Cary Grant and Grace Kelly on location for To Catch a Thief (1955)

Vitals

Cary Grant as John Robie, retired cat burglar and jewel thief

French Riviera, Summer 1954

Film: To Catch a Thief
Release Date: August 5, 1955
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Costume Designer: Edith Head

Background

In commemoration of Alfred Hitchcock’s 120th birthday on August 13, this week continues with a look at one of the Master of Suspense’s most stylish movies, the 1955 romantic caper To Catch a Thief.

One of the most visually stunning of Hitchcock’s movies with its backdrop of “jet set”-era Côte d’Azur, To Catch a Thief was deservedly honored with the Academy Award for Best Cinematography to Robert Burks, the film’s director of photography, while Hal Pereira, Joseph McMillan Johnson, Samuel M. Comer, and Arthur Krams were nominated for Best Art Direction and the peerless Edith Head received one of her 35 Oscar nominations for Best Costume Design in recognition of her work in To Catch a Thief.

Alfred Hitchcock’s signature cameo comes early in To Catch a Thief, portraying a bored passenger on the bus that spirits John Robie (Cary Grant) from his quiet countryside villa to the bustling Cannes.

An epidemic of jewel robberies across the fashionable resorts of the French Riviera lead the authorities to the picturesque hilltop villa of John Robie (Cary Grant), a former jewel thief who seemingly redeemed himself with his service to the French Resistance during World War II and now spends his life “raising grapes and flowers,” though Robie’s smooth and unmistakable criminal signature leaves the Sûreté with little doubt that he’s their man. Robie easily gives the bumbling detectives the slip, traveling by bus to Cannes where he retreats into the safety of his old gang, including Bertani (Charles Vanel) and Foussard (Jean Martinelli), all of whom are now working at Bertani’s restaurant.

“And now if there’s any crime on the Riviera, we’re the first to be suspected by the police,” Robie confirms with Bertani. “I came here for one reason, to tell these men⁠—and you⁠—that I had nothing to do with the robberies.”

As the reformed thieves also suspect their former colleague of returning to crime, Robie determines that he must act alone in finding the cat burglar that has so accurately mimicked his modus operandi not just to clear his name with the police but also with his friends.

John Robie: I’ve got to catch this imitator myself.
Bertani: You couldn’t do more than the police.
John Robie: Oh, but I could, and I’m the only one who could because I can anticipate him, try to figure out his next move, and then get there ahead of him and catch him with his hand right in the jewel case.

Other than the bespectacled Bertani, Robie seemingly finds his closest ally in Foussard’s spunky, lovestruck teenage daughter Danielle (Brigitte Auber), who helps him escape to safety by sea.

Danielle and Robie both follow the French tradition of wearing stripes at sea.

What’d He Wear?

“Do you mind if I put on something more formal?” John Robie asks the Sûreté investigators who have approached him at his countryside Riviera villa. One could argue that the outfit is merely compiled of a long-sleeved T-shirt worn untucked with slacks and a bandanna tied around his neck, but the reality of Cary Grant’s outfit at the outset of To Catch a Thief is far more luxurious and tasteful.

“Cary found the pullover and scarf in a local shop on the French Riviera where the film was shot,” wrote Ada Pîrvu, the author of Classiq Journal, in her exquisite analysis of this outfit, “When the Man Dresses the Character: Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief“. “It’s a look that sets him and his character apart.”

Grant’s thinly striped jersey evokes the iconic Breton stripe introduced by the French Navy in the 1850s, though John Robie’s shirt consists of a series of a thin white horizontal stripes on a dark navy ground. The long-sleeved pullover shirt has a reinforced crew neck and ribbed, elasticized hem. The set-in sleeves have a full, breezy fit and are ribbed at the cuffs.

Robie gestures to the Sûreté detectives that he would be less than comfortable accompanying to their offices in his informal untucked jersey and neckerchief.

Robie adds a dashing touch of color with his neckerchief—red cotton with white polka dots—that serves the dual purposes of concealing Grant’s neck (of which he was famously self-conscious) while contributing some roguish panache that makes John Robie more of a benevolent pirate than a fugitive criminal.

As Pîrvu wrote, “There’s something mysterious about that scarf, something he doesn’t want to reveal—he’s a former jewel thief trying to escape the shadow of his past.”

Robie keeps a cautious eye on the suspicious staff at Bertani’s restaurant. Hitchcock’s masterful cinematographer Robert Burks photographed Cary Grant from above for much of this scene, evoking a security camera and thus suggesting that we the audience are as suspicious of Robie as the rest of the restaurant staff.

Robie wears a pair of gray flannel trousers with double forward pleats, slanted side pockets, and jetted back pockets with the left back pocket closing through a single button. The trouser fit is roomy through the legs, finished on the bottoms with turn-ups (cuffs).

Casual footwear befits a casual outfit like this, and Robie dons a pair of appropriate and comfortable tan leather apron-toe Venetian loafers with dark brown leather trim and beige outsoles. Pîrvu confirms in her article that these shoes were handmade for Grant by Maxwell’s on Dover Street.

A search for similarly styled shoes yields many results in the realm of driving moccasins, though the flexible-soled drivers differ from the fuller, structured soles of Grant’s loafers. One modern alternative is the “GrandEvOlution” Venetian loafer by Cole Haan, in British tan with ivory rubber outsoles, available as of August 2019 for up to $149.95 on Amazon. For slightly more budget-minded shoppers, Florsheim offers the tan nubuck “Moto” Venetian loafer for less than $100 on Amazon.

From his rooftop perspective, Robie covertly watches his police pursuers scramble over themselves to try to apprehend him.

Though Robie is clearly wearing a pair of ivory socks with his shoes when he goes on the run from his villa, he has apparently ditched his hosiery by the time he gets to Cannes and the office of Bertani’s restaurant.

Robie takes a stance in Bertani’s office, simultaneously revealing that he lost his socks somewhere on the way to Cannes.

The elasticized cuffs of the jersey mostly conceal his wrists and there’s no apparent bump on the left wrist that would indicate the presence of Grant’s personal Cartier Tank watch, worn in many of his films. Thus, as far as accessories and jewelry go, the only visible piece Robie wears is Grant’s usual thin gold necklace with its small round pendant, seen when he ditches his clothes to go swimming into Cannes.

In the entertaining and informative “Cary Grant, Style Icon” piece, The Retro Set explores the meaning of the thin gold necklace seen in several of his films. Evidently, the necklace was a personal item of Grant’s with a charm for each of his wives’ religious preferences.

As their boat approaches the beach club at Cannes, Robie orders Danielle to mingle among the other boats at shore. “And then I’m getting out, I’ll leave my clothes with you,” Robie explains. “And I thought you hoped to be inconspicuous,” Danielle laughs, prompting Robie to show her the pair of red-and-green plaid swim trunks he found in the boat’s bow.

“Nobody will ever recognize me in these,” Robie offers.

Robie floats in the water outside of Cannes, watching the police planes fly overhead, before taking his chance to stroll onto the beach. We see more of the red-and-green plaid swim trunks, which have a fashionably short inseam. In addition to one of two white buttons for the extended waistband tab to fasten onto, the swimming shorts have a buckle-tab adjuster toward the back of each side of the waistband to adjust the fit around the waist and prevent any wardrobe malfunctions at sea. There is also a single flapped pocket on the right hip which also closes with a single white button.

John Robie picked one leisurely way to make his getaway, reclining on the beach at Cannes after emerging from the waves.

Part of Robie’s ruse finds him making the acquaintance of London insurance agent H.H. Hughson (John Williams), and the two make arrangements to dine as Hughson shares comprehensive details about some of his wealthier clients and their more “accessible” jewels.

For the lunch at Robie’s villa, the retired burglar wears a similar outfit but with a gray-and-ivory micro-striped cotton jumper consisting of a solid gray crew neck, cuffs, and hem and worn with a maroon silk neckerchief patterned in gold, green, and blue. His pleated trousers are the same gray flannels.

Robie explains to Hughson that he honed his agility as “a member of an American trapeze act in the circus that traveled in Europe,” mirroring Cary Grant’s own experience performing acrobatics and comic sketches at the National Vaudeville Artists Club when he was in his early 20s.

What to Imbibe

“Quite a thorough job… have some wine, Hughson!” offers Robie with admiration after the insurance man presents him with his list of clients and their jewelry. The white wine in question accompanies their lunch of Quiche Lorraine.

Robie pours from a bottle labeled “Laure”. Any ideas what wine they’re drinking?

The Gun

Despite his prolific cinematic repertoire, Cary Grant’s on-screen use of firearms was relatively limited compared as the actor’s characters tend to rely more on the actor’s disarming charm. However, To Catch a Thief begins with John Robie as the subject of suspicion in a wave of recent jewel robberies, so retired thief quickly retreats to his room and grabs a double-barreled shotgun, likely a relic of his days as a hero in the French Resistance.

If this was anyone other than the charming Cary Grant loading a shotgun, we may wonder if he was planning on using it against the police.

The dashing Robie has no plans to maim, murder, or mutilate, of course, instead using the loud blast of discharging a shotgun barrel to distract the detectives who have his home surrounded, providing him with the opportunity to treat to his own rooftop before escaping into the lush safety of the Riviera.

How to Get the Look

Cary Grant as John Robie in To Catch a Thief (1955)

Few men have looked more like they were born to wear a tailored suit than Cary Grant, so it stands to reason that the debonair actor would take a luxuriously tasteful approach to even the most dressed-down casual attire.

• Navy (with thin white stripes) cotton long-sleeved jersey with reinforced crew neck, set-in sleeves with ribbed cuffs, and ribbed/elasticized hem
• Red (with white polka dots) cotton neckerchief
• Gray flannel double forward-pleated trousers with slanted side pockets, jetted back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Tan leather apron-toe Venetian loafers with dark brown leather trim and beige outsoles
• Ivory socks
• Thin gold necklace with gold medallions

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

Nobody believes me, but the police are chasing a wrong man. Someone’s got to start chasing the right one.

James Stewart and Kim Novak in Vertigo (1958)

Vitals

James Stewart as John “Scottie” Ferguson, former San Francisco detective

San Juan Bautista, California, Fall 1957

Film: Vertigo
Release Date: May 9, 1958
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Costume Designer: Edith Head

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Let’s wrap up this week’s commemoration of Alfred Hitchcock’s 120th birthday with another exploration of the style in Vertigo, now considered one of the Master of Suspense’s masterpieces though it may have been overlooked during his lifetime and resulted in the end of his successful collaborations with James Stewart.

One of the movie’s most famous and shocking scenes finds detective Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart) and the woman he was hired to follow, Madeleine Elster (Kim Novak), driving together to Mission San Juan Bautista, which Scottie had identified as the location of Madeleine’s recent nightmares. After the two express their feelings for the other, Madeleine suddenly dashes up the mission’s bell tower as Scottie—impeded by his agoraphobia from pursuing her—seemingly leaps to her death.

The Spanish mission, founded in June 1797 by Fermín Lasuén of the Franciscan order, was suggested to Hitchcock as a filming location by Judy Lanini, the daughter of associate producer Herbert Coleman. Though the mission’s steeple had been demolished in a fire, Hitchcock developed his own vision of the mission’s bell tower that was executed with scale models, matte paintings, and trick photography to create an effective setting for Madeleine Elster’s death.

What’d He Wear?

Like Steve McQueen a decade later in Bullitt, James Stewart dresses for the Bay Area’s transitional season climate in a brown tweed sports coat, though Jimmy’s Scottie Ferguson approaches the look with considerably more formality with his white pinned-collar shirt and striped tie as he drives “Madeleine” (Kim Novak) south to Mission San Juan Bautista outside of Monterey.

Scottie wears a brown birdseye tweed jacket with a single-breasted, three-button front that balances Stewart’s tall, lanky frame. The sporty jacket is detailed with swelled edges on the notch lapels and the three patch pockets. The sleeves are roped at the shoulders and finished with three buttons at the cuffs. The jacket’s short single vent makes it one of only two vented jackets that he wears on screen.

Scottie’s charcoal trousers provide a somber, low-contrast bottom half to the suit, but opting for a dark gray rather than brown provides enough of a visual contrast that it doesn’t look like an attempt to combine mismatched pieces into a suit.

The buttoned jacket conceals the trouser waistband and top, but roomy fit through the trousers and the consistency of Scottie’s style tells us that these likely have single reverse pleats like this others and are worn with a belt. We don’t know what color belt and Scottie’s unorthodox practice of wearing colorful belts to match his suits (consider the blue belt) widens the array of options, though it’s likely that he wears a slim burgundy belt that would coordinate with his shoes as well as his jacket. The trouser bottoms are finished with turn-ups (cuffs).

Scottie and “Madeleine” make the rounds of Mission San Juan Bautista.

Scottie wears his usual burgundy wingtip oxford brogues with five lace eyes, worn with his also standard dark navy socks.

Kim Novak and James Stewart on the set of Vertigo at San Juan Bautista.

The white cotton poplin shirt is another Scottie standard with its pinned point collar, held together with a white gold or silver pin under the tie knot, front placket, breast pocket, and two-button barrel cuffs that balance Stewart’s long arms.

Scottie’s striped tie for his drive to the mission with Madeleine was also worn earlier with his brown serge suit. It is striped in multiple shades of blue, including a periwinkle, royal blue, and dark navy, all split with hairline stripes and following the “uphill” direction of British regimental ties, and it is held in place with a silver-toned tie clip.

The tweed sports coat makes a brief appearance later in Vertigo during Scottie’s date with Judy, this time worn with a bright red foulard tie patterned in a crimson geometric grid with a yellow dot at the center of each grid cell. The tie is held in place with a gold tie bar just above the jacket’s buttoning point.

Scottie strolls on a sunny afternoon date with Judy.

Scottie also wears a chocolate brown felt fedora during this date, suggested to be James Stewart’s personal hat that appeared in many of his movies throughout the ’50s and well into the ’70s. Discussion at the online forum The Fedora Lounge has suggested that the hat is a product of Churchill Ltd., though the forum also suggests Borsalino, Cavanagh, Dobbs Fifth Avenue, and Stetson among the possible brands that the actor preferred.

He sports his usual gold wristwatch, strapped high on his left wrist with a black leather band.

How to Get the Look

James Stewart as John “Scottie” Ferguson in Vertigo (1958)

Unlike he’s spending a quiet evening at home (or in a sanitarium, as this scene would drive him toward), Scottie Ferguson never dresses in any less than a tailored jacket, white shirt, and tie and never more casually than this smart dark tweed sports coat and slacks.

• Brown birdseye tweed single-breasted 3-button sport jacket with notch lapels, patch breast pocket, patch hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and single vent
• Charcoal wool single reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops, side pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• White poplin dress shirt with long point collar, front placket, breast pocket, and 2-button rounded cuffs
  • White gold collar pin
• Blue “uphill” multi-striped tie
  • Silver tie clip
• Burgundy slim leather belt with rectangular single-prong buckle
• Burgundy cordovan leather 5-eyelet wingtip oxford brogues
• Dark navy socks
• Gold wristwatch with round case, black-ringed white dial, and black leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

I won’t lose you.

Gregory Peck as Captain Keith Mallory in The Guns of Navarone (1961)

Vitals

Gregory Peck as Captain Keith Mallory, experienced Allied spy and mountain climber

“An Allied airfield somewhere in the Middle East”, Fall 1943

Film: The Guns of Navarone
Release Date: April 27, 1961
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Wardrobe Credit: Monty M. Berman & Olga Lehmann

Background

I’ve received a few requests to write about what George, a BAMF Style reader, charmingly described as the “aristocratically frayed off-white tropical suit” worn by Gregory Peck in the early scenes of the 1961 World War II adventure The Guns of Navarone. The film was adapted by producer Carl Foreman from Alistair MacLean’s novel of the same name and inspired by the real-life Battle of Leros in the fall of 1943.

Our mission begins as Captain Keith Mallory (Peck), duped into believing that he was receiving a much-deserved leave after 18 months of spy work, arrives late for a meeting with Commodore Jensen (James Robertson Justice) as his plane was attacked due to the Germans having raised the price on Mallory’s head to 10,000 pounds.

Mallory’s linguistic abilities and survival skills as well as his renown as a mountain climber make him the Allies’ first choice to lead a British Army commando expedition of “pirates and cutthroats” climbing an unclimbable cliff to infiltrate the fictional Navarone Island and disable the guns in an impregnable German fortress. For obvious reasons, Mallory isn’t convinced of the operation’s chances:

All due respect to Major Franklin, I think the operation is insane.

What’d He Wear?

Captain Keith Mallory arrives at an unspecified RAF airfield somewhere in the Middle East, sporting civilian attire apropos the region’s warm climate. The beige tropical suit has been rendered an even dustier hue by his travels, and the linen (or linen-cotton blend) suiting has wrinkled and rumpled—as linen is wont to do—after many cramped hours in planes taking enemy fire and a jeep ride through the desert.

Captain Mallory presents himself to Commodore Jensen to receive his orders.

Gregory Peck was a famously well-dressed actor, and production of The Guns of Navarone would have coincided with his tenure as a customer of the celebrated H. Huntsman & Sons on Savile Row, though it’s unlikely that this suit—more of a costume with its considerable “wear and tear”—is among that storied tailor shop’s wares.

Mallory’s two-button suit jacket is single-breasted with unique notch lapels with a wide collar and substantial notches. The drape cut is full through the chest while still pulled in at the waist for a flattering silhouette when the ventless jacket is buttoned. Sporty details include patch pockets on the left chest and both hips, all covered with non-buttoning flaps that have begun to curl up in the corners. The sleeves are finished with three buttons on the cuffs, and it’s on the cuffs where the well-traveled suit is visibly fraying as our friend George referred to in his request.

Mallory listens as Jensen briefs him on what the captain would describe as “well-organized setup.”

Mallory’s light taupe shirt with its two flapped chest pockets resembles an officer’s khaki poplin service uniform shirt. The shirt has a spread collar, front placket, and button cuffs and is detailed with edge stitching. His gray four-in-hand tie has a subtle shine.

The suit’s flat front trousers appear to be worn sans belt, likely fitted with side adjusters, and have side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms. His dusty white shoes appear to be two-eyelet derbies, worn with tan socks. As best seen in this behind-the-scenes shot with co-star David Niven, Mallory’s shoes look more casual than a typical leather derby, possibly made from white canvas with hard leather outsoles.

Mallory connects with his former confederate Andrea Stavrou (Anthony Quinn) before their mission.

Once the mission is underway, Captain Mallory outfits himself accordingly, first taking to the sea in a nautical navy pea coat, frayed slate blue mock-neck jumper, and Greek fisherman’s cap, then disguises himself in a German Army officer’s uniform for the final phase of the mission.

Our best look at Mallory’s watch comes later in the film, as he’s disguised as a German officer and planning to sabotage the titular weaponry. The steel wristwatch is clearly a Gruen Precision with a plain silver dial marked with gold Arabic numbers at each hour and fixed to his left wrist on a brown leather strap.

How to Get the Look

Gregory Peck as Captain Keith Mallory in The Guns of Navarone (1961)

When not seen navigating the Aegean on a fishing trawler or scaling a treacherous cliff, Keith Mallory follows his portrayer Gregory Peck’s example of dressing in a smart, contextually appropriate suit… though this otherwise sharp and sporty beige tropical suit takes plenty of abuse as the result of Captain Mallory’s dangerous vocation.

• Beige tropical linen suit:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with notch lapels, flapped patch breast pocket, flapped patch hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
  • Flat front trousers with side adjusters, side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Light taupe poplin shirt with spread collar, front placket, two flapped chest pockets, and button cuffs
• Gray tie
• White canvas 2-eyelet derby shoes
• Tan socks
• Gruen Precision steel wristwatch with round silver dial and brown leather strap

(Thanks for the request, George, John, and R.M. — this one’s for you!)

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie and read Alistair MacLean’s novel.

If you like this summer-friendly style from The Guns of Navarone, stay tuned for early fall when I’ll be working with Iconic Alternatives on presenting the film’s sartorial approach to bundling up for colder weather.

The Quote

Every one of us a genius, how can we fail?

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano on The Sopranos (Episode 6.13: “Soprano Home Movies”)

Vitals

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, New Jersey mob boss

Putnam Valley, New York, August 2007*

Series: The Sopranos
Episode: “Soprano Home Movies” (Episode 6.13)
Air Date: April 8, 2007
Director: Tim Van Patten
Creator: David Chase
Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Happy birthday to Tony Soprano… and David Chase! According to Tony’s driver’s license in “Another Toothpick” (Episode 3.05) and his hospital bracelet seen in “Mayham” (Episode 6.03), Anthony Soprano was born on August 22, 1959, exactly 14 years to the day after his creator, David Chase.

After a relatively full recovery from the incident that landed the mob boss in the hospital, Tony and his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) reluctantly accept an invitation from his sister Janice (Aida Turturro) to join her and her husband Bobby (Steven R. Schirripa)—one of Tony’s most loyal capos—at their summer house on the shore of Lake Oscawana in Putnam Valley, New York. (Interestingly, the home was owned at the time by Roy Scheider and his wife Brenda Siemer, who still owns the house.)

*Carmela makes much of the fact that Tony is celebrating his 47th birthday, which should set the episode in the late summer of 2006, but we know the previous season ended on Christmas 2006 and Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico) establishes in the final episode that this season was set in 2007 so we can reasonably assume that, as Silvio Dante once so aptly said… “timeline got fucked up.”

The timeline didn’t treat Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) too well either, as the hotheaded young capo chooses exactly the wrong moment to call Tony with his belated birthday greeting, one of the most hilarious moments in the episode and one that sent me and my girlfriend spiraling into uncontrollable laughter with its perfect juxtaposition at Christopher’s expense following Tony’s tense fight with Bobby and subsequent argument with Carmela.

Tony, Carmela, Bobby, and Janice celebrate Tony’s birthday with lakeside libations, drunken games of Monopoly (“fuck the Parker Brothers!”), embarrassing family stories, and even a dash of international intrigue as the two mobsters meet with Québécois, exchanging murder for expired medications. Tony asserts his power by assigning the hit to Bobby, who had only just shared with his boss that he had never “popped his cherry” by killing anyone for the mob.

Though the overweight Bobby may be the butt of many of Tony’s jokes, the weekend in the woods provides an opportunity for the mob boss to bitterly observe his good-natured capo’s surprising physical superiority as Bobby cuts down trees, establishes himself as a bow-and-arrow hunter, and easily bounces back from a night of drinking and fighting only to not only concoct but imbibe a few Ramos gin fizzes as his “hair of the dog” the next morning.

It’s one of the best episodes of the show’s later seasons, filled with the series’ usual blend of tension, dark comedy, and drama, but made particularly entertaining as we watch, as Sopranos Autopsy so pointedly described in its analysis of the episode, “the Soprano family gathering… characterized by many of the traits of a typical American family visit: fishing, eating, drinking, shooting guns, gossiping, bad karaoke, and of course, the presence of long-simmering frustrations that bubble their way up into passive-aggressive criticisms.”

What’d He Wear?

Day 1: Arriving Upstate

You know, I gotta admit it. Every time, once you’re up here, it’s pretty great.

Spending many of his days in silk camp shirts and luxurious knitwear, Tony Soprano’s daily style already leans closer to the leisure-friendly end of the spectrum than others. He makes the drive from his stressful life in New Jersey up to Bobby and Janice’s lake house in a black silk short-sleeved camp shirt accented with beige stitching, worn over one of his many ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirts.

This beige stitching is close to the edges, following the camp collar down the shirt’s six-button plain front and around the waist hem, which is split by short vents on the sides. The armholes, sleeve ends, and horizontal back yoke are also decorated with this beige stitching. As an added touch, each side of the chest is detailed with six beige-stitched stripes with the four center stripes closest to each other and the outer stripes positioned about an inch or two away.

Tony takes in the lakeside ambiance.

Tony arrives wearing a pair of olive green double reverse-pleated Dockers trousers with belt loops, slightly slanted side pockets, jetted button-through back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms, worn with a black leather belt. His brown leather moc-toe loafers, identified as a Timberland product in an auction listing, are the most prominently featured of the two sets of shoes that Tony wears over the long weekend.

By dusk, Tony embraces the summer weekend vibe by changing out of his olive slacks into a pair of similarly colored flat front shorts.

Nothing livens up a comfortable night by the lake like talking about a “brain dead” three-year-old floating in a swimming pool. The Sopranos really know how to party!

“The sense that Tony had a chance to really change but missed his moment is indicated, subtly, when Carmela spots a jumping fish (probably the most important animal on this show, even more important than Tony’s season one dream ducks) and Tony looks up too late to see it,” write Matt Zoller Seitz and Alan Sepinwall in “Boardwalk Hotel,” their essay exploring the episode included in the marvelous 2019 book The Soprano Sessions.

Day 2: Shooting and Sailing

Tony Soprano’s screen-worn tropical print shirt from “Soprano Home Movies” (Source: Christie’s)

or… Blowjobs, Bullets, Beers, and Boating

By the next day, Tony has fully embraced the vacation aspects of his weekend and dons a black tropical-printed Aloha shirt, evoking a similar shirt worn in “I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano” (Episode 1.13), the final episode of the first season, providing a thematic unity to this appearance in the first episode of the final season.

Tony’s screen-worn shirt from “Soprano Home Movies” was included in a Christie’s auction just over a year after the show ended and sold for $4,000. The auction listing describes the shirt as a “black short sleeve tropical print shirt by Rick’s Cafi,” though the only references I can find online to “Rick’s Cafi” are in conjunction with this shirt auction; correcting the spelling to “Rick’s Cafe” initially yields an abundance of Casablanca reviews, though a deeper and more targeted search illustrates that the brand appears to be a “big and tall”-oriented menswear label specializing in summer and resort attire.

My friend at Aloha Spotter identified the shirt’s distinctive pattern as based on the classic “bird of paradise” flower that has been a staple of aloha shirts since their inception in the 1930s. Lavender tropical leaves and a pink-and-cream bird of paradise floral print cover the shirt’s black ground. The rayon or silk shirt has a camp collar, a non-matching breast pocket, and tan mixed plastic buttons down the plain front.

During an afternoon enjoying Heinekens on Bobby’s Chris-Craft, Tony and Bobby discuss the violent nature of their work and Bobby’s observation that “you probably don’t even hear it when it happens” regarding assassination. The significance of this concept throughout the final season would be used by some viewers to explain the series’ famous final scene.

Tony’s other shirts worn during this trip may be similar to those he wears when ruling the Jersey underworld, but this one is only seen when the mobster is totally at ease and enjoying his vacation, thus he only wears it with swimming trunks rather than slacks or trousers. Seen only from a distance and in promotional photography, he wears brown leather boat shoes rather than the Timberland loafers.

His knee-length Nautica swim trunks are made from a dark navy waterproof polyester with blue and white vertical stripes down each side seam. “NAUTICA” is stitched in white just forward of the left stripes.

Kudos to Tony and Bobby for embracing floral prints, Tony with his shirt and Bobby with his swim trunks that do not receive nearly enough screen time.

Continuity Note: The scene of Tony in the woods with Bobby, firing his new AR-10 rifle, is edited to be depicted on the day of Tony’s arrival, but—based on the men’s costumes—this was no doubt meant to be set during the following day as there’s little reason why Tony would change out of his black shirt into this Aloha shirt just to go shooting in the woods with Bobby before returning to the house and putting the first shirt back on for drinks on the dock with Bobby and their wives.

Night 2: Monopoly and Resentment

Unfortunately, Tony and Bobby’s newfound bond, strengthened by their conversation in Bobby’s Chris-Craft, violently fissured that very night during a tense, drunken game of Monopoly as Tony’s needling and Bobby’s pride collided. The evening began with a calm and relatively quiet (save for the occasional “OH!”) dinner to celebrate Tony’s 47th birthday, followed by presents.

Tony dresses for dinner in yet another printed shirt, this one somewhat more subtle with a brown feather print on a black silk ground. As described in a Christie’s auction in June 2008 where the entire outfit was auctioned for $4,000, the shirt is a product of After Dark, yet another brand that seems to specialize in “big and tall” menswear.

The short-sleeved shirt has a point collar (rather than a camp collar as seen on his previous two shirts), a single breast pocket, black buttons down the plain front, and a straight hem to allow the shirt to be worn untucked as Tony tends to do.

Tony wears the shirt over one of his many white ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirts, though this one ends up in poor condition, bloodied and torn after his messy brawl with Bobby.

Note that the degree of damage to Tony’s undershirt changed overnight with the location and severity of the bloodstains and tears migrating.

Tony presses his olive green Dockers slacks back into service, worn with a black leather belt with a squared steel single-prong buckle that he unbuckles before passing out on his bed.

Tony sleeps in his loafers, the same well-worn brown leather Timberland slip-ons that he has worn throughout most of the weekend. Worn without socks here, his decision to sleep in them reveals the orange branded logos on the bottoms of each shoe’s tan rubber sole.

Just because an outfit is comfortable for an evening of birthday dinner, drinks, and games does not mean it will be equally comfortable for a hazy slumber… especially when you keep your shoes on.

Day 3: Brooding over Budweisers

Tony dresses the next morning in yet another printed silk shirt, this one vividly patterned in a blue-and-gray static print that echoes the chaotic tension underscoring the day’s events. This short-sleeved shirt has a point collar, a plain front with navy blue sew-through buttons, and a patch breast pocket designed to be seamless against the shirt’s busy pattern.

When your houseguests are cringing like this, it’s probably time to bring the weekend to a close.

Again, Tony wears one of his usual white ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirts, wearing his static-printed shirt unbuttoned and open over the undershirt when sitting down by the lake and grumbling to Carmela that he would have won the previous night’s fight had it not been for “that fucking throw rug.”

A burgundy tag is visible on the inside of Tony’s shirt collar, perhaps providing an indication of its maker.

Tony initially dresses in khaki trousers, possibly Dockers like his olive-colored slacks, but he changes back into his navy Nautica swimming trunks when he sits in solitude on the dock. Once again, his footwear of choice is that same versatile pair of brown leather Timberland loafers with the tan rubber soles that extend up the back to just below a short orange stripe.

“Fucking look at him out there… I’ve seen that sitting in the chair thing,” Janice frets, prompting Bobby to respond with the indisputable fact that “people sit in chairs.”

Night 3: Heading Home

For the sake of completion, this analysis includes Tony’s outfit for the ride home, the least flattering of his weekend ensembles. This oversized short-sleeved polo shirt illustrates what The Sopranos‘ costume designer Juliet Polcsa told The Independent about the evolution of Tony Soprano’s style in the show’s later seasons: “Less polo shirts became more of a necessity as Jim Gandolfini gained more weight. He wasn’t comfortable in knits that clung to him.”

This polo shirt is patterned with an abstract static striping that creates a faded black, beige, and pale gray horizontal stripe effect, balanced by a solid beige knit collar with a three-button opening. The breast pocket is styled to match the rest of the shirt’s pattern.

With a bruised eye, baggy shirt, and plain black pants, Tony ends the weekend on a considerably unfashionable note.

Tony wears this polo with plain black double reverse-pleated slacks, balancing the busy upper half and indicating that the boss is “back to business.”

Gold Jewelry

Tony Soprano brings his full complement of gold jewelry with him on vacation. On his right hand, he wears his usual yellow gold chain-link bracelet and the gold pinky ring studded with a diamond and a ruby.

On Tony’s left hand, he wears his gold wedding band as well as his signature gold Rolex Day-Date “President” chronometer, a ref. 18238 that takes its moniker from the distinctive link bracelet made specifically for the Day-Date and favored by several American heads of state, including Dwight Eisenhower (a gift from Rolex), JFK (a gift from Marilyn), and LBJ (the first to actually wear his Rolex President while serving as President.)

Tony’s Rolex is 18-karat yellow gold with a “champagne” gold dial with a long display for the day of the week at the top and a date window at 3:00.

Even a used Rolex President will typically cost no less than $5,000, so—if you’re seeking the general look of Tony’s watch without the expensive prestige—Seiko offers a few lookalike for less than $150, though the gold-plated steel Seiko SGF206 is powered by a quartz movement and is connected to a bracelet with more similarities to Rolex’s “Jubilee” band. The automatic Seiko SNKK52 is another inexpensive alternative and the bracelet looks somewhat more like the President, though the dial differs more from the Day-Date.

Tony’s choice of a gold Rolex President nicely suits his position and his personality.

Tony also wears his usual gold St. Jerome pendant, worn around his neck on a thin gold open-link necklace.

Barely able to get out of bed after his drunken heavyweight bout with Bobby, Tony is dismayed to wake up to the sight of his slightly younger brother-in-law vigorously chopping wood outside.

What to Imbibe

For better or worse, the foursome has plenty to drink throughout the weekend, from short cans of Budweiser and Heineken to grappa and Rémy Martin; “We’re out of grappa, how about some Rémy?” bellows Bobby after killing a bottle of Nonino Picolit, which had been established as Janice’s favorite grappa.

The morning after Tony and Bobby’s drunken brawl, Bobby mixes up a batch of Ramos fizzes to act as a “hair of the dog,” though the worse-for-wear Tony is hardly looking for anything that could make him feel worse.

Bottoms up!

Henry C. Ramos (1856-1928), architect of the venerable Ramos gin fizz.

The Ramos gin fizz was invented by New Orleans bartender Henry C. Ramos in 1888. The “fizz” was an increasingly popular style of drink, first referenced in Jerry Thomas’ seminal 1876 Bartender’s Guide, that combined a spirit (often gin, whiskey, or rum) with carbonated water and either lemon or lime juice. Egg was a common addition to the fizz; adding egg white resulted in a “silver fizz”, adding egg yolk resulted in a “golden fizz”, and adding the entire egg resulted in a “royal fizz”.

With gin as its base spirit, the Ramos fizz added the typical fizz ingredients of soda water as well as both lemon and lime juice in addition to egg white, sugar, cream, and orange flower water. (The IBA also specifies two drops of vanilla extract, though I’ve rarely seen this in other reputable recipes!) The sequence to which the ingredients were added was essential, dissolving the sugar before adding ice so that it could work in tandem with the gin to effectively prepare the egg white for drinkability.

More modern recipes streamline the preparation with all ingredients (except the soda) dry-shaken in a mixer for about two minutes before adding ice, shaking hard for another minute, and then straining the creamy concoction into a Collins or highball glass (though the esteemed Mr. Boston Bartender’s Guide calls for a chilled red wine glass!) and topping off with soda for a frothy finish.

Ramos gin fizz (Source: Liquor.com)

Standard ingredients for a Ramos gin fizz now include:

• 1.5 oz. gin
• 0.5 oz. fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. simple syrup
• 2 tbsp. cream
• 1 egg white
• 3-4 dashes orange flower water
• soda water

Originally dubbed the “New Orleans fizz”, Ramos’ loaded concoction grew famous in the decades leading up to Prohibition for its extensive preparation that could take up to 12 minutes to mix, requiring Ramos to hire a full staff of more than 20 bartenders to mix up nothing but his signature fizz for customers at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon on Gravier Street. After Prohibition, the drink was revived as a favorite of outspoken Louisiana Governor Huey Long, who exported New Orleans bartender Sam Guarino from the Roosevelt Hotel to the New Yorker Hotel so that Long could enjoy his preferred cocktail while in the Big Apple.

What to Listen to

The Drifters are prominently featured throughout the episode, the perfect soundtrack for a laidback late summer weekend.

The episode closes with Bobby returning to the family’s lake house after carrying out his first hit for the mob after his long, relatively bloodless career in La Cosa Nostra. The once-jovial capo has essentially sold his soul and is brought almost to tears by the sight of his family celebrating at the lake, particularly his youngest daughter running into his arms. “This Magic Moment” is an excellent track for this closing scene, calling out what a “magic moment” this would have been for Bobby and juxtaposing the sadness in his face as he recognizes the morality that he sacrificed in service to Tony Soprano.

The analysis of this episode at Sopranos Autopsy further explores the significance of this music cue:

Chase pipes in The Drifters’ 1960 hit “This Magic Moment” as Bobby looks out at the lake, holding on to his daughter like his life depended on it. It is a beautiful and moving song, but I think there is also something clever in its selection. 1960 was the first year of what was arguably the most tumultuous, transformative decade in American history, and much of the ensuing music of the Sixties reflected this tumult. “This Magic Moment,” however, still has that sweetness and wholesomeness that we associate more with the 1950s. The song, in a sense, reflects that period in American history when we transitioned from the relative “innocence” of the Fifties to the turbulent experience of the Sixties—and thus poignantly underscores the loss of Bobby’s innocence now. (I wonder how many thousands of backseat teenyboppers in the real world must have lost their innocence—or “popped their cherries—to this very song?)

“This Magic Moment” was released in January 1960 and was one of the last hits featuring lead singer Ben E. King before he embarked on a solo career with hits like “Stand by Me”. King was replaced by Rudy Lewis, who would serve as the group’s lead vocalist for the next four years.

The Drifters had planned to record their nostalgic summer love paean “Under the Boardwalk” with Lewis on May 21, 1964. Sadly, Lewis died on the night of May 20 of a suspected heroin overdose. Rather than rescheduling their session in the studio, the group tapped their former lead vocalist Johnny Moore—who had gone solo after his stint in the Army—and recorded what would be one of the group’s biggest hits, rising to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

“Under the Boardwalk” is never actually heard in the episode, but referenced by Tony’s bastardization of the lyrics at his sister Janice’s expense.

In addition to these classics, my personal favorite song by The Drifters is “Up on the Roof”, their 1962 single and the biggest hit under Rudy Moore’s tenure as lead vocalist, rising to number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the U.S. R&B singles chart.

The Gun

Bobby’s birthday gift for Tony is a heavily customized AR-15 rifle made by DPMS Panther Arms, an American firearms manufacturer founded in the 1980s that got its start manufacturing M14 and M16 rifle parts for U.S. military contracts before it graduated to developing its own AR-15 rifles. (Bobby tells Tony the weapon is an “AR-10,” but that appears to be an error.)

“Is this how you bagged that deer?” Tony asks, impressed by the powerful weapon. “I wouldn’t use a firearm like this on a deer,” Bobby responds. “It’s unsportsmanlike!” Bobby then shares that he exclusively uses a bow and arrow for deer hunting, unconsciously highlighting his virility for Tony as the latter grows increasingly insecure about his age.

Tony tests out his latest birthday present.

Bobby comments to Tony that the weapon is an “AR-10”, though it is, in fact, the AR-15 with a straight box magazine designed to look more like an AR-10:

The AR-10, it’s my birthday present to you… 800 rounds per. He chromed out the inner carrier. And what I like, it’s got the Panther fluted barrel…

The AR-10 had been designed by Eugene Stoner for ArmaLite during the 1950s and submitted for U.S. military tests for a modern battle rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO to replace the aging M1 Garand. The military eventually chose the M14 design, though the AR-10 found favor abroad during the rest of the decade. Frustrated by its lack of success and nearly out of finances, ArmaLite sold its designs for the AR-10 and the downscaled AR-15 to Colt in 1959.

By the 1960s, American troops were reporting the M14 to be difficult to control when firing fully automatic and hardly formidable against their foe’s AK-47 pattern rifles. The government returned to the AR-15, a scaled-down version of the AR-10. Chambered in the 5.56x45mm NATO round, the AR-15 was easier to control than the AR-10 and the smaller round allowed troops to carry more. As the war in Vietnam progressed, the U.S. military phased the M14 out of service with widespread adoption of the M16 service rifle, adapted from the AR-15.

As the M16 and its multiple variants would continue to be one of the most successful service rifles of the 20th century, the AR-15 on which it was designed became a popular civilian weapon, first offered by its original manufacturers Colt and ArmaLite and now by scores of firearms manufacturers including Bushmaster, Heckler & Koch, Olympic Arms, Ruger, SIG Sauer, Smith & Wesson, and DPMS, the Huntsville, Alabama-based company that likely made the weapon that Bobby presented as a gift to Tony.

The experts at IMFDB tracked down all of the modifications and accessories added to Tony Soprano’s rifle, including Aimpoint M2 optics, DPMS Mangonel iron sights, UTG rail covers, UTG bipod (not seen installed until the final episode), VLTOR E-MOD stock, Falcon Industries ERGO Tactical Deluxe Grip, and Crimson Trace VF-302M laser foregrip.

Tony finds an innovative way to take care of some errant trees on Bobby’s property, courtesy of his new AR-15.

In an instance of Chekhov’s gun—or Chase’s gun, if you will—Tony’s AR-10 would later be prominently featured when he goes on the run in the final episodes, “The Blue Comet” (Episode 6.20) and “Made in America” (Episode 6.21). Interestingly, the weapon featured in “Soprano Home Movies” is suggested by IMFDB to be an AR-15 with a magazine modified to resemble an AR-10 while Tony would be seen with a genuine AR-10 (with the Aimpoint optic and vertical foregrip removed) in those final two episodes.

How to Get the Look

James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Steven R. Schirripa, and Aida Turturro during the production of “Soprano Home Movies” (Episode 6.13 of The Sopranos)
Tony is wearing his black “bird of paradise” Aloha shirt with his navy Nautica swimming trunks and brown boat shoes rather than the more frequently seen Timberland moc-toe loafers.

Even when running his mob empire from a back office in Jersey, Tony Soprano is a fan of loud silky printed shirts, though his patterned Aloha shirt looks perfectly appropriate for his lakeside sojourn, accompanied by a rotation of Macy’s-approved menswear staples like Dockers slacks, Nautica swimming trunks, and Timberland loafers.

• Black tropical-printed (lavender, pink, and cream “bird of paradise” pattern) short-sleeved Aloha shirt with camp collar, plain front, breast pocket, and straight hem
• Olive double reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops, slightly slanted side pockets, jetted button-through back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Black leather belt with squared steel single-prong buckle
• Brown leather moc-toe loafers with tan rubber soles
• White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
• Rolex Day-Date “President” 18238 chronometer watch in 18-karat yellow gold with champagne-colored dial and “President” link bracelet
• Gold open-link chain bracelet
• Gold pinky ring with ruby and diamond stones
• Gold wedding ring
• Gold open-link chain necklace with round St. Jerome pendant

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the entire series.

The Quote

No risk, no reward.

Footnote

What does Tony Soprano’s August 22 birthday tell us about him… and, by extension, about series creator David Chase? August 22 falls under the astrological sign of the fire sign Leo but is on the cusp of the earth sign Virgo. “You gain attention because of your strong personality and sense of style,” writes astrologer Joanna Martine Woolfolk. “Determination is one of your dominant qualities; you climb over obstacles to reach a goal or get something your heart is set on.”

According to Tarot.com, those born during this cusp period tend to be “a natural leader with a vision for the world and the ability to command a room.” As “fierce, intelligent, and courageous” leaders who “can charm anyone with your childlike charisma and [are] loyal to the ones you trust,” the page also warns Tony that, “while your commanding energy might be an inspiration to some, because you were born on the Cusp of Exposure you also run the risk of becoming overbearing and controlling.”

“You are big, bright, and shine over everyone, but you’re also able to process, think, and talk about the tiny details,” explains the page, additionally consistent with Tony’s nature. “You have two strong forces encouraging you to both think hard and act big, so it’s important to find harmony between the two.” Listed strengths of those born at this time are hard work, passion, loyalty, honesty (well…), success, and responsibility, while weaknesses include the possibility of being critical, stubborn, quarrelsome, controlling, rude, and manipulative.

Regarding this specific day, which Gary Goldschneider refers to as “the day of seasoned experience,” Goldschneider writes that those born on August 22 are “fearless in carrying out their ideas,” and, “while displaying a frank, tough, and outspoken exterior, they rarely allow others access to their sensitive interior.” Sounds familiar.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett in The Aviator (2004)

Vitals

Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, eccentric and ambitious aviation and movie mogul

Los Angeles, Summer 1935

Film: The Aviator
Release Date: December 25, 2004
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Designer: Sandy Powell

Background

Tomorrow is the final day of the TOUR Championship, the final event of the 2019 PGA Tour season with a purse of $9,250,000 awarded to the first place golfer. Golf and wealth culminated for a brief but stylish scene in The Aviator (2004), Martin Scorsese’s biopic of twenty momentous years in the life of aviation and movie mogul Howard Hughes.

As the eccentric industrialist’s business success and Hollywood influence grows, the audience is treated to a sequence that finds the golf enthusiast Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) joined on the links by Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett, who won a well-deserved Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the role), scored by the Benny Goodman Quartet’s jaunty take on “Avalon”.

The real Howard Hughes was indeed a golf enthusiast, as seen in this 1930s photo, so it makes sense that his hobby would be depicted on screen.

“Follow-through is everything in golf, just like life,” Blanchett’s Kate advises Howard, followed by her hallmark lighter-than-air laugh and machine-gun fire questions about everything from the theater to politics, urging Hughes to vote in presidential elections as it’s his “sacred franchise!”

Time has progressed about eight years from the opening scenes on the set of Hell’s Angels to the summer of 1935, with the unique look of the scene reflecting the color abilities of motion pictures at the time in an innovative post-production process developed by Joshua Pines of Technicolor Digital Intermediates.

What’d He Wear?

DiCaprio’s Howard Hughes spends his day on the links with Katharine Hepburn in a sweater vest that appears to have been inspired by the Fair Isle knitting tradition, a technique originating from the Shetland Islands that grew in popular during the roaring ’20s when Fair Isle jumpers were worn by the Prince of Wales.

Sweaters—and particularly heavy Scottish-knit sweaters like Fair Isle jumpers—have been long associated with golf apparel since the early days of golf’s development in chilly Scotland.

Note the unique coloration to reflect the capabilities of movie production in the mid-1930s.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett in The Aviator (2004). Photo by Andrew Cooper.

Hughes’ pullover sweater vest is woven in copper, chocolate brown, and cream with the copper most prominent as it’s used for the ribbed knitting around the armholes, the slight V-neck opening, and the wide waist hem.

The sweater is detailed with four patterned horizontal bars down the front; the first and third bars are identical, and the second and fourth bars are identical. The first and third patterned bars (located across the top⁠—split by the v-neck⁠—and across DiCaprio’s abdomen) consist of a neat line of brown ovals, each broken up with four teal dots, extending across a copper bar with thin brown stripes bordering the top and bottom. The second and fourth patterned bars (located mid-chest and a few inches above the bottom waist hem) consist of a cream helix “wrapping” around a straight brown center stripe.

Hughes wears the same lilac striped cotton shirt that he had earlier worn with a suit. The shirt, detailed with thin purple and tan stripes on a lilac ground, has a point collar and button cuffs. The film’s unique color treatment makes the shirt appear closer to teal or turquoise, but set photos reveal that the shirt is actually lilac.

With its less frequent patterns, Hughes’ sweater vest isn’t the most traditional example of classic Fair Isle knitting and reflects a more subdued approach consistent with the mogul’s less showy approach to life in general.

It was around the 1930s, particularly following the heat wave during the 1933 U.S. Open, that many men began abandoning some of the unnecessary elements of traditional golf apparel like plus fours and neckties. Though Hughes has discarded the plus fours in favor of more practical flannel trousers, he still wears a four-in-hand necktie, in this case a four-in-hand block-striped in rust brown and mint green, separated by thin stripes in copper, cream, and dark olive, all in the “uphill” direction.

Sunglasses were steadily finding popularity among men and women throughout the 1920s and 1930s, though an aviator like Hughes would have likely embraced the practicality of sunglasses before many of the rest of America adopted them as a fashion accessory. DiCaprio’s Hughes is first seen sporting these vintage gold-framed sunglasses with his navy double-breasted jacket and white slacks when deplaning in the previous scene, wearing them onto the golf course for his sunny day on the links. The rounded lenses recall the retro-inspired Ray-Ban RB3447 “Round Metal” sunglasses, available online from Ray-Ban and from Amazon.

Since their introduction to the United States by the Prince of Wales, plus fours had been favored by golfers over the previous decade for their nonrestrictive fit, but Hughes reserves his breeches for aviation.

However, the fashionably full fit of Hughes’ double reverse-pleated trousers provides him almost the same freedom of movement as those famously baggy breeches while looking less costumed or, as Ian Fleming’s James Bond observed of his titular nemesis in Goldfinger, “an attempt to look smart at golf… as if Goldfinger had gone to his tailor and said, ‘Dress me for golf – you know, like they wear in Scotland.'”

Kate observes the issues with Howard’s form as he swings.

Hughes’ gray tic-checked flannel trousers have slightly slanted side pockets, two button-through jetted back pockets, and cuffed bottoms with a full break over his brown leather plain-toe derby shoes.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes in The Aviator (2004)

How to Get the Look

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Howard Hughes fashionably bridges traditional elements of golf apparel like knit sweater vests and neckties with the emerging trends of dressing down for the links, donning more practical flannel trousers and sunglasses as he trades barbs and putts with Katharine Hepburn.

• Lilac (with purple and tan stripes) cotton dress shirt with point collar and button cuffs
• Rust brown and mint green “uphill” block-striped four-in-hand tie with thin copper, cream, and dark olive stripes
• Copper patterned Fair Isle wool-knit v-neck pullover sweater vest
• Gray tic-checked flannel double reverse-pleated trousers with slightly slanted side pockets, jetted button-through back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Brown leather plain-toe derby shoes
• Gold-framed vintage-inspired sunglasses with rounded lenses

You can read more about historical golf clothing in this article by Sharon Penn for Golfweek.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

Sidney Poitier as Mark Thackeray in To Sir, with Love (1967)

Vitals

Sidney Poitier as Mark Thackeray, novice high school teacher

London, June 1966

Film: To Sir, with Love
Release Date: June 14, 1967
Director: James Clavell
Wardrobe Supervisor: John Wilson Apperson

Background

As many students are returning back to school at the end of August, BAMF Style takes a look at Sidney Poitier’s scholarly style as the patient teacher in To Sir, with Love, based on E.R. Braithwaite’s autobiographical novel from 1959. The film was produced, directed, and adapted for the screen by James Clavell, the prolific writer whose works include “the Asian Saga” (including Shōgun) and the screenplay for The Great Escape.

Sidney Poitier stars as Mark Thackeray, the determined teacher who takes his first appointment (or “job,” as he is politely corrected) instructing a senior class of troubled—and often troubling—high school students at the North Quay Secondary School in London’s East End just a few weeks before the students were scheduled to graduate.

“I can’t guide you, but don’t take any nonsense from these little tykes,” encourages his friendly fellow teacher “Clinty” Clintridge (Patricia Routledge). “They’re good kids, Mark… most of them. If you don’t solve ’em, they’ll break you and damn quickly.” “That’s been tried… by experts,” Mark assures her. “They’re very expert,” Clinty half-jokingly responds.

Another colleague, the fellow newbie Gillian Blanchard (Suzy Kendall), asks Mark why he took up teaching in the first place, to which he laughs: “Oh, it’s good to have some kind of job!”

While he’s still circling classified ads for engineering positions, the former communications engineer with British Guiana tries to find some inspiration to teach within himself, despite naysayers like the cheeky and cynical Theo Weston (Geoffrey Bayldon), a longtime veteran of North Quay who had long given up on trying to get through to the kids.

Mark’s patience is further tested through a series of immature pranks such as a loosened desk leg and a sheet of ice dropped from a window above him, but the disciplined Mark remains patient… until the prank of a used sanitary pad burning in his classroom stove pushes him over the edge. After losing his temper (“the one thing I swore I would never, never do”), Mark resolves to treat the students as adults, ceremoniously throwing their books into the trash and eschewing the prescribed curriculum in favor of reasonable discussions “about life, survival, love, death, sex, marriage, rebellion…”

The class’s lessons from “Sir” range from practical advice and in-class discussion to museum field trips and even learning how to make salad, steadily gaining him the respect of even the most obstinate and uninspired of his students as he guides them into shaping themselves into mature adults with a chance to succeed.

What’d He Wear?

North Quay has no uniforms for its students or teachers, but Mark Thackeray dresses for each day in the class room in a navy sports coat, white OCBD shirt, striped repp tie, and gray flannel slacks that, while a timeless trad ensemble in its own right, could also be argued as the grown-up version of the classic school uniform.

“It’s encouraging that you have a sense of humor. It seems you know so little and are so easily amused, I can look forward to a very happy time,” Mark quickly observes of his class.

Mark’s  single-breasted jacket appears to be made from navy blue softly napped doeskin wool, a popular and classic cloth for blazers, though the softness and sheen in some shots suggests cashmere. The short fit is contemporary to the mid-to-late 1960s, and there is a long single vent. There is a patch pocket on the left breast and two patch pockets on the lower quarters.

Despite being styled in the traditional blazer cloth and color, it wouldn’t be completely accurate to refer to Mark’s jacket as a blazer as it lacks the contrasting buttons—often metal shank buttons to reflect its naval heritage—that most visually differentiate the blazer from its cousins in the odd jacket realm. Referring to Mark’s jacket as such may lead to additional confusion in the modern world of marketing shortcuts where every tailored jacket—whether part of a suit or just an odd jacket with lapels—is referred to as a “blazer”.

Instead of metal blazer buttons, Mark’s jacket has three dark blue plastic buttons on the front and on the cuffs, though a closer look at the sleeves suggests that more than one jacket may have been worn by Sidney Poitier on screen. The sleeves alternate between having one and two buttons on the cuff, though the buttons are always placed close to the edge of each sleeve. (Click here to see Mark’s jacket with one-button cuffs rather than the two-button cuff example below.)

Note the two-button cuffs of Mark’s jacket. Both buttons are placed very close to the edges of the sleeve.

Each day, Mark wears the same tie, patterned with slim crimson red satin stripes crossing diagonally “uphill” against a navy ground with imperfect slubbing consistent with navy shantung silk. While the pattern shares similarities to the Kings Regiment Liverpool stripe, Mark’s tie is almost certainly unaffiliated with the regiment.

Mark wears a plain white oxford cotton shirt with a button-down collar, plain front, and squared cuffs that close with a single button. By the late 1960s, it was still a typically American practice to wear a button-down shirt with a jacket and tie in a professional setting, indicative of Mark having “spent some years in the States.” That said, Mark only wears his OCBD shirt with his navy sport jacket, opting for a white French-cuff shirt with a classic point collar when he wears his gray worsted suit on screen.

Mark takes a much-needed break and absorbs some much-needed advice on his first day in the classroom.

The lightweight white fabric of Mark’s OCBD shirt reveals the outline of his short-sleeved undershirt, a white cotton T-shirt with a low-opening crew neck. The undershirt is never seen on screen, though he wears a white mesh short-sleeved T-shirt with a wide boat neck with his slacks (as well as light gray sneakers) when he has to fill in as P.T. teacher after an altercation between student “Pots” Potter (Christopher Chittell) and the bullying instructor Mr. Bell (Dervis Ward).

Mark’s dark gray flannel trousers are hardly ideal for physical education, but they’re otherwise classic and a perfect complement to his navy sports coat. The trousers appear to have a flat front but are, in fact, darted to comfortably curve over Poitier’s hips without requiring pleats, which were falling out of fashion by the late 1960s. They have slanted side pockets and jetted back pockets with a single button to close the back right pocket. The fit is straight through the legs to the plain-hemmed bottoms. The trousers have three-button “Daks top” side adjusters and an extended waistband tab with a hidden hook closure.

With their darted front, extended hidden hook waistband tab, and “Daks top” three-button side adjusters, Mark’s trousers resemble the suit trousers that Anthony Sinclair tailored for Sean Connery to wear four years later in his final [official] adventure as James Bond, Diamonds are Forever.

When the day appears to be threatening rain, Mark dons a khaki gabardine knee-length raincoat with a short Prussian collar. He wears the coat open, though it has four widely spaced buttons made from mixed taupe plastic. Each set-in sleeve has a semi-strap that closes with a single button over the cuff. The coat also has flapped hip pockets and two short side vents.

Mark looks up at his students after finding himself the target of yet another of many pranks.

To Sir, at Home

After Mark’s long and difficult first day, we observe him at home that evening, attending to his clothing his characteristically patient care as he irons his white shirt, folds over the collar, and hangs it beside his gray trousers, preparing to dress in the same to do it all over again the following day.

For these evenings filled of laundry, sleeplessness, and studying how to teach “the slow learner,” Mark dresses for classy comfort in a blue cotton bathrobe with white piping, tied over his light blue cotton navy-piped pajamas.

Mark in much-needed repose.

How to Get the Look

Sidney Poitier as Mark Thackeray in To Sir, with Love (1967)

Sidney Poiter puts a mature twist on the classic school uniform aesthetic with his scholarly ensemble of a navy jacket, striped repp tie, and gray flannel trousers in To Sir, with Love.

• Navy doeskin wool single-breasted 3-button jacket with slim notch lapels, patch breast pocket, patch hip pockets, 1- or 2-button cuffs, and long single vent
• White oxford cotton shirt with button-down collar, plain front, and 1-button squared barrel cuffs
• Navy shantung silk tie with crimson red “uphill” satin stripes
• Dark gray flannel darted-front trousers with “Daks top” three-button side adjuster tabs, extended hidden-hook waistband, slanted side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Black calf leather derby shoes
• Dark navy socks
• Khaki gabardine raincoat with short Prussian collar, four-button front, set-in sleeves with single-button semi-strap cuffs, straight flapped hip pockets, and short double vents

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

Toughness is a quality of the mind, like bravery, honesty, and ambition.

Humphrey Bogart as Harry Dawes in an MGM studio portrait for The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Vitals

Humphrey Bogart as Harry Dawes, Hollywood director and screenwriter

Madrid, Spring 1951

Film: The Barefoot Contessa
Release Date: September 29, 1954
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Costume Designer: Rosi Gori (uncredited)

Background

August 28 is National Bow Tie Day, believe it or not, so today’s post commemorates one of the most badass bow tie wearers of classic Hollywood, Humphrey Bogart.

Like many other stylish and influential entertainers of his day, Bogie’s on-screen style reflected the actor’s personal style which—as he matured into middle age in the 1950s—evolved to increasingly incorporate bow ties with his lounge suits and sport jackets. Bogart’s fans grew increasingly used to seeing the actor sporting bow ties in movies like In a Lonely Place and Sabrina before Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s dazzling Technicolor drama showcased Bogie’s bow-tied style in full color opposite the ravishing Ava Gardner.

After a brief opening scene, we transition to “three years ago” as the Mankiewicz-like Harry Dawes (Bogart) is traveling with slick but spoiled Hollywood producer Kirk Edwards (Warren Stevens), sweaty PR flack Oscar Muldoon (Edmond O’Brien, in an Academy Award-winning performance), and blonde actress Myrna (Mari Aldon) “from Hollywood, U.S.A.” The quartet finds themselves at “a not very fashionable nightclub” in Madrid, where Harry lectures them all on the lessons learned from Faust’s deal with the devil.

“The fact that you don’t drink at all, Kirk, is the greatest argument for drunkenness I know,” states Harry, who’s celebrating being sober “five months next Tuesday.”

The true purpose of the night out, however, is to convince the glamorous dancer Maria Vargas (Gardner) to agree to meet with Edwards to star in his latest pet project. The washed-up Harry is tapped as the most viable candidate on the virtue of his reputation for having previously directed both Jean Harlow and Carole Lombard.

What’d He Wear?

The opening scene depicts a trench-coated Humphrey Bogart in the rain, a familiar sight for many audiences, before we flash back to Madrid where he sports an olive lightweight flannel suit for his introduction to Maria Vargas. It’s very likely that the suit, flattering and fashionable with its full but not baggy fit, was from Bogie’s own wardrobe.

The suit jacket has substantial notch lapels that roll to a two-button, single-breasted front that he keeps open throughout the sequence. The ventless jacket has wide shoulders, roped sleeveheads, and four-button cuffs at the end of each sleeve.

Harry makes the acquaintance of Maria Vargas.

The double forward-pleated trousers rise appropriately high to Bogie’s natural waist, where they are held up with a black leather belt that closes through a squared steel single-prong buckle. The trousers have side pockets and are finished on the bottoms with turn-ups (cuffs).

Harry pulls the left side of his suit jacket back, showing off the belt and elegant trouser pleats.

Harry’s white poplin shirt has a spread collar, plain front, and squared double (French) cuffs that he fastens with a set of gold links.

The narrow and square-ended “batwing”-style bow tie appears to be one of Bogart’s own, worn in this famous 1953 portrait. Seen in color in The Barefoot Contessa, the bow tie is cream silk with a repeating pattern of dark rust-colored ornamental circles.

We get our best look at Harry’s shoes as he leans over to pick up the discarded shoes that give Maria Vargas her titular moniker. He wears a simple pair of black leather cap-toe oxfords with dark socks that may be a shade of green to match his suit and continue the leg line from his trousers.

Harry stumbles upon the discarded shoes that resulted in the eponymous contessa’s moniker.

Bogart wears his signature gold ring, ornamented with two rubies flanking a center diamond, on the third finger of his right hand. The actor reportedly inherited the ring from his father after Belmont Bogart died in 1934 and proceeded to wear it off- and on-screen the following two decades in almost all of his movies, absent only from his last four movies as the ring made its final screen appearance in The Barefoot Contessa.

No one could smoke a cigarette on screen like Bogie.

The small watch on Harry’s left wrist is yellow gold with a gold dial and a russet brown leather strap. Based on the size of the small round case, it does not appear to be the tonneau-shaped Longines Evidenza that has been identified as one of Bogie’s real-life timepieces that frequently made its way into his movies.

Harry layers for the evening chill with a dark copper brown wool knee-length overcoat. The single-breasted coat has notch lapels that roll to a three-button front, which he wears open throughout the scene. The coat has wide, padded shoulders, large flapped patch pockets, and a long single vent.

How to Get the Look

Humphrey Bogart as Harry Dawes in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Humphrey Bogart brings personal flair to Harry Dawes’ wardrobe by accompanying this understated olive suit with a natty bow tie, a sartorial practice that had been established by the actor in real life as he approached his final years.

• Olive green lightweight flannel suit:
  • Single-breasted 2-button suit jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, ventless back
  • Double forward-pleated trousers with belt loops, side pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• White poplin shirt with spread collar, plain front, and squared double/French cuffs
  • Gold cuff links
• Cream “batwing”-style bow tie with small rust-colored circles
• Black leather cap-toe oxfords
• Dark green socks
• Copper brown wool single-breasted 3-button overcoat with notch lapels, wide shoulders, large flapped patch pockets, and long single vent
• Brown fedora with narrow brown band and feather
• Gold ring with two ruby stones flanking a center diamond stone
• Gold wedding band
• Gold wristwatch with gold dial on russet brown leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

What makes a man want to write about people or direct people is because, usually, he has a sort of sixth sense about them…or thinks he has. Like a watch. Now, my five ordinary senses, what with alcohol and other forms of abuse, are nothing special. But I have a sixth sense that any witch in the world would give her left broomstick to have.

Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve (1941)

Vitals

Henry Fonda as Charles “Hopsie” Pike, brewery heir and ophidiologist

SS Southern Queen, sailing north from South America,
August 1940

Film: The Lady Eve
Release Date: February 25, 1941
Director: Preston Sturges
Costume Designer: Edith Head
Men’s Wardrobe: Richard Bachler

Background

Last year on my girlfriend’s birthday, my commemorative BAMF Style post explored Henry Fonda’s summer-friendly formal wear in The Lady Eve, the romantic screwball comedy that I first discovered with her family. I’ve thus chosen to dive back into this classic directed by Preston Sturges (who would have turned 121 years old yesterday!) with another look at Fonda’s attire, this time a more casual ensemble as his character Charles “Hopsie” Pike romances Barbara Stanwyck at sea: “You have the darndest way of bumping a fellow down and bouncing him up again.”

Waiter: Breakfast, sir?
Hopsie: (a beat) Two Scotch and sodas with plain water. (to Jean) You take it plain, don’t ya?
Jean: Don’t you take cream and sugar in it?
Hopsie: No, I always drink it black. (realizes) Say, what am I talking about?
Waiter: How about a nice bicarbonate of soda with egg in it. It does wonders.

Context clues in the checks signed over by Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck) to Fonda’s Hopsie actually indicate that these scenes on the SS Southern Queen were set exactly 79 years ago today, with Hopsie and Jean’s shared breakfast on August 29, 1940, while he receives the heartbreaking news about her and her father’s con artistry is set the next day, August 30, 1940.

What’d He Wear?

The Lady Eve‘s black-and-white cinematography leaves some obvious doubt about the exact colors that the characters wear on screen, but a stark light-colored sports coat like Hopsie wears for his afternoons at sea can be safely deduced to be either a white or a creamy off-white softly napped summer-weight flannel. The jacket’s sporty details include three patch pockets: one on each hip and one on the left breast, which he dresses with a white pocket square. The ventless jacket is single-breasted with a three-button front and four-button cuffs.

On the second morning, Hopsie adds a dash of romance to his look with a flower pinned to the left of his notch lapels, though his heart wilts before the flower does upon learning that his new romantic interest is, in fact, a con artist.

Hopsie’s jacket may look white, but its contrast with the crisp white oxford-cloth cotton shirt he wears beneath it hints that the jacket’s material is likely a creamy shade away from white. The shirt has a button-down collar and rounded, single-button barrel cuffs.

The first time that he wears this outfit, it’s accented with a fun tie patterned with Deco-style swirls against a dark ground, reflective of the love he’s found with the playful Jean.

Production photo of Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve.

The next morning, Hopsie dresses in the same outfit but with a more conservative tie patterned with a neat pattern of small C-shaped curves organized against a dark ground.

A heartbroken Hopsie has no time for Jean’s explanations… unaware that his formalwear will ultimately be paying the price for his stubbornness.

Hopsie contrasts the brightness of his upper half with a darker pair of flannel trousers with pleats that contribute to the flatteringly full cut. The trousers are finished at the bottoms with turn-ups (cuffs) that break well above his white bucks.

Lifelong friends Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck share a smile on the set of The Lady Eve.

Bucks, so named for the napped nubuck leather used to make the uppers, grew in popularity during the 1920s and 1930s for gents seeking a dressed-down summer shoe, and they swiftly found acceptance as an Ivy standard. The Handbook of Style by Esquire still lists white bucks among the top five essential shoes a man should own, placing them in the more contemporary context as “a semi-dress-up alternative to sneakers” and as “ideal partners for dark jeans and khakis.”

True bucks should be purchased from a trusted shoemaker, made from genuine napped nubuck leather—sanded on the grain side for a napped finish as opposed to the softer suede underside—and ideally soled in the distinctive “red brick” rubber that became standard. You can pick up white bucks from manufacturers like Allen Edmonds, Brooks Brothers, Florsheim, and Peter Huber.

White bucks would be a very fitting choice for the affluent and stylish Hopsie to wear for a summer day at sea, harmonizing with the bright whiteness of his jacket and shirt for a unified look. Hopsie’s bucks appear to have five-eyelet “bal-type” closed lacing and are worn with light-colored socks a few shades dimmer than his shoes.

While waiting for Jean on deck, Hopsie frequently consults his wristwatch, encased in a long rectangular case and strapped to his left wrist on a subtle dark brown leather band. The watch is very typical of men’s timepieces from the era and was likely Henry Fonda’s own.

As Hopsie enjoys a smoke at sea, we get a glimpse of the watch strapped to his left wrist.

How to Get the Look

The last weekend before Labor Day is the last opportunity for many men to wear their summer whites without subjecting themselves to snobbish commentary from sartorial elitists! Hopsie’s seaboard example in The Lady Eve balances the attractiveness of white menswear without the risky excess of an all-white suit.

Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve (1941)

• Off-white summer-weight flannel single-breasted 3-button sport jacket with notch lapels, patch breast pocket, patch hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, and ventless back
• White cotton shirt with button-down collar and 1-button rounded cuffs
• Dark Deco-swirled silk tie
• Medium-dark flannel pleated trousers with side pockets and turn-ups/cuffs
• White nubuck leather oxford bucks with five-eyelet bal-type lacing and “red brick” rubber outsoles
• Light-colored socks
• Rectangular wristwatch on brown leather strap

One important consideration when wearing a white lounge jacket is to avoid looking like you’re wearing a lab coat or a waiter’s uniform. Consider an off-white shade like cream or ivory and invest in a quality material, particularly a summer-weight fabric like linen, cotton, tropical worsted, or a light silk. Polyester is a no-no, not just for this reason but also as the warm-wearing synthetic fabric defeats the purpose of wearing white in the first place.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie!

The Quote

You ought to put handles on that skull, maybe you can grow geraniums in it!

William Holden as Hal Carter in Picnic (1955)

Vitals

William Holden as Hal Carter, aimless former college football star and Army veteran

Kansas, Labor Day 1955

Film: Picnic
Release Date: February 16, 1956
Director: Joshua Logan
Costume Designer: Jean Louis

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

This Labor Day, we celebrate one of the lesser-recognized cinematic holidays with a look at the Academy Award-nominated Technicolor hit Picnic. Adapted from William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Picnic reflects the mid-century vision of small-town America with white picket fences housing sweltering suburban repression as frequently depicted by Inge, Douglas Sirk, and their contemporaries.

William Holden plays Hal Carter, a drifter who rides into the fictional small town of Salinson (a portmanteau of the actual Kansas towns Salina and Hutchinson) on a hot and still day, washing himself by the street before venturing into town. Though he’s seeking his old fraternity pal Alan Benson (Cliff Robertson), Hal earns his breakfast doing chores for Mrs. Potts (Verna Felton), an older woman who is far more interested in feeding and caring for the young man than making him work.

“Oh my gracious! Nobody works today… it’s Labor Day!” she exclaims when Hal shows up at her door, offering to work. Sensing the young man’s needs, she follows up with “Are you hungry?” to which he responds, “I guess my stomach didn’t know it was Labor Day, ma’am,” and is promptly treated to a cherry pie breakfast.

As Hal finally settles in to some work for the kindly Mrs. Potts, he’s distracted by the scene across the yard as the obnoxious local boy “Bomber” (Nick Adams) harasses the Owens sisters—bullying the smart tomboy (Susan Strasberg) and attempting to work his questionable “charms” on her older sister, the voluptuous and vivacious Madge (Kim Novak)—before Hal intervenes.

Bomber: Who are you?
Hal: What’s that matter? I’m bigger than you are.

After Hal dismisses the pesty Bomber by bouncing a ball off of his head, the sweaty stranger makes the sisters’ acquaintance and begins his inadvertent seduction of almost every woman in the town, culminating in the titular picnic, in fact a town-wide party.

Arguably the best known scene finds Hal and Madge finally acknowledging the mutual attraction that’s been growing between them throughout the day as they increasingly close together under the harvest moon to George Duning’s now-famous arrangement of “Theme from Picnic”, a strings-driven variation of the 1934 standard “Moonglow” conducted here to equable perfection by Morris Stoloff. (Mob movie fans may recognize the song from an early scene in Casino as Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci’s expository narration takes the viewer on a tour of the fictional Tangiers casino’s security measures.)

William Holden had initially resisted the scene, afraid of looking foolish during his dance with Kim Novak. “I just don’t know how to dance,” he once explained to Robertson. Holden first attempted to avoid having to film the dance by requesting an $8,000 “stuntman premium” from Columbia Pictures, though he was as surprised as anyone when the studio readily agreed to pay the fee in exchange for his participation in the sequence.

After practicing authentic dance steps with choreographer Miriam Nelson at a few Kansas roadhouses, Holden—an alcoholic—was forced to resort to his second tactic… drinking heavily, and the scene was filmed while Holden was intoxicated, making Picnic the fourth and final film of his career that featured William Holden dancing.

What’d He Wear?

The Drifter

Hal Carter arrives in town dressed to work.

Hal Carter arrives in Salinson dressed head-to-toe in hard-wearing work attire that combines classic utilitarian military menswear with rugged Western-influenced staples for a look that immediately establishes his hearty masculinity. The flight jacket and chambray shirt are likely items that the young man retained from his military service, which we know about after he explained to Benson that he was in the Army. (“Yeah, how long?” asked Benson. “‘Til I got out,” Hal grumbled in response.)

Hal and Madge, the morning after they scandalized the town. Kim Novak’s signature blonde hair was dyed a more auburn shade for the movie.

Hal’s blue chambray cotton work shirt is almost certainly U.S. Navy surplus, reflective of his military service albeit in a different branch. The shirt has a point collar, front placket, two button-through patch pockets on the chest, and button cuffs worn undone with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows. All buttons are dark blue plastic.

“It’ll be awful hot in that jacket,” suggests Mrs. Potts as Hal attempts to get straight to work upon his arrival, “you better take it off.” Indeed, Hal’s heavy goatskin flight jacket is a curious garment for him to enthusiastically keep wearing while offering manual labor near a fire barrel on such a famously humid holiday, though it did make an effective makeshift rucksack for him to carry his boots while traveling on the train.

Despite the work being done in her benefit, Mrs. Potts reminds Hal that there’s no need for him to actually labor on Labor Day.

The faded brown leather jacket, styled like the classic A-2 flight jacket made famous by the heroic figures of the U.S. Army Air Force, has a shaped shirt-style collar, a covered-fly zip front, epaulettes, and patch hip pockets that close with single-snapped flaps. The cuffs and hemline are elasticized in a finely ribbed knit wool.

Though he cycles through a few shirts for the day’s later festivities, Hal always wears the same trousers and boots. His khaki flat front chino cloth trousers have slightly slanted side pockets, no back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms. Now ubiquitous in menswear, khaki clothing had entered the 20th century almost strictly in the domain of military uniforms until they were popularized in mid-century by veterans returning home from World War II. The durable trousers had impressed service members across all branches and found a place as practical yet somewhat fashionable work wear.

Through the belt loops of his khakis, Hal wears a brown tooled leather Ranger-style belt with a slim center strap that fastens through a curved steel single-prong buckle.

Legendary cinematographer James Wong Howe was director of photography on Picnic, framing shots like these that subliminally communicate Hal awakening carnal impulses of women in the town like Rosemary.

“Where’d you ever get those boots?” asks Rosemary Sydney (Rosalind Russell), a local schoolteacher who—like many women in Salinson—can’t help but to flirt with the mysterious but friendly newcomer. “My old man left ’em to me when he died,” responds Hal, adding:

He had a very big foot…. he’d say, “son, the man of the house has got to have a pair of boots ’cause he’s gotta do a lot of kickin’.” Then he said, uh, “son, there’ll be times when the only thing you got to be proud of is the fact that you’re a man. So wear your boots so people know you’re comin’ and keep your fist doubled up so they know you mean business when you get there.”

Hal’s departed father would have no doubt taken pride in his son’s chestnut brown leather boots, a pair of slip-on boots with lower shafts that covers his ankles like roper boots, a more basic style of footwear than the taller—and often more ornately stitched and decorated—cowboy boots. Many companies that specialize in Western boots, including Justin, Old West Boots, and Ranch Road, offer roper boots as more basic alternatives to cowboy boots, though they’re almost always fitted with pull tabs unlike Hal’s boots.

Hal pulls up his pant legs to show off his well-traveled roper boots.

For a brief foray into town with Benson, Hal changes out of his work shirt into a more fashionable camp shirt made from mint green slubbed shantung silk with an atomic-influenced motif of yellow and black swirl designs. Hal characteristically wears the long sleeves rolled up past his elbows and open at the camp collar. The shirt has two patch pockets on the chest that each close through a single button.

It remains unexplained whether or not Hal brought the shirt with him or borrowed it from Benson, though the latter scenario is certainly likely.

The Dancer

The famous “Moonglow” dance, for which William Holden prepared by practicing with choreographer Miriam Nelson in Kansas roadhouses… and getting considerably drunk before filming.

We do know that Hal borrows from Benson for his double date to the picnic itself, dressing up in one of Benson’s sport jackets and camp shirts. Hal is clearly uncomfortable as he offers to Madge, stating “I never could wear another fella’s clothes… ya see, I’m beefy through the shoulders.” Mrs. Potts once again urges Hal to remove his jacket, suggesting that “nobody’d mind if you took it off,” even though Rosemary had only just scolded her date, Howard (Arthur O’Connell), for having the gall to pick her up for the picnic sans jacket. (Despite this, Rosemary later makes it quite clear that, the less Hal is wearing, the happier she is.)

Free of his ill-fitting sport jacket, the robust Hal subconsciously flexes his physique for the townspeople he would eventually scandalize with his dance and dalliance with Madge.

Benson’s two-button sports coat fits the informality of the occasion, but the tan mini-checked linen material does not contrast enough with Hal’s khaki slacks and—in addition to the heat—it’s no surprise that the drifter soon discards it.

If only Hal had kept his sports coat on, he may have out-dressed Benson, whose take on the stereotypical movie gangster would likely have been out of place for a small town picnic in rural Kansas.

The single-breasted sport jacket has notch lapels, three-button cuffs, and a single back vent. The three outer pockets are all patch pockets with flaps covering the two hip pockets.

Hal’s ice-white gabardine camp shirt is a bit too casual to be worn with a tie, particularly when Hal wears the long-pointed camp collar unbuttoned at the neck, but the image of Hal—sleeves rolled up as usual, tie half-heartedly knotted with his casual shirt—continually reminds the viewer that, pleasant as he is, he doesn’t belong in this sanitized part of the world. The color, described here as “ice-white”, is essentially a very pale shade of blue that could be mistaken for white.

The shirt buttons up a plain front with no placket and has two set-in chest pockets with flaps. The squared cuffs each close with a single button, through Hal naturally rolls them up well past his elbows after discarding his jacket.

While the tie was a sincere attempt for Hal to dress up for the picnic, he may have been best-advised to leave it with the discarded sports coat and embrace the more unified informality of his camp shirt and khakis.

Scott Fraser Collection specializes in these retro-minded long-sleeved camp shirts, described as “Cuban collar shirts” and manufactured in bold colors like teal and bright yellow, though the company’s summer 2019 collection includes a limited edition “white slub” shirt in a cotton and rayon/viscose blend for £130. Like Holden’s on-screen shirt, the Scott Fraser shirt has a fifties-friendly wide camp collar with loop, twin pockets with non-buttoning flaps, a plain front, and button cuffs.

Hal’s tie, which spends almost the entire duration of the picnic loosened, is dark brown with an array of white cubes dotted throughout.

“And thank Benson for his shirt!” Hal yells after he removes the garment that’s been irreparably torn by the jealous Rosemary, confirming that the shirt was among the several pieces he borrowed from his former pal.

New York Times critic Stephen Holden (no relation to William) commented in 1996 that, “in 1955, the ‘Moonglow’ dance and the ‘torn shirt’ sequences from the movie Picnic were about as steamy as Hollywood could get in evoking explosive sex.”

Repudiated by the town, Hal returns to Benson’s bronze convertible and retrieves the blue work shirt and leather flight jacket that he had worn when he first arrived, both more authentic sartorial reflections of the man:

What’s the use, baby? I’m a bum.

How to Get the Look

William Holden as Hal Carter in Picnic (1955)

William Holden wears a few outfits during his character’s increasingly uncomfortable 24 hours in Salinson, Kansas, though there’s a reason Hal Carter looks the most comfortable in the compatible and rugged combination of military fashions like his flight jacket, work shirt, and khaki chinos with Western-inspired leather elements of belt and boots.

• Blue chambray cotton work shirt with point collar, front placket, two button-through patch pockets, and button cuffs
• Brown leather A-2 flight jacket with shirt-style collar, covered-fly zip front, flapped patch hip pockets, and ribbed-knit cuffs and hem
• Khaki flat front chino trousers with belt loops, slightly slanted side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Slim brown tooled leather Ranger-style belt with squared steel single-prong buckle
• Brown leather roper boots

Many companies specialize in making flight jackets consistent with original A-2 specifications outlined by the U.S. Army. Cockpit USA offers the “Mustang A-2 Jacket” in heavy tanned goatskin, even featuring a model dressed like Holden in Picnic with a blue button-up shirt and khaki chinos.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

I learned something today, and it’s that there comes a time in a man’s life when he’s gotta quit rollin’ around like a pinball.

Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were (1973)

Vitals

Robert Redford as Hubbell Gardiner, privileged college student turned Hollywood screenwriter

Upstate New York, June 1937 and
Malibu, California, September 1947

Film: The Way We Were
Release Date: October 19, 1973
Director: Sydney Pollack
Costume Design: Dorothy Jeakins & Moss Mabry

Background

As students are settling back into school after Labor Day, let’s make the acquaintance of Hubbell Gardiner, a privileged college student in 1930s America for whom “everything came too easily to him… but at least he knew it,” apropos his short story “The All-American Smile”. Hubbell’s scribbling earned the young man literary attention not only from publishers willing to pay for his work but also from Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand), a radical classmate who puts the “active” in activist.

Arthur Laurents based his screenplay on his own experiences at Cornell, where he was introduced to political activism by a fiery young woman in the Young Communist League whose outspoken fervor and passion remained with him long after the two had lost touch. Adding his own Jewish heritage to the character, Laurents crafted the script with Streisand in mind, having worked with her in his 1962 musical I Can Get It For You Wholesale, and basing the character of Hubbell Gardiner on a number of men he had met in the entertainment industry as well as a college acquaintance known only as “Tony Blue Eyes”.

The movie’s famous opening song introduces Hubbell and Katie at “Wentworth College”, a fictional “Little Ivy”-type college portrayed on screen by the picturesque Union College in Schenectady, New York. While the politically motivated Katie busies herself organizing rallies and strikes to protest fascism around the world, the charming, popular Hubbell focuses his laidback attention on sports and girls, finding easy success in both arenas.

It isn’t until Katie hears “The All-American Smile” in her class with Hubbell that she recognizes that there may be greater depth to Hubbell than his persona of just an easygoing WASP whose “decadent and disgusting” friends tease her as she works at a campus diner. One evening shortly before their graduation, she’s returning from her second job—working the newspaper linotype—when she spies Hubbell enjoying a solitary beer, celebrating the recent sale of his short story. Katie tries to avoid him by crossing the street, but he spies her out walking and invites her to join him for “one sip…one sip of beer?” She’s not a drinker—yet—but still affects nonchalant annoyance as she crosses the street and prompts him with “Well?”

Kudos to the 36-year-old Robert Redford for channeling enough of his natural boyish charm to effectively play a college student. More than a decade later, he would be tasked with the increasingly challenging task of playing a teenager in the early scenes of The Natural.

Hubbell: Why do you carry your books all the time?
Katie: That‘s what I crossed the street for?
Hubbell: No, I’m celebrating.
Katie: What are you celebrating?
Hubbell: I got you to cross the street.

Oh, that did it! After months of resisting the golden boy’s charisma and his “dirty co-ed humor,” Katie finds herself swiftly won over by Hubbell’s charms as the track star and fledgling writer listens to her sharing her experiences and opinions with more earnest curiosity than she would have expected. As their short but significant conversation comes to a close, he delicately ties her shoe and issues parting words of encouragement:

Go get ’em, Katie.

A decade later, Katie is likely more surprised than anyone to find herself married to Hubbell. The two had lost touch after an intimate, wordless dance at their commencement celebration until a chance encounter seven years later at New York City’s iconic El Morocco nightclub. A beer-drunk Hubbell, asleep at the bar in his Navy summer whites, staggered awake to find Katie Morosky standing before him with a Dubonnet in her hand and her hair “ironed”. After a sloppy night together, Katie’s persistence and Hubbell’s enthusiasm for her optimistic, idealized vision of him leads to an on-again, off-again relationship that briefly stabilizes when the two are married after World War II and spirit themselves to southern California. Per usual, Hubbell finds an easy path to success—this time as a Hollywood screenwriter adapting his own material—while Katie subdues her more radical urges, focusing on homemaking and dreaming of living the expatriate life with Hubbell in France.

What’d He Wear?

When not decked out in the classic World War II-era naval uniforms, Robert Redford’s Hubbell Gardiner strides through The Way We Were dressed in a stylish wardrobe that transcends the film’s “golden age” setting as well as its early ’70s production, from comfortable casual attire to the über-formal white tie and tails.

“Sort of miss the neck brace, it was like a powerful turtleneck. You looked like Robert Redford in The Way We Were,” Sharon Horgan’s character tells her husband played by Rob Delaney in a second season episode of Catastrophe, referencing Hubbell’s collegiate look.

Hubbell’s “powerful turtleneck” is first seen as he and Katie share a late night beer on the evening of June 3, 1937, the same day that Edward VIII defied expectations by marrying Wallis Simpson… perhaps foreshadowing Hubbell’s own defiant romantic gestures of bringing the outspoken Marxist Katie into the “sophisticated” world of his Beekman Place pals.

This scene where Hubbell and Katie toast “to commencement” was filmed outside the old Medberry Hotel in Ballston Spa, New York

Hubbell wears an ivory turtleneck sweater in a soft knit material that suggests cashmere. Not too bulky but not skin-tight, the sweater flatteringly hangs on Redford’s frame and gently follows his movements whether he’s raising a mug of beer or collapsing onto beach sands.

The knitting pattern on the body of the sweater, which resembles the scales of a fish, appears to be a tight trinity stitch or bramble stitch, though I would defer to a knitting expert. The long turtleneck, cuffs, and waist hem hem are knitted in wide ribs.

“The All-American Smile”

Slung over the back of Hubbell’s chair appears to be a gray tweed sports coat that goes unworn throughout the seen but may be the same large-scaled herringbone 3/2-roll jacket that he would wear when working as a Hollywood screenwriter a decade later.

Hubbell wears this turtleneck untucked with the hem covering the top of his taupe brown pleated trousers, finished on the bottoms with turn-ups (cuffs).

Hubbell wears a pair of burgundy penny loafers, a style of shoe that was increasingly popular after G.H. Bass & Co. first introduced “weejuns” to the American market in the mid-1930s, thus it’s realistic that they would have been sported by affluent students like Hubbell on campuses by the spring of 1937. (That said, the film the film isn’t above sartorial anachronism, as Patrick O’Neal’s super-’70s wardrobe as director George Bissinger in “1940s Hollywood” illustrates.)

College students soon embraced the popular slip-on shoe with its slotted strap across the vamp, often decorating it with a penny in the slot that led to the shoe’s “penny loafer” moniker. Hubbell thankfully foregoes the penny-in-the-slot tradition in the burgundy moc-toe weejuns that he wears with his cream-colored wide-ribbed socks.

The film makes frequent reference to the fact that everything comes “too easily” to Hubbell, reflected even in his choice of collegiate footwear, a pair of burgundy penny loafers that slip on and off while the hardworking Katie has to lace up her heeled derbies each day, though Hubbell subtly communicates that he’s willing to share this burden with her by offering to tie one of her shoes for her.

The turtleneck gets an on-screen reprise during a brief vignette set 10 years later as the “happy” couple, now living in Malibu, walks along the beach at dusk as they laugh over potential baby names, which include her father’s suggestions of Thomas Jefferson Gardiner, Solomon David Gardiner, and Eugene V. Debs Gardiner.

It’s one last moment of bliss for Hubbell and the now-pregnant Katie, both feeling nostalgic as they wear significant clothes from their past: he’s outfitted in the turtleneck from their first night bonding over beers and writing, and she’s sporting his Navy-issued blue chambray work shirt under a white collegiate cardigan emblazoned with a blue “W” for Wentworth College with matching stripes on the arm.

Both outfits are items from the past, but more accurately his past; Katie never served in the Navy, and her pride was in her school work rather than the school itself… not to mention that she is dwarfed by the larger clothes. In this happy vignette, they’re both living Hubbell’s concept of an ideal life, taking the relatively “easy” path to success. The once-outspoken individualist Katie has allowed her identity to be completely wrapped up in his (as she is completely wrapped in his clothing) compromising her ambitions, her political ideals, and—most importantly—her principles.

My vote was for Solomon David Gardiner, but Hubbell didn’t seem to care for that.

Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were (1973)

It makes sense that Hubbell would dig out a comfy old sweater from his college days, still a normal practice for folks only a decade removed from their collegiate years who often don the same baggy sweatshirt that warmed its wearer while studying for finals or nursing hangovers. Hubbell’s sweater is showing some age, fraying at the cuffs, but this broken-in quality makes it all the more comfortable for an intimate sunset stroll through the surf.

Southern California has always led the country’s casual style revolutions, so it’s not surprising to see Hubbell embracing blue jeans for informal occasions like this barefoot walk on the beach, though his denim looks more like a product of the early ’70s, tight through the legs and thighs and slightly flared on the bottoms, which Hubbell cuffs to avoid sledging them through the sand.

During his Navy tenure, Hubbell wore a sterling silver curb-chain ID bracelet on his left wrist that he continued to wear in his civilian life following the war.

Hubbell’s other piece of jewelry is the silver ring that Robert Redford wore in almost all of his movies after he received it as gift from a Hopi tribe in 1966. While it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Hubbell Gardiner would wear a ring, it would perhaps be more consistent with his character if it were a class ring, a large shining symbol of his glory days gleaming from his right hand.

Dorothy Jeakins and Moss Mabry shared costume design credit for The Way We Were, though IMDB also reports the uncredited contributions of Richard Bruno, Marie Osborn, Shirlee Strahm, and Bernie Pollack, who often collaborated with his director brother Sydney as well as Robert Redford on their projects over the following decades from Three Days of the Condor to Havana.

How to Get the Look

Robert Redford as Hubbell Gardiner in The Way We Were (1973)

It’s no surprise that looking stylish comes so easily to Hubbell Gardiner, as most other things in his life do. Simple, casual, and comfortable, his elegant ivory turtleneck keeps our aspiring writer looking dashing from campus bar to California beach.

• Ivory bramble-stitched cashmere turtleneck sweater with set-in sleeves and ribbed-knit turtleneck, cuffs, and waist hem
• Taupe brown pleated trousers with turn-ups/cuffs
• Burgundy calf leather penny loafers
• Cream ribbed socks
• Silver tribal ring
• Sterling silver curb-chain ID bracelet

Putting on an ivory knit turtleneck won’t transform you into Robert Redford, but it’s a worthy piece to have in your wardrobe! Hubbell-style sweaters are available at The Irish Store, Aran Sweater Market, and DRUMOHR (one cable-knit, and one square-patterned).

For a more dressed-down day on the beach, lose the shoes and swaps and swap out the slacks for an old pair of jeans ready to take on the salt and sand.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

The trouble with some people is they work too hard.

Burt Reynolds as “Gator” McKlusky in Gator (1976)

Vitals

Burt Reynolds as Bobby “Gator” McKlusky, paroled moonshine runner

Dunston County, Georgia, Summer 1975

Film: Gator
Release Date: August 25, 1976
Director: Burt Reynolds
Costume Designer: Norman Salling

Background

September 6 marks the sad one-year anniversary since Burt Reynolds’ death. One of the star’s most famous roles was that of “Gator” McKlusky, the “good ol’ boy” moonshiner introduced in White Lightning (1973) who was revisited, this time with Burt’s iconic mustache, in the Reynolds-directed Gator (1976).

Gator transports the Okefenokee Swamp-dwelling Bobby McKlusky to “Dunston County”, a fictional county in Georgia depicted on-screen by Savannah and the nearby Tybee Island. On an unofficial mission working for federal agent Irving Greenfield (Jack Weston), Gator quickly finds himself entangled with ambitious newscaster Aggie Maybank (Lauren Hutton) as she chases down a story on the possible corruption that brought Gator and Greenfield to Dunston County in the first place.

What’d He Wear?

In both White Lightning and Gator, Burt Reynolds establishes Gator McKlusky’s preferred outfit of a large-collared shirt buttoned halfway down his chest with tight jeans, tall boots, and a flashy belt buckle that doubtlessly provided the template for the muscle car-drivin’, corruption-fightin’ cousins in The Dukes of Hazzard, particularly Tom Wopat’s character Luke Duke with his penchant for blue checked shirts.

One of Burt’s most frequently worn shirts in Gator was this navy-and-white gingham check cotton shirt with a long point collar and front placket, wearing the top three white buttons undone for Reynolds to show off his chest. The shirt has two chest pockets, each closing with a single button on a pointed flap, and long sleeves that Reynolds wears unbuttoned at the cuffs and rolled up his forearms.

Rather than classic Levi’s or Wrangler jeans, Gator⁠—or, more likely⁠, Reynolds⁠—sports a pair of trendy light blue denim jeans that are tight everywhere except the bottoms, which slightly flare out in accordance with the decade’s “bell bottoms” trend. The jeans have wider-than-usual belt loops, frogmouth front pockets, and unique set-in back pockets with a slim welt, accented by a riding seam that curves up and around the back of the seat, similar to cavalry trousers.

Gator and Aggie get off to a contentious start.

Gator wears a thick plain black belt through the jeans’ wide loops. While it may be impossible to get an exact replica of the big brass oval “Gator” belt buckle worn by Reynolds, some similar buckles created for the film’s crew after the production were gifted by Reynolds and are now available on web auction sites, including this item—sculpted by “Cowboy Artist to the Stars” Al Shelton—that was sold on eBay.

However, the two soon come to an understanding.

Gator matches his boots and belt leather, sporting a pair of black leather boots with raised heels that he wisely removes for his barefoot-on-the-beach date with Aggie.

Production photo of Burt Reynolds kicking ass and taking names in Gator.

Reynolds was known to be a Rolex wearer later in his life and career, though he does not yet appear to be wearing one in Gator. Gator McKlusky wears a gold watch on a dark brown leather bund strap that closes with a large gold-toned single-prong buckle that extends the width of the strap.

Instead of a blanket, Aggie and Gator wake up sharing a cream báinín shawl-collar cardigan patterned with Aran cable-knitting like the classic “fisherman’s sweater”. The cardigan has a ribbed shawl collar, and the ribbing continues down the front with the brown-trimmed sew-through buttons. The cuffs are also ribbed.

Aggie and Gator wake up from their romantic evening on the beach sharing an ivory Aran knit cardigan.

The button placement informs that this is a men’s cardigan, though there’s no confirmation if it belongs to Gator, Aggie, another character like Greenfield (which would explain how it can fit both of these slimmer characters), or was just found at the beach by our amorous protagonists.

Burt Reynolds as “Gator” McKlusky in Gator (1976)

How to Get the Look

Gator McKlusky has a simple approach to dressing, cycling through a variety of long-collared shirts with his tight jeans and signature belt buckle emblazoned with his moniker.

• Navy and white gingham check plain-woven cotton long-sleeve shirt with long-pointed collar, two pointed-flap chest pockets, front placket, and rolled-up button cuffs
• Light blue fashion-forward denim jeans with wide belt loops, frogmouth front pockets, jetted back pockets, rounded back seam, and slightly flared bottoms
• Thick black plain belt
• Brass oval custom-made “GATOR”-embossed belt buckle with alligator motif
• Black leather boots with raised heels
• Gold round-cased wristwatch with “champagne” gold dial on dark brown leather bund strap

You’d almost certainly need to go vintage to find a shirt with a substantial collar like Gator’s, but the classic navy-and-white gingham has been a menswear mainstay for decades. The larger-scaled gingham check that Reynolds wears is a little less common than its finer-scale cousin, but you can easily find selections from a range of modern retailers like Amazon house brand Goodthreads, Jack Spade (with two button-down flapped pockets too!), Marquis, Mizzen + Main, Paul Jones, Tommy Hilfiger, and Wrangler.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate (1967)

Vitals

Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock, nervous and aimless college graduate

Los Angeles, Summer through Fall 1967

Film: The Graduate
Release Date: December 22, 1967
Director: Mike Nichols
Costume Designer: Patricia Zipprodt

Background

Dustin Hoffman’s Ivy style mastery in The Graduate has been a frequent request from BAMF Style readers including Kyle, Ryan, Zubair, and more, so⁠—in the spirit of the “back to school” season⁠—let’s take a look at one of the most iconic outfits that Hoffman wore as the listless Benjamin Braddock.

Benjamin is getting tired of his wordless, emotionless trysts with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), the sultry and troubled wife of his father’s law partner. One night in their usual room at the Taft Hotel, Benjamin suggests that the two talk more. In the words of Simon and Garfunkel, “We’d like to know a little bit about you for our files / We’d like to help you learn to help yourself…”

Between her chain-smoked Carltons, Mrs. Robinson begrudgingly agrees to his request, resulting in her forced admission that she had only married the mundane Mr. Robinson as she was pregnant with their daughter Elaine. Benjamin continues to pry into who Mrs. Robinson was at the time⁠—a college student pursuing an art major⁠—and it’s the first time we see her dropping her confident, seductive façade as he forces her to reflect on the missed potential of her life, indicating a much deeper and more complex character than is initially presented to us. His needling and her increasing sensitivity on the topic hits a crescendo when he jokes about a date with Elaine, striking a final nerve with her as she insists that Benjamin never pursue her daughter.

Benjamin explodes at her insistence, calling her a “broken-down alcoholic” that he perversely sleeps with out of pure boredom. The two trade barbs during their “first fight” before apologizing to each other as Benjamin admits that their affair is “the one thing I have to look forward to” and joining her back in bed. When Mrs. Robinson presses him on the issue of never dating Elaine, he changes his tune about conversations in bed:

Let’s not talk about it. Let’s not talk at all.

What’d He Wear?

Benjamin Braddock spends his summer dressed in a tour de force of classic Ivy style , including button-down collared shirts with repp ties and knit ties, layered under trad staples like gray tweeds, lightweight seersucker, and a navy blazer, though it’s his tan corduroy jacket that is featured in some of the film’s most iconic imagery as Ben stands before Mrs. Robinson, dwarfed by the frame of her semi-stockinged legs.

The single-breasted, two-button corduroy sports coat has notch lapels, a welted breast pocket, patch hip pockets with flaps, two-button cuffs, and a single vent.

One of the most enduring images from The Graduate is Benjamin, half-dressed and exhausted from arguing, as Mrs. Robinson pulls up her stockings in the foreground.

When the corduroy sport jacket makes its first appearance in Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson’s room at the Taft Hotel, he is wearing it over a light blue oxford cloth cotton shirt with a button-down collar that holds in place his untied navy-and-copper block-striped repp tie, the colors unifying his earthy-toned jacket and blue shirt. In an interesting sartorial inconsistency, Benjamin wears an all-gold watch in this scene that differs from his usual steel watch on a black leather band. His frustration as he re-dressed also meant he slid the watch over his right wrist as opposed to the left wrist where he usually wears his timepieces.

Benjamin wears his dark gray flat front trousers with zip fly, side pockets, no back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms. His belt is black leather with a dark gunmetal single-prong buckle.

The nature of Benjamin’s association with Mrs. Robinson leaves no part of his outfit unseen, giving plenty of screen time to his white cotton boxer shorts and charcoal socks.

The two lovers silently re-undress, their argument over but the tension far from resolved.

Months later, after the fallout with the Robinson family, Benjamin proudly presents himself to his parents and declares that he’s “going to marry Elaine Robinson”, despite her not having talked to her since she threw him out of her family’s house for the unarguably valid reason of his having slept with her mother (see above). The Braddocks are overjoyed as he announces that he’ll be going up to Berkeley to pop the question… until they realize that Elaine doesn’t even know that he plans on asking her to marry him and, in fact, doesn’t even like him (a considerable understatement given the terms of their falling-out.

Mr. Braddock: Ben… this whole idea sounds pretty half-baked.
Benjamin: Oh, it’s not. It’s completely baked.

Ben is dressed casually for the announcement and his subsequent reunion with Elaine at Berkeley, again wearing the sport jacket that costumed his argument with her mother but with the more casual underpinnings of a black polo and jeans.

The corduroy jacket over a black polo and jeans is a surprisingly contemporary approach to dressing, possibly even more fashionable in the more dressed-down world of 2019 than it was in 1967.

The black short-sleeved polo has two off-white plastic sew-through buttons and a gold-embroidered chest logo, indicating that it’s likely the same polo he would later wear with his beige windbreaker during the film’s climax.

With his blue jeans, Benjamin wears a brown leather belt with a squared brass single-prong buckle that coordinates with his likely footwear, brown penny loafers.

Both Ben and Elaine are coordinated in their tan corduroy jackets and black knit tops. The two may be at odds, but the similar outfits present a subconscious unification to foreshadow to the audience that this fission won’t last. In fact, the reunion would result in a romantic reconciliation.

Scored by Simon and Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair” is Benjamin’s drive to Berkeley and his lonely stroll onto the campus, where he wears the corduroy jacket over light, neutral, and unthreatening layers of a cream oxford cloth button-down shirt, worn sans tie, with beige chinos (possibly Bedford cord), brown belt, and brown penny loafers with dark socks.

This is Ben’s earthiest outfit to this point in the movie and—while still consistent with his penchant for Ivy style—it’s the first we see him abandoning any blues or grays in favor of a warmer palette that could indicate a Benjamin Braddock who is laying himself more bare.

Ben’s light, neutral tones blend him in against the similarly colored grounds at Berkeley.

Aside from the anomalous appearance of the all-gold watch during his hotel room argument with Mrs. Robinson, Benjamin tends to wear his usual steel wristwatch with its brown faded dial on a black leather strap.

Any positive IDs on Ben Braddock’s watch?

By the following decade, Dustin Hoffman was known to favor a Rolex GMT Master with the distinctive blue-and-red “Pepsi” bezel, a watch that appeared in several of his films of the ’70s including Straw Dogs (1971), Marathon Man (1976), and Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).

What to Imbibe

While watching Elaine at Berkeley, Ben returns to his beer of choice, Coors Banquet, packaged in its distinctive yellow cans that were the first all-aluminum two-piece cans to be used by any American brewer.

At the time, Coors was still exclusively distributed and sold in western states, providing an allure that would grow to near mythic status after it drove the plot of Smokey and the Bandit (1977) with Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed tasked with transporting a shipment of Coors from Texas to Georgia, where it was still not legally sold. The year after Bandit and Snowman brought their delivery back to Georgia, Coors Light was introduced as a low-calorie alternative. By the end of the 1980s, Coors (and Coors Light) expanded to nationwide distribution and the Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado, remains the largest single brewery in the world.

How to Get the Look

Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate (1967)

Benjamin Braddock demonstrates the versatility of his corduroy sports coat, dressing it up with a blue or cream OCBD and slacks or dressing it down with a black polo and jeans.

• Tan corduroy single-breasted 2-button sport jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, flapped patch hip pockets, 2-button cuffs, and single vent
• Black short-sleeved polo with 2-button top and gold-embroidered chest logo
• Blue denim jeans
• Brown leather belt with squared brass single-prong buckle
• Brown leather penny loafers
• Steel wristwatch with brown gradient dial on black leather strap
• White cotton boxer shorts with elastic waistband

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

Charles Bronson as Arthur Bishop in The Mechanic (1972). Photo by MGM.

Vitals

Charles Bronson as Arthur Bishop, disciplined but depressed contract killer

Los Angeles to Naples, Italy, Fall 1972

Film: The Mechanic
Release Date: November 17, 1972
Director: Michael Winner
Costume Designer: Lambert Marks

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

After serving in supporting roles for many great Westerns and war movies of the ’60s⁠—including The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Dirty Dozen, and Once Upon a Time in the West⁠—Hollywood was ready for Charles Bronson to take on leading roles that would establish him as one of the greatest silver screen “tough guys” of all time.

The Mechanic starred Bronson as Arthur Bishop, a skilled assassin whose quiet, luxurious lifestyle is disrupted when he takes on a protégé, Steve McKenna (Jan-Michael Vincent), the hotheaded, sociopathic son of his former boss “Big Harry” (Keenan Wynn) who he was assigned to kill. Arthur begins mentoring Steve after Big Harry’s death, taking the narcissistic young man flying, giving him shooting lessons, and eventually bringing him along for several hits.

Arthur graduates Steve from an apprentice when they embark on the film’s climactic hit, taking on a target in his yacht off the Naples coast. Once they realize they’ve been set up, they return to shore and manage to shoot, bomb, and speed their way out of danger…though Arthur’s troubles are still far from over.

The movie was helmed by Michael Winner, who would later direct Bronson to wider stardom in Death Wish. Though Bronson’s thoughtful performance as the anxiety-ridden hitman received considerable praise in contemporary and retrospective reviews, Winner’s direction has been criticized for transforming Lewis John Carlino’s nuanced story into what Carlino himself called “a psuedo James Bond film… one of the great disappointments of my life.”

The Mechanic was recently into a 2011 film of the same name with Jason Statham and Ben Foster in the roles of Arthur Bishop and Steve McKenna, respectively.

What’d He Wear?

“For that matter, is Arthur supposed to look grotesque, like an aging Hollywood agent, in his fancy bell-bottoms and leather jackets, or is this a mark of his hipness?” wrote Vincent Canby in his contemporary review of The Mechanic for the New York Times.

Canby’s rightful criticism of bell bottoms aside, I’m a fan of Charles Bronson’s black leather moto jacket that makes a few appearances throughout The Mechanic, specifically during the explosive finale in Naples, and I’m not surprised that this movie has inspired a few requests from BAMF Style readers.

A stoic Arthur Bishop observes Steve’s shooting technique.

Arthur’s black leather racer jacket is particularly appropriate for the nature of their first hit together, targeting a motorcycle gang, given the jacket’s history. Also known as a moto jacket or by the evocative moniker of “café racer”, the jacket can trace its origins to Schott NYC’s introduction of the iconic “Perfecto” motorcycle jacket, developed in 1928 for Harley-Davidson. With its asymmetrical zipper and wide self-belt, the Schott Perfecto became a countercultural symbol during the post-WWII years thanks in no small part to Marlon Brando sporting one as the rebellious anti-hero in The Wild Ones (1953).

The more streamlined racer jacket would be developed in England over the decades to follow as young motorcycle riders adopted the practice of refurbishing prewar bikes to transport them from one café to the next to listen to American rock music, opting for light, comfortable leathers in a more minimalist design with less of the pronounced buckles, straps, and flaps of the Perfecto-style jacket. Venerated manufacturers like Schott joined the fray with their cowhide 141 “Classic Racer”, slimmer 530 “Café Racer”, and heavier steerhide 641 “Single Rider” that remain in production to this day.

By the end of the 1960s, the “café racer” jacket had been firmly established, distinguished by its short throat-latched mandarin-style collar and unobstrusive zip closure on the front, cuffs, and pockets. You can read more about the history of café racer culture in this Hiconsumption article.

The waist-length leather jacket that Bronson wears in The Mechanic is consistent with most classic café racer jacket styling with its short standing collar with two snaps for the throat latch, the straight-zipped front with long silver pull tab, set-in chest pocket with horizontal zip closure, and long zip-fly cuffs that extend back to the elbow to loosen the fit of each sleeve. A pleat behind each shoulder adds an “action back” effect to allow more movement for moto racers.

One differentiating factor of Bronson’s jacket from the classic Schott is the presence of two chest pockets. While it’s not marketed as a replica of Bronson’s jacket, this lambskin café racer by Soul Revolver is one of the closest quality examples of a modern-made moto jacket that I’ve seen.

Note the zippered cuffs and the “action back” pleats behind his shoulders that give Bronson greater range of movement as he wields his shotgun in battle.

A classic work shirt is very appropriate for a hard worker like Arthur. He wears a slate blue chambray cotton long-sleeved shirt with two button-through chest pockets. The shirt is detailed with white plastic buttons on the front placket, pockets, and cuffs.

Arthur’s usual trousers with this jacket are brown corduroys with tall belt loops, slanted front pockets, and patch pockets on the back similar to jeans. These flat front trousers are tight through the hips and legs with slightly flared plain-hemmed bottoms. His wide brown leather belt has a large gold-toned single-prong buckle.

Arthur in agony.

Arthur’s well-worn and much-traveled square–toed boots are russet brown leather with a mid-calf rise consistent with the classic roper boot style, though they have a long zipper on the inside of each boot to ease taking them on and off over his black socks.

The jacket makes an early appearance for Arthur’s shotgun sessions with Steve, worn with a pair of blue jeans rather than his brown corduroys. Like the cords, the jeans have a trendy fit for the ’70s, slim through the legs before flaring out over the bottoms.

Steve’s safari-influenced clothing is trendy for the 1970s, but Arthur’s racer jacket and jeans⁠—despite the latter’s ’70s flare⁠—is arguably the more timeless ensemble.

A professional like Arthur Bishop has the right tools and accessories for every part of his job, donning a pair of oversized aviator sunglasses for an afternoon of…well, aviation. These tortoise plastic-framed shades have wide lenses and a double bridge over the nose.

Many modern eyewear manufacturers have embraced the oversized fads of the ’70s for their own retro-minded frames. If you want a set of sunglasses to channel early ’70s Charles Bronson, check out these selections from Arnette, Maui Jim, and Serengeti or these pairs from Tantino, Vision World Eyewear, and zeroUV, all available for under $12 on Amazon. (For a variation on this style, PRIVÉ REVAUX offers “The Hitman” with a name and style that suggests Bronson’s hitman character may have been a direct influence on the product.)

When his Italian assassination contract calls for him to dive to his destination, he dresses his wrist in the classic dive watch: a Rolex Submariner, ref. 5513.

The Rolex Sub was enjoying its Hollywood heyday during the early ’70s, seen on the wrists of Steve McQueen, Robert Redford, and Roger Moore’s James Bond, whose 5513 Submariner was customized with a buzzsaw in Live and Let Die that helped 007 and Solitaire (Jane Seymour) spirit themselves to freedom and escape the villain’s torture device.

Arthur’s stainless steel Rolex isn’t equipped with the bells and whistles of Bond’s Sub, just the standard black rotating bezel, black dial, and steel Oyster-style link bracelet.

You could hardly ask for a clearer shot of Arthur Bishop’s Rolex Submariner.

For the actual diving part of their aborted assassination mission, Arthur outfits himself and Steve in matching dark gray neoprene wetsuits that zip up the front and up the sleeves.

The Guns

Arthur Bishop’s sidearm of choice for the assassination of the motorcycle drug gang is a Walther PPK, the German-made semi-automatic pistol made famous for its association with James Bond. Developed in 1930 as a shorter-barreled variant of the Walther PP, the more easily concealed PPK is chambered most frequently in .32 ACP (7.65x17mm Browning SR) and .380 ACP (9x17mm Short).

Though the PPK had enjoyed popularity for decades⁠, the pistol fell out of favor with certain sectors of the British government after Princess Anne’s Metropolitan Police protection officer, Inspector James Beaton, had a Walther PPK jam on him during a kidnapping attempt on the princess in March 1974, less than a year and a half after The Mechanic was released. (Beaton was shot three times but recovered from his wounds and received the George Cross for his efforts protecting Princess Anne.)

Despite the infamy of this incident, the typically reliable PPK and its PP and PPK/S cousins remain in service for various police and military forces around the world to this day.

Arthur Bishop’s Walther PPK.

For heavier duty assignments, Arthur opts for more powerful long arms. Thus, he preps Steve for these jobs by taking him skeet shooting, each armed with the distinctive-looking Browning Auto-5 semi-automatic field shotgun.

The long recoil-operated Auto-5 was designed by the legendary John Browning in the waning years of the 19th century and produced steadily by Browning Arms throughout most of the 20th century until 1998. Remington Arms and Savage Arms also produced their own variants⁠—the Model 11 and the Model 720, respectively⁠—that lacked the sharply squared “humpback” cutoff before the buttstock. The Auto-5 was named for its semi-automatic action and the five-round capacity for four 12-gauge, 16-gauge, or 20-gauge shells in the magazine tube and one more in the chamber.

This shotgun was fielded by various military forces around the world during both world wars and was also a popular weapon employed by the fast-driving criminals of the Depression-era crime wave with several modified Browning Auto-5 and Remington Model 11 shotguns in Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow’s infamous arsenal. A 20-gauge Remington Model 11 was also the weapon used in Kurt Cobain’s tragic 1994 death.

“Point the gun as though it were an extension of your arm… and keep both eyes open,” Arthur advises Steve.

The skeet shooting experience comes in handy as both Arthur and Steve end up defending themselves during the Italian mountaintop shootout with a pair of Winchester Model 1200 pump-action shotguns, each with a barrel sawed down to the length of the under-barrel tube magazine and slide.

The Model 1200 was considerably newer on the scene at the time of The Mechanic, designed in 1964 as a lower-cost replacement for the hammerless Winchester Model 1912.

Like the Auto-5, the Winchester Model 1200 also has a history of military usage and was offered in 12-, 16-, and 20-gauge, though the Model 1200 operated with a manual pump action. The base model could carry four shells in its under-barrel tubular magazine, though some variants could carry up to six. A variant of the standard Model 1200 was marketed by Sears with legendary Red Sox left fielder Ted Williams’ name as the “Ted Williams Model 200”.

In 1983, when the U.S. Repeating Arms Company took over the manufacture of Winchester firearms, the Model 1200 was renamed the Model 1300 with slight cosmetic updates and an increased six-shell tubular magazine made standard. Production ceased in 2006.

How to Get the Look

Charles Bronson as Arthur Bishop in The Mechanic (1972). Photo by MGM.

Aside from a then-trendy flare here and a Bronson-only mustache there, Arthur Bishop’s black leather moto jacket, chambray shirt, and corduroy pants forms an ultimately timeless casual ensemble.

• Black leather moto “café racer” jacket with snap-closed standing collar, zip front, two zip-fastened chest pockets, zip-up cuffs, and pleated “action back”
• Slate-blue chambray cotton work shirt with point collar, front placket, two button-through chest pockets, and single-button cuffs
• Dark brown corduroy flat front trousers with wide belt loops, slanted front pockets, patch back pockets, and slightly flared plain-hemmed bottoms
• Wide brown leather belt with large gold-toned single-prong buckle
• Russet brown leather inside-zip roper boots
• Black boot socks
• Black 3-point leather gloves
• Tortoise-framed oversized plastic aviator sunglasses
• Rolex Submariner 5513 stainless steel dive watch with black rotating bezel, black dial, and steel Oyster-style link bracelet

Adding a few modern touches, you can use Amazon to channel Charles Bronson as Arthur Bishop from head to toe:

• Blingsoul lambskin leather moto “café racer” jacket (Amazon, starting at $147)
• Amazon Essentials blue “rinsed” cotton chambray shirt (Amazon, $24.56)
• Dockers All Seasons corduroy “tech pants” (Amazon, starting at $17.40)
• Rustic Town brown leather belt with “antique gold” buckle (Amazon, starting at $19.45)
• FRYE Men’s Campus Inside Zip Fashion Boots (Amazon, starting at $320.99)
• Wrangler Men’s Western Boot Socks, Black (Amazon, pack of three pairs for $15.99)
• Invicta Men’s 8926OB Pro Driver automatic watch (Amazon, $86.50)

All prices as of September 2019.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie on DVD or stream for free on Amazon Prime.

Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993)

Vitals

Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant, top paleontologist

“Isla Nublar”, 120 miles west of Costa Rica, Summer 1993

Film: Jurassic Park
Release Date: June 11, 1993
Director: Steven Spielburg
Costumes: Mitchell Ray Kenney, Sue Moore, Kelly Porter, and Eric H. Sandberg

Background

Happy birthday, Sam Neill! The actor—born 72 years ago today on September 14, 1947—racked up plenty of BAMF Style points early in his career for his depiction of real-life spy Sidney Reilly in Reilly: Ace of Spies, a stylish mini-series that established Neill as a strong contender to succeed Roger Moore as James Bond. Neill’s greatest commercial success as a star was arguably his role of esteemed paleontologist Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, the 1993 blockbuster that needs no introduction.

The eccentric John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) invites Dr. Grant and his partner, paleobotanist Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), to evaluate “the most advanced amusement park in the entire world” where Hammond and his team have “spared no expense”, using DNA from frogs to recreate living dinosaurs.

Together with black-clad chaos theorist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), Drs. Grant and Sattler find themselves bemused, intrigued, and ultimately disillusioned by the park.

While we only spend a few days with Dr. Grant, we observe his personal journey of humanization as he evolves from focusing only on the previous inhabitants of the Earth to care too much about its newest ones, his adventures with Hammond’s grandchildren Tim and Lex warming him to the concept of raising children with Dr. Sattler. (And, let’s face it, those two would have some pretty smart kids!)

…of course, anyone who has seen Jurassic Park III knows that not only is Dr. Grant still childless and entirely focused on his research nearly a decade later, but he and Dr. Sattler have amicably parted ways. Curious where Alan Grant finds himself now? According to Sam Neill, he’s either an accountant living in Dayton, Ohio… “or he’s dead.”

What’d He Wear?

Denim shirts were all the rage in the 1990s, for better or worse as they could be very effective when worn casually… or jarringly out of place when worn with a sport jacket, tie, and jeans à la Jerry Seinfeld or an oversized vest like Chandler Bing.

The rugged, durable denim makes it an ideal fabric for a presentable work shirt like the blue long-sleeved button-up shirt that Alan Grant wears to Isla Nublar, which Jurassic Pedia’s costume guide identifies as a likely product of Polo by Ralph Lauren. Per the fashions of the ’90s, it has a large, somewhat baggy fit, though this likely allows for a greater range of movement when Dr. Grant finds himself on the run from Velociraptors.

The shirt also has two large patch pockets on the chest, each closing with a single-buttoned flap, likely a useful feature for a man used to finding artifacts and needing to secure them. The cuffs each close with a button, though Grant wears the cuffs undone with the sleeves rolled up his forearms.

The inches between Sam Neill’s actual shoulders and the shoulder seams of Dr. Grant’s shirt indicate the shirt’s excessive size.

It’s difficult to find a shirt in the true medium wash blue denim cotton twill that Grant wears, specifically with all of the screen-seen details including a non-button-down collar, the two flapped chest pockets, and no yokes. Snap-front denim shirts are widely available these days, but Grant’s shirt buttoned up the front placket, likely a fortuitous choice as it kept his shirt strongly fastened during his rough day.

Options are plentiful if you’re seeking a snap-front Western-yoked denim shirt or even a button-down denim shirt, with either a sole breast pocket or two button-through pockets like this Wrangler “Riggs” work shirt, which even has the brown mixed plastic buttons of Neill’s screen-worn shirt. As of September 2019, Polo Ralph Lauren’s current range of denim shirts isn’t too promising for aspiring Alan Grants. The closest modern equivalent that I’ve found is this Boulder Creek shirt in “bleached denim”, ideal for any big-and-tall-sized readers.

While the modern equivalent of Dr. Grant’s shirt may be difficult to find, you’ll be relieved to know that the classic red paisley kerchief, favorite of stereotypical Old West cowboys and bandits, is available far and wide—and cheap, too! Levi’s offers three-packs on Amazon for less than $10, so you may as well go with this tried-and-trusted brand to protect your neck from sweat. Dr. Grant wears his cotton neckerchief knotted in the front and inside the collar of his shirt.

Dr. Grant takes in the wondrous sights of Jurassic Park.

At first hidden by the buttoned-up denim shirt and the knotted neckerchief, Dr. Grant’s undershirt emerges as the events of Jurassic Park wreak havoc on his wardrobe. The light gray heathered cotton henley appears to have two light gray plastic buttons and is likely short-sleeved, or else the sleeves would bunch up over his forearms as he rolls up the sleeves of his denim overshirt.

Amazon Essentials has got you covered for $10 with a shirt that shares a similar neckline and equally non-intrusive white buttons, though this one by French Toast (great name) is around the same price and has a two-button placket similar to the screen-worn shirt. Old Navy’s soft-washed jersey henley in light heathered gray is also currently available for only $12.

Pleated khakis may go in and out of style, but certain manufacturers will never stop making them. What takes Dr. Grant’s khaki trousers a step beyond are the double sets of forward-facing pleats, rather than the reverse pleats that are more common these days. These cotton twill “Bill’s Khakis” by The Fine Swine appear to be a reasonable equivalent in a menswear world where reverse-pleated khakis like these Haggar “Work-to-Weekend” cotton chinos dominate. Polo Ralph Lauren appears to have given up on pleated chinos altogether, although they can be clearly identified as the maker of Dr. Grant’s khaki slacks based on their distinctive branded patch visible above the right back pocket.

In addition to the much-discussed pleats, Dr. Grant’s khaki chino trousers have side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms that he wears cuffed.

Dr. Grant’s plain dark brown leather belt with its simple gold-toned single-prong buckle may seem unexceptional, but it’s the key to much of his job abilities and resourcefulness in a tricky situation for the multitude of pouches and tools he wears fastened to it.

On the right side of his belt, Grant wears a brown leather pouch to house his Leatherman multitool right next to an olive drab U.S. Army compass pouch. On the left side of his belt is a stainless folding trowel, strapped into a dark brown leather sheath that holds the trowel in place with a single-snap strap.

Production photo of Sam Neill with Dr. Alan Grant’s silver U-Dig trowel visible on the left side of his belt as he makes the acquaintance of a sickly Triceratops.

The three leads’ boots are all plainly visible in a promotional photo that appeared in an Empire magazine spread for the film’s 15th anniversary, published in 2008, highlighting that Dr. Grant wears classic Timberland work boots in “wheat nubuck”, a yellowed full-grain napped leather treated to be waterproof. These durable, versatile, and iconic boots are popular across many demographics, favored not only by rugged workers like Dr. Grant and also a favorite of hip hop culture. From Biggie and Tupac to Aaliyah and Kanye, check out 10 major Timberland boot moments in hip hop history in this 2014 GQ feature.

The boots are derby-laced with three sets of brass hex-shaped eyelets, then three speed hooks up the shaft, and a final set of eyelets at the top of the boots, easing identification as the Timberland 8″ Premium boots as opposed to the seven-eyelet 6″ Classics. A contrasting dark chocolate brown padded leather collar around the backs of the openings adds comfort for the wearers.

Dr. Grant kicks back in his classic Timbs.

The Timberland Boot Company originated in 1928, though the classic yellow work boot that is most frequently conjured by the company’s name was introduced nearly half a century later in 1973 as the Original Yellow Boot. According to Timberland’s official blog, “the boot was originally “created for hard-working New Englanders, built from 39 components constructed via 80 separate steps, driven by form, function and craftsmanship.”

Despite the product’s hard-wearing intentions, Sidney Swarz was “surprised but pleased” when the boot he developed gained an almost immediate foothold in Europe, partially due to its first international buyer, an “Italian gentleman” who took 600 pairs across the Atlantic… then placed another order within two months after he sold out the entire stock.

Almost a half-century after its introduction, the yellow nubuck Timberland work boot remains among the most recognizable footwear in the world. The 8″ Premium boot that Sam Neill wore in Jurassic Park is also still in production, available from retailers like Amazon and—of course—Timberland.

A man who spends much of their time working under the hot sun needs a hat he can trust to protect his head and eyes from the sun while also keeping his head cool. For this, Dr. Grant turns to a durable straw safari hat, its natural straw color worn and distressed after accompanying the accomplished scientist for countless expeditions from Snakewater, Montana, to South America.

Venerable Hollywood hatmaker Baron Hats has been identified as the manufacturer of Sam Neill’s screen-worn hat, made of palm leaf straw and styled like a classic Panama hat though given an adventurous touch with its braided brown horsehair braid, tied off on the left side. Dr. Grant’s hat has a pinched crown and a curved, three-inch brim. (For more details or alternatives, check out the definitive Alan Grant Costume Guide at Jurassic Pedia and the informative forum discussions at Fedora Lounge!)

Dr. Grant arrives at Isla Nublar in a pair of stylish gold-framed aviator sunglasses with green lenses, suggested to be the iconic Ray-Ban Aviator that had been immortalized by Tom Cruise a half-decade earlier in Top Gun.

That’s right… Dr. Grant is dangerous.

The RB3025 Aviator Classic remains one of Ray-Ban’s most popular frames, particularly with the classic combination of gold metal frames and green G15 polarized lenses. This combination, denoted by color code L0205, is available directly from Ray-Ban as well as Amazon.

Of course, if you’re going to be running from dinosaurs and spending the night in the rainy muck of a Jurassic-themed jungle, you wouldn’t want to take the chance of ruining a pair of expensive Ray-Bans. For a fraction of the price (only $12.99 as of September 2019), the SOJOS Classic Aviator is available on Amazon.

Per his utilitarian approach to dressing and accessorizing, Dr. Grant wears a no-frills wristwatch that, like the subjects of his studies, hearkens to an earlier time. Online horological detectives have established that the timepiece is almost certainly a American GI-issue field watch from late in World War II; you can read more of their discussions at watchuseek, where the forum’s unparalleled collective research has seemingly narrowed down to the possibilities that this is an Oris or Waltham timepiece, circa 1945.

The watch itself has a well-traveled steel case that, despite being nearly 50 years old at the time of Jurassic Park, retains much of its shine. The watch has a round beige dial with gold number markers and a 6:00 sub-dial and is worn on a worn brown leather edge-stitched strap, best seen when he’s calling out to the Brontosaurus group.

If you’re on the hunt for a similar minimalist field watch but don’t want or aren’t able to find something vintage, many modern watchmakers have products available for all budgets:

Dr. Grant’s field watch is seen as he inspects one of the dinosaur eggs.

• Glycine Incursore 3874-11-LB7BH automatic watch on brown leather strap (Amazon, $499.99)
• Hamilton Khaki Field H70555523 automatic watch on brown leather strap (Amazon, $419.14)
• Orient Bambino Small Seconds automatic watch on dark brown gator-style leather strap (Amazon, $164.87)
• Seiko Presage SRPB03J1 automatic watch on dark brown leather strap (Amazon, $359)
• Timex Allied TW2R46400 quartz watch on tan leather strap (Amazon, $54.99)
• Timex Men’s Expedition quartz field watch on brown leather strap (Amazon, $35.75)
• Zeppelin LZ127 7656-1 automatic date watch on brown gator-style leather strap (Amazon, $199)

All prices as of September 2019.

Interestingly, Dr. Grant is not wearing his watch during the ride to Isla Nublar, but he is wearing it when they land and disembark. While this is likely a costume-related continuity error, let’s give Jurassic Park the benefit of the doubt and assume that Alan has an unspoken superstition about wearing his watch on helicopters and was carrying it in his pocket, only to strap it on before stepping out of the chopper.

Tim Murphy, the first Alan Grant cosplayer

John Hammond’s grandson Tim (Joseph Mazzello) is dressed similarly to Dr. Grant, sporting a blue denim-like button-up shirt over an undershirt with a paisley neckerchief (albeit navy blue) and khaki bottoms (shorts rather than slacks) with a brown leather belt. Having read Dr. Grant’s book, Tim is clearly a fan of the paleontologist and no doubt styled himself after his hero for his trip to the island.

Dr. Grant may have been rude to him at first, but—in the end—it turned out to be quite fortuitous for Tim that he got to meet his hero.

In the Badlands…

…near Snakewater, Montana, is where we first meet Dr. Grant and his team during an archaeological dig of “six-foot turkeys” that allows him the opportunity to show off for his team—and the audience—just how much he knows and appreciates dinosaurs through his studies… and how much he does not appreciate skeptical children.

Alan is dressed for the dig in what Emma Fraser referred to in her fun June 2018 “Look of the Week” SYFY piece as “dad plaid,” referring to his red, tan, and black buffalo check cotton flannel shirt with its front placket and single breast pocket. As with his denim shirt on Isla Nublar, Dr. Grant wears the shirt’s long sleeves unbuttoned at the cuffs and rolled up his forearms. He also wears a white henley undershirt.

“The red neckerchief she ties around Dr. Grant’s neck is a sign of intimacy—their coupledom is immediately confirmed when they walk down to the computer arm-in-arm. The neckerchief disappeared for the rest of this sequence, making its reappearance on the helicopter,” noted Emma Fraser for SYFY.

The rest of his outfit in Montana is exactly the same as what we see on Isla Nublar: the pleated khakis, Timberland boots, Ray-Bans, and vintage watch are all there, as well as the well-traveled Panama hat and tool-laden belt.

The Gun

Given his fascination with dinosaurs, it was likely an unfathomable thought in Alan Grant’s head during his helicopter ride to Isla Nublar that he would be taking up arms against them within 24 hours… yet, thanks to Newman Dennis Nedry, one of the Franchi SPAS-12 combat shotguns kept on the island and fielded by game warden Robert Muldoon (Bob Peck) ends up in his hands as he, Dr. Sattler, Tim, and Lex find themselves on the run from Velociraptors.

The last stand.

The Franchi SPAS-12 was developed in 1979 by the Italian firearms company Franchi S.p.A. as a dual-mode shotgun that could be adjusted for semi-automatic or pump-action operation, though it was primarily intended to serve as the former with the alternative pump action developed to most effectively fire low-pressure, less-than-lethal ammunition. SPAS initially stood for “Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun,” and the innovative combat shotgun found favor in its intended military and police market, though it also grew in civilian usage after importation to the United States began in 1982. Approximately 37,000 SPAS-12 shotguns were manufactured before production ended in 2000 as Franchi focused their efforts on the SPAS-15 model, which had already been in production since the mid-1980s.

Due to its unique, quasi-futuristic appearance with its all-black construction, molded foregrip, and folding stock, the Franchi SPAS-12 swiftly became a common sight in movies and TV shows, with its most prominent early appearance in The Terminator where it was fielded by Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. It also appeared as the “backup weapon” of Fred Dryer’s macho LAPD detective Rick Hunter on the ’80s cop show Hunter, beginning with Dryer firing it one-handed through his windshield in the show’s pilot episode.

This increasing popularity made the Franchi SPAS-12 an obvious choice to arm the protagonists in what would become one of the greatest blockbusters of all time, despite the fact that Michael Crichton’s novel had Muldoon explaining that “taser shock guns, electrified nets, tranquilizers” were the only available weapons on the island, “all nonlethal, because, as Mr. Arnold says, these are expensive animals,” though a few unauthorized rocket launchers later appear in Muldoon’s hands. According to IMDB, Steven Spielberg kept one of the screen-used Franchi SPAS-12 shotguns, autographed by some of the film’s stars, after production wrapped and occasionally lets guests to his Beverly Hills home fire it.

Dr. Grant racks the slide of the Franchi SPAS-12 for dramatic effect.

Due to the nature of his work, we can assume that Alan Grant isn’t a firearms expert, though he does seem confident with his usage of the Franchi SPAS-12… until it suffers from a stovepipe jam. Rather than taking the time to clear the jam, Grant ditches the shotgun and continues his retreat unarmed.

How to Get the Look

Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993)

Many dedicated fans and cosplayers have already gone to great lengths to identify specific brands and details of the clothing worn by Dr. Alan Grant as well as other characters in the Jurassic Park universe, particularly Jurassic Pedia and the JP Motor Pool.

• Blue denim cotton twill work shirt with spread collar, front placket, two buttoned-flap patch chest pockets, and button cuffs
• Light heathered gray short-sleeved two-button henley undershirt
• Red paisley cotton neckerchief
• Khaki chino double forward-pleated trousers with belt loops, side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Dark brown leather belt with gold-toned single-prong buckle
• Timberland 8″ Premium “wheat”-colored waterproof nubuck work boots with derby lacing, speed hooks, brown padded leather collar, and synthetic lug soles
• Palm leaf straw Panama hat with custom brown horsehair braided band
• Ray-Ban RB3025 Aviator Classic sunglasses with gold metal frames and green G-15 polarized lenses (color code L0205)
• Steel military-style field watch with round beige dial (with 6:00 sub-dial) on worn brown leather strap

The affordable and practical tools of Dr. Grant’s trade are clipped to various patches and straps around his belt, including a Leatherman multitool (Amazon), U.S. Army compass and enclosing pouch (Amazon), and a U-Dig-It Pro folding shovel (Amazon).

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie and Michael Crichton’s original novel.

The Quote

After careful consideration, I’ve decided not to endorse your park.

Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in a promotional photo for “Brother’s Keeper, the pilot episode of Miami Vice

Vitals

Don Johnson as James “Sonny” Crockett, Miami-Dade vice detective

Miami, Spring 1984

Series: Miami Vice
Episode: “Brother’s Keeper” (Episode 1.01)
Air Date: September 16, 1984
Director: Thomas Carter
Creator: Anthony Yerkovich
Costume Designer: Jodie Lynn Tillen

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

35 years ago today, the feature-length first episode of Miami Vice premiere, introducing the world to the stylish detective duo of Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs.

Written by series creator Anthony Yerkovich, “Brother’s Keeper” established Miami Vice‘s stylized formula of exciting action, flashy fashions, and the latest pop music that would make the show one of the biggest hits of the 1980s and would win the episode two Emmy Awards, one for Robert E. Collins’ cinematography and one for editing.

Another promotional photo of Philip Michael Thomas and Don Johnson against a touristy backdrop leaning into the Miami setting.

Tubbs, still an NYPD cop bent on revenge at the outset, is introduced first before the setting shifts from the dark, dingy, and dreary New York City streets to the bright, sunny, and colorful world of ’80s Miami. Following the obligatory establishing shots of beaches and blondes, the camera brings us to the central character of James “Sonny” Crockett, bedecked in white linen, pastels, and shades as he takes a drag from his Lucky Strike.

“Hey, shortstop, you wanna crank down the decibels a notch?” Crockett shouts to a nearby break-dancer before turning his attention back to fellow detective Eddie (Jimmy Smits, in his acting debut) as the two vice cops discuss their plan to meet, “close the deal”, and trap Corky, the “little bozo” cartel-connected drug dealer that Crockett spent the previous evening with, trading shots of tequila.

Unfortunately, the “deal” goes bad when Crockett spots a C-4 car bomb strapped under Corky’s Chevy, just a second to late to save his pal from the blast that kills both Eddie and Corky.

What’d He Wear?

Sonny Crockett’s style has been a frequent request from BAMF Style readers—including Mohammad, Jeff, Robin, and Sal, to name a few—dating back to 2013. Given the series’ expansive focus on fashion, an entire blog could be dedicated to Crockett’s style alone! Thus, I figured there was no better place to start when exploring Don Johnson’s signature style as the rugged vice cop than the very beginning.

When we meet Crockett, he is dressed in a white linen suit—not cream, ivory, or off-white, but a stark solid white that looks right at home on the bright sidewalks of Miami… and all the more noticeable when the suit gets dirty after Crockett hits the pavement during the car bombing.

The whiteness of Crockett’s linen suit makes dirt and scuff even more noticeable after Crockett dives to the ground during a car bombing.

The single-breasted suit jacket has broad notch lapels that roll to a low single button. The wide shoulders are built up with padded shoulders, letting the rest of the unstructured linen jacket with its short side vents hang freely and fully on Johnson’s frame, keeping him cool in the warm climate. The jacket has patch pockets on the hips but no breast pocket. Each cuff is finished with a single, lonely-looking vestigal button, the same cream sew-through plastic as used on the front.

Crockett consults with Eddie before their meeting with Corky.

The suit’s double reverse-pleated matching trousers have a medium-low rise that meets the jacket’s buttoning point. In addition to the unused belt loops, the close look we get at Crockett’s trousers reveals a belt prong keeper, the small loop extending from the bottom of his waistband just to the left of his fly which can be folded up to keep the belt in place. The trousers also have slanted side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms.

White linen suits were hardly novel at the time of Miami Vice‘s debut, but it was Sonny Crockett’s practice of wearing his unstructured suits and sport jackets over T-shirts and henley shirts—often colored in bright pastels—that became a cultural phenomenon.

Crockett’s style would evolve over the course of the series, but this practice was in place from his very first scene as Sonny supplemented his white linen suit with a crew-neck T-shirt in a minty shade of teal green cotton. The shirt has very short sleeves, similar to the classic “muscle shirt” undershirt. While the shortness of these sleeves would keep them from bunching up under the suit jacket like longer T-shirt sleeves, they also expose more of the arm—and thus, sweat and skin oil—to the fabric of the jacket, which could particularly threaten the long-term integrity of the jacket in a warm climate like Miami.

Crockett’s shoulder holster remains a trademark of his style, with the Galco Miami Classic shoulder system still an iconic rig decades later due to its association with Don Johnson wearing it on the series. Galco had started making the fully modular holster with its polymer swivel connector, then known as the “Original Jackass Rig” in 1970 when Galco was conducting business as the Famous Jackass Leather Company. Firearms enthusiast Michael Mann fitted James Caan’s expert criminal character with a Galco Original Jackass Rig in Thief, Mann’s 1981 directorial debut, and his production company sought to obtain another for Don Johnson to wear for Miami Vice.

However, Johnson is not yet wearing the Galco that he would make famous in “Brother’s Keeper”, instead wearing a more traditional shoulder rig in walnut brown leather with a vertical holster for his semi-automatic pistol under his left armpit, suspended by an adjustable strap that hooks over his right shoulder without a magazine carrier as his later Galco would have. The “Brother’s Keeper” shoulder holster system was a more commonly seen rig, similar to the Bianchi X15.

The more famous Galco Miami Classic is easily distinguishable from this holster for its “spider harness” of four straps that all connect to a clover-shaped swivel plate in the center of the back, as opposed to the more conventional holster in “Brother’s Keeper”.

Crockett harmonizes the informality of his T-shirt and suit combo by sporting a pair of casual loafers without socks, in this case a pair of white leather slip-ons perforated with 11 rows of holes down the vamp that serve the dual purpose of ventilation and adding character. Stitched over the vamp is a lightly contrasting grid that neatly separates each hole into its own cell. The shoes have beige rubber soles, leather-trimmed around the tops.

According to a Miami Vice online forum, Sonny Crockett’s shoes were made exclusively by footwear brands that included Charles Jourdan, Sperry, and To Boot and were all part of each episode’s $7,000 wardrobe budget. Our first on-screen look at Crockett began with these unique kicks, which are very hard to find alternatives for:

• Anewsex offers a white leather shoe that, aside from its espadrille-inspired jute sole, is the closest alternative I’d been able to find to the “Brother’s Keeper” shoe.
• The evocatively named Men’s Miami Loafer by GBX captures the spirit of the white ventilated loafers, albeit with fabric uppers rather than leather.

Crockett’s sunglasses falling to the ground prompts him to bend over and spot the C-4 tied to the chassis of Corky’s Chevy just a few seconds too late to save Eddie’s life.

In sunny Miami, having a snappy pair of sunglasses is essential…particularly for a clothes horse like Sonny Crockett. Though he would later wear Ray-Bans and Revos over the course of the series, the pilot episode finds Crockett wearing a pair of oversized Carrera 5512 sport aviator sunglasses with a black matte plastic frame, brown tinted lenses, and gray arms modified by the production team to obscure the Carrera branding.

Our first look at Sonny Crockett.

Corky’s last words are bragging to Eddie about his own gold Rolex: “Check it out, Eddie. Twelve grand cash. I was gonna spring eighteen for the Presidential, but it just screams ‘dealer’ if you know what I mean.”

That said, Sonny Crockett appears to be fully embracing his character’s cover as a dealer by wearing an all-gold Rolex Day-Date on the iconic “President” bracelet developed specifically for the Day-Date… though a closer look at the timepiece reveals that it isn’t a genuine Rolex President but instead a replica mocked-up to protect the production team from putting an expensive luxury watch in harm’s way as Crockett was fielding gunfights, car chases, and fistfights every week. Eagle-eyed viewers noted in the same forum cited above that Johnson can often be seen having to re-clasp the watch, an uncharacteristic trait of a true Rolex and perhaps a symptom of this first watch being an imitation.

As the show evolved, Crockett would dress his wrist with a variety of watches, including “a two-tone Rolex Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet, a Zenith El Primero-driven Ebel Sport Classic Chronograph in yellow gold and latterly an Ebel 1911 BTR Chronograph also in yellow gold,” according to Alan Seymour’s comprehensive article for Revolution.

Sonny’s Rolex tribute watch gets plenty of screen time in “Brother’s Keeper”.

Credited with creating a signature style that influenced menswear for much of the ’80s, Jodie Lynn Tillen was tapped to design costumes for Timothy Dalton’s second and final film as James Bond, Licence to Kill (1989). Dalton, who had prepared for the role by reading and studying Ian Fleming’s original novels, had resisted Tillen’s wish to dress him in the brighter pastels that she had made fashionable via Sonny Crockett, so the result attempted to blend Bond’s traditional tailored aesthetic with the baggy fits contemporary to the late ’80s and is often considered one of the lower points of 007’s on-screen style.

The Gun

Among the discrepancies with the rest of the show present in “Brother’s Keeper” is Sonny Crockett’s sidearm. The detective would famously carry the short-lived Bren Ten for the first two seasons, but he carried a SIG-Sauer P220 in the pilot episode.

Crockett keeps his SIG P220 holstered during a visit home for his young son’s birthday party. In fact, I believe he even wears the holstered weapon when he falls asleep next to his son!

SIG-Sauer introduced the P220 in 1975, primarily to replace the aging SIG P210 as the Swiss Army’s designated service pistol. The P220 has been offered in a variety of calibers, including .45 ACP and 10mm as well as discontinued versions that were chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum, 7.65x21mm Parabellum (.30 Luger), .38 Super, and 9mm Steyr. It would eventually form the basis for an influential line of SIG-Sauer pistols that would include the P225, P226, and P228.

The innovative P220 gained attention around the world, soon also adopted by the Japanese and Danish militaries and imported into the United States as the slightly modified Browning BDA until 1980. While it hasn’t been confirmed, a Miami Vice-focused Wiki page posits that Don Johnson had in fact carried the Browning BDA in “Brother’s Keeper” as opposed to a European-made P220, though IMFDB describes the pistol as a SIG-Sauer product (“the European model with the heel-clip magazine release.”)

In the following episode, “Heart of Darkness” (Episode 1.03), Crockett started carrying the chromed Bren Ten that would become his signature weapon. Once the Bren Ten was discontinued, the production team did not want to arm the fashionable Sonny Crockett with an out-of-production pistol and thus his sidearm became a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol, first the second-generation Model 645 for the third and fourth seasons before he adopted the new third-generation Smith & Wesson 4506 for the series’ fifth and final season.

How to Get the Look

Don Johnson as Sonny Crockett in the Miami Vice pilot episode “Brother’s Keeper”

While other aspects of Sonny Crockett’s character would evolve over the course of the series, his style of suits and T-shirts with summer-friendly fabrics and colors was firmly established in Miami Vice‘s pilot episode.

• White linen suit:
  • Single-button suit jacket with wide notch lapels, patch hip pockets, vestigal 1-button cuffs, and short double vents
  • Double reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops and belt prong keeper, slanted side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Teal green cotton crew-neck short-sleeve T-shirt
• Walnut brown leather shoulder rig with right-hand-draw vertical holster
• White perforated leather loafers with leather-trimmed beige rubber soles
• Carrera 5512 aviator sport sunglasses with black matte plastic frame, brown tinted lenses, and gray branded arms
• Rolex Day-Date “President” yellow gold wristwatch

If you’re looking for a white linen suit to see if the look is right for you, there’s a relatively affordable (and well-reviewed) 100% linen suit offered on Amazon by U.S. Polo Assn., slightly updated with a more contemporary two-button jacket and flat-front trousers.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the series.

The Quote

Five thousand street corners in greater Miami…and Gumby here’s gotta pick ours.

Footnote

I recognize that Miami Vice has a very dedicated fan community, many of whom have an encyclopedic knowledge of the show and its style. I would highly welcome any Miami Vice fans to reach out with any corrections, confirmations, or additional detail to ensure that any future posts focused on Crockett and Tubbs’ style is accurate and informative!

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano on The Sopranos (Episode 1.06: “Pax Soprana”)

Vitals

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, New Jersey mob chief

New Jersey, Fall 1999

Series: The Sopranos
Episodes:
– “46 Long” (Episode 1.02, dir. Dan Attias, aired 1/17/1999)
– “Pax Soprana” (Episode 1.06, dir. Alan Taylor, aired 2/14/1999)
– “Nobody Knows Anything” (Episode 1.11, dir. Henry J. Bronchtein, aired 3/21/1999)
Creator: David Chase
Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa

Background

As this year is the 20th anniversary of The Sopranos‘ groundbreaking debut season, I’ve been dedicating more BAMF Style posts than usual this year to the acclaimed HBO mob drama.

On what would have been series star James Gandolfini’s 58th birthday, let’s follow the journey that Tony Soprano made during each episode’s opening credits, emerging from the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel and snaking his Chevy Suburban through the Jersey turnpike, the suburbs of Newark, and finally his North Caldwell mansion, all to the thumping sound of A3’s “Woke Up This Morning”.

Tony steps out of his Suburban in the closing shot of The Sopranos‘ opening credits, here sourced from the final episode “Made in America” (Episode 6.21), written and directed by series creator David Chase.

What’d He Wear?

The shirt that James Gandolfini wears in the opening credits of The Sopranos also made appearances in three episodes across the first season: the series’ sole cold open in “46 Long” (Episode 1.02), a day of therapy and mob business in “Pax Soprana” (Episode 1.06), and a paranoid consultation with his pal Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt) in “Nobody Knows Anything” (Episode 1.11).

Tony’s unique shirt is patterned in a series of chaotic streaks, primarily colored in shades of blue, in a horizontal orientation. (The roller coaster enthusiast in me likes to call it his “blue streak” shirt, in tribute to Cedar Point’s oldest operating coaster.) While black and white are also present in the shirt’s unique pattern, the dominating presence of blue creates a light blue overall effect.

Tony consults with Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) in “Pax Soprana” (Episode 1.06).

The actual screen-worn shirt, as featured in the Christie’s auction listing.

The iconic shirt was auctioned by Christie’s in June 2008, shortly after the series wrapped, pulling in a total of $13,750, far above the estimated $2,000-$3,000 included in the auction listing. The listing informs us that the shirt was manufactured by Rochester Couture, a menswear brand specializing in big-and-tall sized clothing, and that “there was only one of these shirts used in the production (no other authentic screen worn duplicates are in existence) and the series opening credit sequence was never changed… making this the most immediately identifiable garment Tony wore in the groundbreaking series.”

The collared short-sleeve shirt is likely a soft-knit cotton, perhaps with an element of elastic for a stretchy fit, with seven smoke-gray plastic sew-through buttons up the plain, placket-less front. Though it can button up to the neck, Tony wears the top one or two buttons undone in each of the shirt’s appearances. He also never fastens the button that closes the patch pocket over the left breast. The casual shirt is meant to be worn untucked, with its straight-cut hem and short vents on each side.

Another consultation, potentially with more fatal consequences, with consigliere Silvio Dante in “Nobody Knows Anything” (Episode 1.11).

Tony wears the blue streaked shirt over one of his usual white ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirts, and we even catch sight of his light blue cotton boxer shorts before he pulls on his trousers after an assignation with Irina (Oksana Lada). Per his usual style, the trousers are pleated with side pockets, back pockets, and turn-ups (cuffs) on the bottoms. Tony wears a black leather belt with a steel single-prong buckle that he struggles to hurriedly get back on after his argument with Irina.

Tony argues with his comare, Irina, about one of the less welcome symptoms of his psychiatric medications in “Pax Soprana” (Episode 1.06).

Even with more casual outfits like this, Tony eschewed the sneakers or white plimsolls of his colleagues and almost exclusively wore leather lace-ups from prestigious footwear brands like Allen Edmonds. In “Pax Soprana” (Episode 1.06), we get a clear look at the black leather apron-toe derby shoes and black socks that he wears to Dr. Melfi’s office for his appointment.

Bringing two coffees to their therapy sessions isn’t enough to endear Tony to Dr. Melfi, for whom he would declare his love by the end of “Pax Soprana” (Episode 1.06).

Tony’s full complement of gold accessories was established by the second episode, “46 Long”, where his neck, fingers, and wrists are all adorned with the same jewelry that he would wear for much of the series’ run. Around his neck, Tony wears a gold open-link chain necklace with a pendant of St. Jerome, whose feast day is coming up on September 30. On his right hand, a gold chain-link bracelet and a gold pinky ring with its diamond and ruby stones. He also wears his plain gold wedding band on the third finger of his left hand.

After sporting a different watch in the series’ pilot episode, “46 Long” also introduced us to Tony’s all-gold Rolex President watch, a luxury chronometer with an executive connotation apropos Tony’s leadership ambitions. The “President” moniker refers to the distinctive link bracelet with its hidden clasp that was developed in the 1950s specifically for this Rolex Day-Date. Tony specifically wears a ref. 18238 Rolex Day-Date with an 18-karat yellow gold case, bracelet, and “champagne” gold dial with Roman numeral markers, a long display for the day of the week at the top, and a date window at 3:00.

Tony flashes his luxurious accessories during the very dignified activity of flinging a rubber band at the TV in “46 Long” (Episode 1.02).

This is the second TV character in a row to be featured this week wearing a Rolex President watch, though Tony—unlike Sonny Crockett—wore his in almost every episode of the show’s run. While a genuine Rolex President (or “Presidential”) could cost you up to around $22,000—with even used models rarely less than $10,000, according to Bob’s Watches—there are some natty alternatives out there for a fraction (and by fraction, I seriously mean 1.5%) of the price… as long as you’re willing to sacrifice the Rolex prestige and quality.

Among the gold-plated steel lookalikes offered by Seiko are the quartz-powered Seiko SGF206 and the automatic Seiko SNKK52, both available for less than $150 as of September 2019. Would Tony Soprano wear either of these? Likely not, especially after becoming a mob boss, but running a Jersey crime family is hardly worth the dangerous risks if you’re only in it to be able to afford a gold Rolex. (Then again, neither is succeeding in the cutthroat world of real estate closers.)

A Similar Shirt

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano on The Sopranos (Episode 1.06: “Pax Soprana”)

“Pax Soprana” (Episode 1.06), the second episode where Tony wears this blue printed shirt, also introduces a different-colored version of the same shirt, this time in tan. According to Julien’s Live, it was the personal property of James Gandolfini that the actor acquired when the shirt was no longer needed on the show. In November 2013, five months after the actor’s death, the shirt was auctioned and sold for $1,664.

Slightly less varied in color, the streaks are all within the beige, tan, and khaki palette so the effect is less chaotic than the “blue streak” shirt. Tony pairs the shirt with a more thematically appropriate pair of taupe-brown pleated slacks, worn with brown belt, shoes, and socks, for his sit-down with Hesh (Jerry Adler), Junior (Dominic Chianese), and Johnny Sack (Vincent Curatola).

In the season’s penultimate episode, “Isabella” (Episode 1.12), Tony is fully engulfed by the symptoms of severe depression, exacerbated by his increasing regiment of psychiatric drugs that now includes lithium in addition to his daily Prozac. “You get stabbed in the ribs, that’s painful,” he explains to Melfi. “This shit… I don’t feel nothin’.”

Barely motivated to move until he sees hallucinates a beautiful Italian woman (Maria Grazia Cucinotta) in the yard next door, Tony half-heartedly dresses in the same “tan streak” shirt, half-buttoning it up over his sleeveless undershirt and slipping into brown boat shoes, likely Sperry Top-Siders, as he makes his way next door to meet the young woman.

Unshaven and barely dressed, Tony finds little reason to leave his bed—let alone his house—until he spies a voluptuous woman next door in “Isabella” (Episode 1.12).

While Tony himself clearly isn’t putting much thought into his wardrobe, the costume team is clearly going to great measures to communicate the change in Tony’s attitude. All of the color has been washed out of Tony’s palette in “Isabella”, and he spends his depressive days wearing all bland, neutral tones… culminating in a tan knit polo and sweatpants(!) when he is nearly killed in an assassination attempt.

Seeing this neutralized version of the vivid shirt that defined him in the opening credits communicates to the viewers that we’re seeing the same old Tony, of course, but there’s something off; the bright blue shirt we know so well from the opening credits and from three prior episodes has been subtly replaced with an alternative that leaves Tony looking bland, empty, and wooden… just as he feels during this lithium-induced daze. In a way, it’s a self-actualization of his comparing himself to “fuckin’ King Midas in reverse here… everything I touch turns to shit,” as his formerly colorful clothing has now taken on the colors more associated with… well, shit.

What to Imbibe

The Sopranos featured its one and only “cold open” at the start of “46 Long” (Episode 1.02), a brief and entertaining three minutes of character establishment that serves to re-introduce viewers to its world of Jersey mafiosi. Far from the prestigious-looking world of silk-suited mobsters in wood-paneled offices made popular by The Godfather, we have five guys of varying physique illuminated by neon beer signs and a grainy TV counting money in the back room of a strip club. Fueling their escapades is a bottle of Cutty Sark, the inexpensive blended Scotch whisky that had also been a booze of choice for many of the mobsters in Goodfellas.

The “46 Long” cold open is the scene I ask people to watch if they want to gauge whether or not they’ll like The Sopranos as it captures the show’s major themes, characters, and narrative techniques like juxtaposition and black comedy.

The Sopranos makes no secret of being referential of its genre, from its own mobsters citing and quoting The Godfather series to many of the series main cast being cribbed straight from Goodfellas. This scene alone drives that point home, with the fellas ignoring the reality of their situation (the ex-mobster on TV informing them that their time is limited) in favor of poor Al Pacino impressions and inane conversation ranging from cloning sheep (and cell phones) to whether or not the royal family had Princess Di “whacked”. (For evidence of self-referentiality, look no further than Sil spouting lines from the much-maligned The Godfather, Part 3, and the fact that most of the conversation is conducted between the characters played by Michael Imperioli, Vincent Pastore, and Tony Sirico… all who appeared in Goodfellas.)

As Vincent Rizzo, the fictional Genovese family turncoat on TV, declares “party’s over” for the mob, Tony counters it by sling-shotting a rubber band at Rizzo’s face on screen… an admittedly juvenile prank to insist that their party’s still going. Indeed, even Rizzo has to admit that there will always be a place for organized crime in American culture. The “golden age” may be gone, but it left behind plenty of rusted metal that will endure.

How to Get the Look

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano on The Sopranos (Episode 1.06: “Pax Soprana”)

While many of Tony Soprano’s cohorts dress down in track suits and sneakers, the mob leader himself tends to favor casual attire on the more presentable end of the spectrum like this blue-streaked short-sleeve shirt worn with dark slacks, derbies, and gold jewelry in not just a few first season episodes but also the opening credits that would endure throughout The Sopranos‘ entire run.

• Blue “streak”-patterned soft-knit cotton casual short-sleeved shirt with point collar, plain front, button-through patch breast pocket, and straight hem
• Black pleated trousers with belt loops, side pockets, back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Black leather belt with steel single-prong buckle
• Black leather apron-toe derby shoes
• Black socks
• White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
• Light blue cotton boxer shorts
• Rolex Day-Date “President” 18238 chronometer watch in 18-karat yellow gold with champagne-colored dial and “President” link bracelet
• Gold open-link chain bracelet
• Gold pinky ring with ruby and diamond stones
• Gold open-link chain necklace with round St. Jerome pendant

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the entire series, but start with the first season.

The Quote

Let me ask you a question. Why do you have me as a patient? Most legit people, they’d go a hundred miles out of their way not to make eye contact with me. But you… you didn’t flinch.

Marcello Mastroianni with Sophia Loren in the third and final segment of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Ieri, oggi, domani) (1963)

Vitals

Marcello Mastroianni as Augusto Rusconi, bombastic Bolognese businessman and bon vivant

Rome, Summer 1963

Film: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
(Italian title: Ieri, oggi, domani)
Release Date: December 19, 1963
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Costume Designer: Piero Tosi

Background

“It is sometimes said that the French spend their money on their food, the English on their gardens, and the Italians on their clothes,” wrote Sir Hardy Amies for his seminal ABCs of Men’s Fashion in 1964. “Certainly the Italians give the impression of taking great pains with their appearance, especially in summer when we see most of them.”

As summer comes to a close, let’s heed Sir Hardy’s words by focusing on the warm-weather menswear worn by Marcello Mastroianni in Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, which marked the fifth of his 13 collaborations with his frequent screen partner and real-life friend Sophia Loren, who celebrates her 85th birthday today.

Released in Italy as Ieri, oggi, domani, the three-part anthology starred the duo as three different sets of couples: poverty-stricken Neapolitan parents who continue having children to prevent her from going to prison, an adulterous fashionista who puts her husband’s prized Rolls-Royce before her relationship with her lover Renzo, and—in the final sequence—a comedy set across a few days in Rome as big-hearted prostitute Mara and her most frequent client, the privileged and neurotically frantic Augusto Rusconi.

Rusconi dotes on Mara as his “garden of loveliness” in between running errands for his powerful, demanding father, the Italian minister of labor, culminating in an immortalized striptease to Henry Weight’s “Abat-jour” as the eager Rusconi literally howls in anticipation for their long-awaited assignation.

The expert summoned by De Sica to help me was Jacques Ruet, choreographer at the legendary Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris. After a few “training” sessions, during which he taught me about the gestures, the rhythms, the moves, I was ready to do a striptease my own way.

Before doing the scene, I didn’t sleep for a week. I must not have been completely at ease the morning of the shoot, either, because I made a request of De Sica that was unusual for me. “Vittorio, listen, how about clearing the set for this scene?”

So Marcello and I were left alone, with just the cameraman and De Sica’s wife, who was often on the set. Marcello, lying on the bed completely dressed, was ready to enjoy the show. “Go, Sofi, full steam ahead!” he said with an encouraging smile. His sweet, amused attitude paved the way for me. As I disrobed to the notes of “Abat-jour,” the original soundtrack for the movie, Marcello was curled up with his chin in his hands, watching me like a greedy child. Every once in a while, he’d mop his brow with a handkerchief. When I removed my garter belt, he let out a coyote howl of love, which summed up all the happiness a human being is capable of. This touch of genius won Vittorio an Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1965.

— Sophia Loren, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

…though the unfortunate Rusconi’s heart—and, er, spirit—is broken when Mara remembers her vow of weeklong chastity that she promised to her elderly neighbor.

While Sophia Loren turns 85 today, next Saturday would have been the 95th birthday for Marcello Mastroianni, born September 28, 1924, in the small Italian village of Fontana Liri.

What’d He Wear?

“It would be largely academic to discuss traditional Italian styling of suits with their short jackets and tight trousers. Only the latter remain in the picture, the whole silhouette having now become Anglicized,” observed Sir Hardy Amies of Italian tailoring in the volume cited above. “We owe a further debt to the tailors of Rome and Florence for showing us how to make suits in lightweight cloths, which by skillful use of thin canvases expertly cut and sewn as linings, keep the suit uncrumpled in the hottest weather.”

In Dressing the Man, Alan Flusser expands on Sir Hardy’s praise for the Italian mastery of lighter-weight suitings, writing that “while not as sumptuous as its wool confrere, the cotton gabardine two-piece offers a soothing alternative to the typically dry, firm-feeling tropical worsted. The fine Italian cotton gabardine suit will wrinkle, but its satiny freshness and cool suppleness offer the humidified epidermis a princely measure of comfort.”

To illustrate this, we present Marcello Mastroianni as Augusto Rusconi, respondent in his bespoke summer suit made from a lightweight beige gabardine that keeps the Bolognese bon vivant looking cool and collected despite his increasingly frantic desperation. Despite Flusser lauding the comfortable cotton alternative employed by the Italians for this, “the ultimate in light-colored suit fare,” the way that Mastroianni’s cloth falls and the lack of lingering wrinkles suggests that he is, indeed, wearing a two-piece suit made of the venerated tropical worsted gabardine.

Rusconi finds a kindred spirit in Mara’s cat.

The bright and colorful Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow presents Mastroianni in a marked contrast from the iconic black-and-white cinematography of his earlier works for Fellini, though La Dolce Vita (1960) and 8½ (1963) are both much-deserving of future BAMF Style treatment. Mastroianni’s fashionable characters paraded through both earlier films wearing suits by Brioni, the influential couture house credited with the mid-20th century development of Roman tailoring, which, as Andrew Craig wrote for Grailed in 2018, “drew heavily on British tailoring,” though the Italian way of life influenced the fit to develop a style “made more voluminous, body conscious, and free-flowing without losing too much of the signature Saville Row shape.”

Rusconi’s beige summer suit appears to have been tailored in the semi-structured Roman tradition that was influenced by the Brits and pioneered by Brioni, evident by the padded “Roman shoulders”, roped sleeveheads, and a lean fit that looks flattering on the 5’9″ Mastroianni, with the three-button, closely fitting jacket elongating his frame. The single-breasted suit jacket has lapels of moderate width—but large notches—that roll just slightly over the top of the three buttons. The jacket also has a welted breast pocket which Rusconi dresses with a pocket square to match his tie, straight jetted hip pockets, and long double vents.

Mara proudly introduces her favorite client to “Granny” Ferrario.

The sleeves on Rusconi’s suit jacket are finished with functioning “surgeon’s cuff” buttons, so named for the apocryphal theory that they were developed after battlefield doctors without time to remove their jackets were staining their coat sleeves when treating soldiers wounded in battle, though there’s a more credible theory that links the history of working buttonholes to surgeons practicing in London looking to avoid the same issue, though working under considerably less time constraints than military doctors. (Alternatively, Alan Flusser dates the origins a few centuries earlier in Dressing the Man, suggesting that “they were employed on jacket cuffs so the wearer could unfasten his sleeve to permit his ruffled cuffs to be pushed through without wrinkling them.”)

The rakish Rusconi wears the lowest of the three buttons on each cuff undone, a practice famously continued by Daniel Craig’s James Bond on his Tom Ford suit jackets that hearkens to this era when surgeon cuffs were more a hallmark of custom tailoring. As having working buttonholes makes sleeve length alterations much more difficult, surgeon cuffs were once considered an indicator of higher quality tailoring.

The relative ease of obtaining surgeon cuffs today from even online suit manufacturers, coupled with the fact that a gent really should not be rolling up his suit jacket sleeves, makes them much more a cosmetic detail—albeit a fun one—than one reflective of quality.

Wearing his surgeon cuffs with a button undone is the perfect sartorial detail for a man like Augusto Rusconi, who would want to take any opportunity to show the world that his clothing was made just for him.

Rusconi wears a simple and classic white cotton shirt with point collar, plain front, and squared double (French) cuffs that he wears with a set of round gold cuff links with a small ornamental stone shining from the center of each link.

As Rusconi disrobes, he seeks to help Mara get undressed as well. Note that he evidently keeps his shirt’s gauntlets unbuttoned.

In the scenes where Rusconi has his jacket removed, the thin cotton of his shirt reveals the outline of his sleeveless undershirt, which also appears to be white cotton.

Production photo of Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni dancing on the set of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.

While Rusconi would also appropriate the Royal Artillery’s distinctive “zigzag” regimental tie pattern with his navy blazer, he wears more subdued neckwear with this beige suit. His navy silk tie is covered in a field of small, neatly arranged polka dots in yellow, purple, and fuchsia. After Rusconi abandons his tie on Mara’s bed after she abandons her striptease, she uses it like a sash to tie around the waist of her dress.

Rusconi’s pocket square was clearly made from the same silk as his tie. In recent years, having a matching tie and pocket square is often considered gauche, dangerously suggestive that its wearer picked up a $12.99 matching “silk-like” polyester tie and pocket square from Marshalls or TJ Maxx (not that I have any snobbish opposition to shopping on a budget…) Finding a tie, let alone a matching set with a pocket square, in Mastroianni’s specific multicolor-dotted navy silk would be very difficult, but there does seem to be a dominance of red dots on a navy ground, including this 100% silk set from David Van Hagen for $89.95 as well as the inescapable but ultimately more affordable woven polyester alternative, this one from HISDERN for only $9.99.

The safest bets for a pocket square is to go classic—with white linen or silk folded into the breast pocket—or the more challenging but interesting effect of selecting colors to highlight or directly oppose the tie for a sense of coordination that avoids directly matching it.

Be warned against following the otherwise fashionable Marcello’s lead when matching cravat and hank, as Alan Flusser advises that “wearing a matching handkerchief and necktie is a sure sign of an unsophisticated dresser,” while the Esquire editors who penned their handbook of style suggest that “match the material exactly to your tie and you’ll be taken outside, a bucket will be placed over your head, and you’ll be beaten with sticks.” No wonder our hero looks so glum.

Dancing is a dangerous activity for a gent who is wearing trousers with no belt, braces, or adjusters… suggesting that Rusconi’s trousers have been perfectly tailored to fit.

The matching trousers of Rusconi’s suit have double forward pleats, still a fashionable style by the early 1960s—if Sean Connery’s James Bond is any indication—with on-seam side pockets and jetted button-through back pockets. The trousers have belt loops, though Mastroianni wears no belt; like the semi-buttoned surgeon cuffs, this could be an other example of the character subtly communicating that he wears clothing made just for him as the tailored trousers are evidently in no danger of falling down when worn sans belt. I believe that he also wears these trousers with his navy blazer and zigzag-patterned tie when visiting Mara’s apartment in another scene.

The Handbook of Style by Esquire calls the brown monk-strap shoe “a true chameleon”, ideal for work and play, making it the ideal footwear for the hedonist Rusconi who, his career all but guaranteed by his powerful father, can spend most of his business time at leisure… particularly the sort of leisure that finds him kicking off his monks in Mara’s bedroom.

Rusconi’s plain-toe monks are of the single-strap variety, almost certainly made of Italian calf leather with a brass single-prong saddle buckle fastening the broad strap into place on the side of each shoe. Though double monks are also popular, single-strap monk loafers remain a popular style and can be purchased from shoemakers like Allen Edmonds, Clarks, and Florsheim in the same dark tan leather as Mastroianni wore in Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow with beige socks to match his suit trouser legs.

Rusconi makes himself at home in Mara’s home. The one drawback of monk shoes is that they are harder to easily kick off than slip-on loafers or even some lace-ups… though Rusconi seems more preoccupied with what Mara isn’t wearing than what he is wearing.

On his left wrist, Rusconi wears a gold watch with a white dial fastened to a wide black leather strap. By the next decade, both Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve—his partner during the early 1970s—were both known to be Rolex wearers, though it’s doubtful that the actor is wearing a Rolex in Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.

What to Imbibe

While the increasingly hapless Rusconi doesn’t imbibe himself, Mara insists that he pour some of her Fernet-Branca for she and “Granny” Ferrario (Tina Pica) to drink while bonding over their shared desire to encourage Mara’s young, lovestruck neighbor Umberto (Gianna Ridolfi) to return to his path to priesthood.

Developed in Milan, the bitter amaro is often enjoyed neat, as illustrated by Mara and Granny during their conversation, though it has found an increasing place in mixed drinks during the recent cocktail renaissance. Since its inception in 1845, Fernet-Branca has been noted for its unusually strong bitterness, a result of its secret ingredients that include myrrh, saffron, chamomile and gentian among its 27 herbs according to Liquor.com, which also reports that the digestif’s popularity among mixologists has led to the moniker “bartender’s handshake” being applied to a shot of Fernet.

In some cases, it may also be known as the “granny’s handshake”… though that would be one tough granny!

If you’re new to Fernet-Branca and not trying to impress a bartender, cure a hangover, or “[lift] yourself off the floor when you’ve mixed oysters and bananas” (according to a 1962 article in Suburbia Today, cited by Wayne Curtis for The Atlantic), then you can ease into enjoying this herbal liqueur by mixing up a Hanky-Panky.

Savoy bartender Ada Coleman developed the Hanky-Panky in the early 20th century for one of her customers, actor Sir Charles Hawtrey, by adding two dashes of Fernet-Branca into a concoction of half-gin, half-sweet Italian vermouth, and ice. After stirring the mixture together, it is stirred* into a chilled cocktail glass and may be garnished with an orange peel squeezed over the top to a customer who would ideally exclaim “By Jove! That is the real hanky-panky!” in the spirit of the cocktail’s original customer.

* Coley herself had evidently preferred shaking, but the Savoy has since chosen to champion stirring the drink.

How to Get the Look

Marcello Mastroianni as Augusto Rusconi in the third and final segment of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Ieri, oggi, domani) (1963)

The ever-fashionable Marcello Mastroianni portrays a Bolognese playboy making some rakish sartorial decisions such as his semi-button surgeon cuffs, matching silk tie and pocket square, and going beltless despite the loops on his trousers that add character to his timeless beige summer suit and brown monks.

• Beige lightweight gabardine worsted Brioni-style summer suit:
  • Single-breasted 3-button suit jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, functional 3-button “surgeon’s cuffs”, long double vents
  • Double forward-pleated trousers with belt loops, on-seam side pockets, jetted button-through back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• White cotton shirt with point collar, plain front, and double/French cuffs
  • Round gold cuff links with small center stone
• Navy multi-color dotted silk tie
• Navy multi-color dotted silk pocket square
• Brown Italian calf leather plain-toe monk-strap shoes
• Beige socks
• White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
• Gold square-cased wristwatch with square white dial on dark leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie. I also recommend reading Jeremy Carr’s fantastic feature, “De Sica and His Dynamic Duo Do What They Do Best”, published in Mubi in January 2017.

Versions of varying quality have been released for home video and streaming since the film fell into public domain, but consensus among reviewers seems to agree that the best version has been released by Kino Lorber Films, both on its own as well as in the Sophia Loren “Award Collection” box set that also includes Marriage Italian Style and Sunflower, two more of her 13 collaborations with co-star Marcello Mastroianni.

The Quote

When I’m in love, I sweat.

Paul Muni, flanked by Vince Barnett and Karen Morley, in Scarface (1932)

Vitals

Paul Muni as Tony Camonte, ruthless Italian-born bootlegger and mob enforcer

Chicago, Summer 1927

Film: Scarface
Release Date: April 9, 1932
Director: Howard Hawks

Background

Today’s #MafiaMonday post goes back to the Prohibition era, the age that gave rise to the modern American gangster… and the American gangster movie.

After Warner Brothers scored back-to-back hits with Little Caesar (1931) and The Public Enemy (1931), effectively establishing the subgenre of the gangster film, Howard Hughes entered the fray with Scarface, an explosive, influential, and fast-paced criminal epic adapted from Armitage Trail’s novel that had been based on the life of Al Capone. Hughes had been warned against taking on Warner’s dominance in the genre, so he packed his production with talent including screenwriter Ben Hecht, director Howard Hawks, and lead actor Paul Muni, who was born 124 years ago yesterday on September 22, 1895.

In the wake of movies like Little Caesar and The Public Enemy, the Hays Office had been increasing its efforts to censor what it deemed to be glamorization of criminal lifestyles in cinema, but its notoriously restrictive production code had yet to be put into place, giving Scarface full reign to arm its vaguely incestuous central character with a Thompson submachine gun, once dubbed “the gun that made the twenties roar,” as he rose the ranks of the criminal underworld in a series of violent vignettes paralleling the life and crimes of the infamous Capone.

One such event from Al Capone’s life was an assassination attempt from the rival North Sider gang led by Hymie Weiss. On September 20, 1926, eight cars loaded with gunmen drove to the Hawthorne Hotel, Capone’s then-headquarters in Cicero, firing nearly a thousand rounds into the hotel. The attack missed Weiss’ intended target as Capone was thrown to the ground by his bodyguard Frank Rio (Boardwalk Empire depicted the bodyguard in question to be Nelson Van Alden, aka “George Mueller”, the Prohibition agent-turned-mob enforcer played to pious perfection by Michael Shannon), but the incident re-ignited the Chicago Beer Wars, and Weiss would have less than a month to live as Capone engineered the North Side gang leader’s death outside Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral on October 11.

In Scarface, Capone-surrogate Tony Camonte—having been swiftly released on a writ of habeas corpus (“hocus pocus,” if you ask the boorish Tony)—heads straight from the police station to a restaurant for lunch with his boss’ platinum blonde moll, Poppy (Karen Morley). The fledgling couple’s flirtation is interrupted by volleys of automatic gunfire pouring into the walls and windows of the restaurant.

Contemporary lobby card from the release of Scarface (1932).

“Lookit! They got machine guns you can carry,” exclaims Tony, more impressed with the degree of the attack than he is angry about being the target. “If I had some of them, I could run the whole works in a month,” he shouts over the din to his loyal bodyguard, Guino Rinaldo (George Raft). Like the best employees, Guino reads between the lines and swiftly draws his .38, firing a round through the broken windows to dispatch one of the rival gunmen and relieve him of his Tommy gun… all while Tony’s other employee, the dimwitted “seck-a-tary” Angelo (Vince Barnett), struggles to comprehend that the phone call he took was merely a ruse.

Tony continues obsessing over his latest prize (“Hey, that’s swell! Look, it’s little, You can carry it!”) as he returns to his gang’s headquarters. His boss, Johnny Lovo (Osgood Perkins), has been wounded in a separate attack and is infuriated with Tony for breaking the peace by murdering a rival.

Johnny: I told you to lay off.
Tony: I don’t hear so good sometimes.

Johnny’s influence is clearly gone as his gang—and even his girlfriend—have fallen under the spell of Tony’s animated savagery.

What’d He Wear?

Paul Muni’s screen-worn brown rope-striped suit from Scarface (1932).
Source: invaluable.com

Tony Camonte had been “entertaining” Poppy in his swanky bachelor pad before the police came calling, forcing him to change out of his printed silk dressing gown as he grabs the double-breasted suit jacket and waistcoat to match his striped trousers on his way to to the station.

The era’s promotional artwork had colorized Tony’s suit to a shade of brown, which turned out to be accurate when the screen-worn suit was sold in a September 2015 Profiles in History auction.

As described by the Profiles in History auction description, the chocolate brown wool suit with its “crème-colored pinstripe” was commissioned for Paul Muni by United Artists in the summer of 1931 and made by a tailor shop called Brown & Herman’s as printed on a maker’s label inside the interior right breast pocket printed, “Muni. United Artists. 6-13-31” and numbered “10633”. The timing is consistent with the production of Scarface, as the first cut was finished by early September 1931 when it was screened for the California Crime Commission.

Time seems to have treated the suit well and, aside from the upper row of vestigal buttons that had either been removed or fell off during the generations to follow the suit’s original on screen appearance. The auction also describes the suit as a three-piece, though the full wrap of the double-breasted jacket all but completely conceals the waistcoat for the suit’s screen appearances.

The narrowly spaced “pinstripe” described in the auction listing is very prominent and well-defined for a strong contrast against the rest of the bold brown worsted suiting, and it would perhaps be more accurately described as a “rope stripe”.

The double-breasted jacket is styled consistently with fashions of the early 1930s with wide shoulders made all the more prominent by the broad, sharp peak lapels and the roped sleeveheads. For an additional rakish dash, Tony wears one of his usual colorful silk display kerchiefs, this one in a dark print, in the jacket’s welted breast pocket.

Compared to the desperate-looking and wounded Johnny Lovo in his shirt sleeves, Tony Camonte looks every bit the gangland leader in his natty striped suit, rakishly worn with striped shirt and striped tie and accompanied by diamond stickpin and loosely hanging hank.

The ventless jacket has straight flapped hip pockets and is described in the auction as lined in auburn patterned silk, matching the back of the barely glimpsed waistcoat. For most of the sequence, the suit jacket appears to have 3-button “kissing” cuffs, though the sleeves appear to be finished with four buttons in some shots at the First Ward Social Club.

As mentioned earlier, Tony had already been wearing the suit’s matching flat front trousers for receiving that morning’s visitors in his apartment, but the brief scene as he changes out of his dressing gown into his suit jacket provides the viewer with some more details of these trousers, which have straight pockets along the side seams, jetted back pockets, and tall belt loops for his wide dark leather belt. The bottoms are finished with turn-ups (cuffs).

Upon hearing that the law is knocking at his door, Tony changes out of his dressing gown into the suit jacket and waistcoat to match the trousers he was already wearing.

After the loud basketweave-patterned suit our anti-hero wore in a previous scene, Tony seems to be taking some measures to subdue his appearance. Rather than the fancy spats that accompanied that suit, Tony wears a pair of plain dark leather cap-toe oxfords with his brown striped suit, best seen when he hits the deck during Gaffney’s Tommy-gunning attack on the café where Tony was meeting Poppy for their date.

Tony and Poppy duck to safety when the restaurant comes under fire, a loose depiction of the real-life incident in September 1926 when Hymie Weiss sent eight cars full of gunmen to fire 1,000 rounds into Al Capone’s then-headquarters at the Hawthorne Hotel in Cicero.

Tony’s fedora is made from a light-to-medium felt with a dark ribbed grosgrain-silk band of moderate width.

By wearing three types of stripes that hardly differ in their scaling, Tony Camonte plays with sartorial fire by mixing his striped suit, striped shirt, and striped tie.

Tony wears a shirt uniquely striped with sets of two closely spaced stripes, separated by stripes of faint dots between them. The stripe is colorized to a light blue-gray in some contemporary lobby cards and promotional artwork. As the same artwork often colors the suit in its correct shade of brown, it’s reasonable to assume that the color of the shirt is also correctly depicted on these materials. The shirt has a point collar, front placket, and button cuffs.

Tony’s neckwear introduces a dangerous third stripe into the ensemble. His tie is patterned with an organized series of “uphill”-direction pencil stripes—alternating in color between white and a light shade—against a medium-dark ground suggested to be red by the same promotional artwork of the period that accurately colored the suit to be brown. As the boastful Tony sees the need to indicate his increasing wealth and status with flashy fashions, he accents his necktie with a diamond-studded horseshoe stickpin.

Shining from the little finger of his right hand is the “bargain” pinky ring that Tony had previously shown off to Poppy, misinterpreting her initial dismissal of the jewelry as “kind of effeminate, isn’t it?”

The Gun

Some little typewriter, huh? I’m gonna write my name all over this town with it. In big letters!

Given how much Tony Camonte marvels over his newly obtained Thompson submachine gun, it behooves BAMF Style to note the iconic “gun that made the twenties roar,” as described by author William J. Helmer, in the gangster’s hands.

“There’s only one thing that gets orders and gives orders, and this is it.”

The Thompson submachine gun has achieved some notoriety over the past century as one of the most recognizable firearms, in part due to its military service primarily during World War II but more notoriously as the “Chicago typewriter” that armed many of the violent criminals of the Prohibition and Depression era.

General John T. Thompson had begun his development of an innovative “auto rifle” during World War I, even before the United States entered the war. He obtained a license for his design to employ the “Blish lock” developed by naval officer John Bell Blish, though this breech-locking mechanism limited the weapon to be chambered for the .45 ACP pistol cartridge rather than the .30-06 service rifle round. General Thompson envisioned that his one-man “trench brown” would annihilate enemies during trench warfare and raced to complete prototypes of the weapon by war’s end, but the November 1918 armistice sent the Auto-Ordnance Company marketing team back to the drawing boards.

Paul Muni wields a M1921A Thompson, denoted by its lack of a Cutts compensator, in this promotional photo for Scarface.

The first Thompson submachine guns entered production in 1921, meeting with an initially lukewarm reception. Early buyers included the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Marine Corps, and the Irish Republican Army, who received less than a quarter of their initial purchase of 653 after the majority of their order was seized by U.S. customs authorities. While many agencies complained about the weapon’s weight, long-range inaccuracy, and clunky drum magazines, the chaotic nature of the handheld Thompson found it hasty favor among the gangsters whose business grew increasingly violent during Prohibition. To counter the heavily armed gangsters, more police and federal agencies were forced to add Thompsons to their own arsenals, culminating in the FBI—then known simply as the Bureau of Investigation—arming its agents with Thompsons after the deadly Kansas City Massacre in 1933.

By the time the FBI had finally come around to recognizing the power of what had become colloquially popular as the “Tommy gun”, Auto-Ordnance had been listening to its users complaints with updates and modifications along the way, most notably the 1926 addition of a “Cutts” recoil compensator on the end of the barrel. The new model with this muzzle brake was designated the M1921AC while the original Thompson with its simple front sight was now known as the M1921A. Two years later, the M1928A1 was developed for military usage, though it would still be ten years until the U.S. military would more comprehensively adopt the weapon.

After that, it would simplify the Thompson into two more combat-friendly variants—the M1 and, eventually, the M1A1—which removed the Cutts compensator and cooling fins, moved the charging handle from the top to the side of the receiver, and replaced the all-but-obsolete “Blish lock” with a straight blowback operation.

“Lookit, Johnny, you can carry it around like a baby!”

Aside from a brief appearance in the hands of one of Rico’s gangsters in Little Caesar (1931) and a bizarrely scoped version seen in the Laurel and Hardy comedy Pardon Us (1931), the Thompson submachine gun appeared to have made its first prominent screen debut in Scarface, where a M1921A Thompson was handled, loaded, and fired in the hands of a gangster before the strict enforcement of the Hays Production Code reduced the weapons in criminals’ hands to almost always being less powerful than those seen carried by the police.

Though clearly excited about Tony’s assertiveness, Poppy has little faith in the Thompson and eagerly loads up a revolver during the scene, tossing it to Tony on his way out the door “in case that bean shooter doesn’t work!”

How to Get the Look

Paul Muni as Tony Camonte in Scarface (1932)

Brown suits are an inspired addition to your fall office wardrobe and, thanks to a Profiles in History auction that included one of Paul Muni’s suits from Scarface, we know that Tony Camonte was no stranger to sporting brown suits for his business dealings as well!

• Chocolate brown (with cream-colored rope stripe) wool suit:
  • Double-breasted 6×2-button suit jacket with peak lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 3-button “kissing cuffs”, and ventless back
  • Flat front suit trousers with belt loops, straight/on-seam side pockets, jetted back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• White (with sets of blue double stripes) cotton shirt with point collar, front placket, and button cuffs
• Red (with alternating white and light-colored “uphill”-direction pencil stripes) silk tie
• Diamond-studded horseshoe tie stickpin
• Black leather belt
• Black calf leather cap-toe oxfords
• Light felt fedora with dark ribbed grosgrain-silk band
• Diamond pinky ring

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie or the Deluxe Scarface Gift Set which offers both the 1932 and 1983 versions as well as collectible lobby cards and featurettes on both discs.

The Quote

Get outta my way, Johnny! I’m gonna spit!

Robert Mitchum as Harry Kilmer in The Yakuza (1974)

Vitals

Robert Mitchum as Harry Kilmer, tough former detective

Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan, Spring 1974

Film: The Yakuza
Release Date: December 28, 1974
Director: Sydney Pollack
Costume Designer: Dorothy Jeakins

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Fall is here in the Northern Hemisphere, and it’s my favorite season for the cooler weather, the changing leaves, and the increased sweaters, corduroys, and tweeds that make their way from the back of the closet back into regular rotation. These autumnal staples get some particularly badass exposure in Sydney Pollack’s 1974 Japanese-set neo-noir The Yakuza as a 57-year-old Robert Mitchum joins Ken Takakura as they fight their way through Honshu from Kyoto to Tokyo in a variety of natty turtlenecks layered under tweed jackets and corduroy suits.

Conceptualized by brothers Paul and Leonard Schrader, the plot brings grizzled detective Harry Kilmer (Mitchum) out of retirement to help rescue the daughter of his old friend George Tanner (Brian Keith) from her Yakuza kidnappers at a monastery. Joined by his protege, Dusty (Richard Jordan), the honorable Ken Tanaka (Takakura), Harry’s mission draws Yakuza blood and leads to this storied criminal group putting out a contract on the trio of rescuers.

What’d He Wear?

Even before we get into the corduroy, it has to be said that The Yakuza is a fantastic turtleneck movie, with Harry, Ken, and Dusty all sporting rollnecks of various colors, cloths, and weights. It’s Robert Mitchum as Harry Kilmer who makes the most of pairing it with corduroy as well, first dressing down an olive needlecord suit with a gray ribbed-knit rollneck and then leading the violent mission during the film’s climax with a tan parka over his black turtleneck.

In the midst of these adventures, we see Harry leading the expedition to rescue Tanner’s daughter, sporting a classic casual ’70s ensemble of a corduroy waist-length jacket zipped-up over a turtleneck, both in shades of brown.

Ken Takakura and Robert Mitchum on the set of The Yakuza. Mitchum’s sunglasses are likely the actor’s own as they don’t appear on screen.

Harry’s jacket is a thin-waled brown corduroy with a broad shirt-style collar that betrays its 1970s provenance. With about two inches of clearance from the waist hem, the jacket zips up the front with a silver-toned pull tab on a silver zipper. The set-in sleeves are undecorated at the cuffs, and there are two hand pockets with vertical openings. A curved seam extends out from each armpit and vertically down the front of each chest panel.

Most modern-made men’s corduroy zip-up blousons that I find online have a much wider-waled cord and/or the addition of chest pocket flaps that take us away from Robert Mitchum’s screen-worn jacket. Retailers like Banana Republic, Gap, H&M, J. Crew, Old Navy, and Target are more focused on corduroy trucker jackets. This lighter brown Topman option available from Nordstrom seems to be more inspired by a classic flight jacket (and not, as the description curiously suggests, a Harrington jacket), leaving the Volcom “domjohn” jacket from ASOS as a surprising candidate for shoppers seeking to emulate Mitchum. If you have a higher budget, Sunspel offers the “Men’s Wide Wale Corduroy Harrington Jacket” in dark camel (and navy) for $495, though the name is misleading as the style has far more in common with Mitchum’s jacket than a classic Harrington. The best item on the market—right down to the color—that I was able to find, as of September 2019, was obviously this ’70s-dated vintage piece by Cal Craft.

Less unique but hardly less memorable is Mitchum’s tan cashmere wool turtleneck jumper with its heavily ribbed neck, cuffs, and hem and slimmer ribbing through the body of the sweater.

One sign of a comfortable turtleneck? People do a double-take when they worry it’s about to swallow your head.

Production photo of Ken Takakura and Robert Mitchum in The Yakuza.

Mitchum wears the turtleneck over a cream-colored undershirt with long sleeves that perform the double-duty of preventing the wool from making his arms itch and protecting the cashmere from absorbing sweat and body oils.

Early fall isn’t the easiest time to go turtleneck-shopping as most retailers are transitioning from summer with lighter-weight pullover sweaters and cardigans, though there’s an alpaca-blend turtleneck available on Amazon for only $38.99 (as of September 2019) with a similar ribbing detail and made from a similar dijon-tinted tan material as Mitchum’s sweater. For the price, it could be worth the uneven reviews to tide you over until more reputable retailers begin stocking their shelves with roll-necks for the cooler months ahead.

Apropos the military-inspired nature of their infiltration mission, Harry wears a pair of olive drab flat front trousers that look like they could be army surplus pants, worn with a dark brown leather belt with a large, semi-rounded single-prong buckle in polished gold-toned metal.

Harry’s olive trousers have frogmouth front pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms that only slightly flare over his brown leather raised-heel ankle boots.

Harry inspects Ollie’s arsenal.

The watch strapped to Harry’s left wrist is a stainless Rolex DateJust that was likely the personal property of Robert Mitchum, as he could be seen wearing the same wristwatch with its silver dial and steel “Jubilee”-style bracelet in some of his other movies from the decade, including The Big Sleep (1978). He occasionally wears peanut brown calf leather gloves.

Note the sleeve of Mitchum’s undershirt poking out from his left sleeve, the same wrist where he wears his Rolex.

A brief vignette of Harry traveling by train depicts him wearing the same jacket but with the trendier and more flamboyant underpinnings of a dark chocolate brown knit polo open at the neck with a brown, bronze, white, and red patterned silk scarf knotted over his throat.

The Gun

In Tokyo, Harry Kilmer arms himself from the arsenal of his pal Oliver “Ollie” Wheat (Herb Edelman), chambering a blued steel .45 with the serial number crudely removed, then noting “I’ll need a .38 for Dusty.”

During this era, the .45 ACP blank round was unreliable so many productions—The Wild Bunch, The Getaway, and Three Days of the Condor to name a few—replaced .45-caliber 1911 pistols with cosmetically similar Star Model B pistols that fired the more universal and blank-reliable 9×19 mm Parabellum round. The Yakuza appears to be an exception as Mitchum seems to be fielding and firing a genuine M1911A1 throughout the movie.

Harry pulls back the slide of his .45. Note the scratched-off serial number just below the ejection port.

The venerated M1911 pistol series dates back to shortly after the start of the 20th century when Colt beat out DWM and Savage with its winning entry for a new American service pistol chambered in .45 ACP. The single-action, recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1911, followed by the Navy and the Marine Corps over the next two years. Following its performance in World War I, several modifications—including a shorter trigger, arched mainspring housing, and longer grip safety spur—were introduced during the 1920s for what would be designated the M1911A1, which would serve all branches of the U.S. military for the next 60 years.

How to Get the Look

Robert Mitchum as Harry Kilmer in The Yakuza (1974)

Robert Mitchum’s tough protagonist in The Yakuza incorporates the decade’s popular earth tone palette into his wardrobe of corduroy clothing and turtleneck sweaters with this comfortable casual outfit.

• Brown corduroy waist-length zip-up jacket with wide collar, vertical-opening hand pockets, and set-in sleeves with plain cuffs
• Tan cashmere wool turtleneck sweater with wide ribbed-knit rollneck, cuffs, and hem
• Cream-colored long-sleeved undershirt
• Olive drab flat front trousers with belt loops, frogmouth front pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Dark brown leather belt with polished gold-toned rounded single-prong buckle
• Brown leather ankle boots with raised heels
• Brown leather gloves
• Rolex DateJust steel-cased wristwatch with silver dial and steel “Jubilee” bracelet

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

Ken: “Doesn’t your side bother you?”
Harry: “Nah, it needed a little trimming anyway.”

Ted Danson as Sam Malone on Cheers (Episode 1.22: “Showdown, Part 2”)

Vitals

Ted Danson as Sam Malone, bartender and former baseball star

Boston, Spring 1983

Series: Cheers
Episodes:
– “Showdown, Part 2” (Episode 1.22, dir. James Burrows, aired 3/31/1983)
– “Power Play” (Episode 2.01, dir. James Burrows, aired 9/29/1983)
Created by: Glen Charles, Les Charles, and James Burrows
Costume Designer: Robert L. Tanella

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

One of the most pivotal moments in the early seasons of Cheers was Sam and Diane setting “will they or won’t they?” by getting together in the final seconds of the first season finale… then picking up abruptly in the second season premiere with their attempts at coupling that prove the fledgling relationship may already be doomed.

“Showdown, Part 2” had begun with a bitter Sam returning from a date with a blonde, no doubt an entry from his infamous black book, leaving the young woman at Cheers’ threshold before retreating into his office to brood over Diane (Shelley Long) dating his never-seen and never-again-mentioned “perfect” brother Derek. Despite it being her day off, Diane also comes into Cheers, finally confessing her own thinly veiled attraction to Sam as she seeks life advice from Coach (Nicholas Colasanto), despite the good-natured bartender’s own admission that she’s “asking a guy who’s taken a lot of fastballs in the head.”

Encouraged by Coach and Cheers’ perennial barfly Norm (George Wendt), Diane refuses to let Sam hide his feelings behind his “tough jock façade,” and the episode’s final ten minutes are a brilliantly honest, human, and often hilarious argument between Sam and Diane that leads to their first kiss.

Diane: You disgust me. I hate you.
Sam: Are you as turned on as I am?
Diane: More!
Sam: Bet me.

While that concludes the first season, it’s only the beginning of a whole new chapter for the series as the “bred and educated to walk with kings” Diane and self-described “babehound” Sam have to learn—quickly—how to adapt to the other. She gasps at his Wilt Chamberlain-like claim of bedding at least 400 women (soon redacted to “four honeys”), while he has to learn to share space with Diane’s army of stuffed animals—including, but hardly limited to, Mr. Jammers, Freddie Frogbottom, Gary Gorilla, and Mr. Buzzer—without throwing them out the window of her apartment… which, when seen in “Power Play” (Episode 2.01), becomes the first time that Cheers was set anywhere beside the bar’s interior, which had been the exclusive setting for all on-screen action during the show’s first season.

“Power Play”, which aired 26 years ago this weekend, sets the foundation for the show’s groundbreaking portrayal of a relationship that may not be meant to be. The episode was so named as each of the newly paired couple seeks advice from the patrons at Cheers to gain the upper hand in their relationship. This culminates with Carla (Rhea Perlman) suggesting that Sam show power, resulting in the boldly ill-advised action of Sam breaking down Diane’s door… which, in turn, prompts her to pretend to call the police on him. It’s going to be a long road for these two crazy kids.

What’d He Wear?

Through the early seasons of Cheers, Sam Malone has a few go-to outfit templates. At his most dressed up, whether it’s for a date or a photo shoot as one of Boston’s most eligible bachelors, Sam sports a corduroy jacket with an OCBD and tie paired with boat shoes and either jeans or slacks. Most days behind the bar, however, he dresses for comfort with just enough style sense to quickly make a date, if needed, pulling from his selection of plaid button-up shirts, loud sweaters (for Beantown’s chillier days), and comfortable-looking rugby shirts, almost always accompanied by the prep style staples of surcingle belt and boat shoes.

For its emblematic representation of Sam’s casual style as well as its role in one of the early series’ most pivotal sequences, let’s explore the light blue rugby shirt and coordinating corduroys that Ted Danson wears from “Showdown, Part 2” into “Power Play”. Rugby shirts appropriately originated in the sport of the same name, where players require durable shirts that can withstand the contact nature of the sport while also allowing for easy movement and breathability during the game. You can learn more about the history of rugby shirts—as well as what differentiates them from cosmetically similar polo shirts—in Albert Muzquiz’s informative Heddels article.

Sam’s rugby shirt in these episodes is a cool shade of sky blue cotton with the contrasting white collar and placket that is characteristic of many rugby shirts. The placket is detailed with three sew-through hard rubber buttons that would fasten through a covered fly, though Danson typically wears his rugby shirts completely unbuttoned at the neck. The rubber buttons were implemented as a safer and stronger alternative to plastic should a rugby player’s shirt be pulled at the collar during gameplay.

The athletic origins of the rugby shirt make it a perfect fit for proud ex-jock Sam Malone.

Sam often wears white cotton V-neck undershirts. Even though he usually wears the short plackets of his rugby shirts completely unbuttoned, the undershirt is hardly discernible as it barely contrasts with the white collar and placket that follows the same V-shaped neckline.

Perhaps the most unique detail of Sam’s shirt is the kangaroo-inspired pouch pocket, a large double-entry pocket across his abdomen with a curved opening on each side that resembles the pocket most commonly found on hooded sweatshirts. In my opinion, this is a great shirt for a bartender: comfortable for long hours behind the bar, durable and washable for frequent spills, and detailed with an easily accessed pocket for stuffing tips… or, in Sam Malone’s case, phone numbers of potential dates.

While this sky blue shirt had also made a prior appearance in another notable early episode, “The Boys in the Bar” (Episode 1.16), Sam wears several of these pouch-pocket rugby shirts across the show’s premiere season, in different colors like green and navy (both branded Nike), bright red and bold blue (with no branding, like this shirt), or a salmon-colored shirt with a white embroidered anchor on the breast that shows up for several episodes in a row.

Sam Malone’s “kangaroo-pocket” shirts from across the first season: a green Nike shirt in “Any Friend of Diane’s” (Episode 1.06), a navy Nike shirt in “Endless Slumper” (Episode 1.10), a salmon anchor-embroidered shirt in “Father Knows Last” (Episode 1.15) among other episodes, a red shirt in “Pick a Con…Any Con” (Episode 1.19), and a blue shirt in “No Contest” (Episode 1.18).

Rugby shirts offer its wearer an undeniable vintage vibe, illustrated by J. Crew naming its line of rugby shirts for 2019 the “Always 1984” series. The addition of the kangaroo-inspired “pouch pocket” makes it additionally hard to find shirts like Sam’s, though End Clothing occasionally has an Aime Leon Dore navy rugby shirt with a pouch pocket among its stock, and Bonobos has always adapted the double-entry patch pocket on its comfortable-looking pique French terry rugby shirts. <LINK: https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1525077&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbonobos.com%2Fproducts%2Fpique-french-terry-rugby%3Fcolor%3Dorchid&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.esquire.com%2Fstyle%2Fmens-fashion%2Fg28074063%2Fbest-rugby-shirts%2F>

Before his retro Red Sox jacket became his signature outerwear, Sam Malone cycled through a series of casual jackets in the show’s early seasons that included at least two reversible nylon jackets that appear to have taken some stylistic inspiration from the classic MA-1 bomber jacket. With this outfit, he echoes the colors of his shirt as his jacket has an ivory-colored nylon shell with cornflower blue accents and piping. The ribbed-knit collar, cuffs, and hem are all this secondary shade of blue, detailed with a double ivory stripe.

“Diane and I decided we’re gonna start messin’ around,” Sam clarifies for the patrons at Cheers.

The jacket can be reversed to reveal a cornflower blue shell with ivory accents, as seen for the jacket’s first appearance when consoling Carla in “The Tortelli Tort” (Episode 1.03), though the ivory shell is likely meant to be the true “outside” of the jacket as it has the double sets of pockets while the blue side only has single hand pockets, contrasted with ivory jetting.

The double sets of pockets seen on the ivory side are hand pockets that run parallel to each other, with blue-piped button-down flaps on the front pockets followed by blue-jetted pockets just behind them.

Diane: How could you take your pants off when we’re having a fight?
Sam: It’s not gonna last all night, I don’t wanna be overdressed when it ends!

The pants in question are blue corduroy trousers, a slightly dressier alternative to jeans that can often be just as comfortable, if not moreso. These flat front trousers have belt loops, slightly slanted side pockets, and two back pockets with a single-button flap closing over the back left pocket.

Diane is a welcome sight for Sam… though her announcement that she called the police after he broke down the door is considerably less welcome.

Sam stays true to his prep staples of surcingle belts and boat shoes, in this instance wearing a dark navy surcingle belt with light brown leather fittings and a gold-toned square single-prong buckle.

The term “surcingle” has equestrian origins, referring to the leather or synthetic-made strap that fastens around a horse’s girth. This association likely led to its nomenclature describing these prep-favored belts with web bodies and leather ends.

Whether he’s wearing a rugby shirt and jeans or a sport jacket and tie, Sam Malone almost never deviates from boat shoes, his preferred footwear of choice. Developed a half-century earlier by Paul A. Sperry, who introduced his iconic Sperry Top-Sider in 1935 for the purpose of maintaining traction on a slippery deck, boat shoes caught on outside the maritime world as a coastal casual favorite and, by the 1980s, they were a casual footwear of choice for men and women.

With this outfit, Sam’s boat shoes are the archetypal color combination of “sahara” brown nubuck uppers and white rubber outsoles, with two brass eyelets over the vamp for the light brown rawhide laces as well as two sets of laces along each side. The siped soles, 360-degree lacing, and moc-toe construction are all signatures of the classic Sperry Top-Sider, though the popularity of this style by the early 1980s doesn’t limit the possibilities of who made Sam’s shoes.

Boat shoes in hand, Sam tries to figure out what’s going on.

Boat shoes can be worn either with or without socks, though Sam usually sports his with hose. In this case, it’s a pair of black argyle socks with green and red diamonds and a white overcheck.

For all of his bed-hopping, it makes sense that we would get a few glimpses of Sam’s undergarments. Under his corduroys, Sam wears a pair of navy blue nylon running shorts with white piping and a very short inseam, which reappear late in the eighth season when Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) leaves him tied up to an elevator rail with his pants around his ankles.

The choice to outfit Sam in a pair of athletic shorts, albeit very short ones, was likely made to satisfy network sensors who weren’t ready for a sitcom’s main character to be parading onscreen in traditional underpants. However, it’s also appropriate that the ex-jock Sam, who treats sex like a sport, would rock underwear that looks like he’s ready to run the hundred-meter dash every time he takes his pants off.

“Come on, I’m losin’ the mood here, Diane.”

One of the more subtly changing pieces in Sam Malone’s wardrobe is his wristwatch, as the character wears an evolving series of timepieces over the course of the show. By the end of the first season, he’s sporting a steel military-style watch with a black dial, worn on a khaki vinyl strap with a single-prong buckle and a wide leather keeper. The watch is very clearly seen in “Let Me Count the Ways” (Episode 1.14), though it’s prominently and humorously featured in “Showdown, Part 2” (Episode 1.22) when Sam challenges Diane to stop talking for ten seconds and offers to time her.

Sam: To save your life, I bet you couldn’t shut up for 30 seconds. Make it ten.
Diane: Oh, I most certainly could!
Sam: (checks his watch) Alright, let’s see, huh?
Diane: You’re going to time me?
Sam: Yeah, that’s right, I’m gonna time you. Ten seconds, starting… now.
Diane: This is the most moronic-
Sam: You wanna try again?

While Sam and Diane’s wardrobe has remained the same when the scene resumes in “Power Play” (Episode 2.01), there are subtle differences in each cast member’s hair styles as well as Sam’s watch, having evidently swapped the strap out for a brown leather band in mid-kiss.

For a decently priced field watch like Sam’s, the Timex Expedition Scout 40 on a tan nylon band is a steal on Amazon for $36.50, though the area of military-inspired watches is a segment where Hamilton has distinguished itself as a particular expert with models like the Khaki Field, including the brown-dialed H70605993 on canvas band, the black-dialed H69439933 on canvas band, the H70595593 on nubuck strap, and the H69429901 on a NATO strap, with prices ranging from $320 up to $660, as of September 2019. More intermediately priced options include the gunmetal 5.11 field watch on a brown NATO strap ($169.99) and the Citizen Eco-Drive on a textured brown leather strap ($145.61).

What to Imbibe

After partying too hard during his Red Sox days, Sam Malone came to terms with his alcoholism and spends the bulk of the series a practicing teetolaler… making his occupation as a bartender all the more interesting. Yet the episode features one of the most entertaining non sequiturs as Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman) goes to take a drink from two older patrons (Lois de Banzie and Helen Page Camp) who gradually increase their orders from the genteel tea to sherry to “two boilermakers: Wild Turkey and Bud.”

However, if you’re looking to drink like Norm, Cliff, and the rest of the Cheers regulars, we get a hint at what fuels the bar taps when Carla requests “a couple of ‘Gansetts” in “Truce or Consequences” (Episode 1.08) and “two ‘Gansetts” in “Lil’ Sister Don’t Cha” (Episode 2.02). Both times, Sam pours out two mugs straight from the tap, suggesting that ordering a draft beer at Cheers yields the New England favorite Narragansett. This theory gets some extra credibility given Narragansett’s extensive history as the Red Sox’s sponsor up through the late ’60s, just before hotshot relief pitcher Mayday Malone would have stepped up to the mound.

How to Get the Look

Ted Danson as Sam Malone on Cheers (Episode 1.22: “Showdown, Part 2”)

As a relatively laid-back guy who still cared about his appearance, Sam Malone capitalized on the most comfortable aspects of ’80s casual attire, dressing down in a preppy wardrobe of rugby shirts, corduroy trousers, surcingle belts, boat shoes, and argyle socks as exemplified by his outfit that carried him from the finale of Cheers‘ first season and the start of its second.

• Sky blue cotton long-sleeve rugby shirt with white collar, white 3-button placket, and “kangaroo”-style pouch pocket
• Ivory (with cornflower blue accents) nylon zip-up blouson jacket with striped ribbed-knit collar, cuffs, and hem, slanted flapped side pockets, and hand pockets
• Dark blue corduroy cotton flat front trousers with belt loops, slanted side pockets, jetted back right pocket, back left pocket (with single-button flap), and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Dark navy surcingle belt with light brown leather ends
• Camel brown nubuck two-eyelet boat shoes with white outsoles
• Black argyle socks
• Navy blue, white-piped nylon short-inseam jogging shorts, worn as underwear
• Steel military watch with black dial on khaki vinyl strap with single-prong buckle and leather keeper

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the entire series, currently streaming on Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix while also available on DVD.

The Quote

How do you think it feels to be attracted to someone that makes you sick?!