit. These gray wool flat front trousers have a medium-high rise and a straight fit through the legs to the plain-hemmed bottoms. The blazer covers the slanted side pockets with buttoning flaps and the set-in back pockets also with buttoning pointed flaps.

Tom wears a black leather belt that coordinates with his black leather loafers, worn sans socks.

Tom packs light for his return trip to Mongibello.

Despite assuming Philippe Greenleaf’s identity and much of his clothing, Tom Ripley sticks with the same wristwatch he’s been wearing since the beginning, a plain steel timepiece with a round silver dial on a dull dark navy strap.

Tom puts the finishing touches on his crooked handiwork.

Alain Delon as Tom Ripley in Purple Noon (1960)

How to Get the Look

You have to respect Tom Ripley’s sartorial savvy, even if there’s little else about him deserving of respect. He chooses a classically inspired striped boating blazer from his late buddy’s wardrobe… though he also chooses an unusual time to sport this attention-getting piece.

• Navy and yellow/red-striped single-breasted regatta blazer with notch lapels, three gold buttons, welted breast pocket, patch hip pockets, 2-button cuffs, Neapolitan con rollino shoulders, and double vents
• White cotton pique casual shirt with soft spread collar, plain button-up front, and 1-button rounded cuffs
• Gray wool flat front trousers with medium-high rise, belt loops, button-flap slanted side pockets, pointed button-flap set-in back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Black leather belt with square steel single-prong buckle
• Black leather loafers
• Steel watch with round silver dial on navy-blue strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

If you’d like to learn more about the history of these distinctive boating, rowing, and regatta blazers, delve into Jack Carlson’s extensively researched and exquisitely illustrated volume Rowing Blazers, published in 2014.

Tony Curtis as Sidney Falco in Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Vitals

Tony Curtis as Sidney Falco, unscrupulous publicity agent

New York City, Fall 1956

Film: Sweet Smell of Success
Release Date: June 27, 1957
Director: Alexander Mackendrick
Costume Designer: Mary Grant

Background

Happy birthday to Tony Curtis, born 93 years ago today on June 3, 1925. The actor will always hold a special place for me as one of my earliest brushes with a known celebrity.

It occurred in the summer of 1998, during a vacation with my family to Las Vegas. We were approaching the exit to the MGM Grand as we came face-to-face with another entourage striding through the entrance. Flanked by two tall, voluptuous blondes at the front of the formation was a tuxedoed man with messy gray hair, considerably energetic for his age.

“That was Tony Curtis!” my family began murmuring to each other. Being only 9 years old at the time, I was concerned about feeling left out of the gossip until my grandma leaned in and explained to me that this was “Josephine” from Some Like It Hot, one of our favorite movies to watch together at the time.

Some Like It Hot will always have a place on my personal cinematic Mount Rushmore, but my favorite Tony Curtis performance is likely in Alexander Mackendrick’s atmospheric 1957 noir Sweet Smell of Success. Curtis stars as a Manhattan publicity agent oozing with opportunistic sleaze.

The Manhattan-born Curtis tapped into his Gemini side to convincingly ease in and out of all aspects of Falco’s cutthroat ambition, from the slick and wily New York City publicist to a subservient PR flack desperate to get in good with powerful columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster), who admires Falco’s grit: “I’d hate to take a bite outta you. You’re a cookie full of arsenic.”

“Match me, Sidney.”
Sidney Falco is unashamed of he lengths to which he’ll degrade himself just to ensure J.J. Hunsecker remains an ally… or at least not an enemy.

What’d He Wear?

Over the course of Sweet Smell of Success, Sidney Falco wears two suits: one for daytime, one at night. As the film begins at dusk, he is just ending his day in the former suit, which appears to be made from a medium-colored self-striped flannel suiting.

We meet Sidney Falco at a Times Square sandwich joint at dusk. With a backdrop of Chico Hamilton’s jazz quartet and a bustling crowd of Manhattanites, it’s the perfect place to grab a glass of juice and catch up with the evening news.

The single-breasted suit jacket exemplifies fashion trends of the mid-to-late 1950s with its wide, padded shoulders and full cut. The notch lapels roll over the top of the 3-roll-2 button front, with the second button perfectly meeting the trousers at Curtis’ waist and the third button exactly in line with the top of the straight hip pocket flaps. The jacket also has a welted breast pocket, three-button cuffs, and a short back vent.

With their high rise, double reverse pleats, and full fit through the legs, Falco’s suit trousers are also typical of the era. These trousers have pockets placed straight down along each side seam and jetted back pockets that each close through a button. The long rise of the trousers means a long, straight fly that closes with a zipper. The back of the waistband is split with a shallow vent, and the bottoms are finished with turn-ups (cuffs).

Unlike the side-adjusted trousers of his dark pinstripe suit, these trousers have belt loops. However, Sidney Falco wears neither belt nor braces, instead relying on the proper fit of the trousers to keep him from an embarrassing situation.

The full fit of Sidney Falco’s shirt billows it out over the high waistband of his trousers and through his arms.

Half a century after it was developed for sporting pursuits, the button-down collar had officially gained acceptance with business suits in most parts of 1950s America. The button-down shirt is Sidney Falco’s preference with his daytime business suit, sporting a light hairline-striped cotton shirt with a long button-down collar with considerable spread. This shirt also has a front placket and two-button rounded cuffs, all fastening with mother-of-pearl buttons.

Sidney Falco turns on the charm with Mary (Edith Atwater), J.J. Hunsecker’s reliable secretary.

Sidney wears a slim dark tie with a subtle tonal texture of self-squares. This appears to be the same tie that he also wears with his dark pinstripe suit.

Sidney wears a pair of dark leather derby shoes with dark dress socks.

Do you put your shoes on with such fury?

As Sidney evidently has no qualms about leaving the door open while he changes his clothes with his secretary in the next room, both she and we see that he eschews undershirts but – thankfully – does wear undershorts.

Sidney’s long-suffering assistant, Sally (Jeff Donnell), stands by while he changes his pants.

Sidney’s watch has a round metal case and a light-colored dial and is worn on his left wrist with a leather strap.

Tony Curtis as Sidney Falco in Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

How to Get the Look

Sidney Falco makes the most of a wardrobe of two suits: this self-striped flannel suit for daytime business and a darker pinstripe suit for the much different type of business that happens after dusk.

• Medium-colored self-striped flannel suit:
  • Single-breasted 3/2-roll suit jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and short back vent
  • Double reverse-pleated high-rise trousers with belt loops, straight side pockets, jetted button-through back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Light hairline-striped cotton shirt with button-down collar, front placket, and 2-button rounded cuffs
• Dark tonal square-textured slim tie
• Dark leather derby shoes
• Dark dress socks
• Round-cased wristwatch with a light dial and leather strap
• White cotton boxer shorts

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

Watch me run a 50-yard dash with my legs cut off!

Brad Pitt as 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 the eve of D-Day, when Allied forces landed on the beaches of France 74 years ago to turn the tide of World War II, I’m taking a look at a stylish wartime thriller that received plenty of attention for its sartorial sapience.

Allied begins as Wing Commander Max Vatan (Brad Pitt), an intelligence officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force, parachutes into Morocco. The first step in his mission to assassinate a German ambassador is to make contact with a French Resistance agent, Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard), who will be posing as his wife. After changing out of his khaki field jacket and into a snazzy suit befitting his cover and his warm surroundings, Max strolls into a nightclub to the tune of a boozy, contemporary take on “The Sheik of Araby” and meets his pseudo-wife.

Max: Heard a lot about you, saying you were beautiful… and good.
Marianne: Being good at this kind of work is not very beautiful.

Following some champagne with friends, Marianne escorts Max back to their home, where they are to live as Maurice Berne, a phosphate miner from Paris, and his wife Christine. Although the two “spouses” were strangers before that night, they quickly succumb to their mutual attraction on the rooftop of their apartment building.

What’d He Wear?

English costume designer Joanna Johnston deservedly received much praise for her work on Allied, including nominations from the Academy Awards, the British Academy Film Awards, and the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.

After changing out of the military-inspired safari jacket and desert gear from his parachute entrance to Morocco, Max changes into a snappy beige Irish linen suit that would be just the thing a successful businessman would wear for a hot desert holiday.

Production photo by Daniel Smith of Marion Cotillard and Brad Pitt in Allied (2016). Note the edge stitching on Max’s wide suit jacket lapels.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Johnston hired tailor Michael Sloan to craft Max Vatan’s sharp suits. While in Casablanca, Max exclusively wears suits with peak-lapel jackets, even for single-breasted suits like this one. The wide peak lapels roll to the top of a two-button front with three matching buttons on the cuffs.

The ventless suit jacket is suppressed at the waist with padded shoulders, emphasized by the width of the lapels, that creates a strong, athletic silhouette. The jacket has a welted breast pocket and large, sporty patch pockets on the hips.

Max gets acquainted with his “wife” over a drink.

The trousers of Max’s suit have an appropriately long rise consistent with the era’s trends, with short double forward pleats on each side that rise only as high as the natural waist. A single button fastens above the straight fly with no extended tabs or belt loops on the waistband. Max wears a set of black-and-beige striped cloth suspenders with silver adjusters and hardware that connect to buttons on the inside of the trouser waistband with light brown leather hooks.

His trousers have side pockets, jetted back pockets (at least on the left side), and turn-ups (cuffs) on the bottoms.

With the family Citroën safely parked in the garage, Max and Marianne can commence to getting further acquainted.

Johnston’s costume expertise also led her to esteemed English shoemakers Crockett & Jones to craft Max Vatan’s sharp footwear from his black patent leather oxfords to wear with his tuxedo to the white bucks that accompany his summer suits. In the case of the latter, the company eagerly took on the challenge, as noted in a statement on its website announcing the partnership:

After some careful shoe making, Crockett & Jones have produced a selection of styles for Allied, featuring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard. We note ‘careful’ as 1940s styling ushered the use of Ivory Calf, Beige Burnished Calf and White Nubuck, not the easiest of materials to keep clean in a 19th century shoe factory. With ivory being a recognised colour-way of the time, we held our nerve and the shoes looked great!

As Johnston herself said, “The shoes for Allied had to serve a very specific brief which enabled me to push Crockett & Jones a little harder! Working with a shoe manufacturer who have stayed the test of time and have made shoes during these eras, makes them rarely falter. White nubuck and ivory calf oxfords were not a problem.”

Max wears the latter footwear in this scene, a pair of ivory calf leather oxford brogues with a medallion-perforated wingtip and five lace eyelets for the shoes’ ivory laces. His dark charcoal gray herringbone socks may be woven from a luxurious fabric like cashmere.

Production photo by Daniel Smith of Brad Pitt in Allied (2016), reclining on the roof of his character’s apartment building in Casablanca.

Max wears a complex striped shirt styled in the 1940s tradition with a long point collar, front placket, and double (French) cuffs that he wears with gold cuff links until he takes out the links and rolls up the sleeves to his elbows.

The cotton shirt pattern consists of a wide lilac stripe, shadowed with gray faded gradient on each side, on a white ground. The lilac stripes are split into three stripes by four thin purple lines.

Max’s silk tie injects some additional color into his outfit. The tie consists of a navy ground with a beige dotted grid that separates the tie into diamond-shaped sections, each of which containing a beige floral “burst” pattern.

As one would expect of a gentleman in the 1940s, Max rarely ventures outside in the city without his hat, a gray felt fedora with a black grosgrain band and gray grosgrain edges. This is his primary hat in Casablanca, and he also wears it with his pale blue pinhead three-piece suit and his light gray double-breasted suit.

The happy couple approaches their marital abode.

Max’s bund-strapped military watch would never suit his cover as a fashionable Parisian businessman, so he wears a dressy tank watch with a large square yellow gold case on a dark brown leather strap.

A friendly kiss… before things get a little more than friendly.

Max also adopts other jewelry as part of his cover as a happily married Catholic: a white gold wedding band and a large silver crucifix custom-made by London jewelry designer Stephen Einhorn.

“Stephen sculpted and modeled the cross with a Christ figure. We then had to age it in order to make the piece look really old and worn – like a well-loved heirloom.” explains the Stephen Einhorn site. “We made two of these crosses, one with a magnetic catch that could easily be ripped off (without damaging Brad Pitt’s skin) during a bit of action, and one with a different catch to be worn all the time.”

“I told everyone you’re quite a serious Catholic,” is Marianne’s explanation for the large silver crucifix she gives Max to wear as part of his cover.

Marianne gives Max the cross to wear the next morning, when he strolls around their apartment in a gold striped silk robe and his white “waffle-weave” sleeveless undershirt.

How to Get the Look

“You’re somewhat formal and reserved, but you like expensive clothes,” Marianne explains to Max as she walks him through the expansive wardrobe to fit his cover. “And your shoes are always polished.”

Brad Pitt as Max Vatan in Allied (2016)

A beige linen suit is a must-have for warm weather, but the elegant, era-specific details and accompanying shirt, tie, and shoes set Max Vatan’s summer suit apart as he establishes his cover in Allied‘s wartime Casablanca.

• Beige Irish linen tailored suit:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with wide peak lapels, welted breast pocket, patch hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
  • Double forward-pleated trousers with side pockets, jetted back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Lilac-on-white complex-striped cotton shirt with long point collar, front placket, and double/French cuffs
• Beige-on-navy floral printed silk tie
• Ivory calf leather medallion perforated wingtip 5-eyelet oxford brogues
• Charcoal gray herringbone cashmere socks
• Gray felt short-brimmed fedora with wide black grosgrain ribbon
• White “waffle-weave” sleeveless undershirt
• Silver crucifix necklace
• White gold wedding band
• Yellow gold tank watch with square gold dial on dark brown leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

Timothy Dalton as James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987)

Vitals

Timothy Dalton as James Bond, British government agent

Tangier, Morocco, Fall 1986

Film: The Living Daylights
Release Date: June 27, 1987
Director: John Glen
Costume Designer: Emma Porteous
Costume Supervisor: Tiny Nicholls

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

BAMF Style is sticking around in Morocco for the 00-7th of June after this week’s earlier post about the beige linen suit that Brad Pitt’s character wears in a Casablanca-set scene in the World War II thriller Allied (2016).

Thanks to a suggestion from a great BAMF Style reader, Sonny, today’s post takes a look at another famous spy famous for his sartorial savvy… although Timothy Dalton’s James Bond has a relatively dressed-down approach for his mission in Tangier during the actor’s first 007 film, The Living Daylights (1987).

The action begins with a public assassination, when KGB chief General Pushkin (John Rhys-Davies) receives several well-placed shots during a speech… which turn out to be delivered by Bond with his trusty Walther PPK.

Bond leads the Tangier police on a chase from the roads to the rooftops until he is captured by two young women who happen to be cruising past him in a vintage Impala convertible. Of course, Bond being Bond, the provocative pair are also well-armed and 007 resigns himself to his fate. Yet another twist reveals the duo to be a pair of improbably fetching CIA agents allied by Bond’s old pal, Felix Leiter (John Terry), in the character’s least charismatic – or necessary – appearance to date.

With Pushkin and now Leiter in on the faked assassination, the gambit seems to have worked, and Bond returns to his hotel room where more trouble awaits in the form of Russian cellist Kara Milovy (Maryan D’Abo) and a vodka martini that’s considerably strong…even for 007’s standards.

What’d He Wear?

When sartorially compared to his predecessors, Timothy Dalton’s 007 was more prone to put function before form, drifting away from the elegant tailoring of his predecessor Roger Moore in favor of practical if rather unsophisticated casual wear. This characterization remains in line with Dalton’s own personal consideration for fashion.

For his adventures in Tangier, Bond knows he will need to be active and in such a way that a suit wouldn’t be appropriate. Darting up stairwells and jumping from rooftops under the hot Moroccan sun is no place for even the most comfortable or lightweight of suits… with apologies to Messrs. Moore and Brosnan, who may yet disagree.

Thus, Mr. Bond hangs up the tan gabardine suit of the previous scene and slips into an oversized beige casual jacket, navy polo shirt, and khaki pleated slacks, an ensemble explored in detail at Matt Spaiser’s The Suits of James Bond. The jacket and trousers are just a shade apart in color, a fortunate contrast lest the outfit look too much like some sort of uniform. The issue of contrast would have been avoided with a differently colored jacket altogether – perhaps navy like the jacket that Dalton would wear in Licence to Kill (1989), but the lighter beige jacket is a good fit for the scene’s sandy setting.

Evidently, windbreakers, polo shirts, and slacks were the go-to casual staples for the mid-eighties secret agent.

Styled like a classic MA-1 bomber jacket, Dalton’s jacket appears to be made from a beige cotton gabardine with a more neutral stone-colored ribbing on the collar, cuffs, and blouson-style elasticized waistband. The jacket has two open slash pockets, one on each hip, with no flaps, buttons, or snaps to close.

Per the trend toward baggy clothing in the mid-to-late 1980s, Dalton’s beige jacket is clearly oversized, with the set-in sleeves beginning well below his shoulders.

Timothy Dalton also reintroduced the polo shirt to the Bond series after a more than 20-year hiatus, last seen sported by Sean Connery in Thunderball. In this case, it’s a dark navy cotton long-sleeve polo shirt with a unique nine-button front which goes from having six buttons fastened to only four by the end of his considerably rough day. As an additional deference to an ill-advised trend of the ’80s, Dalton wears his polo shirt with the collar popped.

Perhaps Dalton was going for a Zorro-like effect.

During some of the hand-to-hand combat sequences, Bond’s shirt rises above his belt to reveal a glimpse of a white undershirt, likely a sleeveless cotton A-shirt.

Dalton’s Bond also got the memo that trouser pleats were back in style for the latter half of the eighties. His khaki cotton slacks for this sequence have double forward pleats that provide a full fit around the hips as well as a loose fit through the legs to the plain-hemmed bottoms. The trousers have straight side pockets along the seams and two back pockets with a flap over the back left pocket.

Pleated trousers may have their detractors, but there’s no denying the extra space around the hips aids Bond for his airbase ass-kicking.

Bond wears a slim leather belt with a gold single-prong buckle, though it appears to be a different belt depending on the scene. In some scenes, it appears to be a textured skin-like material while other shots – notably at the Russian airbase in Afghanistan – seem to show a braided leather belt.

Two different belts? Or are my eyes deceiving me?

Dalton’s boat shoes also indicate his character’s appreciation for emerging fashion trends with an eye toward functionality.

Also known as “deck shoes”, boat shoes were introduced by American yachtsman and outdoorsman Paul A. Sperry in 1935. Inspired by the hundreds of cracks in his dog Prince’s paws that allowed the pup to run through ice without sliding, Sperry developed the non-slip sole of the now iconic boat shoe that would be known as the Sperry Top-Sider.

Timothy Dalton between takes in Tangier, November 1986.

As they were originally designed for traction on wet decks, Sperry’s boat shoes caught on first among the seafaring folk of New England. The footwear slowly caught on until, a half-century after their development, boat shoes from Sperry and various other brands were the de facto casual shoes for men around the world.

This outfit in The Living Daylights makes the sole recognizable appearance of boat shoes on Bond’s feet to date, though the siped non-slip soles serve him well from the slippery rooftops of Tangier to the ass-kicking of a brutish guard on a Russian airbase in landlocked Afghanistan. Bond’s boat shoes are styled in the classic boat shoe tradition, made from oil-finished brown leather with moccasin stitching construction, two-tone rawhide laces, and siped rubber outsoles.

For your own pair of Bond-inspired kicks, look no further than the Sperry Authentic Original “Richtown” Boat Shoe in the medium shade of brown leather that Sperry calls “tan”, available from the Sperry website or from Amazon.

Though many gents opt to wear their boat shoes sans socks (or with no-show socks), Bond sports a pair of long brown cotton lisle socks.

Don’t let the “boat shoe” moniker fool you, as the non-slip soles of Sperry’s classic design will serve your mobility needs well even when handcuffed in a landlocked country’s military gaol.

Behind-the-scenes photos (like the one above) seem to indicate the steel link bracelet of a watch on Bond’s left wrist, though the long sleeves of his jacket and shirt keep it mostly concealed on screen.

Instead, Bond’s most conspicuous accessory is a pair of sunglasses that he picks up from a street vendor. The shades have large rectangular tortoise frames, dark gray lenses, and thin metal arms.

Bond’s escape is assuaged by a “party” invite from two lovely women in a vintage red Impala convertible. Now that’s my idea of a clean getaway.

Inspiration for Spectre?

One of Daniel Craig’s costumes in Spectre includes a possible sartorial homage to The Living Daylights. In this 2015 installment of the Bond franchise, 007 arrives in Morocco wearing a rich tan suede zip-up jacket made by Matchless over a navy V-neck polo shirt by Tom Ford with taupe gabardine chinos from Brunello Cucinelli, a Craig favorite brand and the same trousers that he would wear with his linen-blend Brunello Cucinelli jacket later in the film.

Production photos of Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights (1987) and Daniel Craig in Spectre (2015). Both of James Bond’s trips to Morocco in these films featured a navy polo shirt under a casual jacket and trousers in slightly contrasting shades of light sandy hues.

The similarities are close enough to suggest that Spectre costume designer Jany Temime was inspired by the attire that Dalton’s 007 sported in Morocco and wanted to channel that with a modernized version for Daniel Craig, though she denied this in an interview with The Bond Experience. If you’re interested in finding an outfit similar to what Daniel Craig wears in Spectre, please visit Iconic Alternatives’ features on the suede jacket, the navy V-neck polo, and the taupe gabardine slacks.

Go Big or Go Home

…and pick some reliable transportation!

Bond’s escape from the police in Tangier was meant to be via flying carpet, and director John Glen explains in the below video why the scene was filmed but not ultimately included.

Hardly as effective as an Aston Martin.

What to Imbibe

After a long day of mock assassinations and police chases, James Bond’s heart must have warmed when he returned to his hotel room to find that Kara had already prepared the ingredients for a dry vodka martini. Stolichnaya vodka, Martini & Rossi extra dry vermouth, and even olives accompany the ice-filled shaker and two cocktail glasses that await him.

Здоровье!

Unfortunately for Bond, the gullible Kara has also slipped in a secret ingredient… just enough chloral hydrate to knock 007 out until he wakes up as an unwilling passenger on a Soviet plane headed for Afghanistan.

The Gun

James Bond still faithfully carries his Walther PPK, likely kept in a shoulder holster although the agent’s oversized agent prevents us from getting a good look.

Bond drops his PPK in front of him after succumbing to the drugged martini.

Though the PPK is the most common and recognizable variant, it is a progeny of the somewhat larger Walther PP (Polizeipistole) that was introduced in 1929 for the German police market. Both the PP and the shorter-barreled PPK (Polizeipistole Kriminalmodell) are straight blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols most commonly chambered in .32 ACP (7.65x17mm Browning SR) or .380 ACP (9x17mm Kurz).

How to Get the Look

Timothy Dalton as James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987)

Timothy Dalton’s James Bond embraced functional yet fashionable trends while discarding the sartorial sophistication of his predecessors, evident with this action-oriented outfit of an oversized beige bomber jacket, navy “popped collar” polo shirt, pleated khakis, and boat shoes.

• Beige gabardine bomber jacket with slash side pockets and ribbed-knit collar, cuffs, and waistband
• Dark navy cotton long-sleeve polo shirt with nine-button front
• Khaki cotton double forward-pleated chino trousers with belt loops, straight/on-seam side pockets, flapped back left pocket, jetted back right pocket, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Brown braided leather belt with gold single-prong buckle
• Brown leather two-eyelet boat shoes with moccasin stitching and ivory siped rubber outsoles
• Brown cotton lisle socks
• Tortoise-framed sunglasses with slim metal arms

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

We have an old saying too, Georgi. And you’re full of it.

Ted Danson as Michael on The Good Place. (Episode 1.02: “Flying”)

Vitals

Ted Danson as Michael, afterlife “architect”

The Good Place, present day

Series: The Good Place
Episode: “Flying” (Episode 1.02)
Air Date: September 19, 2016
Director: Michael McDonald
Creator: Michael Schur
Costume Designer: Kirston Mann

Background

This weekend, my focus returns to NBC’s The Good Place, where Ted Danson’s architect Michael struts some of the snappiest style this side of the afterlife.

I recently researched and wrote about the classic boldly striped boating blazer for an exploration of Alain Delon’s style in Purple Noon (Plein soleil), but that’s only one type of boating blazer. Another variation is a solid-colored blazer with wide piping along the edges.

Though not quite as distinctive as a true rowing blazer, the piped blazer that Michael wears for a conversation about exploding turkey carcasses and coffee cups at the end of The Good Place‘s second episode finds itself worthy of discussion for today’s #NiceDay post.

What’d He Wear?

At the end of the second episode, Michael wears a navy single-breasted blazer with white trim along the edges, including the slim notch lapels, the lower quarters, and the flaps over his hip pockets. This piping appears to be a single-width braiding that zig-zags along the edges, more understated than the staggeringly wide piping found on classic rowing blazers.

Though not technically a boating blazer or rowing blazer, this garment offers a nautically inspired aesthetic with an old school collegiate vibe. The double-vented jacket has two contrasting metal button on the front with four on each cuff.

Eleanor raves about the coffee cup design of which Michael is particularly proud.

In the blazer’s welted breast pocket, Michael wears one of his many colorful silk pocket squares. This one has a wide navy edge that just barely contrasts against the slightly darker blazer. The center field of the pocket square is periwinkle with a grid of red, white, and blue dots.

Michael’s cotton shirt is bengal striped in blue and white, picking up both of the colors present on his blazer. It has a spread collar, plain front with mother-of-pearl buttons, and single-button cuffs. Michael’s butterfly/thistle-shaped bow tie is plaid, made from shades of purple, teal, gray, and black.

Michael recalls the tragic accident of the turkey carcass that led to a 1,000-year ban on flying.

Michael’s light khaki cotton gabardine slacks complement the preppy image of his nautical blazer and bow tie. These flat front trousers have side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms. They are likely worn with a brown leather belt to coordinate with his usual brown leather bicycle-toe derby shoes, worn here with dark socks that are likely navy-colored.

“Enjoy your coffee… and the cup!”

Michael’s eyeglasses appear to be the Oliver Peoples “Riley” frame made from black lightweight plastic with “rounded contouring, pin detailing, and a retro keyhole bridge,” as described on the OP site.

How to Get the Look

Ted Danson as Michael on The Good Place. (Episode 1.02: “Flying”)

Ted Danson’s Michael on The Good Place may never leave his house (or wherever he “lives”) without a tailored jacket, bow tie, and colorful pocket square, but this combination with its rowing-inspired piped blazer, striped shirt, and plaid tri-toned bow tie would take considerable confidence.

• Navy piped blazer with white-braided edges, slim notch lapels, two-button single-breasted front, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, double back vents, and 4-button cuffs
• Blue-and-white bengal-striped cotton dress shirt with spread collar, plain front, and button cuffs
• Purple, teal, gray, and black plaid butterfly/thistle-shaped bow tie
• Khaki cotton flat front trousers with belt loops, side pockets, jetted button-through back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Brown leather belt
• Walnut brown calf leather four-eyelet bicycle-toe derby shoes
• Dark navy dress socks
• Oliver Peoples “Riley” black plastic-framed glasses with rounded contouring and keyhole bridge
• Periwinkle silk pocket square with red, white, and blue dots and wide navy border

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the series. The first season is currently available to stream on Netflix or to purchase on Amazon.

The second season DVD will be released next month on July 17, the day before series star Kristen Bell’s 38th birthday… and four days before my birthday!

To commemorate the 39th anniversary of the legendary John Wayne’s passing on June 11, 1979, please enjoy this submission from the estimable pen of BAMF Style reader and contributor “W.T. Hatch.”

John Wayne as J.B. Books in The Shootist (1976)

Vitals

John Wayne as John Bernard Books, aging gunfighter

Carson City, Nevada, January 1901

Film: The Shootist
Release Date: August 20, 1976
Director: Don Siegel
Wardrobe Credit: Luster Bayless

Background

I won’t be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.

The Shootist was John Wayne’s final movie role and no actor, before or since, had a more fitting last appearance on the silver screen. Wayne plays John Bernard “J.B.” Books, the most “celebrated shootist extant,” in turn-of-the-century Carson City, Nevada. The film opens with a montage from the Duke’s earlier pictures providing Books’ background as a gunman and occasional lawman in the Old West. Now the last of his kind, Books travels to Carson City seeking assistance from his physician in what may be his final battle against cancer. This deeply compelling story is revealed as Books confronts the consequences of both his life and his own pending mortality.

What’d He Wear?

While we are accustomed to walk-in closets the size of small apartments, The Shootist is set in another era when most people owned far less clothing. Books owns just two sets of clothing – an everyday suit and a more formal “Sunday-go-to-meeting” attire – but never appears in public looking anything but his best.

Books wears his most formal “Sunday-go-to-meeting” attire of dark frock coat, black waistcoat, “cashmere stripe” trousers, and white striped shirt, though his hat, tie, belts, and boots remain the same.

Throughout most of the picture, Books wears a lounge suit first made popular at the turn of the 20^th century. Books spent most of his life in the wild country, but he is also a man who deeply cares about his appearance and reputation. Shortly after arriving in Carson City, Books takes up lodging in the Rogers’ Boarding House and immediately makes arrangements to have his clothes cleaned after his long journey.

Bond Rogers (Lauren Bacall) cleans her latest boarder’s jacket by hand, still believing his name to be “William Hickok”.

Later in the film, Books makes use of the new dry processed cleaning for his more formal suit. Regardless of which suit he dons, Books never appears in public without at least a necktie and waistcoat. Books also rotates the wear of his suit coats, pants, and shirts to fit the occasion.

Books’ lounge suit is a flat gray in color and likely made of wool. This style of jacket, known as a sack coat, has a four-button front although Books wears it open to ensure access to his sidearms. The coat has padded shoulders and wide lapels with shallow cut notches. There are two large pockets, with flap closures, on the coat which Books uses to hold spare ammunition.

Books uses his Winchester Model 1892 carbine rifle to give Gillom Rogers (Ron Howard) orders.

The coat is paired with a matching set of flat-fronted trousers with horizontal besom pockets. Books wears a plain brown leather belt with a single metal prong. We may safely assume these trousers have the same 41.5” waist and a 31.5” inseam as his more formal suit pants which are currently listed for sale by the American Heritage company.

Naturally, the Duke wears brown leather cowboy boots with narrow toes and ornamental scroll work. Books adds spurs while riding his favorite horse, Dollar, during the opening scene.

Note the spurs on Books’ boots.

After wearing a plain beige shirt into town, Books wears primarily a tan shirt with fine gray, red and yellow striping. The stripes are all but invisible in a casual viewing of the movie particularly given the difference in picture quality from a film made over 40 years ago. The shirt is long-sleeved with a single breast pocket. The wrists and placket are closed with clear, and anachronistic, plastic buttons.

According to the Heritage Auction website, the cotton shirt is made to fit a 34” sleeve and 18.5” neck. The attached collar is closed with a button and Books regularly wears a black string tie as well.

The lounge suit is worn with a slate gray waistcoat, or vest in American parlance, of a lighter shade than the jacket and pants. The waistcoat has a seven-button front and four besom pockets. Books uses the lower left pocket to hold his pocket watch.

The Heritage Auction website lists Books’ black vest [worn with his frock coat and striped trousers] as being of wool and cotton material in size 50. There is little doubt the gray waistcoat is of the same material and size albeit in a different color.

Books in the black waistcoat that he wears with his more formal frock coat and cashmere stripe trousers.

The inevitability of time is a recurrent theme throughout The Shootist as evidenced by the end of the Victorian Era, the movie chapters being denoted as individual days or the prominent role of his pocket watch in the final scenes.

Books carries an engraved gold hunter case pocket watch with a thick gold chain and large ornamental fob. The watch has a white face with Roman numerals and a “morning glory” second-hand display. One internet source identifies the maker as the N.Y. Standard Watch Company. Books leaves the watch as a parting gift for Bond.

Out of time?

As with all his films made after 1968, John Wayne wore a brass colored Montagnard metal bracelet around his right wrist that first appeared in The Green Berets. Wayne received the bracelet as a gift from U.S. Army Special Forces Captain Jerry Dodds during his tour of Vietnam in 1966. Wayne reportedly never removed the bracelet and is buried with it in Newport Beach, California.

Topping off the entire outfit, the Duke wears a large khaki-colored cowboy hat with a distinctive rattlesnake skin headband. The hat, likely of beaver felt, has a tall 4” crown and a very wide 5” brim. Like most of Books’ clothing, the hat appears used and definitely shows signs of the 10-day horseback journey from Creede, Colorado to Carson City, Nevada. Beaver felt hats are damn near waterproof and warm while the wide brim is perfect for keeping the mountain sun out of the wearer’s eyes.

What to Imbibe

The author of The Shootist, Glendon Swarthout, wanted to distinguish Books from similar characters and had John Bernard order a white wine to celebrate his birthday before the novel’s climactic gunfight. John Wayne would have none of it, demanding the shot (nice pun, eh?) be changed with Books ordering a whiskey. And so, J.B. Books purposefully walked in the Metropole Saloon and purchased a bottle of whiskey. Being a veteran gunfighter, Books limits himself to one – rather generously poured – glass before engaging his three opponents.

Nothing but “the best in the house” for J.B. Books’ birthday shot.

The exact whiskey brand is not shown in the movie, but fans may opt instead to sample “The Style of Duke” Kentucky straight bourbon instead.

The Gun

BAMF Style readers would be wise to heed J.B. Books’ advice to not mix alcohol and firearms. That said, Books carries a matched pair of .45 caliber Single Action Army revolvers throughout The Shootist. These beautifully engraved, ivory handled pieces were John Wayne’s personal property given as a gift from the Great Western Arms Company during his years as their celebrity spokesman.

As Gillom introduced him: “His name was J.B. Books. He had a matched pair of .45s with antique ivory grips that were somethin’ to behold.”
Note the twill frock coat suiting, black waistcoat, watch fob, holster detail, and “cashmere stripe” trousers. Books is dressed somewhat more formally for Gillom’s shooting lesson.

Books wears a simple brown leather shooting rig with a holster on his right side. He tucks the second revolver into the front of his pistol belt near the single prong brass buckle. The pistol belt has the usual leather loops for carrying additional ammunition.

This author advises against carrying ammunition in this fashion as it all but guarantees the rounds will be fouled with dust and dirt prior to reloading… and for God’s sakes don’t wear a pistol tucked into your belt. For more on J.B. Books’ weaponry, visit IMFDB.

The lounge suit coat has a third inside breast pocket where J.B. keeps his wallet and a two-shot derringer pistol used to great effect on a rather inept highwayman.

John Wayne as J.B. Books in The Shootist (1976)

How to Get the Look

If there is a fashion lesson to be learned in The Shootist, it is to always take pride in your appearance even when marching out to face your enemies.

• Dark gray lounge suit consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 4-button sack jacket with notch lapels, straight flapped hip pockets, and ventless back
  • Flat front trousers with tall belt loops, horizontal besom front and back pockets, and straight-leg plain-hemmed bottoms
• Slate gray single-breasted 7-button waistcoat with notch lapels, four besom pockets, and straight-cut bottom
• Tan striped dress shirt with attached point collar, front placket, breast pocket, and 1-button squared cuffs
• Black satin string tie
• Brown leather belt with large squared brass single-prong buckle
• Dark brown leather cowboy boots
• Large khaki beaver felt cowboy hat with rattlesnake headband (reproduction hats may be purchased at WesternSaddle.com)
• Montagnard bracelet (readers may learn more about the Montagnard people and purchase bracelets here)
• N.Y. Standard Watch Company hunter case pocket watch, complete with thick gold chain and ornamental fob
• Brown leather pistol rig, with matched pair of Single Action Army .45 caliber revolvers

The Western Costume Company of Hollywood, California, supplied at least three pieces of J.B. Books’ clothing including a black waistcoat, tan shirt detailed in this post, and black striped trousers. Side note: These three items are available for purchase online at Heritage Auctions.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

This is my birthday. Give me the best in the house.

Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)

Vitals

Elvis Presley as “Lucky” Jackson, mechanic and aspiring race car driver

Las Vegas, Summer 1964

Film: Viva Las Vegas
Release Date: May 20, 1964
Director: George Sidney
Costume Designer: Donfeld (Donald Lee Feld)

Background

Regarded as one of the better movies of Elvis Presley’s acting career, Viva Las Vegas stars the singer opposite Ann-Margret, and it’s reported that the very real chemistry between the two was indicative of their off-screen friendship that briefly grew into romance.

On screen, however, Elvis played “Lucky” Jackson, a mechanic who wins – then literally loses – the money he had hoped to use to finance his own race car. To raise the money back, he takes a part-time gig in the Fabulous Flamingo casino in Las Vegas, where he meets sultry swimming instructor Rusty Martin (Ann-Margret, of course).

After Lucky tenacious pursues her for a date, Rusty finally agrees to let Lucky take her dancing… though their date is for the following morning at 9 a.m. in the UNLV gymnasium. Lucky arrives in time for the dance pro Rusty to goad him into a performance, though Lucky opts for a song instead, leading the gym full of students in “C’mon Everybody”, written by one of Presley’s go-to songwriters Joy Byers.

Over the course of the number, Rusty joins Lucky on stage and is evidently so wooed by his performance – he is Elvis, after all – that she allows him to take her one one of the most ridiculously elaborate dates that begins with skeet-shooting and motorbikes to helicopter rides and jet-skis… not to mention a surreal interlude where the two face off with replica revolvers on an abandoned Old West set. For a guy who just lost all of his money, this is really one hell of a date!

It ends when Rusty takes Lucky home to meet her father (an avuncular William Demarest), and Lucky takes a moment of solitude to emote via the Liebestraum-like “Today, Tomorrow and Forever”, written by Presley songwriters Bill Giant, Bernie Baum, and Florence Kaye. This remains one of my favorite songs from Elvis’ vast repertoire, though it could be due to my own partiality for Franz Liszt’s “Liebestraum No. 3”, from which the song was clearly adapted.

What’d He Wear?

Even before the elaborately embroidered jumpsuits, Elvis Presley was always a colorful dresser who eschewed convention in favor of individualism. The King also cared about wearing high quality goods, and even his brightly colored stage suits of the 1970s were intricately made by designer Bill Belew who outfitted Elvis in everything from black leather to bedazzled butterflies.

In the early ’60s, the name that Elvis and his performer peers turned to for top quality was Sy Devore of Hollywood. In the two decades after he moved from New York to his shop on Sunset and Vine, Devore tailored celebrities like the Rat Pack, Nat King Cole, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, and John Wayne; even John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson counted themselves among Devore’s high-profile customers.

“Devore’s threads made those cats the epitome of 1960s cool,” wrote Alison Martino – whose famous father Al was also a Devore customer – for Los Angeles Magazine in August 2015. “There were sharkskin suits lined in paisley silk, sports coats, pastel sweaters, skinny ties, dress shirts, and trousers with big belt loops, all finished with an impeccable fit.” Given Devore’s reputation for both specialty and quality, it’s no surprise that he also earned Elvis’ patronage. “Elvis Presley shopped at Devore’s off the rack, picking out 20 suits at a time at $350 a pop.”

Just four years after the Rat Pack sported Sy Devore’s sleek suits for their Las Vegas takeover, Elvis Presley outfitted himself in Sy Devore duds for his own venture into the city of lost wages.

All of Presley’s wardrobe throughout Viva Las Vegas is distinctive to the artist’s personal tastes, from the gray sharkskin shawl-collar suit to the short bolero-style jackets he wears for many of the film’s dance numbers. One particular standout suit is the sporty beige suit worn first for this dance number with Ann-Margret’s Rusty Martin in the UNLV gymnasium.

Rusty joins Lucky on stage for a rambunctious performance of “C’mon Everybody”.

Likely constructed from a linen blend suiting, this suit’s most obvious unique detailing that should jump out to viewers is the lack of lapels or collar.

Collarless suits and tailored jackets were hardly groundbreaking in the early ’60s. In fact, there were early references to “daytime jackets without collars” that had been predicted to revolutionize men’s warm-weather attire for the 1940 summer season; a collarless jacket had even been worn by Cary Grant in The Philadelphia Story that year. World War II put a considerable halt on advances in men’s fashion, and the collarless jacket remained relatively dormant for two decades until the concept was revived by Paris designer Pierre Cardin in 1960 with a high-necked model that would go on to become the signature look of The Beatles (pre-LSD, that is.)

The same week that the boys from Liverpool put out their first British EP, Please Please Me, Elvis Presley took delivery on his Sy Devore suits and jackets that would appear in Viva Las Vegas. At least two of these beige collarless jackets were made, and the date printed on the tag is July 10, 1963 – just before production began in Las Vegas – as seen on this Graceland Auctions listing.

The jacket from this suit, referred to as “bone-colored” in the auction description, was auctioned in Memphis during Elvis Week in August 2015 but did not attract a high enough offer, according to the Brainerd Dispatch. The Elvis Blog expands on this story, adding that, oddly, the auctioneer stopped the bidding at $28,000 when it was $2,000 shy of its goal.

The ventless jacket has three brown horn buttons on the front and three on each cuff. Standing at 6’0″ tall and still maintaining his lean physique, Elvis benefitted from the visual balance of three buttons of this suit, especially without lapels.

As part of a considerably casual suit, the jacket has less formal patch pockets: one on the left breast and one on each hip. The seams around the edges of the pockets also add a degree of visual complexity that breaks up the potential monotony of a collarless jacket.

Elvis sticks with his warm, desert-evoking color palette by wearing a sunny yellow shirt with his sandy beige suit. The cotton shirt has a button-down collar, a plain (placket-less) front, and single-button cuffs, all fastened with mother-of-pearl buttons.

Lucky serenades Rusty.

The suit has matching flat front trousers with a medium-high rise that harmonizes with the jacket by rising to Elvis’ waist, where the trouser waistband meets the center button of the suit jacket.

When Lucky removes the jacket for parts of his date with Rusty, the trousers’ buckle-tab side adjusters and side pockets are better seen. The trousers taper through the legs down to plain-hemmed bottoms.

Lucky goes sans jacket for his riding date.

With the exception of black patent leather shoes he wears for a stage performance, Elvis’ default footwear throughout Viva Las Vegas is a pair of black suede Chelsea boots with black elastic side gussets, which appear to be worn with black socks.

…and they’re spent.

In yet another Beatles style connection, the fab four was known for their distinctive “Beatle boots”, a nickname given to the tight black leather boots that John Lennon and Paul McCartney had commissioned from Anello & Davide in October 1961 with their raised Cuban heels.

Elvis: The Mini-Series

In 2005, the two-part miniseries Elvis aired on CBS starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in a Golden Globe-winning performance. A portion of the series covers the filming of Viva Las Vegas with Rose McGowan as Ann-Margret.

Eduardo Castro and Helen Monaghan received Emmy nominations for their costume design in the series, including a reimagining of many of the King’s famous screen and stage outfits for the series, including this collarless suit.

Left: Elvis and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas (1964)
Right: Production photo of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Rose McGowan, dressed in their characters’ Viva Las Vegas costumes.

Differences from the actual suit to the miniseries’ interpretation include a warmer-colored suiting, lighter-toned suit jacket buttons, and the inclusion of a belt on the trousers… though it does look like a belt that the King would wear.

Elvis Presley in Viva Las Vegas (1964)

How to Get the Look

Despite his penchant for bold and brash clothing, Elvis’ wardrobe in Viva Las Vegas shows how a timeless and traditional ensemble like a beige linen suit can be radically individualized by a modifying a single element, whether by removing the lapels as in Elvis’ case or by finding your own creative solution.

• Beige linen-blend tailored suit:
  • Collarless single-breasted jacket with three-button front, patch breast pocket, patch hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
  • Flat front, medium-high rise, tapered-leg trousers with buckle-tab side adjusters, side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Yellow cotton shirt with button-down collar, plain front, and single-button cuffs
• Black suede Chelsea boots with black elastic side gussets
• Black socks

The collarless tailored jacket isn’t for everyone. For a more accessible look, consider a more typical beige linen suit with slim notch lapels, and perhaps opt for more tonal-friendly brown suede chukka boots as opposed to the King’s black boots.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie, and give “Today, Tomorrow and Forever” a listen, should you feel so inclined. Elvis’ solo version, released in July 1971, is linked below.

You can also check out the duet that Elvis and Ann-Margret recorded on July 11, 1963, a few days before filming of Viva Las Vegas began. Colonel Tom Parker supposedly banned the release of this duet as he didn’t want any of the limelight taken off of Elvis.

Steve McQueen as Thomas Crown in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Vitals

Steve McQueen as Thomas Crown, millionaire criminal mastermind

Boston, June 1968

Film: The Thomas Crown Affair
Release Date: June 19, 1968
Director: Norman Jewison
Costume Designer: Alan Levine
Tailor: Douglas Hayward

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of The Thomas Crown Affair, Norman Jewison’s stylish 1968 thriller starring Steve McQueen as the titular mastermind who finds himself in a passionate cat-and-mouse game opposite a glamorous insurance investigator played by Faye Dunaway.

Steve McQueen sports Thomas Crown’s navy suits all over Boston, proudly wearing them for his adventures by land, sea, and air…

What’d He Wear?

Along with a dark gray suit, the solid navy blue suit is considered a menswear essential that belongs in every gentleman’s closet. Naturally, the colorful and expansive wardrobe of Thomas Crown contains at least two solid navy suits, tailored by master cutter Douglas Hayward and subtly detailed with the hallmarks of Mr. Crown’s unconventional style.

Suit #1 – Dark Navy on Beacon Hill

By Land…

A charity art auction in the St. James Ballroom of the Eben Jordan Mansion in Beacon Hill sets the scene for Crown’s reunion with Vicki Anderson, the stunning insurance investigator who reveals in no uncertain terms that he is the target of her current investigation.

Crown strolls into the auction wearing a dark navy worsted three-piece suit. The single-breasted jacket is cut similarly to his others with slim notch lapels that roll to a two-button front, roped sleeveheads, and long double vents. The jacket has a welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets on line with the second button of the jacket, and three-button cuffs.

Thomas Crown’s appreciation for Vicki’s sharp red Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder is no joke, as Steve McQueen indeed fell in love with the car during production and later bought one.

The waistcoats of his suits are Thomas Crown’s sartorial playground, and he wears a range of styles with his single-breasted waistcoats such as the straight-cut bottom of his gray plaid suit‘s vest and his dark gray wool suit‘s vest or the slim lapels on his brown suit‘s vest. However, this navy suit breaks the mold with its double-breasted waistcoat with its low, narrow V-shaped opening sans lapels, four-on-two button closure, and slim-welted pockets.

Returning from the waistcoat of his aforementioned gray plaid suit is Crown’s elegant gold Patek Philippe pocket watch, worn “double Albert” style on a thick gold chain with a gold Phi Beta Kappa fraternity key fob.

Crown spies Vicki across the room, suddenly finding a much more compelling subject for his interest.

Crown sticks to his blue-themed color palette with his shirt and tie, wearing a pale blue-and-white striped cotton shirt and navy satin silk tie. The shirt’s narrow spread collar is pinned under the tie’s four-in-hand knot with a silver collar bar.

Note the navy printed silk pocket square that echoes – rather than matches – his solid navy tie.

The distinctive black high-vamp semi-brogue single-eyelet derby shoes with the perforated cap toes make a reappearance with this suit, worn with dark socks that are either navy or black.

Production photo of Steve McQueen on location on Beacon Street, 1968.

After Crown outbids Vicki on a set of lithographs and pours her a glass of Moët & Chandon champagne, she reveals her professional interest in him… and evidently agrees to a date, inadvertently revealing her personal interest as well.

Suit #2 – Navy for a Nighttime Harbor Date

By Sea…

The next scene follows Crown and Vicki as they sit down for a portside date at Anthony’s Pier 4 on Boston Harbor. As this scene immediately follows the previous one and McQueen again wears a navy three-piece suit with a low-slung double-breasted waistcoat sans lapels, it makes sense to assume that this is the same suit, albeit worn with a different shirt and tie as well as different shoes, having swapped out the businesslike black shoes for a pair of brown derby shoes.

Thomas and Vicki’s Seaport District date.

However, when Crown raises his glass to take a drink, he reveals a single ornamental button on his jacket cuff as opposed to the three-button cuffs of his earlier suit jacket. Is it an entirely different suit? A different jacket? The same jacket but refinished with single-button cuffs replacing the three-button cuffs? We may never know… but one thing is certain: we never really need to know.

Does Crown think a red, white, and blue ensemble will subconsciously convince Vicki that he’s an upstanding, law-abiding, all-American?

Crown wears a soft cream shirt that reflects a silky finish under the restaurant’s outdoor lighting. The shirt has a spread collar, sans pin, and double cuffs that he fastens with his favorite mother-of-pearl cuff links with the blue dot in the center. Crown wears a solid crimson red tie, fastened with a four-in-hand knot. As with the navy tie of his earlier navy suit, his red printed silk pocket square coordinates with his tie without going the tacky route of perfectly matching it.

Crown also swapped out his gold pocket watch for his gold Cartier Tank Americaine wristwatch with a long white rectangular dial and black Roman numeral markers, worn on a black textured leather strap.

Suit #3 – A Final Getaway

By Air…

The film’s concluding scene shows Crown in the air, leaving Vicki behind after yet another heist. We don’t see below his shoulders, but he appears to be wearing one of these navy suits (if I had to guess, I would say the one with single-button cuffs) with a colorful rose pink shirt and navy-and-purple striped tie.

Crown has also dusted off his preferred accessories of a tortoise-framed Persol 714 blue-lensed sunglasses, silver collar pin, and the gold Cartier Tank Americaine, his go-to when wearing a wristwatch with his suits.

A “clean” getaway?

Want to add an element of confusion…or the possibility of a third suit? A production photo shows Crown wearing this pink shirt and striped tie in his office with a navy suit… though the navy suit has a single-breasted waistcoat.

Another navy suit?

How to Get the Look

Steve McQueen on the set of The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Thomas Crown takes an essential menswear staple – the solid navy suit – and makes it his own with a uniquely detailed matching waistcoat and his signature accessories and style.

• Navy worsted three-piece tailored suit:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, double vents, and 1- or 3-button cuffs
  • Double-breasted 4-on-2-button waistcoat with slim-welted hip pockets and straight-cut bottom
  • Darted-front trousers with side adjusters, side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Pale blue-and-white striped cotton shirt with pinned spread collar, front placket, and double/French cuffs
  • Silver collar bar
  • Mother-of-pearl cuff links
• Navy satin silk tie
• Black leather perforated-cap toe semi-brogue single-eyelet derby shoes
• Dark navy dress socks
• Patek Philippe gold vintage hunter-case pocket watch on thick gold chain with Phi Beta Kappa key fob
• Dark navy printed silk pocket square

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

What a funny, dirty little mind.

Sean Connery with Claudine Auger in the fourth James Bond film, Thunderball (1965), which was set in the Bahamas.

Vitals

Sean Connery as James Bond, British secret agent

Nassau, September 1965

Film: Thunderball
Release Date: December 29, 1965
Director: Terence Young

Background

Bond: Sir, I respectfully suggest that you assign me to Nassau.
M: Is there a reason besides your enthusiasm for water sports?

You really can’t blame James Bond for eagerly volunteering to take on MI6’s post in the Bahamas. Of all of Sean Connery’s early 007 adventures, Thunderball always struck me as the most aspirational, perfectly blending adventure, danger, style, and wit with the necessary Bond elements of exotic surroundings, clever gadgets, and a bevy of international beauties. Lurking threat of nuclear disaster aside, Thunderball presents the ideal summer holiday.

To celebrate the summer solstice, I’m somewhat departing from the usual BAMF Style format for a feature that highlights the best of Bond’s warm-weather duds… and where you can find them today to pack for your own beach vacation.

What Clothes to Pack

007’s pro tip: Think pink and blue with a touch of neutral sand tones as needed.

For purposes of practicality and ease, this feature will focus solely on the warm-weather casual wear worn by Sean Connery during his tenure as James Bond, mostly centered around Thunderball and Mr. Bond’s timeless dressed-down wardrobe for a mission in the Bahamas.

NB: All products sourced in June 2018. If linked products are unavailable as you’re reading this, you can use the details as a guide to researching and finding your own Bond-inspired beach gear.

Shirts

During the Connery era, James Bond’s preferred top for warm-weather casual wear was a short-sleeve shirt with a one-piece camp collar and breast pocket made from lightweight, breathable fabric like linen or summer-weight cotton.

Assuming you’ll be gone for a week, Connery’s Bond showcases enough shirts to last you each day from Saturday to Sunday:

Pink linen camp shirt in Thunderball (1965), worn with light blue linen short-inseam swimming trunks and Rolex Submariner on a striped NATO strap.

Pink Linen Camp Shirt

As seen in: Thunderball (1965)

The situation: Enjoying a refreshing boozy drink by the waterside with a lovely new acquaintance.

The details:

• Color: Rose pink melange
• Material: Linen
• Style: Button-up sport shirt
• Collar: Camp collar
• Sleeves: Short sleeves
• Other details: Breast pocket, side vents, no placket
• Read more at BAMF Style

Since this outfit seems to be a particular fan favorite and received plenty of screen time, I went looking into the most modern alternatives as I could find on a spectrum of pinks and light reds in materials like linen, cotton, and silk.

Where to find similar shirts with the camp collar:

• 28 Palms “Relaxed Fit” camp shirt in coral silk (Amazon)
  • Differences: slightly different color, silk fabric, and edge stitching
• Cremieux “Solid Dobby Short-Sleeve Woven Camp Shirt” in pink (Dillard’s)
  • Differences: collar loop and cotton/rayon blend material
• Gitman Brothers vintage chambray shirt in pink (Lyst)
  • Differences: slightly different color and no pocket
• Port Authority “Textured Camp Shirt” in deep coral (Amazon)
  • Differences: texture and cheaper cotton/polyester blend material
• Tommy Bahama “St. Lucia Fronds Camp Shirt” in fuchsia rose (Tommy Bahama)
  • Differences: slightly darker color with subtle rose print and silk material

Where to find similar shirts without the camp collar:

• 28 Palms “Standard Fit” shirt in coral (Amazon)
• American Rag “Men’s Linen Shirt” in sunvolt (Macy’s)
• Banana Republic “Camden Standard-Fit” in red clay (Banana Republic)
• H&M “Regular Fit” in light red chambray (H&M)
• Old Navy “Slim-Fit Chambray Shirt” in red (Old Navy)
• Polo Ralph Lauren “Men’s Classic Fit Linen Shirt” in pink (Macy’s)
• Tommy Bahama “Sea Spray Breezer Shirt” in spring fuchsia (Nordstrom Rack)
• Vintage 1946 “Linen Blend Pocket Regular Fit Shirt” in pink (Nordstrom Rack)

Pink-and-white gingham camp shirt in Thunderball (1965), worn with pink linen short-inseam swimming trunks, black sunglasses, and Rolex Submariner on a striped NATO strap.

Pink-and-White Gingham Shirt

As seen in: Thunderball (1965)

The situation: Romantic rendezvous on the beach after a private swim

The details:

• Color: Pink-and-white gingham check
• Material: Cotton
• Style: Button-up sport shirt
• Collar: Camp collar
• Sleeves: Short sleeves
• Other details: Breast pocket, side vents, no placket
• Read more at BAMF Style

Where to find similar shirts:

• Amazon Essentials “Short Sleeve Gingham Shirt” in pink gingham (Amazon)
• Penguin “Short Sleeve Gingham with Stretch” in fuschia (Amazon)

Blue-and-white gingham camp shirt in Thunderball (1965), worn with light blue linen short-inseam swimming trunks.

Blue-and-White Gingham Shirt

As seen in: Thunderball (1965)

The situation: Helicopter ride over the ocean

The details:

• Color: Pink-and-white gingham check
• Material: Cotton
• Style: Button-up sport shirt
• Collar: Camp collar
• Sleeves: Short sleeves
• Other details: Breast pocket, side vents, no placket
• Read more at BAMF Style

Where to find similar shirts:

• Amazon Essentials “Short Sleeve Gingham Shirt” in blue gingham (Amazon)
• Calvin Klein “Men’s Gingha Pocket Shirt” in nautical blue (Macy’s)
• Gap “Short Sleeve Shirt in Seersucker” in comet blue (Gap)
• Penguin “Short Sleeve Gingham with Stretch” in Dresden blue (Amazon)
• Untuckit “Bogle” in blue gingham linen (Untuckit)
• Untuckit “Greco” in light blue gingham (Untuckit)

  Slate blue-striped camp shirt in Thunderball (1965), worn with cream linen trousers, brown leather sandals, and steel Breitling Top Time dive watch.
  007 holds Largo’s Remington 1100 semi-automatic shotgun, though there’s no good reason you’d need one of these for a beach getaway… depending on what kind of getaway it is, of course.

White-and-Slate Striped Camp Shirt

As seen in: Thunderball (1965)

The situation: Lunch and cocktails on a private island estate

The details:

• Color: White with slate-blue butcher stripes
• Material: Cotton
• Style: Button-up sport shirt
• Collar: Camp collar
• Sleeves: Short sleeves
• Other details: Breast pocket, side vents, no placket
• Read more: BAMF Style

Where to find similar shirts:

• American Rag “Brock Striped Shirt” in cerulean and white stripe (Macy’s)
  • Similarities: fit, fabric, and pocket
  • Differences: wider stripe, point collar, and brown buttons
• Calvin Klein Jeans “Loose Twill Striped Shirt” in almond milk (Macy’s)
  • Similarities: fit, fabric, and camp collar
  • Differences: spaced-apart stripe pattern and no pocket
• H&M “Regular Fit” in dark blue and white stripe (H&M)
  • Similarities: fit, fabric, and pocket
  • Differences: bolder stripe and hidden button-down collar
• Obey “Avalon Shirt” in black multi (East Dane)
  • Similarities: stripe, camp collar, fit, fabric, and pocket
  • Differences: the stripe is slightly less blue than Connery’s actual shirt
• Tommy Bahama “Stripe Del Soul Camp Shirt” in blue spark (Macy’s)
  • Similarities: fit, fabric, and pocket
  • Differences: broken stripe, point collar, and pocket button

Blue silky short-sleeve camp shirt in Thunderball (1965), worn with matching flat-front trousers (ill-advised) and a NATO-strapped Rolex Submariner soon to be replaced with a Breitling Top Time geiger-counter watch.

Blue Three-Pocket Camp Shirt

As seen in: Thunderball (1965)

The situation: Shopping… and running into an old friend

The details:

• Color: Royal blue
• Material: Silk or high-twist cotton
• Style: Button-up sport shirt
• Collar: Camp collar
• Sleeves: Short sleeves
• Other details: Breast pocket and hip pockets, side vents, no placket, and matching trousers (not advised)
• Read more: BAMF Style

Where to find similar shirts:

• Calvin Klein “Short Sleeve Shirt” in atlantis blue (Nordstrom Rack)
  • Similarities: bold blue color and texture
  • Differences: point collar and no hip pockets
• Tasso Elba guayabera in asphault blue (Macy’s)
  • Similarities: camp collar, extra pockets
  • Differences: guayabera detailing, point collar, and linen fabric
• Tasso Elba “Textured Shirt” in new cerulean (Macy’s)
  • Similarities: bold blue color, silky material, and white buttons
  • Differences: point collar and no hip pockets
• Tommy Bahama “Royal Bahama IslandZone® Camp Shirt” in blue sea (Tommy Bahama)
  • Similarities: camp collar, style, and fit
  • Differences: slightly bolder color, silk/polyester blend material, and no hip pockets
• Tommy Bahama “St. Lucia Fronds Camp Shirt” in dockside blue (Tommy Bahama)
  • Similarities: camp collar, style, and fit
  • Differences: slightly darker color with subtle rose print and no hip pockets
• Tommy Bahama “Weekend Tropics Silk Shirt” in navy (Macy’s)
  • Similarities: bold blue color, silky material, white buttons
  • Differences: point collar and no hip pockets

Tan linen camp shirt in You Only Live Twice (1967), worn with brown linen trousers and brown leather sandals.

Tan Linen Camp Shirt

As seen in: You Only Live Twice (1967)

The situation: An earthier day spent further inland

The details:

• Color: Tan
• Material: Linen
• Style: Button-up sport shirt
• Collar: Camp collar
• Sleeves: Short sleeves
• Other details: Breast pocket, side vents, no placket
• Read more: BAMF Style

Where to find similar shirts:

• 28 Palms “Relaxed Fit” camp shirt in tan silk (Amazon)
  • Similarities: color, fit, camp collar, and pocket
  • Differences: silk fabric
• Cremieux “Solid Dobby Short-Sleeve Woven Camp Shirt” in sand (Dillard’s)
  • Differences: collar loop and cotton/rayon blend material
• Harriton “Barbados Textured Camp Shirt” in khaki (Amazon)
  • Similarities: color, fit, camp collar, and pocket
  • Differences: cheaper synthetic fabric

Navy cotton Fred Perry polo shirt in Thunderball (1965), worn with white short-inseam swim trunks, Rolex Submariner dive watch on undersized NATO strap, and light blue canvas espadrilles.

Navy Polo Shirt

As seen in: Thunderball (1965)

The situation: A nighttime ride

The details:

• Color: Navy with white-embroidered “laurel” logo on left breast
• Material: Cotton pique
• Style: Polo shirt with two-button placket
• Sleeves: Short sleeves
• Read more: James Bond Lifestyle and BAMF Style

Where to find similar shirts:

• Fred Perry “Slim Fit” in navy (Amazon)
  • Almost exactly the same shirt that Connery wore
• Nautica “Classic Fit” in navy (Amazon)
  • Same shirt, different (and less expensive) branding
• Amazon Essentials “Slim Fit” in navy (Amazon)
  • Budget-friendly alternative in slightly lighter navy and obviously without the Perry logo

Swimwear

Sean Connery in his light blue linen Jantzen swim trunks, flanked by co-stars Claudine Auger and Martine Beswick, on location in the Bahamas for Thunderball (1965).

Short-inseam swimming trunks

As seen in: Thunderball (1965)

The details:

• Color: Light blue, pink, or white
• Material: Water-resistant linen
• Style: Black-belted, short-inseam swimming trunks
• NB: Jantzen, the original maker of these shorts, no longer produces swimwear for men
• Read more: James Bond Lifestyle and BAMF Style

Where to find light blue trunks:

• Goodfellow & Co. “Fiat Hybrid Shorts” in blue (Target)
  • Not only do they have belt loops, but they work equally well on beach or boardwalk
• H&M short swim shorts in light blue (H&M)
  • Connery would have been proud of the inseam on these… though you don’t have a belted option
• The North Face “Class V” belted trunks in blue (Amazon)
  • Too long and much too dark, these swim trunks have a black elastic belt like Connery wore
• Orlebar Brown “Setter” in riviera blue (Orlebar Brown)
  • These classic-inspired, quick-drying polaymide trunks were worn by Daniel Craig in Skyfall (2012)
• Polo Ralph Lauren 9″ swim shorts in French turquoise (Amazon)
  • Though a darker, richer blue, these quick-dry cotton/nylon shorts are fitted with belt loops
• Polo Ralph Lauren “Pony logo” swim trunk (Amazon)
  • Simple and short… though sans belt
• Royale Filmwear “James Bond SKYFALL” swim shorts (Royale Filmwear)
  • This replica of Daniel Craig’s swimwear in Skyfall presents an affordable alternative to the actual Orlebar Brown shorts worn on screen
• Southern Marsh Men’s Shoals Seawash Swim Trunk in breaker blue (Islanders Outfitter)
  • The cotton/nylon blend is probably as close as you can affordably get to the linen-like texture of Connery’s shorts, not to mention the short, 6″ inseam
• Sunspel “Men’s Technical Nylon Swim Short” in sky (Sunspel)
  • Sunspel created their first swimwear for men in response to a similar pair of light blue swimming trunks that Connery was photographed wearing during the production of Thunderball

Where to find pink trunks:

• Gap 5″ swim trunks in willow pink (Gap)
  • Not belted, but Connery wore the pink trunks without the belt anyway…
• H&M swim shorts in coral pink (H&M)
  • Also not belted…and in a bolder shade of pink
• Native Youth “Sandside Salt Faded Swim Shorts” (Nordstrom Rack)
  • Faded pink à la Connery with a black drawstring in lieu of the belt
• Polo Ralph Lauren 9″ swim shorts in pink frosting (Amazon)
  • Fitted with belt loops and made from a quick-drying cotton/nylon blend to transition from beach to boardwalk

Where to find white trunks:

• Dyorigin board shorts in white (Amazon)
  • Though belt-less, they’re white, short, and well-reviewed
• H&M swim shorts in light gray (H&M)
  • A few shades grayer than white, the black printed motif echoes 007’s Jantzen “diving girl” logo

Trousers

Cream linen trousers in Thunderball (1965), worn with a white-and-slate blue striped camp shirt, brown leather sandals, and Breitling Top Time dive watch.

Cream Linen Trousers

As seen in: Thunderball (1965)

The situation: Lunch and cocktails on a private island estate

The details:

• Color: Cream
• Material: Linen
• Style: Flat front trousers
• Other details: Button-tab side adjusters, side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Read more: BAMF Style

Where to find it:

• Berg & Berg “Alfons” linen trousers in sand (Berg & Berg)
  • Same: color, fabric, fit, and side adjusters
  • Different: hardly different other than the nit-picky fact that Connery wore button-tab side adjusters rather than buckle-tab
• Cubavera “Flat Front Easy Care Linen” trousers in khaki (Macy’s)
  • Same: fabric and fit
  • Different: darker color and belt loops
• Gap “Linen Khakis in Slim Fit” trousers in stone (Gap)
  • Same: color and general style
  • Different: these are more RTW with belt loops and a linen-cotton blended construction
• Tasso Elba linen trousers in natural (Macy’s)
  • Same: color, fabric, and fit
  • Different: belt loops
• Tommy Bahama “On the Beach” trousers in natural linen (Amazon and Macy’s)
  • Same: color and fabric
  • Different: elastic waistband and looser fit

Brown linen trousers in You Only Live Twice (1967), worn with tan linen camp shirt and brown leather sandals.

Brown Linen Trousers

As seen in: You Only Live Twice (1967)

The situation: An earthier day spent further inland

The details:

• Color: Brown
• Material: Linen
• Style: Flat front trousers
• Other details: Button-tab side adjusters, frogmouth front pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Read more: BAMF Style

Where to find it:

• Berg & Berg “Alfons” linen trousers in chocolate brown (Berg & Berg)
  • Same: fabric, fit, and side adjusters
  • Different: slightly darker color and more traditional side pockets
• High Style linen pants in chocolate brown (Amazon)
  • Same: fabric
  • Different: slightly darker color with more traditional details and pockets

Footwear

No socks needed!

Light blue canvas espadrilles in Thunderball (1965), featured on screen as Bond disarms a thug of his Beretta pistol.

Blue Espadrilles

As seen in: Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965)

The details:

• Color: Light blue
• Material: Canvas uppers, rope soles
• Style: Slip-on espadrilles
• Other details: White elastic side gussets
• Read more: BAMF Style

Where to find them:

• Ben Sherman “Jenson” espadrilles in navy (Amazon and Nordstrom Rack)
• H&M espadrilles in blue (H&M)
• Soludos “smoking sandal” in blue (Amazon)
• TOMS “Classic Earth Day” in blue earthday (Nordstrom Rack)
• TOMS “Grey Linen Rope Sole Men’s Classics” in gray linen (TOMS)
• Viscata Spanish Espadrilles in blue (Amazon)

Brown leather sandals in Thunderball (1965), featured on screen as Bond hands Domino’s yellow towel to her.

Brown Buckle-Strap Leather Sandals

As seen in: Thunderball (1965) and You Only Live Twice (1967)

The details:

• Color/material: Brown leather
• Style: Triple-strapped (two over vamp, one on heel), with brass single-prong buckles
• Read more: BAMF Style

Where to find them:

• Birkenstock “Milano” sandals in Amalfi brown (Amazon and East Dane)
• Crevo “Men’s Sedono Slide Sandal” in brown (Amazon)
• Dr. Martens “Fenton Fisherman Sandal” in dark brown (Nordstrom Rack)
• Merrell “Men’s Downtown Backstrap Buckle Sandal” in dark earth (Amazon)

Accessories

Sean Connery sports a pair of black rectangular-framed sunglasses in Thunderball (1965)

Black Rectangular Sunglasses

As seen in: Thunderball (1965)

The details:

• Color: Black
• Frame: Plastic/acetate
• Style: Rectangular “wayfarer”-style

The online Bond fan community has invested considerable time and arguments into the discussion of who exactly made Sean Connery’s über-cool shades in Thunderball. The big names like Persol and Ray-Ban are easily ruled out, with the most likely contender being the Polaroid Cool-Ray N135, though some still insist upon the Oliver Goldsmith “Consul” model. (Check out Iconic Alternatives for specific evidence in favor of the Polaroid!)

Where to find them:

• Curry & Paxton “Sean in Piano” in black cellulose (Mason & Sons)
  • Co-developed with Mason & Sons, this pair takes direct style cues from the classic Polaroid sunglasses that are hypothesized to be the model worn in Thunderball by Sean Connery
• Gamma Ray polarized sunglasses in black plastic (Amazon)
  • If your plan is to just have a pair of cheap shades for the sand, sun, and surf, don’t spend more than $10!
• Oliver Goldsmith Consul in black plastic (Eyegoodies)
  • Favored by many 20th century icons, though decidedly not the pair worn by Sean Connery in Thunderball
• Ray-Ban RB2140 “Original Wayfarer” in black acetate (Amazon)
  • Though certainly not what Connery was wearing, there’s a reason that Ray-Ban’s iconic Wayfarer model has stood the test of time

Straw hat and sunglasses in Thunderball (1965), worn with Bond’s ill-advised matching blue shirt and pants combo.

Straw Pork Pie Hat

Bond’s flat crown indicates that his hat is of the “pork pie” style rather than the pinched crown of a trilby or fedora.

Keep in mind that genuine straw is expensive  but often worth it, especially when compared to its lesser “paper straw” cousins.

The details:

• Color/Material: Natural coconut straw
• Hat band: Navy, blue, and white plaid cotton
• Style: Short-brimmed pork pie hat

Where to get it:

• New York Hat Company “Be Bop” in natural coconut straw with black band (Village Hat Shop)
• Stetson “Madrigal” in natural coconut straw with plaid band (Amazon, Levine Hats, and Stetson)
• Fred Perry straw trilby in natural straw (Amazon)
  • It’s a trilby and it has a plain band… but we know Bond likes Fred Perry!

Sean Connery wears 007’s classic Rolex Submariner 6538 on a striped NATO strap in Thunderball (1965), just as he had the previous year in Goldfinger (1964).

Dive Watch on NATO Strap

As seen in: Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965)

The details:

• Case: Stainless
• Dial: Black
• Bezel: Black rotating
• Band: NATO strap with black, olive, and thin red stripes

Though 007 is issued a Breitling Top-Time pilot watch with a geiger counter function, the Rolex Submariner 6538 is the classic Bond watch, not to mention that a dive watch is more apropos the beach setting and the NATO strap would be far more comfortable on your wrist on a hot sunny day than the metal pilot-style bracelet of the Breitling.

Rolex discontinued production of the ref. 6538 Submariner in 1961, four years before Thunderball was even made.

If you want the real deal, you either need to get lucky or plan on spending a pretty penny either for a classic Rolex or a newer evolution of the Submariner, like the 6538’s spiritual successor, the non-date ref. 114060. Luckily, budget-driven shoppers are not devoid of options…

Where to find the watch:

• Casino MDV106-1A (Amazon)
• Invicta 8926OB Pro Diver (Amazon) – BAMF Style recommended!
• Orient “Ray II” FA002004B9 (Amazon)
• Seiko SKX007K Diver (Amazon)

Where to get NATO straps:

• Barton “Jetson” in black, red, and olive (Amazon)
• Benchmark Straps in black and gray (Amazon) – As worn by Daniel Craig in Spectre
• Clockwork Synergy in black, green, and red (Amazon)
• Geckota in dark navy, red, and olive (Amazon)
• Stylelover in navy, ivory, and crimson (Amazon) – If you want some red, white, and blue on your wrist for the 4th of July

Sleepwear

White cotton pajama pants in Dr. No (1962)… Bond’s only armor when fighting off a deadly tarantula.

White cotton pajama pants

As seen in: Dr. No (1962)

The details:

• Color: White
• Material: Cotton
• Style: Drawstring-waist long pants

Where to get similar pajama pants:

• Goodfellow & Co. “Men’s Knit Pajama Pants” in bayshore blue or light heathered gray (Target)
• J. Crew “Cotton pajama pant in stripe” in bold peri (J. Crew)
• Polo Ralph Lauren “Men’s Supreme Comfort Pajama Pants” in new sand heather (Macy’s)

Where to get white pajama sets that include similar pants:

• Brooks Brothers “Wrinkle-Resistant Oxford Pajamas” in white (Brooks Brothers)

What Else to Pack

Let’s assume you plan on leaving your Walther PPK at home and focus instead on some of the other essentials of Bond’s travel: books and booze.

Even Sean Connery doesn’t let an exotic island location interfere with his reading plans! The light blue trunks he wore for this photo session inspired Sunspel to create its first swim shorts for men.

Literature

In the novels, Ian Fleming focused much more on Bond’s reading habits, providing his own readers with a solid glimpse of what was on 007’s bookshelf. Assuming that instructional guides about golf, genealogy, and card-playing aren’t your idea of the ideal summer reads, check out this list of Bond-inspired reading material:

• Eric Ambler – The Mask of Dimitrios (Amazon, published in the U.S. as A Coffin for Dimitrios)
  • Bond reads this 1939 thriller to wile away a flight to Istanbul in From Russia With Love, and fans of the story can also check out the 1944 film noir adaptation.
• Ian Fleming – Thunderball (Amazon)
  • Fleming’s eighth full-length Bond novel was intended to serve as the first film in the series, hence its even more cinematic style than its predecessor.
• Ernest Hemingway – A Farewell to Arms (Amazon)
  • Timothy Dalton’s Bond alludes to Papa’s classic story of love in wartime when asked to hand over his PPK in Licence to Kill… while on the balcony of the Hemingway House in Key West.
• Anthony Horowitz – Forever and a Day (Amazon)
  • The latest installment in the James Bond literary canon serves as a prequel to Casino Royale and includes original excerpts from Fleming himself, described in Steven Poole’s review for The Guardian as “an enjoyably compact thriller.”

Libations

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Bond’s tried-and-true Vodka Martini. The preferred ingredients of the Connery era appear to be:

• Smirnoff 100-proof vodka (look for blue in the label), as seen in Dr. No
• Cinzano extra dry vermouth, as seen in Thunderball

For proportions, the six-to-one ratio of vodka to vermouth as stipulated in Live and Let Die will serve you well: six parts vodka, one part vermouth, shaken with ice until it’s ice-cold, and poured into a a chilled martini glass.

After sending a hapless henchmen on his way, Bond eagerly mixes a martini for himself. Whether or not this feckless Felix (Rik Van Nutter) will get a cocktail is well has been lost to time… or the editing room floor.

Now, the more beach-friendly option: the Rum Collins. Bond is served this refreshing Caribbean alternative to the venerable Tom Collins cocktail before his lunch with the villainous Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) at Palmyra, Largo’s Bahamian estate.

The Tom Collins first emerged in the United States in the late 19th century, recorded by “father of American mixology” Jerry Thomas in his 1876 edition of Bar-Tender’s Guide. Little has changed in the preparation of the Tom Collins in the last century and a half, and the basic ingredients are gin, sugar, soda water, and lemon.

The Rum Collins replaces the original cocktail’s gin with light rum, delivering a more tropic-friendly flavor. The rum is up to you, though Daniel Craig’s order of Mount Gay and soda in Casino Royale makes the aromatic Mount Gay Silver a reasonable choice. Since Largo’s bartender doesn’t share his secrets with the audience, we have only the expert word of the Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide to guide us in the actual concoction…

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. light rum
• 1 oz. lime juice (rather than the Tom Collins’ lemon juice)
• 1 tsp. superfine sugar or simple syrup
• club soda

Shake the rum, lime juice, and sugar or syrup in an ice-filled shaker, then strain into a tall, chilled Collins glass. Add a few more ice cubes to ensure it’s cold, fill the mixture with club soda, and stir. The finishing touch à la Largo? Garnish with a slice of lemon and a maraschino cherry.

A courteous lunch guest always accepts a Rum Collins from his host… even if said host is a pompous megalomaniac.

Can’t live without brown liquor? Blended Scotch whisky seems to serve Bond’s needs in the film series’ tropical settings, beginning with Black & White in Dr. No and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label that shows up in Paula Kaplan’s hotel room in Thunderball. Decades later, Daniel Craig’s exiled Bond swigs down Macallan while living the island life, but one suspects the influences of product placement at work than an earnest reflection of Fleming’s original character.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

Make this year’s beach vacation one to remember!

Looking for more? Iconic Alternatives lives up to its name with countless options to channel Bond’s attire across all price points, from his revere-collared sport shirts and swim trunks to sunglasses and espadrilles.

Have you found other items that help you evoke Bond style at the beach? Share in the comments below!

The Quote

Bond: My dear, uncooperative Domino.
Domino: How do you know that? How do you know my friends call me Domino?
Bond: It’s on the bracelet on your ankle.
Domino: So… what sharp little eyes you’ve got.
Bond: Wait ’til you get to my teeth.

Denzel Washington as Banyan Key police chief Matt Whitlock in Out of Time (2003)

Vitals

Denzel Washington as Mathias Lee “Matt” Whitlock, Banyan Key police chief

Banyan Key, Florida, summer 2002

Film: Out of Time
Release Date: October 3, 2003
Director: Carl Franklin
Costume Designer: Sharen Davis

Background

If you’re lucky enough to count a well-made Aloha shirt or two in your closet, summer is the time to bring them to the front of your rotation. After all, boldly printed shirts dominated at Milan Fashion Week this month, and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a few more Hawaiian shirts on gents of all generations this summer.

While Hawaiian shirts in movies and TV are often played for comedic purposes, the tropical neo-noir Out of Time unironically – and successfully – dresses its protagonist in a setting-appropriate printed Aloha shirt for the lion’s share of the film’s action.

In this No Way Out-inspired thriller set in the bright and sunny Florida Keys, Denzel Washington plays a charming chief of police with a department of only four officers in the small town paradise of Banyan Key (filmed in the real-life city of Boca Grande). Chief Whitlock is currently undergoing a divorce from his ex-wife Alex (Eva Mendes), a fellow detective, while juggling an affair with local woman Anne Merai Harrison (Sanaa Lathan), the wife of an aggressive ex-football star (Dean Cain)… setting up all the elements for intrigue.

What’d He Wear?

Chief Matt Whitlock spends his days on duty in the comfortable white polo and black shorts that comprise his police uniform, but for an anxious night waiting for news from his cancer-stricken mistress (and her abusive husband), he changes into a blue tropical-printed Aloha shirt and light, loose-fitting slacks. Matt is still wearing this outfit the next day when he’s risen from his slumber with word that the couple’s house has burned down… with two bodies found on the scene.

Production photo of Eva Mendes and Denzel Washington in Out of Time (2003).

One thing I appreciate about Denzel Washington’s wardrobe in Out of Time is the accessibility of the brands he wears. Matt Whitlock seems like the kind of guy who would stop by the local mall when he needs some new clothes, spend about ten minutes in a store grabbing affordable stuff that’s approximately his size, and then spend the rest of the day at the driving range. And if Matt is going to be picking up a Hawaiian shirt at the mall, it only makes sense that he’d be grabbing a shirt from Tommy Bahama, the Seattle-based brand that has been a mainstay of ready-to-wear island-wear for more than two decades.

Matt spends the majority of the film’s action wearing a silk Aloha shirt from Tommy Bahama, printed all over in an “island theme” motif with palm trees, mountains, and sail boats in mute slate blue and white on a cornflower blue ground. The shirt has a one-piece camp collar with a loop on the left side that would connect to a button under the right side of the collar, and there are seven brown faux-nut buttons down the plain front. The shirt also has a breast pocket.

Though the auctioned version of the shirt is a size medium, it still looks a bit oversized on Denzel Washington’s 6’1″ frame. The shirt’s larger, looser fit means the short set-in “half” sleeves begin off the shoulders and extend down his arms to drape over the elbows.

The loud pattern covering the shirt doesn’t make it easy to discern right away, but taking a closer look at the progression of Denzel Washington’s look over the course of the film reveals that at least five shirts were used over the course of the production, each slightly differing in how the pattern is presented on the shirt… even though the pattern itself of palm trees, mountains, waves, and sail boats remains the same.

It’s certainly not unusual for a film to have multiples of a character’s costume on hand; in fact, it’s now standard practice that Tom Ford makes dozens of Daniel Craig’s suits for his action scenes as James Bond.

The easiest way to determine which shirt is being used in which scene is by looking at his shirt collars; over the course of Out of Time, the corner of Matt’s right collar goes from hosting the side of a palm tree, to the entire base of a palm tree and a sail boat, to a more bare scene, to just the boat sails and the palms at the top of a tree, and finally the vegetation at the base of the palm tree. (See below!)

The key is the collar: note the slightly different patterns present on Chief Whitlock’s shirt collar as the movie progresses… yet the rest of the shirt tends to always look the same.

The large shirt also covers Chief Whitlock’s sidearm, a SIG-Sauer P228 semi-automatic pistol carried in his brown leather off-duty holster worn on the right side of his walnut brown leather belt for a dominant-hand draw.

Chief Whitlock shows us the utility of an armed off-duty officer wearing a slightly oversized shirt.

Matt’s ivory chinos are from Banana Republic’s “Dawson” line of khakis marketed for their relaxed fit and comfortable 100% cotton construction, both compatible elements with his laidback island vibe. These flat front trousers have belt loops, gently slanted side pockets, slim-welted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms.

Fifteen years after the film’s release, Banana Republic has re-energized this timeless chino design with its “Emerson” line that undoubtedly takes style cues its predecessor, the Dawson. The Emerson Straight Chino in khaki-colored 100% cotton is as close to the style and fabric of Denzel’s screen-worn trousers as is currently offered (as of June 2018), though the “transition cream” color available for the cotton-stretch Emerson Straight Rapid Movement Chino is a little closer to the color of the trousers worn in Out of Time. (Of course, you can also scan sites like Westfield for original Dawson chinos, if you’re so inclined.)

Note the black Banana Republic tag above the welt of Matt’s back right pocket.

Matt’s cool, comfortable, and casual wardrobe doesn’t end at his ankles… nor does he go the “uninformed dad” route of socks-and-sandals. Instead, he opts for a pair of unique slip-on loafers in tan nubuck leather from Mephisto, a Palm Beach footwear purveyor. The cool-wearing shoes have vamps littered with small holes to ventilate the wearer’s feet, and Mephisto’s signature Air Jet insole system ensures maximum comfort.

This particular variety of Mephisto footwear seems to be discontinued as of June 2018, though interested shoppers can still find pre-owned pairs thanks to sites like eBay. The Mephisto “Ulrich” in camel appears to have taken over the mantle as the brand’s pre-eminent vented-vamp loafer, available for $354.95 per pair.

As a loyal Motorola i90c user, Matt shows his disdain for DEA Agent White’s Motorola i1000. Ah, the pre-iPhone days…

While the vented Mephisto shoes are probably the type of footwear one could wear sans socks, Matt sports a pair of brown knit cotton lisle socks. Thanks to the auction listing, we know that his shoe size is 10.5 and that the socks have yellow stitching at the toes, similar to the ubiquitous Gold Toe sock brand.

Chief Whitlock’s watch is also appropriate for a practical guy who lives and works by the water. He wears a Casio Marine Gear AMW320D-9EV “Dual Time” watch, so named for its traditional analog dial and digital display inset across the bottom. This quartz dive watch has a black bidirectional rotating bezel with yellow markers that coordinate with the shiny yellow dial.

As I remember seeing in real life and movies and TV, yellow-dial dive watches like this were all the rage for characters from macho cops like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop (who had a Casio) and “Herc” on The Wire (who wore a similar Seiko) as well as the decidedly non-macho Ross Gellar on Friends.

This Casio has a 44mm stainless steel case and is secured to his wrist on a 25mm-wide ridged black resin band that closes with a steel single-prong buckle. You can read more about the watch on Casio’s website, though interested buyers may be able to find one on Amazon.

For those unable to tell that it’s a little after 12:30 (though the slightly rotated bezel does throw things off a bit), there’s always the digital display.

Sunglasses would be a daily must-have item for anyone living in the Florida Keys, and Chief Whitlock makes good use of his matte sand-framed navigator-style aviator sunglasses with amber-tinted lenses.

Less of a functional must-have and more of a fashion accessory, Matt also wears a small gold hoop earring in his left ear lobe.

Chief Whitlock’s final piece of jewelry is a slim gold medallion worn on a gold necklace.

Matt’s necklace medallion falls out of his shirt while he reaches for his SIG-Sauer under Paul Cabot’s motel room bed following a tussle in the room… and on the balcony.

Denzel Washington’s screen-worn costume from Out of Time. Source: Nate D. Sanders Auctions.

In October 2015, items from Denzel Washington’s screen-worn costume in Out of Time were auctioned by Nate D. Sanders Auctions:

Denzel Washington screen-worn costume, worn as ”Matt Lee Whitlock” in the 2003 crime drama ”Out of Time”.

Four piece outfit includes shirt, slacks, socks and loafers: (1) Tommy Bahama short sleeve blue and white shirt with island design, size medium; (2) Banana Republic ”Dawson” khaki slacks, size 36/34; (3) Pair of brown knit socks with yellow stitching at toes, measures 16”; (4) Mephisto ”Air-Jet” brown leather slip on loafers, size 10.5.

This outfit (including the same shirt) had previously been included in an auction in December 2013 but failed to sell. The auction listing is still live on iCollector and even includes a photo of the mentioned socks.

The same auction included a prop wallet that Denzel Washington’s character carried, complete with his state ID, police ID, two Capital One cards, and three Visa cards.

Denzel Washington as Banyan Key police chief Matt Whitlock in Out of Time (2003)

How to Get the Look

This might not be the best outfit for a guy trying to fit in while dodging the authorities, so limit your summer activities to bellying up to the bar or lounging on a beach somewhere, and you should be fine.

• Blue-on-light blue island-printed silk Aloha/Hawaiian shirt with camp collar, seven brown faux-nut buttons, breast pocket, and short set-in sleeves
• Ivory cotton flat front chino trousers with belt loops, slanted side pockets, right-side coin pocket, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Walnut brown leather belt with steel square single-prong buckle
• Brown leather belt holster, for SIG-Sauer P228 pistol
• Tan nubuck leather vented-vamp slip-on loafers
• Brown cotton lisle socks with yellow toe-stitching
• Casio Marine Gear AMW320D-9EV “Dual Time” quartz dive watch with 44mm stainless steel case, black rotating bezel, yellow analog dial with digital display, and ridged black resin strap
• Sand-toned matte-framed navigator-style aviator sunglasses with amber lenses
• Gold mini-hoop earring
• Gold medallion/pendant on gold necklace

The Gun

As chief of the Banyan Key Police Department, Matt Whitlock’s issued sidearm is a blued steel SIG-Sauer P228, carried in a brown leather holster on the right side of his belt.

OUT OF TIME

SIG-Sauer introduced the P228 in 1988 as a downsized version of its full-framed P226 model. Commercially available with only a traditional double-action (DA/SA) trigger, the P228 was only marginally smaller than the P226 with its 3.9-inch barrel length, only a half-inch shorter than the P226.

Unlike the multi-chambered P226, the P228 was only offered in the popular 9x19mm Parabellum round throughout its production, carrying 13 rounds in a double-stack magazine as opposed to the eight-round single-stack magazine of its cousin, the SIG-Sauer P225.

OUT OF TIME

Denzel Washington is also seen wearing this outfit on most of the promotional artwork for Out of Time (2003).

Shortly after its introduction, the SIG-Sauer P228 was adopted by the U.S. Secret Service and designated into U.S. military service as the M11 pistol. The P228 was produced continuously for nine years until it was considered to be replaced by the similarly sized SIG-Sauer P229.

In addition to its stainless steel construction as opposed to the P228’s carbon steel, the P229 was made available in multiple calibers, from the small .22 LR round up to the approved law enforcement .357 SIG and .40 S&W rounds as well as the prerequisite 9x19mm Parabellum.

Despite its ostensible replacement by the P229, the SIG-Sauer P228 remained in limited use among some branches of the U.S. military, though it is scheduled to be formally replaced by a carry-sized variant of the modular SIG-Sauer P320.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Vitals

Paul Newman as Lucas “Luke” Jackson, chain gang inmate, war veteran, and “natural-born world-shaker”

Florida Road Prison 36, summer, early 1950s

Film: Cool Hand Luke
Release Date: November 1, 1967
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Costume Designer: Howard Shoup

Background

What we’ve got here is… failure to communicate. Some men you just can’t reach.

The iconic “failure to communicate” line in Cool Hand Luke is first uttered by Strother Martin as the stern, insensitive captain in charge of Road Prison 36 where most of the film is set. Lucas “Luke” Jackson (Paul Newman), recently sentenced to the facility after a drunken night of vandalizing parking meters, is proud to be one of the men that the captain can’t reach.

Just in time for the stifling midsummer heat, I’m focusing on Cool Hand Luke, voted one of the sweatiest movies of all time by the patrons of Cheers… in addition to various other accolades.

In addition to George Kennedy’s Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor, Cool Hand Luke racked up Paul Newman’s fourth Academy Award nomination for Best Actor as the the defiant and charismatic anti-authoritarian at the heart of the picture.

Paul Newman on set during production of Cool Hand Luke (1967).

What’d He Wear?

While BAMF Style is certainly not validating prison uniforms or the ostensibly poor life decisions that could lead to one being issued one, Cool Hand Luke‘s protagonist wears his “state issue” with such swagger that Paul Newman elevates the status of his dirty prison duds to a level of iconic cool, emblematic of the era’s rebellious zeitgeist.

CARR, the floorwalker, a 240 pound behemoth, is indoctrinating the Newmeat while they change into camp clothing: gray twill trousers, shirt and jacket, all numbered, which has been piled on the table.

– Cool Hand Luke screenplay, shooting draft, by Donn Pearce and Frank R. Pierson

The evolution of the 20th century represents shifting attitudes toward rehabilitation in the United States. By the 1950s setting of Cool Hand Luke, even Southern prison systems – hardly known for their progressive practices – had been implementing the more “humane” blue or khaki work wear, superseding the stigmatized black-and-white uniforms with their horizontal bee stripes often associated with early American incarceration.

Luke and his fellow inmates wear light blue chambray cotton work shirts, similar to those issued by the U.S. Navy during World War II. These shirts button up the front placket with dark blue plastic buttons that match those on the pockets and cuffs. The shirt has two patch pockets, one on each side of the chest, that close with a button through the top. The shirt also has a point collar that Luke leaves open and barrel cuffs that each close with a single button.

Luke bids farewell to his mother, Arletta, after her brief but memorable visit. As eight pages of dialogue had to be filmed in one day, the scene would have presented a challenge to many other actors, but stage-trained pros Paul Newman and Jo Van Fleet were perfectly up to the task of performing this near-perfect scene in the short time required.

When Luke is returned to Road Prison 36 after his second escape attempt, he is wearing a beige cotton long-sleeved henley undershirt with a three-button placket that he would wear through the end of the film.

During his incarceration, Luke continues wearing the same bottle opener necklace around his neck that he wore during his civilian life. This plain steel simple opener is worn on a silver beaded necklace. True Jersey paid homage to Luke’s necklace with this tribute., priced at only $8.

While the uniforms of Luke and his convicted cohorts do indeed take some style cues from classic military work wear, it serves reason that their attire would still need some clear indication that these men are prisoners and not just road workers in chambray shirts and jeans.

Thus, each inmate at Florida Road Prison 36 is issued a pair of blue-gray striped denim pants with a bold white stripe down each side from the waistband down to the plain-hemmed bottoms. Evidently, the stripes are sewn on over the trouser seams, as Ben – a local boy that helps Luke  during his second escape – suggests to him: “Aren’t you gonna take those stripes off your pants?” Luke responds, “You know it, kid,” before easily ripping the stripes off and using them to tie his hacked-apart chains to each ankle.

Paul Newman on set, emphasizing the “cool” in Cool Hand Luke.

Carr (Clifton James) briefs the men as they arrive and pick up their new state-issued wardrobe:

Them clothes got laundry numbers on them. You remember your number and always wear the ones that has your number. Any man forgets his number spends a night in the box.

Luke’s prisoner number, “37”, is crudely written on the back of his shirt and the back pocket of his pants. A patch pocket on the back left side, this is the only pocket on the guys’ prison pants, as anyone who needs more than one pocket in prison is surely up to no good… as Andy Dufresne would attest.

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” – Luke 1:37
Luke’s prison number, scrawled on both his shirt and the back pocket of his pants, is said to refer to this passage in the bible.

The trousers have belt loops where Luke and the other inmates where a drab brown web belt with a squared gunmetal single-prong buckle, at odds with the modern practice of forbidding belts in prison. In fact, it is likely the prohibition of belts that led to the modern adoption of simpler, more cost-effective prison garb like jumpsuits or scrubs in bold colors like orange (of course), yellow, khaki, or plain white.

The inmates also wear brown nubuck leather work boots and light gray crew socks. The plain-toe boots are derby-laced with eight eyelets and hooks at the top.

Left: Luke’s boots in the hands of a guard when the laconic prisoners is forced to spend a night in the box.
Right: Luke’s boots in action as he’s engaged in the Sisyphean task of shoveling dirt from one hole to another.

The inmates are all issued chore jackets in blue denim, a practical and cost-effective outerwear solution that is also consistent with the tone and texture of the rest of their clothing. Luke’s large denim chore coat has a one-piece collar, five dark blue plastic buttons, and hip pockets open at the top.

These unstructured, no-frills jackets were popularized by French laborers in the late 19th century and remained commonly seen for workers and prisoners around the world through the 20th century, favored for its relaxed fit and simple construction from breathable, lightweight fabrics like cotton, canvas, and linen. Many examples of classic chore coats remain available from online vintage shops like eBay or Etsy.

Luke’s underwear is plain white cotton boxer shorts with an elastic waistband, as opposed to the “tighty-whitey” briefs worn by some of the other inmates.

In case you missed the film’s Christian allegories, consider this screenshot of Luke, clad only in his boxers as he lays outstretched in a crucifixion-like pose. (Reportedly, Paul Newman only had to eat about eight of the “fifty eggs”, but he still vomited in a trash can immediately after director Stuart Rosenberg called “cut!”)

Civilian Luke

“He is cheerful, drunk, wearing a faded GI Field jacket. A bottle opener hangs on a silver chain around his neck,” described Donn Pearce and Frank R. Pierson when introducing their titular character in the screenplay for Cool Hand Luke.

The bottle opener remained, but Luke’s attire for the night of his arrest in the opening scene shifted from the field jacket to a simple khaki cotton short-sleeved shirt with two flapped chest pockets and a large point collar. Unlike the direct connotations of the field jacket mentioned in the screenplay, the khaki shirt winks at Luke’s military association while also being a very practical choice for a ne’er-do-well idling away a hot, drunken summer night in the south.

Luke completes his “civilian” outfit with a pair of dark indigo selvedge denim jeans, light gray socks, and dark brown leather boat shoes.

Luke wears a timeless casual outfit for a night spent cutting down parking meters. Though set in Florida, the scene was filmed in Lodi, California, where the meter-less poles remained upright for years after filming in this location wrapped.

We next see Luke as he arrives at Florida Road Prison 36, following his conviction and sentencing for the brutal crime of “maliciously destroying municipal property while under the influence.” He and the other new arrivals are already wearing their state-issued denim pants with the wide white side stripes, but his boldly printed sport shirt is undeniably his own.

Luke prepares to serve two years for beheading parking meters.

This short-sleeved shirt – which has a casual camp collar, plain front, and no pockets – is brown with bronze geometric accents throughout and an overlaying pattern of white ornately patterned diamond squares that connect at each corner for a grid-like effect that covers the shirt.

What to Imbibe

The only booze that Luke imbibes on screen is the generic bottle of “Beer” that he guzzles during his delinquent adventures at the film’s opening. (For those interested, the label reads “Fine Quality Beer” and can be found as entry BB-48 in this catalog of offerings from the august Earl Hays Press, a movie prop house that has served Hollywood and its celluloid creations since 1915.

Beer.

If you’re looking for something a little more sophisticated, I direct you to the aptly named Cool Hand Cuke, a refreshing libation offered behind the bar at The Manor Theatre in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. The central ingredients are Beefeater gin, muddled cucumber, and soda, but the magic formula that has made this signature cocktail a seasonal favorite at the 96-year-old cinema’s M Bar shall remain a secret of the expert hands behind the counter.

If nothing else, it’s just the libation for washing down fifty eggs.

Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke (1967)

How to Get the Look

Prison never looked so cool.

• Light blue chambray cotton work shirt with point collar, front placket, button-through chest patch pockets, and single-button cuffs
• Blue denim chore jacket with five-button front and hip pockets
• Blue-gray striped denim flat front pants with belt loops, back left patch pocket, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Drab brown web belt with squared gunmetal single-prong buckle
• Brown nubuck leather plain-toe derby-laced 8-eyelet work boots
• Light gray cotton crew socks
• White cotton boxer briefs with elastic waistband
• Steel simple bottle opener, worn on silver beaded-chain necklace

Looking to see if chambray is right for you? Give this affordable shirt from Amazon’s house brand Goodthreads a spin. If you’re looking for something a little closer to the shirts worn by Cool Hand Luke – as well as U.S. Navy servicemen during World War II – check out this reproduction of a classic USN work shirt from At the Front.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

Yeah, well… sometimes nothin’ can be a real cool hand.

Robert Mitchum as Lucas Doolin in Thunder Road (1958), frisked next to his classic Ford.

Vitals

Robert Mitchum as Lucas “Luke” Doolin, moonshine driver and Korean War veteran

Rillow Valley, Tennessee, Fall 1957

Film: Thunder Road
Release Date: May 10, 1958
Director: Arthur Ripley
Wardrobe Credit: Oscar Rodriguez

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

There’s a Treasury agent down the line someplace with three bumpers hangin’ on his car.

For the first Car Week post of this year, and just in time for the fourth of July, BAMF Style celebrates the all-American tradition of car-racing and its moonshine-running origins with the 1958 action film Thunder Road.

Based on an original story by producer and star Robert Mitchum, Thunder Road would establish the “good ol’ boy” genre that featured the fastest cars – and women – that the South had to offer. In addition to the countless Burt Reynolds films that can trace their origins to Thunder Road, the film directly led to the production of the shoestring-budget Moonrunners in 1975, which in turn became the long-running series The Dukes of Hazzard. (For what it’s worth, the lobby card for Thunder Road was said to inspire Bruce Springsteen to pen his song of the same name… despite having never actually seen the film at the time.)

Thunder Road stars Robert Mitchum and his son James Mitchum as brothers Lucas and Robin Doolin, two sons of Rillow Valey, Tennessee who spent their days and nights on either side of a souped-up Ford’s hood. (Despite the many references to Kentucky and Tennessee, the film was clearly filmed in and around Asheville, North Carolina.)

A successful moonshine runner who remains independent and true to his ideals, Luke becomes a target of the ruthless syndicate boss Carl Kogan (Jacques Aubuchon), a.k.a. a much less funny Boss Hogg, who will stop at nothing to either hire Luke…or take him out for good.

What’d He Wear?

Like his spiritual successors the Duke boys, Robert Mitchum’s Lucas Doolin spends almost the entirety of Thunder Road wearing the same outfit (with one exception), even though it’s set over the course of multiple days. With one exception for a quiet night in with his girlfriend Francine (Keely Smith), Luke exclusively wears a dark windbreaker, striped shirt, and pleated khakis.

Luke Doolin: armed and ready.

While many jackets marketed as windbreakers today are unlined rain jackets made from paper-thin synthetic polyester or nylon, the jacket originated during the 1940s as a hardwearing but relatively stylish structured jacket. It was John Rissman & Son in Chicago that trademarked the name “windbreaker” to describe its revolutionary line of casual gabardine zip-up jackets. The windbreaker was a casual style staple for gents in postwar America, eventually leading to the development of the Harrington jacket and similar garments.

Luke’s daily outerwear is a dark gabardine windbreaker that zips up to a large, flat collar with a wide throat latch tab extending from the left collar. The buttonhole on this tab fastens to a button under the right side of the collar to ostensibly protect the wearer’s neck from the elements, though Mitchum always wears the windbreaker totally open.

The jacket also has large patch hip pockets with slanted jetted openings. The set-in sleeves have a short tab at the cuff with a single button that Mitchum wears unbuttoned most of the time. A straight-bottomed storm flap extends across the back of the jacket’s shoulders.

Luke Doolin’s primary shirt throughout Thunder Road is candy-striped with a shadow-striped dark color against a light ground. (Much of the film’s promotional artwork colors this shirt in a blue-and-white stripe, but I can’t attest to how accurately that reflects the actual colors of Robert Mitchum’s screen-worn clothing.)

The shirt has a slim button-down collar, which Mitchum often wears with both collar leafs unbuttoned and somewhat flattened to resemble a camp collar. The shirt also has a plain front, a breast pocket for Luke’s unfiltered Viceroy cigarettes, and squared single-button cuffs.

Luke also wears a white cotton short-sleeve t-shirt as an undershirt, with a slight v-neck that barely pokes out above his striped shirt’s second button.

Note the shadow-stripe on Luke’s shirt and the small bit of white undershirt visible above the shirt’s buttoning point.

While many of the younger drivers in his set wear denim jeans, a more “old-school” moonshiner like Luke Doolin sticks to his slacks. These double-reverse pleated trousers are likely made from khaki-colored gabardine, with an era-appropriate medium-high rise, straight side pockets, jetted back pockets, and turn-ups (cuffs) on the bottoms. Through the belt loops, Luke wears a slim dark leather belt with a single-prong buckle.

Although Luke doesn’t bother to change his jacket, shirt, or trousers for most of the film, he does switch between a pair of tall work boots and dressier black derby shoes.

The work boots are best seen when Luke heads into the woods to help his father Vernon (Trevor Bardette) manning the family still. These appear to be dark brown leather boots with contrasting taslan laces through ten eyelets up the shaft, similar to this pair of 1950s vintage moc-toe Red Wing Irish Setter hunting boots. Looking for something similar? Check out the Red Wing Heritage Men’s Moc 8″ Boot.

For other scenes of Luke heading into Memphis (in reality, Asheville), he wears a pair of what appear to be black leather derby shoes with black socks.

Shoes on and .45 in hand, even when in bed, Luke Doolin takes hiding out in a motel room seriously.

Luke pulls into a garage while making a run near Memphis and exchanges his windbreaker for a dark suit jacket that he keeps in the car. The suit jacket is subtly striped dark wool with notch lapels that roll to a low two-button front, wide shoulders, and three-button cuffs.

Luke also keeps a satin silk skinny tie in the suit jacket’s outer left pocket, ensuring that he’ll be properly dressed when popping in to see his nightclub singer girlfriend Francine (Keely Smith) that night.

The urbane moonshiner always has a jacket and tie stored away somewhere next to his shotgun and his 35-gallon moonshine tank.

Luke wears a metal round-cased wristwatch with a light dial on a worn leather strap, fastened to his left wrist. Mitchum was a known Rolex aficionado in real life, though this doesn’t appear to be a model produced from that august Swiss brand.

Never seen on screen but worth mention for their cool factor are the wide tortoise sunglasses that Robert Mitchum wore on the set of Thunder Road.

Robert Mitchum on set with Randy Sparks, who sang the film’s Mitchum-penned theme song, “The Ballad of Thunder Road”, for the opening credits.

What to Imbibe

Although he makes his money from moonshine, Luke Doolin’s drink of choice appears to be bottled Pabst Blue Ribbon.

It’s one heck of an endorsement for a man that makes moonshine for a living to drink PBR when he needs a break.

Robert Mitchum as Lucas Doolin in Thunder Road (1958), leaning against his 1957 Ford Fairlane.

How to Get the Look

Per his personality, Lucas Doolin’s daily outfit is very practical, putting function before form, though Mitchum’s swagger adds star power to an otherwise common dressed-down look from the era. The outfit’s versatility is also put to the test when he is able to add a jacket and tie to go from casual to club-ready in mere seconds.

• Dark navy gabardine zip-up windbreaker with flat collar (with wide single-button throat latch tab), large patch pockets (with slanted openings), and set-in sleeves (with adjustable button cuffs)
• Navy-and-white shadow-striped shirt with slim button-down collar, plain front, breast pocket, and single-button cuffs
• White cotton v-neck undershirt
• Khaki gabardine double reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops, straight/on-seam side pockets, jetted back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Dark leather belt with single-prong buckle
• Dark brown leather work boots with moc-toe and 10-eyelet taslan lacing
• Black crew socks
• Metal analog watch with light-colored dial on dark leather strap

Colors mentioned above are guesses based on the era’s trends and promotional artwork.

The Cars

1951 Ford

“Well, this one’s gone,” confirms ATF agent Troy Barrett (Gene Barry) via phone to his supervisor. “I lost him and he’s loaded. He’s driving a 1950 Ford two-door coupe, and he’s got a racing mill under the hood.”

Agent Barrett may be right about the racing mill, but he’s a nudge off about the year as Luke Doolin’s legendary moonshine-running tanker for speeding through the hills of Rillow Valley is actually a gray 1951 Ford Custom, fitted with the moonshiner’s tools of the trade like a button that sprays oil out from the back of the car to send any pursuing vehicle spiraling off the road.

Asheville, North Carolina, portrayed Memphis in the movie, evident by locations like the Asheville Pharmacy in front of which Luke parks his Ford when he goes to visit Carl Kogan.

“You can always tell it’s him when you hear those pipes of his grumbling down the road,” grumbles fellow driver Jed Moultrie (Mitchell Ryan), who ends up buying the tanker.

The 1949 Ford was a massive step forward for American carmakers after World War II. Civilian car production had been suspended following the 1941 model year as all United States industries had been focused on the war effort. Following the war, the Big Three (Ford, GM, and Chrysler) picked up where they left off, refreshing their prewar models. It wasn’t until 1949 that Ford broke the mold by introducing the first all-new model from the Big Three in almost a decade.

Known as the “Shoebox Ford”, the 1949 Ford’s slab-sided design, modern drive shaft, and spacious passenger compartment would continue across three model years until the next refresh in 1952. Available options were more powerful versions of the 226 cubic-inch straight-6 and the 239 cubic-inch Flathead V8, rated at 90 horsepower and 100 horsepower, respectively.

The 1951 model year saw external redesigns of the grille and bumpers as well as the Ford’s first automatic transmission, the three-speed “Ford-O-Matic”, offered as an option for the first time in the marque’s history.

To convert the 1951 Ford driven by Robert Mitchum into a “1950 Ford” per the dialogue, the redesigned “dual bullet” grille of the 1951 model was replaced with a 1950 grille. However, the dashboard, steering wheel, and external V8 and “Ford Custom” emblems are all indicative of the ’51 Ford.

1951 Ford Custom Tudor Sedan

Body Style: 2-door hardtop sedan

Layout: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (RWD)

Engine: 239 cid (3.9 L) Ford “Flathead” V8

Power: 100 hp (75 kW; 101 PS) @ 3600 rpm

Torque: 187 lb·ft (254 N·m) @ 1800 rpm

Transmission: 3-speed manual

Wheelbase: 114 inches (2896 mm)

Length: 197.3 inches (5011 mm)

Width: 71.7 inches (1821 mm)

Height: 63.2 inches (1605 mm)

A scene of Luke servicing his “1950 Ford” at night includes a shot purportedly of the car’s engine. The shot reveals a 312 cubic-inch Ford “Thunderbird” Y-block engine with three Holley two-barrel model carburetors, a substantial boost of power over the 100-horsepower 239 cubic-inch flathead V8 that would have been stock in the 1949-1951 generation of Fords and would have explained Agent Barrett’s surprise at the “racing mill” under Luke’s hood.

I’m not sure if this was:

• an intentional error by the filmmakers, trying to convince us that the Doolins swapped out Luke’s engine for a more powerful engine
• an unintentional error by the filmmakers, who accidentally used a shot of the engine of Luke’s ’57 Ford
• a genuine appearance of a 312 Thunderbird V8 engine placed in a ’51 Ford

I’ve heard arguments for the latter, particularly by some who have heard from James Mitchum himself that the car was fitted with a 312 Thunderbird. The debate rages on at places like Jalopy Journal where dedicated car guys offer opinions much more expert than mine.

Regarding color… After Luke returns the car to his garage, Robin comments that “you got yourself a new car,” but Luke just confirms that it was a “repaint job,” as the black Ford from the opening scene had been repainted gray. The gray color is confirmed in additional dialogue, such as when Agent Barrett receives a call concerning a “1950 gray Ford, proceeding north on State Street.”

1957 Ford Fairlane 500

Roxanna explains to Mrs. Barrett that Luke Doolin got himself “a new Ford” after his last got too much police attention, and she has every reason to be impressed. Luke shows up in Rillow Valley behind the wheel of a sleek 1957 Ford Fairlane 500, the top of the line of Ford’s offerings that year… though the car’s looks don’t last long as it’s soon damaged when he attempts to run a roadblock on the way to Memphis, forcing him to hole up in Henderson City.

Luke gets attention when he drives into Rillow Valley with his flashy new Ford.

The difference in style between Lucas Doolin’s first Ford and his ’57 Fairlane, produced just six years later, highlights the dramatic degree to which American automotive design evolved through the 1950s. This evolution was fueled by competition among the Big Three automakers as GM’s Chevrolet marque was particularly surging ahead with its unique Jet Age-inspired designs that remain emblematic of “the fabulous fifties”.

The Fairlane was introduced for the 1955 model year as the top-of-the-line full-sized Ford. In addition to its luxury features, the Fairlane was instantly recognizable with its stainless steel “Fairlane” stripes along the sides, which dipped into a “V” on the driver’s door and right-side passenger door.

As the aesthetic of the 1950s gradually grew sleeker and Detroit embraced the short-lived but iconic “tailfin era”, the Ford Fairlane joined its GM and Chrysler brethren by sporting a set of short but stylish chrome-accented tailfins. Another innovation for the 1957 model year was the introduction of the Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner with its retractable “hide-away hardtop” that would convert the stylish coupe into a convertible in a manner of seconds. The Skyliner was the second hardtop convertible to be introduced in automotive history, though its massive production numbers of 48,394 over the course of its 1957-1959 production history dwafed the numbers of the earlier Peugeot 402 Éclipse Décapotable in the 1930s.

All of Ford’s standard production engines were available for the 1957 Fairlane, from the 223 cid “Mileage Make Six” straight-6 up to the 292 cid Thunderbird Y-block V8 rated at 212 horsepower. High-powered options included the standard 312 cid Thunderbird V8 making 245 horsepower and the supercharged “Police Interceptor” Thunderbird Special rated at 300 horsepower, either of which being a fine option for the modern moonshiner on the go.

1957 Ford Fairlane 500

Body Style: 2-door hardtop coupe

Layout: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (RWD)

Engine: 312 cid (5.1 L) Ford “312 Thunderbird” Y-block V8 with Holley 4-bbl carburetor

Power: 245 hp (182.5 kW; 248 PS) @ 4500 rpm

Torque: 332 lb·ft (450 N·m) @ 3200 rpm

Transmission: 3-speed manual

Wheelbase: 118 inches (2997 mm)

Length: 207.7 inches (5276 mm)

Width: 77.5 inches (1969 mm)

Height: 56.2 inches (1427 mm)

As with the earlier Ford, there appears to be some technical discrepancies in accurately reflecting the car’s power on screen. One thing that particularly grinds the gears of some (forgive my pun) is the use of sound effects from a six-cylinder engine dubbed over the proper sound of this powerful ’57 Ford with its 312 V8.

Regarding color… No dialogue cues to help us out here. However, the car detectives on the Jalopy Journal message boards have shared their takes, with strong evidence suggesting that a two-tone color combination of “Cumberland Green” and “Willow Green”.

The Guns

Luke Doolin’s service in the Korean War is mentioned, so it’s fitting that his sidearm is the M1911A1 semi-automatic pistol that was standard United States military issue for most of the 20th century. This .45 ACP pistol makes its only appearances when Luke sleeps next to it while holed up in his Henderson City motel room.

Some people need a teddy bear to sleep… Luke Doolin prefers a .45.

Another of Luke’s guns that makes a brief appearance is the Browning Auto-5 semi-automatic shotgun that he places into his first Ford’s back seat. His brother Robin calls out this curious choice of armament for one of Luke’s solo moonshine runs. “You can’t fire that thing and handle the wheel at the same time,” Robin notes.

Robin shows some healthy skepticism about Luke’s choice to arm himself by throwing a full-size shotgun into the back seat of his car.

Designed by John Browning in 1898, the Browning Auto-5 was the first commercially successful semi-automatic shotgun and remained in production for nearly a century. The Browning Auto-5 was named for its recoil-operated semi-automatic operation and total capacity of five shells (four in the tubular magazine under the barrel and one in the chamber). It took primarily 12-gauge or 20-gauge ammunition with 16-gauge models also available.

Contemporary home video cover art for Thunder Road (1958), which colorizes Robert Mitchum’s shirt in shades of blue.

John Browning also licensed the design to Remington Arms after Winchester had refused his terms, and the Remington Model 11 was an American-produced variant for more than 40 years. The high “humpback” rear end of the Browning Auto-5 differentiates it from the otherwise similar Remington.

The Auto-5 saw wide usage by the U.S. military from World War I through the Vietnam War, and both the Browning and Remington variants were often used by gangsters and lawmen alike during the Depression-era crime wave. In fact, Bonnie Parker (of Bonnie and Clyde fame) even had a customized Remington Model 11 with a barrel and stock cut down for the 4’11” woman to adequately handle.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

Maybe you can do what you say. But first, you got to catch me… if you can.

Footnote

Though he’d showed up in a few earlier films, James Mitchum made his credited film debut in Thunder Road after Elvis Presley was unable to accept the role due to the salary demanded by his legendary manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Mitchum had just turned 17 years old two days before the film was released on May 10, 1958.

James Mitchum joined his father Robert in Thunder Road.

Seventeen years after Thunder Road, James Mitchum would go on to star in the film’s spiritual successor, Moonrunners (1975), that would form the basis for The Dukes of Hazzard.

Warren Oates as Bennie in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

Vitals

Warren Oates as Bennie Benjamin, piano-playing bounty hunter

Mexico, May 1973

Film: Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
Release Date: August 14, 1974
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Wardrobe Credit: Adolfo Ramírez

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Today would have been the 90th birthday of Warren Oates, the grizzled Kentucky-born actor celebrated on BAMF Style for his depiction of John Dillinger in 1973’s Dillinger and also his collaborations with director Sam Peckinpah including The Wild Bunch (1969) and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974). It was this latter film that the iconoclastic director deemed the only one from his three-decade career that matched his original vision.

Critics and audiences at the time were far less enthusiastic about Bloody Sam’s passion project, though Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia has gained a considerable cult following in the years since its release.

It’s not surprising that Peckinpah considered this the best execution of his dream, as Warren Oates had channeled the director himself for the lead role of Bennie Benjamin, the three-time loser hired to carry out the gruesome titular task.

“Like Monte Hellman, Peckinpah found a totem, a comrade, a self-portrait in actor Warren Oates,” wrote Noah Segan for Birth. Movies. Death. in January 2016. “In Alfredo Garcia, Oates embodies Peckinpah physically, mirroring his big sunglasses, jaunty dress and rakish, roguish grin… In the mid-‘70s, Peckinpah himself was also struggling to maintain his vision, make the films he wanted to, and it is no coincidence that his relationship with Oates mirrors that.”

In honor of a few requests I’ve received to write about this movie, Car Week continues with an exploration of Bennie’s unorthodox warm-weather wardrobe and the dirty red ’62 Impala convertible that takes Bennie and his girlfriend Elita (Isela Vega) into the heart of Mexico.

What’d He Wear?

After he is hired by the gangsters Sappensly and Quill, Bennie changes out of his embroidered brown suede jacket that he wore behind the piano at Mexico City’s Tlaquepaque Bar and dressed in a wrinkled off-white linen sport suit that he would wear for the film’s duration. Though hardly resplendent at the outset of Bennie’s mission, his suit would take significant battering as he goes about acquiring the head in question.

In his wrinkled linen suit, loud paisley shirt, and clip-on tie, Bennie dresses to impress when taking a job for the mob.

The ivory linen suit has a single-breasted, two-button jacket with wide notch lapels with swelled edges. The dramatic cut of the notches echo the peak-like “cran necker lapel” that was popular in the early ’70s. The lapel notches are so deep that the lapels begin folding in on themselves as his labors grow increasingly chaotic.

Both buttons on the front and the two vestigal buttons at the end of each sleeve are all flat brown plastic sew-through buttons. All three of the jacket’s patch pockets – one on the left breast and one on each hip – are box-pleated.

Bennie’s next visit to the mobsters’ den is a little less friendly.

The back of Bennie’s suit jacket takes style cues from sporty “action back” suits of decades past with its Western-style yoke across the back of the shoulders that comes to a single point in the center of Oates’ back. A box pleat connects the yoke point to the half-belt at the waist. A long single vent extends up at least 12 inches from the bottom of the jacket to the bottom of the half-belt.

One of many violent scenes characteristic of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia as well as Peckinpah’s entire oeuvre.

An interesting detail of Bennie’s suit can be seen just below the inner breast pocket on the right side. Two black boxes, cater-cornered, are stitched just below the pocket, each with a contrast-stitched letter to create a monogram.

Bennie raises his arm to fire a few rounds while driving with Elita, flashing the monogram on the inside of his suit jacket as he does.

The suit has matching flat front trousers that are worn with a dark brown leather belt that closes through a dark brass single-prong buckle.

1911 pistol in one hand, Alfredo Garcia’s head in the other, all that awaits Bennie now is payment for a job well done.

A common detail of suit trousers in the early 1970s was “frogmouth” front pockets, similar to those found on many pairs of blue jeans or other casual pants, and Oates’ suit is no exception. The trousers also have jetted back pockets that close through a single button and plain-hemmed bottoms.

Bennie tends to friends and acquaintances in need.

Shirt #1

The first of several loud shirts that Bennie wears with this suit is seen as he picks up Elita from her bordello before going to the hotel room to negotiate his salary for obtaining Alfredo Garcia’s head.

This shirt has a busy pattern of sage green and mauve paisley on a white ground. Like his other shirts, it has a long-pointed semi-spread collar, a plain front with mother-of-pearl buttons, and buttoned cuffs.

Perhaps trying to make an impression since he’ll be conducting “business”, Bennie adds a new dimension of complexity to his look by wearing an orange-and-cream large-scaled houndstooth tie. In case wearing a cloth creamsicle around his neck wasn’t bad enough already, Bennie yanks the tie off in mid-meeting, tackily revealing to his new business associates that it was a clip-on tie.

Shirt #2

The next day, Bennie and Elita embark on their road trip to Alfredo Garcia’s grave. (In case you’re wondering why his girlfriend would be so eager to join him for this morbid task, he conceals his primary purpose from her at first, telling her only that he wants to visit the grave for personal proof that her former paramour is no longer a threat to him… because that’s much more normal.)

Though he’s sporting another paisley shirt, this one is much more subdued in tonal pale blue-on-pale blue. The paisley pattern has a satin finish that shines under the Mexican sun as he and Elita ride with the Impala’s top down.

The style is consistent with his previous shirt as well as prevailing fashion trends of the mid-1970s with its long point collar. It buttons up the plain front and on the cuffs with mother-of-pearl buttons, and it has a breast pocket.

Shirt #3

The following day of the road trip is the darkest of Bennie and Elita’s journey as the arrive in the town where Alfredo was buried. They find the grave… but also far more trouble than either of them could have expected.

For this misadventure, Bennie wears his most understated shirt yet in pale peach with white stripes widely spaced apart over the shirt. With its lower contrast color and pattern than his other shirts, this shirt works in tandem with Bennie’s suit to envelope him in sandy neutral tones.

Though it has a long point collar like the others, it also has a very wide front placket (rather than a plain front) and stacked two-button cuffs. All of the shirt’s sew-through buttons are mother-of-pearl or a similar-looking plastic.

Shirt #4

Having emerged with Garcia’s head, Bennie goes back to see the gangsters that hired him and get payment… and revenge. For this, he’s back in a chaotic, multi-colored paisley shirt as he wore for his first visit to the hotel suite, though the bronze tones in the pattern more echo the color of his suit… and he thankfully foregoes the clip-on tie.

The floral paisley pattern consists of bright, earthy tones like bronze, orange, and sage green, on a white ground.

This shirt, like the others, has a long point collar and button cuffs. The plain front closes with tan plastic sew-through buttons.

Everything Else

Bennie’s shoes are dirty white calf leather monk-strap loafers.

Bennie’s left loafer joins him in bed with Elita.

Bennie wears a pair of buttery yellow ribbed cotton lisle socks. While not the most stylish choice, they are low-contrast enough to keep the look relatively unified, and they echo many of the other colors and shades present in Bennie’s aesthetic.

Bennie takes aim during a bullet-riddled confrontation in Mexico.

Bennie’s underwear matches his socks, as he wears a pair of pale yellow cotton boxer shorts with an elastic waistband.

From his socks to his shorts, yellow must be a preferred color for Bennie’s undergarments.

A well-documented aspect of Warren Oates’ characterization is that he borrowed Sam Peckinpah’s personal sunglasses as Bennie’s eyewear of choice. Indeed, these lopsided sunglasses worn with Bennie’s wrinkled suit and loudly printed shirts paint an accurate portrait of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia‘s disorganized protagonist, a twisted Fred C. Dobbs with a rough case of crabs.

Oates channels Peckinpah.

Bennie’s watch has a round yellow gold case with a shiny dial, worn on a black leather strap.

Alfredo Garcia’s head safely bagged up, Bennie prepares to complete his grisly mission.

What to Imbibe

Bennie Benjamin isn’t one to preach temperance, either swigging away his misadventures with a bottle of tequila or ordering “a double bourbon with a champagne back, none of your tijano bullshit, and fuck off.”

It’s the former refreshment in which Bennie finds most of his salvation, taking along a bottle of Jose Cuervo silver tequila that he and Elita pass between each other during their picnic.

Bennie and Elita in happier times, with a bottle of tequila and no decapitated heads rotting on the passenger seat.

At the time of the film’s production in the fall of 1973, Cuervo’s silver variety was labeled and marketed as “Jose Cuervo Blanco”, though rebranding over the decades has established this same unaged bottling as Jose Cuervo Silver Especial for the modern consumer.

Both Especial Silver and Especial Gold varieties are “mixto” tequilas, consisting of at least 51% agave with the remaining consisting of sugarcane spirit. For a 100% agave Jose Cuervo tequila, consumers would be wise to pick up a bottle of Tradicional Silver or Tradicional resposado.

The Car

Bennie’s chariot that takes him and Elita deep into Mexico is a dirty red 1962 Chevrolet Impala Convertible that belches smoke as much as it kicks up dust.

The Impala made its inaugural appearance in 1958 as GM was rolling out fiftieth anniversary models for each of its marques. As a top-of-the-line option for Chevy’s Bel Air in the 1958 model year, the Impala differentiated itself with symmetrical triple taillights and a convertible option that would last until the K-car era.

After a redesign that embraced the tailfin era in 1959, the Chevrolet Impala was again redesigned for the 1961 model year, this time on GM’s full-size B platform that remains one of the best-selling automobile platforms in history. This third generation of Impala also saw the introduction of the Super Sport (SS) appearance option in 1961 and the legendary 409 cubic-inch V8 engine in 1962 that the Beach Boys popularized in their surf rock hit single the same year.

The 409 cid “Turbo Thrust” V8 dominated the high end of third generation Impala engine options, which ranged all the way down to the base 235 cubic-inch “Hi-Thrift” inline-6 engine that likely motored our pal Bennie’s red ’62 convertible.

1962 Chevrolet Impala Convertible

Body Style: 2-door convertible

Layout: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (RWD)

Engine: 235.5 cid (3.9 L) Chevrolet “Hi-Thrift” 235 inline-6 with Rochester 2-barrel carburetor

Power: 135 hp (100.5 kW; 137 PS) @ 4000 rpm

Torque: 217 lb·ft (294 N·m) @ 2000 rpm

Transmission: 2-speed Powerglide automatic

Wheelbase: 119 inches (3023 mm)

Length: 209.6 inches (5324 mm)

Width: 79 inches (2007 mm)

Height: 55 inches (1397 mm)

Bennie’s Impala appears to have an automatic transmission. Chevy’s four-speed Turboglide transmission was discontinued for the ’62 model year, leaving only the simple and venerated two-speed Powerglide as a possibility.

Based on the trunk size of Bennie’s Impala, he would have been well-prepared should El Jefe’s request have been for more than of Alfredo Garcia than just his head.

The Impala is registered as 736 AKH to Mexico City with 1972 plates.

The Gun

Bennie carries a Colt Commander, a more compact version of the full-size M1911 semi-automatic service pistol. As a former officer of the U.S. Army, Bennie would certainly knows his way around a 1911-style sidearm, and his deftness during the gunfight with Alfredo Garcia’s family proves to be one of the few skills where he can prove himself ably.

Bennie takes aim with his Colt Commander. Note the muzzle bore, indicating that his pistol is likely chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum rather than the larger .45 ACP. At the time of the film’s production, .45 ACP blanks were notably unreliable with semi-automatic pistols and thus many movies and TV shows opted to use 9mm copies of the 1911 like the Spanish Star Model B or the Colt Commander, as featured here.)

After World War II, the U.S. military was seeking a lighter alternative to its heavy M1911A1 service pistol that could be issued to officers. Up to this point, officers often carried the more concealable Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless (think George C. Scott firing at a German plane in Patton), though this smaller sidearm was chambered for the relatively anemic .32 ACP and .380 ACP ammunition. The new pistol had to chambered for the medium-caliber 9×19 mm Parabellum round and couldn’t be more than seven inches long or 25 ounces in mass.

To meet these requirements, Colt introduced the Commander, a slightly downsized 1911 that shortened the full-size 5″ barrel to 4.25″ and could carry nine 9×19 mm Parabellum rounds in the magazine. Constructed from an aluminum frame rather than steel for a reasonably lighter weight of 27 ounces, the Colt Commander was the first aluminum-framed pistol to enter mass production when Colt moved it into regular production in 1950, introducing .45 ACP and .38 Super calibers alongside the government-requested 9mm.

Note the shorter barrel length, another indication that Bennie carries a Colt Commander rather than a full-size 1911.

In 1970, Colt refreshed its Commander lineup by re-establishing the lighter aluminum-framed pistol as the Colt Lightweight Commander and introducing an all-steel Colt Combat Commander.

Colt currently offers the Commander Series® with the steel-framed Combat Commander and the aluminum-framed Lightweight Commander, both available in .45 ACP and 9x19mm Parabellum for $999.

How to Get the Look

Warren Oates as Bennie in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

Truth be told, Warren Oates’ outfit in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is pretty tacky. However, there’s no reason it can’t inspire a more stylish interpretation for your new summer look; find a beige linen suit with more timeless styling and details, a shirt with a more subdued print, and a set of monks in a more traditional leather like brown calf.

Sticking to the exact specs of Bennie’s ensemble would look like a costume, at best. And, for the sake of everything holy… no clip-on ties.

• Ivory linen sport suit:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with wide notch lapels, box-pleated patch breast pocket, box-pleated patch hip pockets, 2-button cuffs, and half-belted “action back” back with box pleat and single vent
  • trousers
• Paisley-patterned shirt with long point collar, plain front, and button cuffs
• Dark brown leather belt with brass single-prong buckle
• White calf leather monk-strap loafers
• Yellow ribbed cotton lisle socks
• Pale yellow cotton boxer shorts with elastic waistband
• Tortoise melange wide-framed sunglasses with amber lenses
• Yellow gold round-cased wristwatch with silver dial on black leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

I can smell shit a hundred miles away… sometimes closer.

Sonny Corleone (James Caan) pummels Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo) in The Godfather (1972)

Vitals

James Caan as Santino “Sonny” Corleone, hot-headed mob chief

New York City, Summer 1948

Film: The Godfather
Release Date: March 15, 1972
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Costume Designer: Anna Hill Johnstone

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

For this midsummer #MafiaMonday, BAMF Style is taking a look at this much-requested outfit from Sonny Corleone’s street takedown of his abusive brother-in-law Carlo Rossi (Gianni Russo).

It’s a hot June day in New York City. Carlo and his cronies are all out on the street, loafing around, listening to the radio, and not expecting much from their day… until a black sedan squeals to a stop, and out charges Sonny Corleone, charging after Carlo with designs on at least ruining the latter’s orange two-tone leisure suit.

What’d He Wear?

We first catch up with Sonny as he leaves an assignation with his comare, half-dressed in the waistcoat and trousers of a gray wool suit with a subtle windowpane check. Due to the weather and the casual nature of the situation, he doesn’t bother with wearing the jacket or even buttoning up the waistcoat.

The single-breasted waistcoat (or vest, as some of we Amerigans call it) has a six-button front and two welted pockets at the hip level. The back is gray satin with a wide adjustable cinch-strap.

“You touch my sister again… I’ll kill you.”

Sonny wears a light blue satin-striped silk shirt that appears to be the same shirt he wears for the iconic later scene when he is gunned down at the causeway. He wears only the top button of his shirt undone, covering up his white ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt and the gold Catholic cross that we know he wears on a gold necklace.

The shirt has a large point collar, per 1940s fashions, a front placket with the two top smoke-blue plastic buttons undone at the top, a breast pocket monogrammed with “SC” in navy stitching, and double (French) cuffs fastened with round gold links.

Sonny’s solution for most issues seems to be to bite a hand… whether his own or someone else’s.

Sonny’s tie is abstractly striped in dark navy, blue, cornflower blue, orange, and cream in an “uphill” direction.

The high-waisted trousers have double reverse pleats and tall belt loops at the top, though these go unused as Sonny wears suspenders (braces) in lieu of a belt. The trousers have vertical side pockets, two jetted back pockets that each close through a button, and turn-ups (cuffs) on the bottoms.

A wild James Caan stalks his prey…

Sonny makes a snappy impression for his beatdown with a pair of black-and-white leather oxfords, worn with black socks. These spectator shoes have white vamps, a black toe cap, black lace panels with five eyelets for its black laces, and black heels.

Another job well done. Back to base, Sonny!

Since Sonny didn’t have time to grab a pair of brass knuckles, he just has to hope that his gold pinky ring with its single inset diamond is solid enough to do some damage when he connects with Carlo’s jaw (…or doesn’t, as James Caan’s pulled punch has been spotted by many a Godfather fan.)

Only the yellow gold case of Sonny’s tank watch can be seen as he’s laying into Carlo, but it is almost definitely the same watch with the gold bracelet that he wears throughout The Godfather.

How to Get the Look

James Caan as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather (1972)

Though it’s an “incomplete” look with the missing jacket, unbuttoned waistcoat, and untied tie, Sonny Corleone’s outfit when he beat up Carlo has proven to be a fan favorite.

• Gray windowpane check wool suit:
  • Single-breasted 6-button waistcoat with welted hip pockets, gray satin silk back, and adjustable back strap
  • Double reverse-pleated high-rise trousers with belt loops, straight/on-seam side pockets, jetted button-through back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Light blue satin-striped shirt with large point collar, front placket, double/French cuffs, and monogrammed breast pocket
  • Large flat gold round cuff links
• Navy blue suspenders/braces
• Black-and-white calf leather 5-eyelet spectator oxfords
• Black socks
• White ribbed sleeveless undershirt
• Gold square-cased tank watch on gold bracelet
• Gold pinky ring with inset diamond
• Gold necklace with a large plain cross pendant

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out The Godfather Collection on Blu-Ray.

The Quote

What’s the matter with you, huh? What am I going to do? Am I gonna make that baby an orphan before he’s born?

Footnote

Although he only wore it for this one scene, this memorable and colorful outfit was used as Sonny Corleone’s default costume in the 2006 video game released by Electronic Arts.

The video game’s Sonny meets his grisly end, wearing not the gray plaid double-breasted suit he wore for that scene in the movie but instead the vest, trousers, and tie from when he beat up Carlo.

James Caan joined fellow cast members Robert Duvall and Abe Vigoda as some of the original actors who lent their voices and likenesses to the game, and Caan was actually nominated for Best Supporting Male Performance at the 2006 Spike Video Game Awards, though he lost to James Gandolfini in the similarly themed game The Sopranos: Road to Respect.

Sean Connery and Lana Wood in the seventh James Bond film, Diamonds are Forever (1971), filmed and set in Las Vegas.

Vitals

Sean Connery as James Bond, British government agent

Las Vegas, Spring 1971

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

Background

It’s Friday the 13th! Considered an unlucky day by some, this summer occurrence feels like just the right time to follow James Bond as he tests his own luck in a Las Vegas casino in Diamonds are Forever, the 1971 film that convinced Sean Connery to portray the British secret agent one more time.

Luck appears to be initially on 007’s side as he wins $50,000 at craps and makes the acquaintance of the voluptuous Plenty O’Toole (Lana Wood).

Unfortunately, his luck runs out by the time he and Plenty arrive inside the doorway of his hotel room, where four black-suited thugs corner him with guns drawn and defenestrate his scantily clad “fulsome friend” directly into the Tropicana’s swimming pool.

Once he’s assured that Plenty is alive and well after the gangster’s “exceptionally fine shot” into the pool, Bond prepares for battle… but the gunmen ease out of the room. Entering his bedroom with his trusty Walther PPK drawn, he finds diamond smuggler Tiffany Case (Jill St. John) waiting for him in his bed.

Presumably, I’m the condemned man and obviously you’re the hearty breakfast, right?

Lucky for Bond, “the evening may not be a total loss after all.”

What’d He Wear?

Although it had only been a decade since the Rat Pack’s infamous Las Vegas summit that popularized their tuxedoed persona, Sean Connery’s James Bond is already a walking anachronism when he steps out onto the casino floor in his white dinner jacket. Never mind that the look is relatively timeless for an elegant warm-weather locale, the average gambler in early ’70s Sin City simply didn’t dress like Frank, Dean, or Sammy… though the latter does make a brief appearance in a scene that was ultimately deleted from the final film.

“They ain’t never gonna get a cake big enough to put him on top of,” jokes Sammy Davis Jr. upon seeing Connery in his off-white dinner jacket as Bond.

Though it lacks the red boutonnière, this outfit is arguably an early ’70s update of Connery’s iconic summer formal wear in Goldfinger that consisted of an off-white peak-lapel dinner jacket, white-on-white striped shirt with French cuffs, black bow tie, and midnight blue formal trousers.

Bond’s white dinner jacket for the Whyte House hotel and casino may be overdressing, but there’s no denying that he stands out among the sea of garish polyester jackets and Ban-Lon sport shirts.

The Ban-Lon boys stare on dumbfounded as 007 out-classes them all.

As described by Bond sartorial expert Matt Spaiser at The Suits of James Bond, Connery’s ivory single-breasted dinner jacket is cut like his other Anthony Sinclair tailored jackets in Diamonds are Forever with a clean chest and natural shoulders with roped sleeveheads. The self-faced peak lapels with their high gorges are a traditional and tasteful width, rolling down to a single mother-of-pearl four-hole sew-through button. The four buttons on each cuff are downsized but otherwise identical.

Timeless cut aside, the dinner jacket takes some styling cues from contemporary trends. The double vents in the back are likely about 12″ long to match his other tailored jackets in the film. The slanted hip pockets with wide flaps are an unorthodox alternative to traditional straight, jetted pockets, possibly a concession to the era as well as a tailoring technique to draw attention away from Sean Connery’s increasing midsection.

Bond reholsters his PPK, likely to avoid an accidental discharge, upon finding Tiffany in his hotel room.

Although Roger Moore would wear a double-breasted white dinner jacket just three years later in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Diamonds are Forever marks the last appearance of the classic single-breasted white dinner jacket for more than a decade until the final two films of Sir Roger’s tenure. It would then be another thirty years until 007 pulled a white dinner jacket from his closet when Daniel Craig sported his Tom Ford “Windsor” jacket in Spectre (2015).

Connery wears a white self-striped formal shirt from Turnbull & Asser with a spread collar, pleated front, and mother-of-pearl buttons down the front placket. The double (French) cuffs are fastened with a set of gold-trimmed black onyx oval links.

Bond’s black silk bow tie is a large butterfly/thistle shape, consistent with early ’70s trends. The medium width of the jacket lapels works in tandem with the bow tie to ensure that one doesn’t dwarf the other.

Bond, unimpressed with Shady Tree’s schmaltzy burlesque comedy. No wonder his reaction to the comic’s death is basically to shrug and go play craps.

Aside from his off-screen strip-down prior to his assignation with Tiffany, Sean Connery wears the dinner jacket’s single button fastened throughout the scene. However, behind-the-scenes shots of Connery on location show a little more of his midnight blue trousers with their medium rise, side pockets, and flat front.

Sean Connery on location in Las Vegas with some of the local talent. Photo by Terry O’Neill, 1971.

Bond wears no cummerbund, waistcoat, suspenders, or braces, instead likely relying on his usual “Daks top” button-tab side adjusters. His formal trousers have a black silk stripe down the side of each leg of his trousers down to the plain-hemmed bottoms.

Bond ducks into Shady Tree’s dressing room and finds his most promising lead dead so he… goes and plays craps? I’m not sure much of this movie was supposed to make sense anyway, right?

Bond wears black patent leather cap-toe derby shoes and thin black silk dress socks. You can see more of Bond’s outfit, including his midnight blue formal trousers and black derbies, in this NSFW photo also by Terry O’Neill.

Not that it matters for this particular setting, but derby shoes are less formal than oxfords, which are considered to be the most acceptable lace-up with black tie.

Bond’s patent leather derby shoes shine in the dark just before they are shrouded by Plenty’s discarded dress.

A Little Nothing He’s Almost Wearing…

Once Bond finds Tiffany Case in his bed, he judges from her attitude and attire that he’ll need to strip down in order to be properly attired himself for what she has in mind.

Bond nonchalantly takes off his black tie kit, hanging the off-white dinner jacket, white shirt, and black tie on a hanger before settling into bed with Tiffany. He’s supposed to be naked, but modesty ruled the day and Sean Connery was evidently given a pair of short, beige-colored briefs intended to match his skin tone.

The condemned man prepares for his hearty breakfast. Note the low briefs, colored to match Sean Connery’s skin tone.

Terry O’Neill Gallery

Go Big or Go Home

I’ll take the full odds on the ten, 200 on the hard way, the limit on all the numbers, 250 on the eleven. Thank you very much.

“Say, you played this game before,” observes the sharp-witted Plenty O’Toole, who thought she spotted an easy mark with the obvious big spender in his out-of-place dinner jacket until Bond shocked her with his knowledge of how to properly bet on craps. His $50,000 payday, his $5,000 “tip” for her, and the way he “handles those cubes like a monkey handles coconuts” is evidently all that Plenty needs before we next see her undressing in his arms in his hotel room.

Plenty receives a well-earned $5,000 after the grueling task of merely standing next to James Bond for a few seconds.

As it turns out, Bond and Plenty did make an attempt at a date before retiring to his room for the night. One of several deleted scenes from this sequence finds the two at a restaurant, serenaded by a topless woman floating through a pool, playing the harp. A waiter has just poured Bond a glass of white wine, but the epicurean agent can’t hide his displeasure.

Bond’s snobbery hits an all-time high as he literally (or as close to “literally” as this idiom can get) turns his nose up at an inadequate white wine that he is poured during his date with Plenty O’Toole.

“Uh-uh… no good,” Bond utters. The disappointed waiter retreats with the bottle, much to Plenty’s amazement.

Plenty: Hey, I didn’t think you could really do that! I bet they charge you for it.
Bond: I was under the impression you were paying.
Plenty: Well, it was still a very classy thing to do!

Plenty laughs, but Bond responds with only a smirk.

Plenty: Hey, listen, you’re not a knight or anything like that, are you?
Bond: No, I’m afraid not. A mere commoner.
Plenty: Don’t feel bad. It doesn’t make any difference to me, I’m a Democrat!

After recognizing the topless harpist (“Hi Myrna!”), Plenty decides to end their date early so that she may thank him “properly… for being so great and everything.”

Myrna floats up behind Bond during his date with Plenty.

In short… whether it’s playing craps or tasting wines, know what you’re doing and you won’t fail to impress.

How to Get the Look

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

James Bond’s breaks from sartorial convention in this black tie ensemble would likely be more acceptable in a casual locale like Las Vegas rather than the gambling palaces of London, France, or Monaco… especially now that Sin City is the domain of elderly tourists in their wolf t-shirts and fanny packs.

• Ivory single-button dinner jacket with self-faced peak lapels, welted breast pocket, slanted flapped hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, and long double vents
• White self-striped formal shirt with spread collar, pleated front, front placket, and double/French cuffs
  • Gold-trimmed black onyx oval cuff links
• Black silk wide butterfly-shaped bow tie
• Midnight blue formal flat front trousers with side pockets, satin stripe side-braiding, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Black patent leather cap-toe derby shoes
• Black thin silk dress socks

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

I’m afraid you’ve caught me with more than my hands up.

Footnote

Interestingly, Tiffany Case and Plenty O’Toole’s rivalry for James Bond’s affections extended beyond the 007 universe as both Jill St. John and Lana Wood were romantically involved with Sean Connery during the making of Diamonds are Forever. According to IMDB, this and the mysterious drowning death of Lana’s sister Natalie Wood fueled a decades-long feud between the two actresses.

James Cagney as Tom Powers in The Public Enemy (1931)

Vitals

James Cagney as Tom Powers, petty criminal

Chicago, Fall 1915

Film: The Public Enemy
Release Date: April 23, 1931
Director: William A. Wellman
Costume Designer: Edward Stevenson
Wardrobe Credit: Earl Luick

Background

In the waning years of Prohibition, Warner Brothers met the public demand for bringing the violent daily headlines to the screen with a succession of films that firmly established the genre of American gangster cinema. One of the most enduring of these pre-Code hits is The Public Enemy, the 1931 movie that made an instant star out of James Cagney.

Cagney starred as Tom Powers, a sociopathic criminal whose rise and fall is brought to life through the actor’s unprecedentedly electrifying performance. Cagney was initially slated to play Tom’s “nice guy” pal Matt Doyle while the tall, well-spoken, matinee idol-type Edward Woods would take on Tom’s role, until Cagney’s intensity in the dailies wowed the filmmakers and the roles were reversed. (However, the child actors cast as the younger versions of each criminal remained the same… thus Tom and Matt’s reversed heights as they get older.)

The Public Enemy was a phenomenon upon its release. Less refined than Warner’s predecessor, Little Caesar, the movie set a new example of the possibilities of cinematic storytelling, in part due to the realistic story devised by two former low-level associates of Al Capone. However, it is Cagney that steals the show and gives the film its staying power, portraying the titular killer with complexity yet no sentiment, whether smashing a grapefruit in Mae Clarke’s face, flirting with Jean Harlow against the side of his luxury touring car, or staggering in the street after a gun battle.

In honor of James Cagney on what would have been the actor’s 119th birthday, let’s take a look at his impressively contemporary outfit for his on-screen introduction in The Public Enemy.

What’d He Wear?

We first see the adult Tom Powers, as played by Cagney, in 1915. The world is at war with the United States soon to join and Tom’s older brother, the self-righteous “sucker” Mike (Donald Cook), will be leaving college to join the Marines in a few years. The only cause that Tom cares to take up arms for, however, is his own greed.

In the six years since we saw them as children, Tom and Matt have grown from mischievous teens to full-time gangsters, part of a young crew run by the wily Fagin figure, “Putty Nose” (Murray Kinnell), out of his pool hall. Cagney’s Tom carries himself with considerable swagger as he and Matt strut into the dive, adjusting his hat and wearing an air of insouciance as much as he’s wearing his shawl-collar cardigan, knit tie, and work boots.

Our first look at the grown gangsters finds them both sporting dark ribbed knit shawl-collar cardigans as Tom leads Matt into Putty Nose’s dive. The insouciance with which Tom adjusts his cap and wears his half-buttoned shirt and loosened tie establishes him as the swaggering leader of the two.

Publicity photo of James Cagney and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy. While the costumes match those worn on screen, their Colt Police Positive revolvers have been replaced here with smaller break-top revolvers.

The shawl-collar cardigan has undergone somewhat of a renaissance of late, which some credit to Daniel Craig channeling Steve McQueen in his black Tom Ford sweater during the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace.

Tom’s cardigan is made from a dark ribbed knit wool with six buttons up the front, though there is a small loop on the left side of the shawl collar that ostensibly fastens to a button under the right side of the collar. There is a patch pocket with a straight-top opening on each hip, just above the bottom of the sweater.

A nice touch of realism with the “Don’t Spit on the Floor!” sign, as many dives and taverns from the era evidently used the Johnstown Flood of 1889 as a cheeky – but effective – deterrent for potential floor-spitters.

Tom establishes his working class status with the quintessential classic work shirt, a rugged cotton chambray popover shirt. The four-button placket extends low on Cagney’s torso, and Tom curiously only wears one or two center buttons fastened. The shirt also has two patch pockets with contrast stitching and a single button-through closure.

The confirmed color of this shirt, as well as most clothing from The Public Enemy, is almost certainly lost to history, but we can assume a shade of blue in the tradition of chambray workwear. The popover style dates it most to the early 20th century as modern chambray shirts are typically a full button-up style, though manufacturers like J. Crew and Lucky Brand have revived the chambray popover shirt for men and women.

Putting Tom in a straight tie rather than Matt’s bow tie provides the opportunity for the filmmakers to subtly establish Cagney’s character as the more louche of the two, who tries to impart his idea of toughness through his rougher appearance. Wearing a tie but in such a loosened, askew manner is Tom’s way of technically meeting the era’s sartorial decorum while flaunting his desire to violate it.

The slim knit tie is horizontally striped in three colors: two lighter colors in series of stripes against a dark ground. Each stripe set consists of two light-colored stripes positioned closely to each other with only a hairline of ground color showing between them, a dark ground stripe, a single mid-colored stripe, a dark ground stripe, and another set of two light-colored stripes. The bottom of the tie is flat, and – even with the loosened four-in-hand knot – it extends no lower on his torso than the bottom of the popover shirt’s placket.

Tom wears very dark wool trousers with a straight fit through the legs. His wide belt is a shade lighter than his trousers, likely brown leather, with a square box buckle.

Tom’s work boots are a well-worn light-colored leather which, like the belt, indicates a shade of brown – likely tan – as there were few leather color options for men’s footwear in the era of The Public Enemy, especially for a working-class type like Tom Powers. These ankle-high boots are oxford-laced with five eyelets per boot.

A note for any budding criminals out there… if your boss’s meeting room consists of a grubby bed in his back room where you have to sit with four other guys, you haven’t quite hit the big time.

Tom tops off his look with a ragged tweed flat cap. As he advances in his criminal career, he would graduate to the more mature, sophisticated fedora. In the meantime, he sports what an elder on Boardwalk Empire referred to as the “cap of a boy.”

The Gun

For the gang’s robbery of the Northwestern Fur Company, Putty Nose arms Tom and Matt with two identical revolvers as “a Christmas present from Santa Claus, with best wishes for a prosperous New Year.” Based on the size of the frame, the shape of the cylinder release, the unsupported ejector rod, and the grips, they appear to each be a Colt Police Positive.

Tom and Matt examine their new revolvers. While movies of this era were not typically focused on firearm accuracy, the Colt Police Positive was indeed being produced by 1915 and thus its appearance in this scene is appropriate.

The small-frame Colt Police Positive was first produced in 1907 with the Colt Police Positive Special introduced the following year. The latter revolver was designed with a strengthened, elongated frame and cylinder that would allow it to fire the more powerful .38 Special and .32-20 Winchester cartridges, hence the “Special” in its appellation. The original Police Positive was an improvement of Colt’s earlier New Police and it thus chambered the weaker .32 Long Colt, .32 Colt New Police, and .38 Colt New Police cartridges.

The “Police” part of the name is obvious as Colt intended the revolver to be purchased by law enforcement departments, but why the “Positive”? A major innovation of the Colt Police Positive was the “Positive Lock” internal hammer block safety that prevented the firing pin from striking the primer of the cartridge unless the trigger was deliberately pulled, preventing accidental discharges and meaning that the Police Positive could be carried with a full load of six rounds as opposed to earlier revolvers like the Single Action Army that were habitually carried with a chamber empty under the hammer.

Although the Police Positive with its smaller features and anemic cartridges ended its production run shortly after World War II, the Colt Police Positive Special went through various generations of manufacture and production ended in 1995. With more than 750,000 revolvers produced, the Police Positive Special remains Colt’s most widely produced revolver design.

How to Get the Look

James Cagney as Tom Powers in The Public Enemy (1931)

I wrote about how to update the look of James Cagney’s smart casual cardigan in The Public Enemy for Primer magazine earlier this year. Check it out for great modernized versions of each element from Tom Powers’ ensemble.

• Dark ribbed knit wool shawl-collar cardigan with 6-button front and patch hip pockets
• Blue chambray cotton popover work shirt with point collar, 4-button placket, and two button-through patch chest pockets
• Horizontal-striped knit tie
• Dark wool flat front trousers with belt loops
• Brown leather belt with square box buckle
• Tan leather 5-eyelet oxford-laced work boots
• Tweed flat cap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

Why, that dirty, no-good, yellow-bellied stool!

Tyrone Power as Jake Barnes in The Sun Also Rises (1957)

Vitals

Tyrone Power as Jake Barnes, expatriate journalist and wounded World War I ambulance driver

Pamplona, Spain, July 1922

Film: The Sun Also Rises
Release Date: August 23, 1957
Director: Henry King
Costume Designer: Howard Shoup

Background

Today is my shared birthday with Ernest Hemingway, so I’m celebrating with a look at a cinematic adaptation of my favorite of Papa’s novels, The Sun Also Rises, which he had started writing on his 26th birthday, July 21, 1925.

After movie rights to the novel passed through many sets of hands for three decades, 20th Century Fox finally produced the film in 1957 with Tyrone Power as Hemingway surrogate Jake Barnes. While visually appealing, Henry King’s The Sun Also Rises is an ultimately underwhelming effort that Hemingway himself had described as “pretty disappointing and that’s being gracious.”

Producer Darryl F. Zanuck, who had independently financed the film himself as something of a passion project, was frustrated with the author’s rather public criticism as he stated that Hemingway was kept in the loop at every stage of the production. However, it was Zanuck who went against not just Hemingway but also stars Tyrone Power and Ava Gardner by curiously casting future movie mogul Robert Evans in the role of dashing young bullfighter Pedro Romero. (Zanuck’s declaration “The kid stays in the picture” would lend itself to the title of Evans’ 1994 autobiography.)

A highlight is Ava Gardner, who can’t help but to be a highlight in everything that she was in. It’s fitting that Ava is a standout of the film as Hemingway had insisted on her casting, perhaps impressed by her au naturel dips into his personal swimming pool. However, Gardner’s casting meant delaying production from September 1956 to February 1957, thus moving it from the then-snowy Spain to sunny Mexico; ironically enough, the fact that the film had to be filmed in Mexico was yet another of Hemingway’s chief complaints with the finished product.

In fact, the only thing that Hemingway claimed to have really liked about the film was the performance of Errol Flynn… a curious “coincidence” as the hearty, macho, and indeed mustachioed Flynn is far closer to Hemingway in resemblance and temperament than the author’s on-screen surrogate played by Tyrone Power. I can’t say that I blame Papa, as I think I would have far preferred watching a film that was just Errol Flynn and Eddie Albert drunkenly palling around Spain.

The real Ernest Hemingway (with mustache and beret), joined by Harold Loeb, Lady Duff Twysden, Hadley Richardson, Ogden Stewart, and Pat Guthrie for a July 1925 trip to Pamplona for the Festival of San Fermín that inspired him to begin writing The Sun Also Rises that same month.

And it is here, in Spain, that we catch up with the central characters of The Sun Also Rises after a day of taking in the bullfights during the San Fermín festival in Pamplona. Jake Barnes, Brett (Gardner), her Scottish fiancé Mike Campbell (Flynn), and Jake’s pals Bill Gorton (Albert) and Robert Cohn (Mel Ferrar) find themselves out to dinner at their Pamplona hotel… though jealous and Spanish brandy lead to a long night that results in fisticuffs!

What’d He Wear?

Jake Barnes wears a light gray semi-solid summer sport suit, the ideal outfit for bridging the gap between casual and classy as needed in early 1920s Pamplona. The single-breasted suit jacket has peak lapels with a buttonhole on the left side, rolling to a three-button front that he wears with only the center button fastened.

The two flapped set-in chest pockets that slant gently inward provide an element of sportiness to the suit, echoing the straight flapped pockets on the hips. The ventless jacket has padded shoulders with gently roped sleeveheads and two-button cuffs at the end of each sleeve.

Each of Lady Brett’s dinner companions can be well described by their expressions as they escort her to the restaurant: the melancholy and moody Robert Cohn, the pleasantly bewildered Bill Gorton, the drunken Mike Campbell, and the eager-to-please Jake Barnes.

The suit trousers have a medium-high rise with double forward pleats and slim belt loops, where he wears a dark brown leather belt with a small gold single-prong buckle. The trousers have straight pockets along the side seams, a jetted button-through pocket on the back right, and are finished with turn-ups (cuffs) on the bottoms.

Jake’s brown suede boots appear to be a standard pair of ankle-high chukka boots, a classic if somewhat anachronistic style as this type of footwear wasn’t popularized until the 1940s and was far more common at the time that the film was made than when it was set. He wears them with a pair of dark brown socks, a shade darker than the boots themselves.

In the eighth chapter of the novel The Sun Also Rises, Jake describes his arrival in Pamplona, recalling that “Brett was wearing a Basque beret. So was Mike.”

Up through the middle of the 19th century, the soft, round beret was traditionally the headgear of choice for French and Spanish peasants. Berets started to attain international attention after industrialization in France and Spain led to mass production and military adoption. By the roaring twenties, the beret became fashionable headgear among the expatriates staying in Europe.

Thus, Jake and his confederates in The Sun Also Rises often sport black wool berets, particularly when attending sporting events.

Jake and Bill don black berets and red scarves to fit in during one of many bullfights in Pamplona.

One of Jake’s first actions upon meeting his friends in Pamplona is to remove his own tie, making room for his new preferred neckwear to match everyone else in Pamplona for the bullfights: a bright red satin scarf.

“No one knows exactly when the red scarf, known in Spanish as the ‘Pañuelico,’ became a part of the unofficial costume for the running of the bulls and the festival, but now a red sash is worn by practically every participant and festival goer,” wrote Toby for Bucket List Events, who goes on to discount some of the more morbid theories about the origins of this practice. More can be learned at the official San Fermín site, which expands on the religious origins of the red scarf while also providing helpful tips for potential Pamplona visitors.

Jake knots his scarf under the collar of his white shirt, though he unbuttons the top button and wears the scarf outside both his shirt and suit jacket. The cotton shirt has a spread collar, a wide front placket, and no pocket. The double (French) cuffs are fastened with a set of small silver square links, each with a black onyx-filled square in the center.

Jake suspiciously eyes his drinking companion.

The gray suit jacket is one of two sporty peak-lapel, flap-pocket jackets worn by Tyrone Power in The Sun Also Rises, as he also wears a similar jacket in beige gabardine for a brief earlier scene while talking with Robert Cohn at a Paris gymnasium.

Jake interrupts Cohn’s workout.

What to Imbibe

When it starts raining during their post-prandial promenade, Jake and Brett duck into a local bar, where he orders several rounds of “dos Fundador, por favor!” for the two of them.

Jake orders one of many rounds of Fundador that he would be imbibing over the course of The Sun Also Rises.

Fundador, a Spanish grape brandy, makes several appearances throughout Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, including twice in Chapter 16 when “Mike ordered a bottle of Fundador and glasses for everybody…” and later when they “all sat down at a table and ordered a bottle of Fundador.” Evidently, Fundador isn’t the sort of thing to drink without a bottle for the whole table!

Several varieties of Fundador (which literally means “Founder”) are currently marketed by Brandy de Jerez, located in the southwestern Spanish “Sherry Triangle” city of Jerez de la Frontera.

Tyrone Power as Jake Barnes in The Sun Also Rises (1957)

How to Get the Look

Tyrone Power channels Ernest Hemingway by blending the traditional “San Fermín costume” with a natty, contemporary sport suit for comfortable days… and calvados-soaked nights.

• Light gray summer sport suit
  • Single-breasted 3-button jacket with peak lapels, two flapped set-in chest pockets, straight flapped hip pockets, 2-button cuffs, and ventless back
  • Double forward-pleated trousers with belt loops, straight/on-seam side pockets, jetted button-through back right pocket, and turn-ups/cuffs
• White cotton shirt with spread collar, wide front placket, and double/French cuffs
  • Small silver square cuff links with black onyx-filled square center
• Bright red satin scarf
• Dark brown belt with square gold single-prong buckle
• Brown suede chukka boots
• Dark brown socks
• Black wool Basque-style beret

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie and, of course, Ernest Hemingway’s book, which is one of my favorites and remains essential reading for anyone hoping to bask in the milieu of the 1920s “Lost Generation”.

The Quote

Everyone behaves badly, given the proper chance.

Robert Mitchum as Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep (1978)

Vitals

Robert Mitchum as Philip Marlowe, American private investigator

London, September 1977

Film: The Big Sleep
Release Date: March 13, 1978
Director: Michael Winner
Costume Designer: Ron Beck

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Raymond Chandler’s birthday was 130 years ago today (July 23, 1888), so I’m celebrating the hard-boiled author’s big day with a look at a cinematic portrayal of one of his most enduring creations, cynical private eye Philip Marlowe, as played by Robert Mitchum in this 1978 update of The Big Sleep.

Three decades after Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall lit up the screen in the lead roles, Michael Winner directed this adaptation that moved the setting from noir-era L.A. to contemporary England and didn’t shy away from the controversial sex and drugs that the Hays Code forced Howard Hawks to avoid for his iconic 1946 film noir.

Thus, the 1978 film ends on a bleaker note, more faithful to the original novel as Marlowe confronts both Sternwood sisters, abandoning the Bogie-Bacall romantic subplot in favor of establishing our lone hero as “part of the nastiness now,” as he ponders the nature of death:

What did it matter where you lay once you were dead? In a stagnant lake or in a marble tower on the top of a high hill? You were dead, you were sleeping the big sleep, you were not bothered by things like that. Oil and water were the same as wind and air to you. You just slept the big sleep, not caring about the nastiness of how you died or where you fell.

What’d He Wear?

For the film’s denouement, Philip Marlowe arrives at the Sternwood estate in a stylish summer suit in a blue-on-white hairline stripe with white contrast stitching on the swelled edges, pocket seams, and lapel buttonhole. The suiting appears to be either cotton or a cotton blend, a cool-wearing and comfortable choice for warmer weather.

As opposed to the bolder stripes associated with the classic seersucker suit, Marlowe’s suit is patterned with a narrow blue stripe on a white ground.

A closer look at the suit in shots like this reveals its faint stripe pattern.

The subtle striping of the suit gives it an overall light blue appearance that, with the neckwear, matches the powder-blue suit and dark blue suit stipulated by Raymond Chandler in his opening paragraph of The Big Sleep.

The single-breasted suit jacket has wide notch lapels with the white contrast stitching visible along the swelled edges and on the left lapel buttonhole. The lapels roll to a two-button front with mother-of-pearl buttons that match the three on each cuff. The jacket also has roped sleeveheads, a long single vent, and patch pockets on the left chest and hips.

The flat front trousers have a full fit and are slightly flared at the plain-hemmed bottoms per the trending style of the late ’70s. Mitchum wears a wide black leather belt through the trouser belt loops.

The stylish private eye wraps up a convoluted case.

Mitchum wears a white cotton shirt by famed London shirtmaker Frank Foster that has a semi-spread collar with long points consistent with 1970s trends. The shirt has a front placket and rounded cuffs that each close with a single button.

Returning from the blue-gray suit worn in the opening scene is the royal blue satin silk tie, knotted in a standard four-in-hand, and its matching pocket square.

A matching tie and pocket square is often considered a sartorial no-no. At this point, Marlowe couldn’t care less.

The light, summery suit is somewhat countered by the black calf slip-on shoes, which appear to be the same high-vamp loafers with medallion perforated wingtips that he wears throughout the rest of the film.

Marlowe crosses the lawn in his light summer suit and contrasting black loafers.

Not clearly seen but almost certainly present on his left wrist is the stainless Rolex DateJust with its silver dial and steel “Jubilee” bracelet that real-life Rolex wearer Mitchum wore on screen.

Robert Mitchum as Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep (1978)

How to Get the Look

Robert Mitchum may have been a bit long in the tooth for this portrayal of Philip Marlowe, but he nonetheless brings a fresh, interesting, and contemporary fashion sense to the character.

• Blue-on-white hairline-striped cotton summer suit:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with notch lapels, patch breast pocket, patch hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and single back vent
  • Flat front trousers with belt loops, side pockets, and flared plain-hemmed bottoms
• White cotton dress shirt with long-pointed semi-spread collar, front placket, and 1-button rounded cuffs
• Dark navy polka-dot tie
• Black leather belt with polished gold-toned single-prong buckle
• Black leather high-vamp wingtip slip-on loafers
• Dark navy cotton lisle socks
• Rolex DateJust steel-cased wristwatch with silver dial and steel “Jubilee” bracelet

If you’re looking to spend a few thousand on a contemporary update of this suit, check out this offering from Ermenegildo Zegna.

The Gun

Camilla Sternwood (Candy Clark) carries the distinctive-looking Beretta Minx, a subcompact .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol. Camilla’s small stainless steel pistol with its white plastic grips made its first appearance when the wanton heiress brought it to Joe Brody’s flat and again she requests a shooting lesson from Marlowe.

Marlowe is only slightly amused as Camilla Sternwood takes aim with her stainless Beretta .22.

The Beretta Minx (M4) is a longer barreled variant of the Beretta Model 950 subcompact semi-automatic pistol, with the tip-up barrel extended to 3.75 inches. Its low-recoil .22 Short rimfire round was the first American metallic cartridge, developed in 1857 for the Smith & Wesson Model 1 at a time when most revolvers fired cap-and-ball ammunition. It was quickly phased out by larger and more powerful rounds, but the fast and quiet .22 Short remained popular for target and sport shooting as well as for hunting small game like raccoons.

The Beretta Minx never attained the level of popularity as the more compact Model 950 Jetfire, and the final nail in the Minx’s coffin was placed when it was restricted from import to the U.S. in 1968. Production was swiftly ceased after 12 years.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie and read Chandler’s 1939 novel.

The Quote

Oh sure. All I itch for is money. I’m so greedy that for fifty pounds a day plus expenses on the day I work, I risk my future, the hatred of the cops, of Eddie Mars and his pals, I dodge bullets and put up with slaps and say “Thank you very much. If you have any further trouble, please call me. I’ll just put my card here on the table.” I do all that for a few pounds. And maybe just a little bit to protect what little pride a sick and broken old man has in his family, so that he can believe his blood is not poisoned. That his little girls – though they may be a trifle wild – are not perverts and killers.

Alain Delon as Tom Ripley and Marie Laforêt as Marge Duval in Purple Noon (1960)

Vitals

Alain Delon as Tom Ripley, charming American con artist and sophisticated sociopath

Maronti Beach, Italy, September 1959

Film: Purple Noon
(French title: Plein soleil)
Release Date: March 10, 1960
Director: René Clément
Costume Designer: Bella Clément

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

As I’m currently out of town on my annual beach vacation, I wanted to get into the spirit of the summer holidays by looking at swimwear from the movies, beginning with Alain Delon’s classic toweling blazer and swim trunks in Plein soleil, known to English-speaking audiences as Purple Noon.

When Patricia Highsmith’s psychological thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley was first adapted for the big screen in 1960, the author praised the visually appealing cinematography and Alain Delon’s performance as the charismatic sociopath Tom Ripley. However, one of Highsmith’s most strident criticisms of the French film was the ending, which she called “a terrible concession to so-called public morality.” (I’m going to try to be vague here even though I warned about spoilers above!)

His dastardly deeds safely tied up, Tom Ripley is now free to enjoy the life that he stole for himself. Ever the altruist, Tom takes it upon himself to help Marge (Marie Laforêt) move on after the deceptions and death of her paramour Philippe, whose “suicide” had been confirmed weeks earlier. The two embark on a romantic day of swimming and lazing about on the picturesque Maronti Beach on the picturesque Italian island of Ischia in the northern end of the Gulf of Naples. Of course, there’s something in the water that may interfere with Tom’s idyllic new life.

What’d He Wear?

His troubles ostensibly over, Tom Ripley settles into his new life of leisure. As living with Marge means having a beautiful Italian beach practically in his own backyard, this hedonistic existence means plenty of days spent in the sun.

Perhaps triggered by the sunburn incident on Philippe’s yacht, Tom ventures out to the beach wearing the ideal garment that would protect him from the sun while still keeping in tact his image of a luxurious playboy: a navy blue French terry toweling blazer.

Tom rises from his chair, blissfully ignorant of his inevitable fate that has caught up with him.

What gets wetter as it dries? A towel.

There’s a reason that dads have passed on this riddle, which also happens to be incontrovertibly true. Terry cloth is woven with cross loops designed to absorb water. Wikipedia tells us that there are two kinds of terry: towel terry and French terry. As its name implies, the former is often used to make towels while the latter is a more wearable fabric used in the construction of clothing.

Thus, the development of the toweling blazer, a comfortable and classy alternative to a beach shirt that helps a swimmer dry off after a dip in the water while enveloping them in ultra-soft cotton that encourages one to simply lay back and enjoy the day.

♫ Summertime… and the livin’ is easy… ♪

Tom’s navy toweling blazer resembles a cross between a traditional blazer and a cardigan with its unstructured fit and its single-breasted front with three gold shank buttons. Each cuff also fastens with a single gold button, though Tom often just pushes the sleeves of his toweling jacket up to his elbows. There is a single patch pocket on each hip with a straight-top opening.

Tom wears a pair of black swim trunks with bold red stripes with a gradient red fade on one outer side of each stripe. These short-inseam trunks are evidently fitted or have a hidden inner drawstring as there is no visible method for tightening them around the waist… which could lead to some very embarrassing mishaps for the less careful swimmer.

Embarrassing mishaps be damned, Tom Ripley hasn’t gotten a care in the world just now.

Tom spends the entirety of the scene barefoot, not sporting his usual plain slip-on loafers sans socks. His sole accessory is a thin gold necklace with a round gold pendant that he wears throughout the film.

Alain Delon as Tom Ripley in Purple Noon (1960)

How to Get the Look

No shirt, no shoes, no problem.

Alain Delon’s Tom Ripley shows how a simple garment like a toweling blazer can upgrade your summer swimwear to a whole new level of both class and comfort.

• Navy terry cotton toweling blazer with notch lapels, three gold shank buttons, single-button cuffs, and patch hip pockets
• Black-and-red gradient-striped short-inseam swim trunks
• Gold pendant necklace on thin gold chain

One brand that I’ve encountered that guarantees the toweling blazer’s place as a current style staple is Busbee McQuade, a Los Angeles-based company specializing in “formally informal” clothing for all. Their signature items, The Busbee and the heavier-weight The Busbee OG, takes styling cues from classic toweling blazers with its French terry cotton material, slim notch lapels, and patch hip pockets.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie. Stay tuned for plenty more from BAMF Style about this classic film, including a look next month at the unique batik shirt that Tom swiped from Philippe’s wardrobe!

The Quote

Only the best.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Wheeler in Revolutionary Road (2008)

Vitals

Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Wheeler, disillusioned businessman and suburban dad

Sasco Beach, CT, Summer 1955

Film: Revolutionary Road
Release Date: December 15, 2008
Director: Sam Mendes
Costume Designer: Albert Wolsky

Background

While my week at the beach progresses, I’m hoping to channel my sun-soaked energy to my BAMF Style friends and readers with another post featuring classic summer style for a day in the sand and sun.

The film adaptation of Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates’ 1961 tribute to suburban disillusionment, reunited Titanic stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as the semi-happily married Frank and April Wheeler who find themselves increasingly disgusted with their lives in the Connecticut suburbs.

A day at the beach is anything but when the bickering Wheelers accompany their friends Shep (David Harbour) and Milly (Kathryn Hahn) to Sasco Beach in nearby Fairfield.

What’d He Wear?

Frank’s wears a copper camp shirt made from lightweight linen or a linen-blend that keeps him cool and airy while in the sun and in the heat of an argument with April that night. The short-sleeved shirt has a one-piece camp collar, four white plastic or mother-of-pearl buttons down the plain front, and two patch pockets on the chest that each close through a single button.

I’m not sure why Leo and Kate thought another trip near the water would work out any better…

Frank wears pink-on-purple striped shorts made from puckered cotton, similar to seersucker. These shorts have a large, baggy fit that appears to be emphasized with pleats on each side that extend down from the elasticized waistband.

Strong sunglasses are a must-have for a day at the beach, especially if you want to hide your eyes when arguing with your significant other. Frank wears a pair of orange tortoise-framed wayfarer-style shades with dark lenses. When he takes them off, he clips them into the left chest pocket of his shirt, proving the utility of wearing a shirt with multiple pockets on a hot day that doesn’t require a jacket.

Passive-aggressive marital spats at the water’s edge.

When we catch up with Frank and April for a contentious evening at home, he is wearing the same shirt but has changed into a pair of large-fitting khaki trousers and navy canvas deck sneakers that he likely changed into when driving back from the beach.

Not much is seen of the trousers due to the untucked shirt hem, but they are likely pleated and they have plain-hemmed bottoms. The navy canvas shoes have three eyelets for the white laces and thick white rubber outsoles.

An uncomfortable night at home.

Frank doesn’t wear his watch, but he still wears his gold wedding band on the third finger of his left hand.

What to Imbibe

Frank and Shep both enjoy beach beers in the form of bottled Budweiser.

A good time was had by… some?

Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Wheeler in Revolutionary Road (2008)

How to Get the Look

Frank Wheeler makes comfort a priority for a day of beach-bumming, suburban dad style.

• Copper-colored linen camp shirt with camp collar, plain front, button-through patch chest pockets, and back side pleats
• Pink-on-purple striped puckered cotton swim shorts with elasticized waistband
• Khaki pleated trousers with plain-hemmed bottoms
• Navy canvas deck sneakers with white laces and white rubber outsoles
• Light tortoise-framed wayfarer-style sunglasses
• Gold wedding ring

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie and read Richard Yates’ original 1961 novel.