Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett in After the Sunset (2004)

Vitals

Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett, retired(?) jewel thief

The Bahamas, Summer 2004

Film: After the Sunset
Release Date: November 12, 2004
Director: Brett Ratner
Costume Designer: Rita Ryack
Pierce Brosnan’s Costumer: Edward T. Hanley

Background

Happy 70th birthday to Pierce Brosnan!

Perhaps in response to playing well-tailored protagonists like Remington Steele, Thomas Crown, and—of course—James Bond, Brosnan seemed to delight in defining his post-007 screen persona as an opportunistic and oft-oversexed beach bum, as seen in varying degrees in the excellent The Tailor of Panama, the entertaining The Matador, and the escapist heist flick After the Sunset.

The latter may be the least acclaimed of that trio, but—for all of After the Sunset‘s narrative and logistic shortcomings—it’s still a treat to watch Brosnan as a retired master thief who gets restless while suffering through his off-the-grid life in a Caribbean paradise with his professional-turned-romantic partner Lola (Salma Hayek).

Max is the kind of guy whose biggest problem at the moment is feeling bored while living free of expenses in a luxurious private Bahamian seaside villa where Salma Hayek begs him to marry her on a daily basis. Let me know if you feel bad for him!

What’d He Wear?

After retiring to Paradise Island, Max’s wardrobe consists almost exclusively of linen button-up shirts with shorts during the day or breezy lightweight pants at night. His shirts are a range of colorful linen, from red, coral, and green to indigo, purple, and several blues, though he also has a pair of white linen shirts as should be a staple in any beach-going gentleman’s wardrobe.

Brosnan had previously worn a white linen long-sleeved shirt in his final Bond outing, Die Another Day, though that shirt was crisper and more tailored than the loose-fitting short-sleeved shirt he wears as Max Burdett in After the Sunset. Max’s white linen shirt has a generous, oversized fit with elbow-length sleeves, spread collar, breast pocket, and a plain front that Max wears half-buttoned to his torso.

Max’s trademark arrangement of jewelry includes a silver ring with black-filled etching that he wears on his right hand and a Maori-style Koru necklace. Suspended on a braided, waxed cord, the pendant consists of a 1.5″-wide carved bone toggle representing a fern frond, said to represent new life or new beginnings, apropos Max’s retirement in paradise. (A “Brosnan Koru” reproduction is available via Amazon.)

In contrast to the beachy vibes of his Koru necklace, Max wears a Panerai Luminor Marina watch, which Panerai Magazine specifically identified as the PAM00091 reference. This hardy automatic watch has a hefty 44mm-wide titanium case with a curved crown guard, worn on a stainless steel three-piece link bracelet. The dark blue anthracite dial has luminous hour indices, non-numerical except for the numbered 12 and 6 o’clock indicators, as well as a date window at 3 o’clock and the Marina’s signature second-counting sub-register at 9 o’clock.

Max keeps the rest of his look simple, appropriately barefoot for the beach where he sports just a pair of dark blue swim trunks.

Cigar in hand, Max awaits Lola at the end of yet another dreadfully easy day in paradise.

What to Imbibe

Max: Luc, what’s in a Caribbean Romance again?
Luc: Light rum, amaretto, orange juice, pineapple juice, and a splash of grenadine.
Max: What about the Pink Paradise?
Luc: Coconut rum, amaretto, cranberry juice, orange juice, and pineapple juice.
Max: People actually drink this stuff?
Luc: They love it, you know. Makes them feel exotic.
Max: Gimme a Jack on the rocks. Doesn’t have a fancy name, but if it was good enough for Frank, it’s good enough for me.
Luc: Frank? Who’s Frank?
Max: Sinatra.

Luc: “Did Frank take an umbrella?”
Max: “Not even when it was raining.”

I have to admit that I’d have far more interest than Max in those fruity rum cocktails—like Luc’s touristy customers, they make me feel exotic!—but I also can’t argue with Max’s order of a Jack Daniel’s on the rocks, citing Ol’ Blue Eyes as inspiration.

It’s a hard drink order to mess up, though Sinatra was famously fussy about how he took his: two fingers of Jack Daniel’s with three or four ice cubes, topped off with water in a heavy-bottomed rocks glass. In The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin’, author Bill Zehme recalls how the entertainer resented his drink preparation one evening at the Boston Four Seasons Hotel:

He reached into the glass and began plunking cubes onto the bar. The bartender asked: “Is there a problem, Mr. Sinatra?” Quietly, he explained, “No, but with all this ice, I figure we’re supposed to go skating here or something. That’s not my sport.” He left himself four.

While Max shows a degree of snobbery in his distaste for the Caribbean Romance or Pink Paradise, he at least seems to take no issue with how the oafish Luc (Troy Garrity) pours his whiskey.

How to Get the Look

Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett in After the Sunset (2004)

As you’re planning summer getaways, take inspiration from Max Burdett by dressing simply—I’m talking comfortably broken-in white linen shirt with understated swim trunks simple—while accessorizing distinctively, balancing a beachy necklace with a $6,000 watch.

• White linen short-sleeved shirt with spread collar, plain front, and breast pocket
• Dark blue polyester swim trunks
• Curved bone Maori-style Koru necklace on waxed braided cord
• Silver etched ring
• Panerai Luminor Marina PAM00091 watch with titanium 44mm case and dark blue anthracite dial with luminous hour markers, 3 o’clock date window, and 9 o’clock second-counting sub-register on stainless steel three-piece link bracelet

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

You win some, you lose some.

The post After the Sunset: Pierce Brosnan’s White Linen Beach Shirt appeared first on BAMF Style.

Leo Woodall and Haley Lu Richardson on The White Lotus (Episode 2.05: “That’s Amore”)

Vitals

Leo Woodall as Jack, a brash young man from Essex who is close to his uncle

Sicily, Summer 2022

Series: The White Lotus
Episode: “That’s Amore” (Episode 2.05)
Air Date: November 27, 2022
Director: Mike White
Creator: Mike White
Costume Designer: Alex Bovaird

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

The warmer weather may be inspiring you to plan for a late spring break or start prepping for summer vacations. With the recent announcement that the third season of The White Lotus, Mike White’s anthology of doomed vacationers, will be set in Thailand, I returned to the style from the series’ second season set in sunny Sicily… specifically a style that I was pleasantly surprised to see had long been in my own closet!

Rather than being a guest at the resort, the cocksure Jack (Leo Woodall) is connected to the coterie of Quentin (Tom Hollander) and his “high-end gays” who entertain the oblivious Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) and her Gen-Z assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) on their yacht Ethna en route Palermo. Quentin describes the outgoing yet shady young man from Essex as his “cheeky nephew”, who initially seems to be the answer to Portia’s wish for a simple, adventurous fling before she and her employer begin seeing the far more sinister reality underscoring their association.

What’d He Wear?

Jack and Portia’s respective style may have been among the most criticized of The White Lotus‘ second season—not due to any faults of costume designer Alex Bovaird; indeed, you could say that Ms. Bovaird perfectly understood the assignment, dressing both zoomers in exactly the sort of chaotic streetwear modeled regularly by the latest generation of young adults.

That said, one of my favorite wardrobe choices from this season was Jack’s attire on the yacht to Palermo, though I may be biased as I own the exact same terry-cloth set from Dandy Del Mar. (To learn more about this California-based leisurewear brand, check out my brief Q&A with them in a 2020 post highlighting Elliott Gould’s poolside style in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.)

Dandy Del Mar had been a pioneer in the ongoing terry-cloth renaissance, reviving the fashionability of toweling-cloth leisurewear that had enjoyed its greatest popularity during the ’60s and ’70s. The Western-flavored “Gaucho” set of matching shirt and shorts was among Dandy Del Mar’s first offerings, made of a terry-cloth blend of 80% cotton and 20% polyester, with white piping along the edges and yokes that matches the triple-floral embroidery on each side of the chest. Initially available only in navy blue (as owned by me and worn by Woodall on The White Lotus), the set has since been expanded to include white, pink, and black colorways.

The short-sleeved shirt has seven recessed brown plastic buttons up the front, its placket outlined in the same white piping that outlines the point collar and defines the straight yokes across the chest and back. The back also has a box pleat at the center, extending down from the yoke.

The matching thigh-length shorts have a short inseam of about six inches. The elasticized waist has a metal-tipped white drawstring, and white piping runs the length of each side seam. The shorts have side pockets and a set-in back-right pocket, which has white piping yoked across the top and closes through a button matching those on the shirt. The white “equatorial cowboy” Dandy Del Mar logo is also embroidered against this back pocket.

Just an uncle and nephew putting their mind at ease while sailing the seven seas, nothing to see here.

Jack’s favorite shoes are all-white Adidas Forum Mid sneakers, a mid-top update of the brand’s famous basketball shoes of the ’80s, characterized by a criss-cross strap system. When worn across the top, this branded velcro strap covers the top two sets of eyelets, separated by a notch from the remaining five lace eyelets on the vamps.

The Adidas Forum shot to popularity upon its 1984 debut when Michael Jordan wore them the same year for the Olympic basketball trials. They looked great on MJ, but something about a non-baller like Jack wearing velcro-strapped sneakers reminds me of the shoes I wore in kindergarten before I had mastered how to tie my shoelaces.

Jack wears the “triple white” colorway, describing the coated leather uppers, accents, and shock-absorbing rubber outsoles that are all Adidas’ signature “Cloud White” color.

Points for sporting all-white shoes at sea, though basketball sneakers look somewhat jarring on the decks of a luxurious yacht.

Perched on his head, Jack wears yellow translucent plastic-framed sunglasses with a round, retro-informed shape. He also wears a flat gold link-chain necklace and a gold band on his right ring finger.

What to Imbibe

“I fuckin’ love beer!” Jack drunkenly burps to Portia in the following episode, “Abductions” (Episode 2.06). At one point, he makes a regionally appropriate reference to grabbing some Peronis, though—rather than this Italian beer—we see him drinking Beck’s, Budweiser, and Leffe Blonde across the last three episodes of the season during his and Portia’s travels through Palermo.

Jack is exactly the sort of person who would drink Budweiser while in Sicily.

How to Get the Look

Leo Woodall as Jack on The White Lotus (Episode 2.05: “That’s Amore”)

As an unabashed advocate for both terry-cloth leisurewear and Dandy Del Mar’s role in bringing it back, I was delighted to see Leo Woodall’s Jack sporting the same comfortable “Gaucho” set that I’ve enjoyed over the last few summers. While I prefer to wear mine with espadrilles, Jack opts for Adidas’ revived Forum sneakers that have become a streetwear icon in their own right.

• Navy cotton/poly terry-cloth toweling Dandy Del Mar “Gaucho” shirt with white-piped point collar, placket, and yokes and triple white floral chest embroidery
• Navy cotton/poly terry-cloth toweling Dandy Del Mar “Gaucho” thigh-length shorts with white-piped side seams, drawstring waist, side pockets, button-through back-right pocket
• White leather Adidas Forum Mid basketball sneakers with 5-eyelet lacing system, removable velcro strap, and white rubber soles
• White socks
• Yellow translucent plastic-framed sunglasses
• Gold flat-chain necklace
• Gold ring

Shop Jack's look:

Dandy Del Mar Gaucho Terry Cloth Shirt in "vintage navy", $119 (currently sold out but available in other colors) Dandy Del Mar Gaucho Terry Cloth Shorts in "vintage navy", $79 Adidas Forum Mid Shoes in triple "cloud white", $110 $88

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Prices and availability current as of May 5, 2023.

Check out my Dandy look:

After collecting Dandy Del Mar's "Tropez"-style terry cloth shirts in white, blue, and orange, I was delighted to receive the navy "Gaucho" shirt and shorts set for Christmas 2020, and they've become a summer staple for me each year since. I most recently wore them this March while honeymooning in Jamaica, where they were perfect for comfortable drying off after a long, lazy day in and out of the Caribbean waters.

Yours truly, clad in Dandy Del Mar Gaucho shirt and shorts, Persol PO9649-S sunglasses, Doxa SUB300T Sharkhunter watch, and H&M espadrilles.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the series, streaming on HBO Max… or, uh, Max, as it’s evidently going to be called from now on.

The post The White Lotus: Jack’s Terrycloth Leisurewear from Dandy Del Mar appeared first on BAMF Style.

James Stewart as Frank Towns in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

Vitals

James Stewart as Frank Towns, experienced cargo pilot and war veteran

Libyan desert, Spring 1965

Film: The Flight of the Phoenix
Release Date: December 15, 1965
Director: Robert Aldrich
Costume Designer: Norma Koch

Background

James Maitland Stewart had to fly. His earliest memories of flight involved colorful covers of Literary Digest depicting the Great War, then in progress, and the incredible use of air power by both sides. Jim tacked up each magazine cover on the wall in his bedroom. “Airplanes were the last thing I thought of every night and the first thing I thought of every morning,” he would say as an adult.

— Robert Matzen, Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe, Chapter 1

Born 115 years ago today on May 20, 1908, Jimmy Stewart had a lifelong passion for flight that followed him through his career, from the model airplane he lovingly constructed with Henry Fonda during their salad days on Broadway through his celebrated service flying dangerous combat missions as a U.S. Army Air Forces officer during World War II. Reticent to discuss his service after the war, Stewart flew B-24 Liberators on 20 combat missions over Europe and, by war’s end, was one of only a handful of Americans to rise from the rank of private to colonel in only four years.

Aviation continued to be a theme of Stewart’s life during his postwar film career, often starring in flight-themed dramas like No Highway in the Sky (1951), The Glenn Miller Story (1954), Strategic Air Command (1955), and The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), playing famed aviator Charles Lindbergh.

One of the last—and perhaps best—of Stewart’s aviation-centered films is The Flight of the Phoenix, Robert Aldrich’s 1965 survival drama based on Elleston Trevor’s novel of the same name. Stewart plays civilian cargo pilot Frank Towns, described by his navigator Lew Moran (Richard Attenborough) as “one of the few really great pilots left in this push-button world of yours.”

While flying his Fairchild C-82 Packet cargo plane across Libya from Jaghbub to Benghazi, mechanical errors force Captain Towns to crash-land in the desert, grounding the oil workers, French doctor, and British Army personnel aboard. As the hours stretch into days, it becomes increasingly obvious to the handful of survivors that no immediate assistance is coming and they will need to depend on their resourcefulness to rescue themselves. The studious [model] aircraft designer Heinrich Dorfmann (Hardy Krüger) constructs a plan for the group to rebuild their plane and fly out themselves… a veritable Phoenix.

What’d He Wear?

We never see Frank Towns without his peaked cap, which appears to be a World War II-era U.S. Army officer’s summer service cap. According to USWW2Uniforms.com, these caps were authorized from 1943 through the end of the year as a warm-weather option for officers to purchase, characterized by a khaki cover and spring riser, brown leather visor, and a brown leather chinstrap across the front that connects to a crested gilt button on each side. (Instead of this more elaborate configuration, Towns’ cap has an olive braided cord connected to plain brass-toned buttons.)

Always made from the same shade of khaki, cap covers were made in both a 10.5-oz. plain-weave tropical worsted wool or a 8.2-oz. tightly woven cotton twill, each matching the respective Army summer service uniform cloth. The cotton covers were designed with two holes on each side to air the wearer’s head when wearing the tightly woven twill cloth, but the wool caps required no such ventilation; based on the appearance of the cloth and the lack of these holes, Towns’ cap appears to be the wool version.

Towns wears either a non-military cap or an Army-issued one that he has de-commissioned for civilian use by removing the gilt U.S. coat of arms from the front of the crown, leaving only a small grommet in the center. The rest of the crown falls softly, recalling the “crushed” appearance of USAAF pilots’ caps after removing the wire stiffeners to more easily accommodate headphones.

Towns wears a classic light-blue chambray work shirt, a style that had been authorized as U.S. Navy workwear since the start of the 20th century, though Towns wears a commercially produced variation. His shirt has a front placket, button cuffs, and large patch-style hip pockets with mitred corners on the button-down flaps and the pockets themselves. All of the buttons are a mixed blue plastic. The left pocket flap has an additional white-stitched hole, presumably a pen slot.

The most distinctive characteristic of Towns’ chambray shirt are the reinforced shoulder yokes, defined by a triple-stitched seam that begins at the center of the shoulder seam and curves back toward the armpit, running behind the outer top corner of each pocket. All of the stitching on the shirt is done with a lightly contrasting white thread.

Towns’ belt and trousers may be the only pieces of his kit without a prominent military provenance. His light khaki cotton pants have the typical five-pocket layout and riveted corners of jeans, and the dramatic curve of the front pockets as well as the color of the cotton suggests the contemporary Lee “Westerner” model that had a matching trucker jacket as worn around the same time by Sidney Poitier in Lilies of the Field. However, Towns’ jeans lack Lee’s characteristic black branded patch along the top seam of the back-right pocket, suggesting that it was either removed or made by someone else. (As I believe I can discern Lee’s signature “lazy S” stitch across the back pockets, I’m inclined to believe they’re de-badged Lees.)

The jeans are cut straight through the leg with a long rise to Jimmy Stewart’s natural waist-line. He holds them up with a narrow Western-styled belt of plain brown leather with a large silver-toned curved ranger-style single-prong buckle with a matching keeper and tip.

Appropriate for their desert surroundings, Towns wears desert boots, the unique ankle-high footwear launched in 1950 by English shoemaker Clarks following Nathan Clark’s Asian service with the British Army during World War II. Sharing their ankle-high, derby-laced profile with chukka boots, desert boots are characterized by unlined rough suede uppers and crepe soles, resulting in lightweight, durable boots offering effective traction.

Towns wears brown suede desert boots with matching brown laces pulled through a two-eyelet system, worn with thin black cotton lisle socks.

Towns occasionally pulls on the extra layer of a well-worn field jacket, specifically the thigh-length M-1951 jacket that had been introduced for U.S. Army personnel during the Korean War to replace the older M-1943 and would last through the beginning of the Vietnam War.

The M-1951 is made of a 9-oz. weather-resistant cotton sateen cloth in the same olive-green shade as the contemporary OG-107 utility fatigues. The jacket’s profile continued the four-pocket design of the M-1943 and M-1950, with two large bellows pockets over the chest and two large set-in pockets over the hips, each closing with a hidden snap on a pointed flap. The M-1951 jacket has a khaki-taped zipper that extends up from the waist to the neck, covered by a fly with eight snaps to close. (This fastening system most immediately differentiates the M-1951 from the older M-1943 and M-1950, which had buttons instead of snaps and closed as high as mid-chest, though the ulster collar could be closed over the chest as well.)

The M-1951 boasted two separate drawstrings to close the cinched waist and around the bottom hem, though Towns has configured his jacket so that he could tie the waist drawstring without closing the rest of the jacket, likely wearing cooler in the desert heat.

The jacket also has shoulder straps (epaulets) sewn to the set-in sleeve-heads and buttoned to the shoulders closer to the neck, and the cuffs close through one of two buttons for an adjustable fit over the wrist; the green buttons on Towns’ jacket suggest a later issue than older jackets, which would have brown buttons.

Towns wears brown pebbled leather three-point gloves that serve him for maintaining his grip while flying and conducting maintenance on his plane. The gloves have matching leather pull-cord straps over the back of each wrist, snapped down on one end with a beaded end.

Rather than the more sophisticated aviation-minded watches that had been produced the previous decade, like the Breitling Navitimer, Rolex GMT Master, or military-issued A-17 pilot watches, Towns wears a tastefully simple steel-cased wristwatch with a round white dial detailed by silver-toned non-numeric hour indices and worn on a plain black leather strap.

The Gun

After a group of mysterious horsemen make the group feel threatened and Captain Harris (Peter Finch) and Dr. Renaud (Christian Marquand) haven’t returned from the trip to meet them, Towns takes an Enfield No. 2 Mk I* revolver from the cowardly Sergeant Watson (Ronald Fraser), who had refused to accompany his superior officer.

Note the spurless hammer on Wilson’s revolver, characteristic of the Enfield No. 2 Mk I* that had been introduced in 1938 and effectively rendered the revolver to be double-action only.

The Enfield No. 2 Mk I was first produced in the early 1930s when it entered British service alongside the Webley revolver, both chambered for the .38/200 cartridge (also known as .38 S&W Short). This cartridge had been adopted as the military’s preferred alternative to the heavy recoil of the powerful .455 round.

Developed at the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) Enfield, “the design of the Enfield No. 2 Mk I was a scaled-down version of the Webley Mark VI, featuring a “break-top” frame and cylinder chambered for six rounds, firing a heavy-grain bullet,” according to The Complete World Encyclopedia of Guns. In 1938, the revolver was retooled with a spurless hammer, rendering it double-action only. However, it compensated for this with a lighter mainspring that eased the shot. This updated model was named the No. 2 Mk I*, differentiated by an asterisk instead of the perhaps more practical solutions of “Mk II” or even “No. 3”.

After finding both Harris and Renaud have been murdered, Towns angrily fires every round from the revolver into an injured camel to put it out of its misery.

The Enfield No. 2 Mk I* was relatively accurate, as it lacked the typically heavy trigger pull encountered with double-action only handguns. The spurless hammer added the benefit of preventing it from snagging on clothing or tank cabling and controls. After the war, almost all existing stocks of Enfield revolvers were converted to resemble the No. 2 Mk I*. Like its Webley cousins, the Enfield No. 2 Mk I* remained in British service long after most other nations had updated their service pistols to semi-automatics. It was eventually replaced by the semi-automatic Browning Hi-Power (L9/L9A1) in the 1960s.

How to Get the Look

James Stewart as Frank Towns in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

From his khaki peaked cap to his desert boots, Frank Towns dresses in rugged and simple high-flying workwear informed by his previous military service, with an emphasis on strong yet light-wearing fabrics that could be comfortably worn through an extended period in the desert.

• Light-blue chambray cotton work shirt with curved shoulder yokes, front placket, two chest pockets (with button-down flaps), and button cuffs
• Light-khaki cotton straight-leg jeans with long rise, belt loops, and five-pocket layout
• Brown leather belt with silver-toned curved Western-style single-prong buckle with matching keeper and tip
• Brown suede 2-eyelet crepe-soled desert boots
• Black cotton lisle socks
• Khaki tropical worsted wool officer’s summer service peaked cap with olive braided cord-strap and brown leather visor
• Olive-green cotton sateen M-1951 U.S. Army field jacket with snap/zip front closure, drawstrings at waist and hem, two bellows chest pockets and two set-in hip pockets (all with snap-closed pointed flaps), shoulder straps/epaulets, and button cuffs
• Brown leather three-point gloves with toggled wrist strap
• Steel dress watch with round white dial on black leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie, which was later remade in 2004 with Dennis Quaid in Stewart’s role.

I also recommend Robert Matzen’s book Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe that chronicles Stewart’s wartime service with the USAAF.

The Quote

I suppose pilots are just as good now as they ever were, but they sure don’t live the way we did. I could tell you that there were times when you took real pride in just… getting there. Flying used to be fun!

The post Jimmy Stewart in The Flight of the Phoenix appeared first on BAMF Style.

Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). Photo by John Wilson.

Vitals

Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, famous Southern detective

Spetses, Greece, May 2020

Film: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Release Date: November 23, 2022
Director: Rian Johnson
Costume Designer: Jenny Eagan

Background

Three years ago this month, eccentric billionaire tech developer Miles Bron (Edward Norton) pulled together a half-dozen of his closest friends frenemies for a weekend at his private Greek island. It’s May 2020, and—as in real life—the height of the COVID-19 lock-downs, though there appear to be no restrictions for Miles’ upper-class coterie.

While Miles welcomes some from outside his college clique, such as the laidback loafer Derol (Noah Segan), he’s unpleasantly surprised to greet the woman he had known as his former business partner Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe) and the famed detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig).

Rian Johnson’s first Knives Out film, credited with reviving the classic murder mystery genre, was set in a grand, isolated mansion, evoking genre predecessors like Murder By Death, Clue, and Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, while Benoit Blanc’s sun-baked seaside reappearance in Glass Onion was said to be inspired by vacation-set whodunits like The Last of Sheila and Christie’s Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun.

What’d He Wear?

After spending the first Knives Out buttoned up in autumnal tweeds and wool, Benoit Blanc can let loose a bit for the warm Hellenic mystery, rotating through a collection of linen suits and shirts as well as a fittingly idiosyncratic seersucker swimsuit made by Anto Beverly Hills, worn while navigating the swimming pools and smokeless gardens of Miles Bron’s private island.

Perhaps to disguise the fact that the erstwhile James Bond would be in better shape than expected of a fussy detective, Craig was outfitted in an old-fashioned two-piece swimsuit consisting of a short-sleeved pullover short and thigh-length shorts, both made of a matching white-and-blue awning-striped seersucker cotton, presumably treated for some degree of water resistance.

“That is quite a piece!” Blanc comments of the custom 1911 that Duke (Dave Bautista) keeps holstered, even when in the pool.

Maureen Lee Lenker reported for Entertainment Weekly that costume designer Jenny Eagen was inspired by no less than Frank Sinatra for Benoit’s bathing costume. “Initially her idea was for something made of terry cloth, a very ’60s look, but when visiting her shirt-maker, she was struck with inspiration. ‘He was like, “Oh, my dad used to build Frank Sinatra something,”‘ she remembers. ‘His dad was also a shirt maker and he had the patterns. He brought out old pictures and I was like, “This could be amazing.”‘

Ol’ Blue Eyes wasn’t the only mid-century crooner who had a hand in Benoit Blanc’s sartorial development, as Eagen explained to the Costume Designers Guild that the shirt pattern had been originally created for Paul Anka in the ’70s.

Blanc struggles to understand Miles Bron’s perhaps misguided understanding of “disruption” while Birdie (Kate Hudson) appreciates her magazine cover that Miles keeps around his home as set dressing.

The hip-length shirt has a flat collar and a V-shaped neckline that dips to mid-chest, where the left side elegantly overlaps. The shirt also has elbow-length sleeves, side pleats on the back, and welted hand pockets positioned just above the hem.

The matching flat-front shorts are banded in dark blue across the top with a matching dark blue drawstring. Blanc appears to wear them over white underwear, perhaps to protect his modesty when wading through the water in the light-weight cloth.

Blanc panics as his cigar triggers the alarms in Miles’ smokeless garden.

As with all of his Greek outfits in Glass Onion, Benoit Blanc wears a neckerchief that adds a dandyish dash à la Cary Grant in the early Riviera-set scenes of To Catch a Thief. He contrasts the white and blue of his outfit with a yellow bandana, specifically the Golden Yellow Floral Bandana made by Abracadana. The brand describes the kerchief as inspired by ancient Bohemian textiles, with the white floral design screen-printed on a tightly woven 100% cotton quilting fabric.

Blanc protects his stainless Omega Seamaster 1948 Co-Axial Master Chronometer by not wearing it into the pool, but he continues wearing his Cutler & Gross 1302 sunglasses with their retro-inspired round “Honey Turtle” acetate frames and titanium lugs and temples.

Taking cover behind a bronzed ass, the dandily attired Blanc overhears yet another incriminating conversation.

He completes the look with the “Settat” sandals from Manolo Blahnik, the high-end Spanish shoe designer famously celebrated on Sex and the City. Each upper consists of two pieces of woven cream-colored raffia palm crossing over the instep (leaving the toes exposed) and light-brown calf leather slingback straps with a brass-toned rectangular single-prong buckle along the outside to adjust the fit around the foot.

One minute you’re squatting together while enjoying Jared Leto’s hard kombucha, the next you’re unraveling the murder mystery set up as that weekend’s entertainment.

To my knowledge, all of the above brands worn on screen by Daniel Craig were first identified widely by the excellent Instagram account @whatsdanielwearing, a must-follow for fans of the actor and his on- and off-screen style.

What to Imbibe

“Have a hard kombucha, they’re actually pretty good… Jared Leto sent ’em over,” Miles attests as Blanc strides onto the deck of his pool. Branded “Red Plant”, Leto’s kombucha joins the incredible array of fictional celebrity-endorsed consumables in the Knives Out universe, including Jeremy Renner’s hot sauce that becomes a more significant plot point than you may expect.

I’ve only drank kombucha a handful of times and assumed that it had only originated a few years before I first heard of it around 2015, but “kombucha tea’s alleged healing properties have been touted since it originated in China more than 2,000 years ago,” according to UPMC HealthBeat in a post that helpfully explores the supposed health benefits and determines that—while many of its benefits are mostly unproven—the fermentation process that creates kombucha also yields a wealth of gut-friendly probiotics.

From my state of relative unfamiliarity, I was surprised to learn that hard kombucha actually exists… though Jared Leto has yet to toss his enterprising hat into this arena. Adding a degree of alcohol may somewhat nullify the positive impact of probiotic-rich kombucha, though Health.com concludes that “hard kombuchas are a comparable alternative to beer, wine, or mixed drinks.”

How to Get the Look

Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). Photo by John Wilson.

Benoit Blanc took his seaside styling cues from mid-century icons like Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra, dressing with memorable eccentricity for a sunny afternoon by the pool in a matching seersucker shirt and shorts, accessorized with one of his usual colorful neckerchiefs, luxury sandals, and natty sunglasses.

• White-and-blue awning-striped seersucker cotton short-sleeved pullover shirt with V-neck collar and hip pockets
• White-and-blue awning-striped seersucker cotton flat-front shorts with white-banded waist and side pockets
• Yellow and white floral-print cotton neckerchief
• Cream-colored raffia palm sandals with light brown calf leather slingback straps
• Cutler & Gross 1302 “Honey Turtle” tortoise round-framed sunglasses with titanium lugs and temples

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie, now streaming on Netflix.

The Quote

It is a dangerous thing to mistake speaking without thought with speaking the truth.

The post Glass Onion: Benoit Blanc’s Striped Seersucker Swimwear appeared first on BAMF Style.

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson

Vitals

Series: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
Created by: Tim Robinson & Zach Kanin
Season 1 Costume Designer: Emily Ting
Season 2 Costume Designer: Monica Chamberlain

Background

We all know that triples is best, so the third season of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson will premiere on Corncob TV Netflix just under a week from now on Tuesday, May 30.

I Think You Should Leave often steps beyond the line into absurdity, though its costume designers Emily Ting and Monica Chamberlain have always dressed its characters to realistic perfection, adding a familiar verisimilitude that communicates so much about them in the few minutes we spend with each, whether that’s representing the hoodie culture of millennial-run agencies, a drivers’ ed teacher whose baggy polo probably even predates his instructional videos, and the insufferably pedantic jazz fan Howie (Tim Heidecker) poorly layering an open button-up shirt over a black T-shirt with slightly longer sleeves.

I could go on about the understated brilliance of I Think You Should Leave‘s costume design, but I’ll instead limit my focus to the handful of sketches that have centered around clothing, from ridiculous inventions like a T-shirt designed to be tugged or trousers designed to look pissed-in to men who invest in ludicrously patterned shirts and ill-conceived fedoras.

Season 1

T.C. Tuggers

Episode 2: “Thanks For Thinking They Are Cool”

A Degrassi-type show, River Mountain High, is introduced in the second episode as “sponsored by TC Topps’ TC Tugger shirts, the only shirt with the tugging knob.” You may think the gag ends there, but it’s revealed to be far more than just a non-sequitur when the show’s principal (Tim Robinson) arrives in the midst of a bickering high school couple’s dramatic scene, pulling the celebrated tugging knob of the teal T-shirt layered under his tweed sports coat.

TC Topps solving a problem you never realized needed to be solved.

“That’s a cool shirt,” the girl comments, inspiring Principal S. to stutter into a minute-long hagiography that’s only a shade less subtle than the McDonald’s and Coke product placement in MAC and Me. While our principal seems a little uncertain of which nomenclature is the product or the brand, he’s firm on the talking points that—unlike the reviled Snuggies of the early Tumblr era—they’re not a joke meant to be given as a gag gift or worn to bar crawls.

Claire: Do they come in other styles?
Principal S.: (after a long pull from his water bottle) Not really.

And why would they be a gag anyway? After all, surely so many of us can relate to the wear-and-tear of having to tug on our regular shirts when they get trapped on our bellies, but TC Tuggers have these dope little knobs on the front that not only don’t wreck your shirt but also won’t hurt your hand!

Look at these guys saving their shirts and not hurting their hands!

Dressed Like a Hot Dog

Episode 5: “I’m Wearing One of Their Belts Right Now”

We’re all trying to find the guy who did this!

Memes have elevated fifth episode’s “hot dog” sketch into one of the most recognizable scenes from I Think You Should Leave, even among people who have never seen (or even heard of) the show. After a hot dog-shaped car—specifically a Volkswagen New Beetle—crashes into a men’s clothing store, we’re all trying to find the guy who did it… and there’s no way it could be the guy dressed like a hot dog, right?

I’d refer to the character by name, but we’ve been sitting here talking all day and never bothered to learn his name. I was so buried in my phone… instead of giving someone a real smile, I sent them an emoji?

And no, I don’t mean you, Donald. I’m talking about the very vocal guy in the cheap hot dog Halloween costume.

“Donald may be dressed like a hot dog, but…”

The costume-driven comedy doesn’t stop at Tim Robinson in the hot dog costume or series co-creator Zach Kanin as the unfortunately attired Donald, as our hot dog-dressed interloper announces his plan to “take as many suits as I can grab, get in that random hot dog car—random!—and drive back to Wiener Hall.”

Fun fact: The shirts that Tim’s character attempts to steal en masse have Berlioni labels. This inexpensive Italian manufacturer sells dress shirts on Amazon.

Caleb Went’s Belt

Episode 5: “I’m Wearing One of Their Belts Right Now”

The hot dog sketch cuts to the titular sketch, in which Tim plays the kind of status-obsessed Ferrari driver from the Dangerous Nights crew who would slick his hair back, slop up his steaks, and live for New Year’s Eve, astonished to find himself in the company of Caleb Went (Hudson Thames), an actor, musician, and clothing designer so on trend that Tim is actually wearing a studded leather belt from Caleb’s Angels and Archways clothing line at the dinner.

We never actually see the’s celebrated belt, but it must be quite something for Tim to prefer death by choking to embarrassing himself in front of its designer.

A starstruck Tim hopes he won’t do anything to embarrass himself and, of course, immediately begins choking. In his growing embarrassment, he hopes to conceal the choking and only makes it worse by trying to eat jalapeño poppers, making an unintelligible toast to friendship “in a tradition!”, and running outside for first responders to provide the Heimlich maneuver in full view of the esteemed Mr. Went.

Fun fact: This may be the lone sketch in which Tim Robinson actually plays a character named Tim.

Stanzo Brand Fedoras

Episode 6: “We Used to Watch This at My Old Work”

The world of I Think You Should Leave finds plenty of fodder deservedly aimed at fedoras also also seen with the Blues Brothers sketch and the obnoxious Howie commenting “nice hat” when handed a gray fedora during the game of Celebrity that he ruins.

In the final episode of the first season, Tim’s Etnies-wearing character is helping friends plan a baby shower when he senses the $200 budget for gift bags could be an opportunity to recoup the costs of a gangster movie which “fell apart ’cause it fucking sucked!” while also offloading some surplus props, from replica Tommy guns to a thousand plastic meatballs that look like little pieces of shit.

Before he lands on either of those ideas, his first contribution is to suggest fifty “Stanzo brand fedoras… in each of the gift bags. They’re Stanzos, they’re nice.” Tim’s tearful tantrum softens the group, who goes from outright refusal to agreeing to purchase a few fedoras out of pity to evidently securing all of the failed mob movie’s excess props, including the stinky Stanzos and fifty black slicked-back hair wigs.

“Hey, who took my cigars?”

Season 2

Karl Havoc

Episode 1: “They said that to me at a dinner.”

The first episode of the second season introduces us to Carmine Laguzio (Tim Robinson), the energetic host of prank show Everything is Upside Down, whose latest bit is to wreck havoc at a local mall while dressed into the bizarre makeup and costume of a character appropriately named Karl Havoc.

Shortly after staggering into Fairfield Mall in Karl’s overdone skin suit, pink fishing shirt, Aztec-printed vest, cargo pants, and sandals, an overheating and panicky Carmine stops somewhere between JC Penney’s and the food court as he realizes “there’s too much fuckin’ shit on me,” suffering such an existential crisis of confidence that he determines he “doesn’t even want to be around anymore.”

Suffice it to say, Karl’s… a lot.

Dan Flashes

Episode 2: “They have a cake shop there Susan where the cakes just look stunning.”

I mean, you walk by a store and you see fifty guys that look just like me fighting over very complicated shirts? You go in. Yes you do, you go in!

Business travel may not always be glamorous, with the packed agendas, bland hotel conference rooms, and jet lag, but there’s always the potential benefit that you’ll find a badass store that’s your exact style, illustrated by the patrons that all look exactly like you… at least until some fucking skunk like Doug outs you for spending your entire per diem on shirts!

For Mike (Tim Robinson), that’s Dan Flashes, located in the Shops at the Creek where shirts can cost upwards of $450 to account for their complicated patterns, with the value directly correlated to how much the lines criss-cross and the patterns overlap. “They have this one shirt that costs $1,000 ’cause the pattern’s so wild. I want that one so bad!”

“This one I’m wearing now? This is $150 out the door, and this is not that complicated.”

Unfortunately, not eating—even if the cause is a worthy one, like saving up for high-end Dan Flashes shirts where prices are going up, up, up, and away—will occasionally result in lapses of comprehension, such as Mike misunderstanding that Doug said the patterns weren’t complicated.

Of course, if you can’t afford the price tag of $150 out the door but still want to rock those complicated patterns, there are some replica alternatives available via Amazon… but no guarantees on if the shirt will still be your exact style.

Brian’s Hat

Episode 3: “You sure about that? You sure about that that’s why?”

Interesting things can come out in legal proceedings that aren’t even related to the case being tried. For instance, an investigation into Nortrip employees Bre Hubbell (Jinny Chung) and Vincent Allen (Andrew Michaan) unveils drama not just about insider trading but also about the increasing drama around a stupid hat worn by their colleague Brian (Tim Robinson). As the prosecutor (Gita Reddy) reads from the co-defendants’ text history:

Bre: Did you talk to Dan at Qualstarr?
Vincent: He said they are laying off 300 people next week.
Bre: We need to unload our shares before then.
Vincent: I’m on it.
Bre: Be discreet.
Vincent: Of course.
Bre: Oh my god, did you see Brian’s hat?
Vincent: Oh fuck. Ha ha ha ha.

Behind the prosecutor, a man in an unflattering gray felt trilby with a matching flap extending down over the back of his neck visibly squirms, asking “what the hell?” under his breath.

Bre: He looks so fucking stupid I can’t breathe.
Vincent: What the hell even is it?
Bre: It’s a fedora with safari flaps in the back.
Vincent: Holy shit. He looks so fucking stupid. Talk later. I’ll take care of that thing.

The last sentence evidently made the entire exchange relevant to be read in court, much to Brian’s chagrin… and his publicly recorded humiliation is only beginning, as the next round of texts outline—in embarrassing detail—an incident from later in the workday when the dice-carrying Brian was forced to remove his distracting hat during a meeting. Crying into his hands, Brian tries to defend the hat, citing the fact that “the guy at the store said I’m the only guy he’s ever seen pull it off!” A now-defiant Brian, even after spilling water over his laptop, rises and tries to show off, as Vincent describes:

… I swear to fucking god, he tried to roll the hat down his arm like Fred Astaire, but the back flap got trapped around Rick’s wheelchair, and then it took him forever to get the flap out of the wheelchair.

If you’re going to channel Fred Astaire, have the grace to not catch your hat on Rick’s wheelchair.

Not the Blues Brothers

Episode 4: “Everyone just needs to be more in the moment.”

What’s the best way to ease the tension when you’re around a couple that’s arguing? Is it to don sunglasses and a black fedora while dancing to an instrumental mashup of Otis Redding’s “I Can’t Turn You Loose” with Booker T. and the M.G.’s “Time is Tight” that had been made for The Blues Brothers? Lisa’s boyfriend (Tim Robinson) seems to think so.

“I’m saving the party, brother!”

Lisa’s well-meaning boyfriend seems to have miscalculated, as his puzzling performance only makes things worse. The guests are confused, and the dog won’t stop barking, though Lisa’s boyfriend thinks the latter situation can be rectified by assuring the pup that he’s still the same guy, just wearing a new hat, sunglasses, and suit jacket.

Calico Cut Pants

Episode 4: “Everyone just needs to be more in the moment.”

Clocking in around nine minutes, I Think You Should Leave‘s longest sketch to date centers around an embarrassingly real (okay, I’ll own up to it) issue of a little extra pee that might dribble out after using the office urinal, resulting in a few telltale drops seeping through a compromising spot on your khakis.

These pants are really in style right now. Even rappers wear them.

Our mild-mannered protagonist Jeff (Michael Patrick O’Brien) demurs when a colleague jokes that he “didn’t finish shaking,” but salvation charges in through the unlikely form of his insistent colleague Greg (Tim Robinson) who throws him the digital life raft of CalicoCutPants.com, an “ingenious” website designed by an overwhelmed man named Rick (Conner O’Malley) to help men in similar situations by claiming to sell out-of-stock pants that have been designed to look like the crotch is pee-stained… though they’ve “got nothin’ to do with piss.”

“If Glen thinks that they sell those kinds of pants, he can’t prove that you got piss on your pants or that you just own this kinds of pants… it’s the perfect thing!” Greg explains of CalicoCutPants.com, a completely user-funded operation that relies on reputation over product, citing Supreme as an aligned business models. Greg spins the overly complex CalicoCutPants.com web even more by equating it to PBS, explaining that Jeff has “gotta give” to the site after making use of its services.

You gotta give.

Only a man as beautifully in touch with everyday sources of anxiety could have even conceptualized such a sketch, and—HEY, HOLD THAT DOOR! HOLD THAT DOOR!

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the series, currently on Netflix with the third season premiering next week on Tuesday, May 30. And stop eating batteries!

The post The Clothing of I Think You Should Leave appeared first on BAMF Style.

Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette in True Romance (1993)

Vitals

Christian Slater as Clarence Worley, newlywed rockabilly enthusiast and former comic store clerk

Mojave Desert, Spring 1992

Film: True Romance
Release Date: September 10, 1993
Director: Tony Scott
Costume Designer: Susan Becker

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

The Friday before Memorial Day has been designated National Road Trip Day, celebrating the open road and the start of the summer travel season. As this year is also the 30th anniversary of the Quentin Tarantino-penned, Tony Scott-directed genre-blender True Romance, let’s follow the felonious newlyweds Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) and Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) as they make their way west from Detroit in the Elvis-obsessed Clarence’s pink Cadillac convertible.

This isn’t your typical honeymoon, as the couple left a trail of blood and cocaine in their wake after Clarence secured Alabama’s freedom from a sleazy drug-dealing pimp named Drexl Spivey (Gary Oldman) by killing him and his henchman, spiriting away with Alabama’s belongings and a hefty amount of stolen nose candy… which sics the Mafia on the lovers’ trail.

Of course, Clarence and Alabama are oblivious to anything but their passion for each other and the prospect of financing a lifelong getaway by getting Clarence’s pitiful actor pal Dick Ritchie (Michael Rapaport) to help them sell the coke in L.A. The couple makes a brief stop in the desert, where Alabama admires her Vegas shopping haul while Clarence tries to call Dick, until Alabama sashays into the phone booth to suggest she’s interested in a different kind of dick at the moment, all to the tune of the Big Bopper’s 1958 hit “Chantilly Lace”.

What’d He Wear?

The Detroit winter had demanded layered jackets and hoodies, but the stretch of desert between Las Vegas and Los Angeles is no place for stifling layers, so Clarence Worley keeps it simpler while retaining his rockabilly-informed style by way of a secondhand bowling shirt, Elvis-style sunglasses, and bucks.

The bowling shirt is made of an aqua-blue rayon, decorated with three diamonds—white, black, and red—over the right breast, each with a thin stripe of the same color that extends down from each respective diamonds to the straight hem. The short-sleeved shirt follows the camp shirt design typical of bowling apparel, with a loop collar so named for the short extended loop on the left side of the collar that corresponds to a button under the right collar leaf. The shirt also has a breast pocket, set-in short sleeves with cuffed ends, and a plain front with six aqua-colored plastic buttons that match the shirt.

Clarence wears the top two buttons (top three, if you count the under-collar button at the neck) undone, showing the chest of his white cotton crew-neck undershirt. Though much of Clarence’s clothing may be vintage to the mid-20th century, his undershirt is more contemporary to the ’90s with its longer “short sleeves” that stick out beyond the sleeves of his bowling shirt. ’50s-style undershirts—as worn by Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause had much shorter sleeves that would never threaten to extend lower than the sleeves of the wearer’s main shirt.

Wearing an undershirt with sleeves a little too long makes you look a little less like you love Elvis and more like you’d ruin a party’s game of Celebrity by insisting that people try to guess the identity of jazz legend Marcus “the Worm” Hicks.

The back of Clarence’s bowling shirt is embroidered in white with “Mt. Rainer Club of the Deaf” with the name “Buckley” similarly embroidered on the the left shoulder, just above the straight yoke that extends across the back.

Clarence’s medium-blue denim jeans look like Levi’s, characterized by the “arcuate stitch” along both back patch-style pockets as well as the signature red tab sewn along the seam of the back-right pocket. The jeans are self-cuffed and worn sans belt, though he would begin wearing a belt in L.A. for additional support when carrying a revolver in his waistband.

Clarence doesn’t limit his rockabilly influences to the King alone, as his white bucks recall Elvis Presley’s cleaner-cut competition Pat Boone, who became so associated with his footwear of choice that he was known as “The Kid in the White Buck Shoes.”

Characterized by their white or off-white nubuck leather and often brick-red rubber soles, bucks arrived in the United States early in the 20th century, though it wasn’t until they found a foothold (so to speak) among college students in the 1950s that they grew popular as the clean-cut Ivy alternative to casual sneakers. “Though a certain percentage of the younger generation did indeed fit this mold, it was not representative of the all teenagers, and thus—fittingly, one might say—intentionally keeping your bucks scuffed and dingy during the 1950s was in fact seen a sign of rebellion in some circles,” describes the blogger Chronically Vintage in her excellent history of bucks.

“Bucks have enjoyed continual renaissances, mainly because they make ideal partners for dark jeans and khakis,” advises Esquire’s The Handbook of Style. As long as they meet the criteria of their napped leather uppers and low profiles, bucks can vary in style, including between closed (oxford) or open (derby) lacing systems. Clarence wears derby-laced plain-toe bucks with pure white laces that illustrate the contrast against the sandier beige uppers. He also wears plain white ribbed cotton-blend crew socks.

Married or not, I’m not sure Mr. Boone would approve of what you’re up to, Clarence. And while wearing white bucks, no less!

If the bucks owed some provenance to Pat Boone, Clarence’s sunglasses are pure Elvis. Through his last decade of fame in the 1970s, Elvis Presley began wearing the gold “Nautic 2” oversized pilot sunglasses from German eyewear company Neostyle, personalized with his initials “EP” at the bridge and each temple inscribed with “TCB” for the singer’s personal motto—”Takin’ care of business.”

In the decades since Elvis’ death, scores of inexpensive imitations of the iconic Nautic 2 have appeared on the market. Clarence sports a set of these reproduction shades, with the plastic frames painted a metallic gold. The lenses are amber, and each arm has five holes that regress in size as the arm tapers toward the black plastic-covered ear rests. (A pair of Christian Slater’s screen-worn sunglasses sold at auction ten years ago, with the listing and photos viewable here.)

Takin’ care of business.

Clarence always wears a chunky tarnished curb chain-link ID bracelet on his left wrist, with the name bar personalized with “Clarence” in a scripted font. He and Alabama symbolized their marriage with a set of matching diamond-studded gold horseshoe rings that each of them appropriately wear on the third fingers of their respective left hands.

As Clarence pushes out of his jeans during his phone booth tryst with Alabama, we glimpse—for the sake of comprehensiveness—his red cotton boxer shorts, patterned with white polka dots.

When the couple gets to L.A., he swaps out the bowling shirt for a brightly patterned red Hawaiian shirt that will be the subject of a future post.

The Car

As Elvis had idealized the pink Cadillac in the 1950s before cycling through a number of his own, Clarence Worley sought out his own until getting his hands on a deep pink 1974 Cadillac Eldorado convertible, which looks better suited to the atmosphere of the Mojave Desert than the snowy streets of Detroit that Clarence and Alabama left behind them.

Cadillac had introduced the Eldorado name in 1953, its aureate name selected to commemorate the marque’s golden anniversary. After two decades of increased association with automotive luxury, Cadillac introduced the ninth generation of the Eldorado in 1971, available in two-door coupes or convertibles at a staggering 223 inches long and powered by the massive 500 cubic-inch (8.2-liter) V8 engine that Cadillac reserved exclusively for the Eldorado, mated to GM’s venerated three-speed Turbo Hydramatic automatic transmission.

Emissions restrictions would de-tune the engine down to 210 horsepower by the 1974 model year, pushing the two-and-a-half-ton convertible to a top speed estimated around 114 mph, though these cars were built for comfort, not performance, as it reportedly took 11 seconds for the ’74 Eldorado convertible to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph.

There were reportedly two 1974 Cadillacs used during the making of True Romance, though only one is known to still survive, located in Wilmington, North Carolina and available for premium rentals. You can read more about this particular car at TrueRomanceCadillac.com.

Quentin Tarantino’s original screenplay had stipulated that Clarence drove a red Mustang, but Tony Scott determined that a pink—or perhaps it’s more accurate to call it purple—Cadillac would better fit the character. He spied one driving through Hollywood shortly before production began and had the studio purchase it from the owner, then purchased a second backup Cadillac that would be repainted to match the purple convertible and used as a stunt car.

An IMCDB user explained in a comment that the primary Cadillac was originally painted Pharaoh Gold with a gold interior when it was manufactured and sold in 1974. At some point in the next eighteen years, the car was repainted an aftermarket shade of purple and reupholstered with a leopard-print cloth and dashboard wrap as seen on screen. Tony Scott gifted the car to Patricia Arquette after production wrapped, but she found that it attracted too much attention and it was eventually sold away from the Arquette family until the current owner found it in December 2017 and fixed it up.

How to Get the Look

Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette in True Romance (1993)

Clarence Worley pulls together a ragtag road outfit influenced by ’50s rockabilly culture as he and his new bride speed through the desert to L.A.

• Aqua-blue (with tri-color diamond breast print) rayon bowling shirt with loop collar, breast pocket, plain front, and straight hem
• White cotton crew-neck short-sleeve undershirt
• Medium-blue denim Levi’s jeans
• Beige nubuck derby-laced shoes with white laces and brick-red rubber soles
• White ribbed cotton-blend crew socks
• Red polka-dot cotton boxer shorts
• Gold plastic Nautic 2-style oversized pilot sunglasses
• Silver necklace
• Gold chain-link ID bracelet
• Gold diamond-horseshoe ring

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The post True Romance: Clarence’s Rockabilly Road Trip Style appeared first on BAMF Style.

Charles Bronson in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Vitals

Charles Bronson as “Harmonica”, vengeful drifter

Arizona, circa 1875

Film: Once Upon a Time in the West
(Italian title: C’era una volta il West)
Release Date: December 21, 1968
Director: Sergio Leone
Costume Designer: Carlo Simi

Background

After establishing the spaghetti Western with the popular “Dollars trilogy”, Sergio Leone had intended to move away from the genre until Paramount Pictures compelled him to follow up his success with another Western. With Paramount’s substantial budget in his coffers, Leone reteamed with iconic composer Ennio Morricone and cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli, working with Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci (and, once production began, also Sergio Donati) to conceptualize the vengeance-driven epic that would become Once Upon a Time in the West.

Unlike the Dollars trilogy, which invariably starred Clint Eastwood among a mostly Italian and Spanish cast (with the rare exception for Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach), Once Upon a Time in the West featured a cast well-known to Americans, led by Henry Fonda playing one of the few villains of his career. The cast also included Claudia Cardinale (who was a Tunisian-born Italian actress but known to Americans thanks to films like The Pink Panther), Jason Robards, Keenan Wynn, American Western regulars like Jack Elam and Woody Strode, and Charles Bronson, who was recruited after Eastwood turned down the role.

Following its December 1968 premiere in Italy, Once Upon a Time in the West was a massive hit across Europe, with such an impact in France that one Paris projectionist reportedly harangued Sergio Leone in person for the film’s popularity forcing him to show it for two years straight. Unfortunately, Paramount cut twenty minutes from the run-time for its American release six months later, and when Once Upon a Time in the West was finally released in the United States 54 years ago today on May 28, 1969, it was considered a flop. Luckily, time—and restored edits—was kind to Once Upon a Time in the West, now considered one of the best Westerns and among the best films of all time.

More than a half-century after its release, Once Upon a Time in the West continues to influence filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, George Lucas, Vince Gilligan… and Nicolas Cage. When the latter had cited it as his favorite Western last fall, I was reminded that I wanted to cover its style and ran an Instagram poll to let @bamfstyle followers decide if I would write about Charles Bronson or Henry Fonda first. And so…

What’d He Wear?

By the way, you know anything about a man going around playing the harmonica? He’s somebody you’d remember. Instead of talking, he plays. And when he better play, he talks.

Rather than defining him by his costume, the bandit Cheyenne (Jason Robards) asks around about Charles Bronson’s character by referring to his signature harmonica that he wears on a cord around his neck.

The blog Classiq thoughtfully meditated on the role of Harmonica’s costume in a post published last year:

Harmonica was maybe the one who fit the least in this iconography. Just like Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, whose poncho was not like anything seen on an American horseman, not in a classic Western anyhow, Harmonica’s checkered coat and off-white trousers are a unique choice of costume. And just like The Man with No Name was coming from nowhere, going nowhere, without a past, without a future, we can not be sure about anything about Harmonica, and can not place him in any particular archetype, except that, as Leone explained his choice of Charles Bronson for the role, “he is the face of Destiny, with a whole world behind it, a kind of granite block, impenetrable but scarred by life.”

Meet Harmonica.

Harmonica’s simple attire is remarkably brightly colored for his brooding character, providing a contrast to the dark-clothed and dark-hearted antagonist Frank (Henry Fonda). His checked jacket, henley, and beige jeans would be very contemporary for the late 1960s production (perhaps moreso than the intended setting of a century prior), with only his wide-brimmed cowboy hat contributing to the classic Western silhouette.

The tattered telescope hat is made from a light taupe felt and detailed with a narrow dark brown tooled leather band that closes through a buckle on the left side. Characterized by a low, round crown and a wide brim, the telescope hat reportedly originated among Mexican charros who benefited from the brim’s sun protection and the low crown preventing hot air from accumulating. In addition to these Mexican cowboys, the telescope hat also became associated with American gamblers who were drawn to the style.

“You, uh, interested in fashions, Harmonica?” Cheyenne asks after observing Harmonica look over one of his henchmen’s dusters. “I saw three of these dusters a short time ago, they were waitin’ for a train. Inside the dusters there were three men… inside the men there were three bullets,” Harmonica responds. Harmonica’s shorter and distinctively patterned coat provides a clear visual contrast between Harmonica (and his motives) from the darker dusters worn by the killers he’s been targeting.

Harmonica wears a distinctive cream-on-beige checked jacket, which has six large dark brown buttons up the front from the waist to the ulster-style collar. He wears the coat fully open aside from when he needs to fashion a tourniquet for his left arm after being wounded in the shoulder by Woody Strode’s Mare’s Leg carbine during the opening gunfight. The set-in sleeves are plain at the cuffs, with no buttons, straps, or vents, and a squared patch pocket is positioned over each hip.

Harmonica’s eponymous instrument is almost as essential to his mission as his six-shooter, so he keeps the harmonica attached to a dark brown leather cord worn around his neck. When not playing it, he tucks the harmonica itself into a pocket set-in against his jacket’s inner left breast.

Note the harmonica tucked into his inner coat pocket.

Harmonica wears a thin light coral-red cotton long-sleeved henley shirt. Henley shirts have followed a similar sartorial trajectory with T-shirts, having once been considered primarily an undergarment—as they would have been at the time Once Upon a Time in the West is set—until they evolved into shirts worn on their own toward the end of the 20th century. Harmonica’s henley has three white two-hole buttons at the top placket, which he wears completely open.

Harmonica’s cream-colored cotton straight-leg jeans are perhaps the most anachronistic part of his wardrobe. While jeans were around in the Old West—indeed, Levi’s just celebrated the 150th anniversary of the 501 Original Fit last weekend—the style that Harmonica wears would not have been standardized until at least the 1930s; it wasn’t until 1901 when Levi Strauss added the second patch pocket that completed the now-familiar five-pocket design. Integrated belt loops would come even later, as most early jeans were rigged with suspender buttons and/or a cinched back until belt loops were added as an option at the start of the 1920s.

Harmonica holds up his jeans with a thick brown leather belt that closes through a circular gold-toned double-prong buckle.

Harmonica wears the expected style of long-shafted cowboy boots, made with brown leather uppers that are quickly rendered a dusty shade of tan by the sand and dirt swirling through the desert.

The whole costume is likely meant to be an evolution of the tan checked shirt-jacket, pale-colored shirt, and khaki trousers held up by a belt that we had seen Harmonica wearing during the traumatic flashback to his brother’s lynching during his childhood.

A traumatized young Harmonica (Dino Mele) tries his best to follow Frank’s demand to keep his loving brother happy.

The Gun

Harmonica arms himself with a Single Action Army, the iconic six-shooter introduced by Colt in 1873 and immortalized as the “Peacemaker”. Through its original 68-year run until production was halted upon the United States’ entry into World War II, Colt offered the Single Action Army in a varied range of finishes, barrel lengths, and caliber, though the most classic configurations were the “Cavalry” model with a full 7.5-inch barrel, the “Artillery” model with a 5.5-inch barrel, and the 4.75-inch barreled model known alternatively as the “Civilian”, “Gunfighter”, or “Quickdraw” model.

Despite arguably fitting into both latter categories, Harmonica carries not the 4.75″-barreled Single Action Army but one equipped with a less standard 5-inch barrel. The frame is color case-hardened with a blued barrel and cylinder and smooth walnut grips.

Often colloquialized as the “Colt .45”, the Single Action Army is most frequently associated with the .45 Long Colt cartridge developed specifically for it, though it has since been produced in more than thirty different calibers ranging from the small .22 rimfire round to the hefty British .476 Eley cartridge, as well as the .44-40 Winchester centerfire (WCF) cartridge that would allow gunmen armed with Winchester Model 1873 rifles to only need to carry one type of ammunition.

IMFDB notes that Harmonica’s Single Action Army “has an extremely small bore despite the large bore chambers in .44 or .45,” suggesting that the screen-used revolver is likely a dedicated blank-firing draw competition gun that was specifically modified for Charles Bronson to fan the hammer.

Interestingly, Harmonica spends most of Once Upon a Time in the West without wearing a gun belt, instead keeping his Single Action Army concealed for a surprise quickdraw when he intends to actually use it.

For the final duel against Frank, he buckles on a conventional brown leather gun belt, perhaps indicating how much more seriously he takes this opponent while also making clear that he intends to challenge him to a duel rather than ambushing him as he does several other gunmen over the course of the film.

What to Imbibe

When Harmonica meets Cheyenne and the recently widowed Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale) in a desert tavern, he pours himself a mug from Cheyenne’s bottle of Old Monogram rye whiskey.

This brand had actually been a product of the Kansas City-based distillery J. Rieger & Co., founded in 1887 by Austro-Hungarian immigrant Jacob Rieger. The company was headquartered on Genessee Street in Kansas City’s West Bottoms neighborhood, known as the “Wettest Block in the World” for the proliferation of bars, brothels, gambling dens, and liquor retailers that quenched the thirst of patrons visiting from the nearby and now-dry state of Kansas.

Under the management of the founder’s son, Alexander Rieger, J. Rieger & Co. grew exponentially through the first twenty years of the 20th century, offering products like Monogram rye, aged eight years and touted to be the “standard of perfection” according to contemporary newspaper advertisements. The company itself was the largest mail-order whiskey house in the United States by the time Prohibition was enacted in 1920, when J. Rieger & Co. was one of many distilleries across the nation to fall victim to the Volstead Act. Without one of the prized licenses to produce “medicinal whiskey”, Rieger was forced to end operations… though its story doesn’t end there.

Unlike Cheyenne, who took a pull of whiskey straight from the bottle, Harmonica takes the sophisticated (and relatively more hygienic) approach of pouring his tot of rye into a cup.

Ninety years later, Kansas City bartender Ryan Maybee teamed with Jacob Rieger’s great-great-great-grandson Andy Rieger to revive the brand. Maybee and Rieger purchased the long-expired trademark and, after a four-year process, relaunched J. Rieger & Co. in 2014, using the company’s original logos, slogans, and bottles as inspiration. You can read more about the J. Rieger & Co. story on their website.

The Monogram name was revived in 2017, originally applying to a blend of 11-year-old rye and 9-year-old corn whiskies that were finished for 18 months in sherry casks. “Rieger’s Monogram is a delight that smells of honey, dates, and fresh peaches,” wrote Dan Dunn for Robb Report. “It’s a balanced, dry whiskey possessed of a warm, soft, and creamy mouthfeel. Every sip offers a rich mixture of primary flavors: plums, figs, and cashews derived from the Sherry with bold vanilla and toffee notes courtesy of the American oak. The finish is embroidered with traces of cinnamon, chocolate, and cherry that heighten the sensory experience.”

J. Rieger & Co. has launched a new variety under the Monogram name each year since, including the 2021 blend of straight rye whiskies and the 2022 straight bourbon whiskey.

How to Get the Look

Charles Bronson in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Harmonica illustrates a more creative way to put together an iconic Western costume, retaining the classic hat-and-boots silhouette but with the contemporary simplicity of a light plaid coat, red henley, and beige jeans… and the musical touch of a harmonica around his neck, of course.

• Cream-on-beige checked 6-button thigh-length jacket with ulster-style collar, patch hip pockets, plain cuffs, and ventless back
• Light coral-red cotton 3-button long-sleeved henley shirt
• Cream cotton straight-leg jeans with belt loops and five-pocket layout
• Brown leather belt with circular gold-toned double-prong buckle
• Tan leather cowboy boots
• Light taupe felt telescope hat with narrow dark brown tooled leather band
• Dark brown leather corded necklace (for his harmonica)

Footnote

Leone and company were intentionally vague about the exact setting, consistent with the mythical-sounding title Once Upon a Time in the West which—as far as setting—tells us all we really need to know, with any more specific detail being generally irrelevant. That said…

The “once upon a time” is likely meant to be during the quintessential years of the Old West, between the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the turn of the 20th century, by which point the rapid industrialization of the Gilded Age had all but snuffed out the culture associated with the “Wild West”. If I had to pinpoint a timeframe, I’d suggest it was meant to be not long after the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869. A few prop bills used on screen are marked with dates indicating the 1870s, which would also be supported by the characters being armed with the Colt Single Action Army “Peacemaker” that was introduced in 1873. That said, Westerns of the era frequently ignored the trappings of anachronism, dressing characters in contemporary belt-looped trousers and arming them with Peacemakers or Winchester rifles decades before either were introduced.

And where “in the West”? The stated town of “Flagstone” somewhere in the southwest American desert recalls Flagstaff, Arizona (first settled in 1876), and the flashback lynching filmed in Monument Valley would support that this is meant to be somewhere between Arizona and Utah.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

Did you bring a horse for me?

The post Once Upon a Time in the West: Charles Bronson as Harmonica appeared first on BAMF Style.

Colin Farrell as Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice (2006)

Vitals

Colin Farrell as James “Sonny” Crockett, maverick Miami-Dade PD undercover detective

Miami to Havana, Summer 2005

Film: Miami Vice
Release Date: July 28, 2006
Director: Michael Mann
Costume Design: Michael Kaplan & Janty Yates
Colin Farrell’s Costumer: Jody Felz

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Ahead of Colin Farrell’s birthday tomorrow, I want to take a much-requested look at his style in Miami Vice, Michael Mann’s cinematic adaptation of the iconic TV show he had executive-produced in the 1980s.

The mid-2000s had been full of movies inspired by TV shows of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s… just off the top of my head, Bewitched, The Dukes of Hazzard, Get Smart, I Spy, and Starsky & Hutch come to mind. Rather than these nostalgia-driven quasi-parodies, Miami Vice surprised audiences as more of a gritty reimagining than the pastel pastiche they may have been expecting. Though critical and audience reception was lukewarm at the time, the movie has grown a more positive reputation over the years, thanks in part to a dedicated cult following.

The 2006 update maintained the core essence, characters, and overall concept, though the vibes were updated from the vibrant ’80s aesthetic to match the darker tones of a decade that also rebooted larger-than-life characters like Batman and James Bond in more serious movies like Batman Begins and Casino Royale, respectively. Instead of Gotham’s Dark Knight and agent 007, our heroes are the ice-cool undercover cops James “Sonny” Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs, played by Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx in the roles originated by Don Johnson and EGOT hopeful Philip Michael Thomas.

Crockett and Tubbs still cruise Miami in the former’s Ferrari, consistent with Anthony Yerkovich’s inspiration to create the original series after discovering the asset forfeiture statutes which allowed law enforcement agencies to confiscate drug dealers’ property for official use.

Mann devised an original plot for the movie, reviving the our hero’s Sonny Burnett alias as he and Rico go undercover as drug smugglers in the hopes of entrapping Colombian cartel bigwigs José Yero (John Ortiz) and Isabella (Gong Li). Sonny finds his profession at odds with his passion as he grows drawn to the latter, taking the opportunity after a contentious business meeting to ask her out for a drink. Upon learning that Sonny is a fiend for mojitos, Isabella takes him to the only place to get them—in Havana.

“Cubans don’t like my business, and they don’t like my passport,” Sonny responds, but Isabella assures him they’ll have no trouble. Upon further reassurance that she isn’t married—and certainly not to the dangerous drug lord Sonny’s been working with, he speeds up the boat en route a night of drinking, dancing, and more.

What’d He Wear?

By 2006, the original white linen-and-pastel Miami Vice look had become so synonymous with 1980s culture that it couldn’t have possibly been realistically worn by serious and stylish cops like Crockett and Tubbs two decades later. Michael Mann’s dedication to realism meant dressing his characters realistically, even if this meant a total reversal of his “no earth tone” policy which guided the original series’ visual style as chronicled at the time by Richard Zoglin for Time magazine.

For Colin Farrell’s Sonny Crockett of the 2000s, this meant a closet devoid of baggy white linen tailoring and tight pastel T-shirts, replaced by costume designers Michael Kaplan and Janty Yates with generously cut and embroidered-detail sport shirts, blue jeans, and indeed the occasional neutral-toned suit in shiny silk or summer-weight wool and cotton.

Sonny’s attire for this meeting-to-mojitos sequence may be the most significant alignment of Colin Farrell’s costume with something Don Johnson would have worn in the ’80s.

Crockett and Tubbs, 2000s-style.

Initially dressed for business (before it becomes a date), Sonny wears a two-piece suit made of a light stone-gray gabardine. Characterized by a subtle sheen in some light, this tightly woven fabric is appropriate for this warmer climate, wearing cooler than plain wool and less prone to wrinkle than cotton or linen. Armani claimed on Twitter that this was one of their suits, and the profile appears consistent with Armani in the mid-2000s: a fashionably full fit before The Great Shrinkage affected the overall menswear silhouette through the 2010s.

Sonny’s single-breasted jacket has a comfortably full fit and padded shoulders, though neither are to the dramatic excess of the ’80s. Notch lapels roll to the three-button front, with four matching buttons on each cuff. The jacket is shaped with darts, the shoulders are roped at the sleeve-heads, and the back is ventless. The jacket also has a welted breast pocket and straight jetted hip pockets.

Rather than traditional pleats, Sonny’s matching suit trousers are darted in the front. Matt Spaiser of Bond Suits describes this device as “essentially a pleat that is sewn shut,” which allows the trousers to comfortably curve over the wearer’s hips while retaining the cleaner profile of a flat front.

The trousers also have side pockets, two button-through back pockets, and a full fit through the legs down to the plain-hemmed bottoms that break over his dark brown leather shoes. He holds the trousers up with a tan leather belt that closes through a unique silver-toned buckle that appears to be a “double buckle”, with the belt passing through a thin single-prong buckle and then immediately through a somewhat larger frame that serves as a keeper.

As opposed to the bright blue or green T-shirts that viewers grew accustomed to Don Johnson wearing under Sonny Crockett’s off-white suits, Farrell’s Sonny goes the more conventional route of wearing a white button-up shirt, albeit suited to the setting with its light-wearing linen fabric and the repeating perforated stripe pattern.

The casual shirt otherwise follows the expected design of a dress shirt, with its point collar, button cuffs, and the front placket that Sonny wears only buttoned up to mid-chest.

Sonny regularly wears a trio of distinctive necklaces: a flat silver rectangular pendant on a thin silver chain, a dulled silver disc with blue thread connecting it through a tan bead onto a dark brown leather cord, and a bone-colored disc threaded onto a brown edge-threaded backer and suspended on another brown leather cord.

As the three necklaces proudly displayed under the unbuttoned top of his shirt suggest, Sonny Crockett is no stranger to accessorizing. He tonally coordinates the beach-friendly necklaces to the pair of beaded bracelets on his right wrist, his right hand also dressed with a chunky silver ring on the third finger.

On the opposing wrist, Sonny wears an luxurious Vacheron Constantin Malte Chronograph Perpetual Calendar watch, which would have likely cost somewhere around $100,000 when new. Water-resistant to 30 meters, this manual-winding Swiss chronograph has a platinum 39mm case encircling a light silver dial and double scratch-resistant sapphire crystals on a black alligator strap with a platinum tang buckle. Apropos its name, the Perpetual Calendar has a a 31-day sub-register (with a moon-phase complication) at 6 o’clock position and separate windows above the center that indicate the day of the week and month, and there’s even a leap year indicator between the 1 and 2 o’clock positions. The chronograph also has two additional sub-registers at 3 and 9 o’clock, corresponding to the two pushers flanking the crown.

Director Michael Mann was such a fan of the watch that Vacheron CEO Juan-Carlos Torres personally presented him with his own Malte Chronograph Perpetual Calendar after the production, as reported by Dhiram Shah for Luxury Launches in August 2006.

Sonny’s gunmetal sunglasses are the SAMA Slam model, with narrow rectangular pilot-style frames that are semi-rimmed over the top and sides of each 57mm-wide dark gray lens.

What to Imbibe

I’m a fiend for mojitos.

The movie had established Sonny’s appreciation for this refreshing Cuban cocktail from the opening scene at a Miami nightclub, but Isabella responds to his fiendish enthusiasm by suggesting there’s no better place to enjoy them than the birthplace of the mojito: Havana.

Sonny and Isabella spend much of their Cuban interlude in a mojito-induced haze, beginning with several enjoyed during their night of dancing and another round with breakfast the following morning.

As my friends with bartending experience had relayed stories of dreaded customers ordering work-intensive cocktails like mojitos and old fashioneds on busy nights, Sonny would have to be every bit the fiend he claims to be when exclusively ordering this mixture of rum, mint, sugar, and soda at every crowded nightspot between Palm Beach and Plaza Vieja.

While no one disputes the mojito was born in Havana, the rest of its origin story is as muddled as its mint. Some theories suggest it began with medicinal purposes in the 16th or 17th centuries, perhaps by Cuban locals developing a mixture of crude sugarcane rum, mint, and lime to ward off tropical diseases. Others have credited British explorers or sailors in the Caribbean, mixing their allocated tots of rum and sprigs of locally sourced mint to the regular rations of lime juice washed down to prevent scurvy and dysentery.

However it was born, it was at La Bodeguita del Medio that the mojito became famous. Angel Martínez had purchased this Empedrado Street in 1942, and it evolved over the following decade from a bodega that occasionally served food into a bustling restaurant and bar that specialized in serving mojitos.

Most mixologists agree that the standard mojito preparation includes muddling sugar and mint, adding lime and light rum, topping with club soda, and serving over ice with an added mint sprigs to garnish. Beyond that, the proportions and details vary.

The IBA stipulates 45 mL of white rum, 20 mL of fresh lime juice, six sprigs of mint, and either two teaspoons of white cane sugar or 20 mL of sugar syrup. The Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide varies only slightly, upping the rum to 60 mL while reducing the mint to four sprigs. To me, this means the proportions of a mojito are up to the mixologist’s discretion, so take example from the many claims to its origins and make the drink your own! If anything, it will give you an appreciation for how much effort can go into making a good one.

How to Get the Look

Colin Farrell as Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice (2006)

Miami Vice updates Colin Farrell’s Sonny Crockett for the times, with his mid-2000s wardrobe maintaining the spirit of his ’80s predecessor while leaving the pastels behind in favor of a more understated warm-weather panache.

• Light stone-gray gabardine Armani suit:
  • Single-breasted 3-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, and ventless back
  • Darted-front trousers with belt loops, side pockets, button-through back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• White linen perforated-stripe long-sleeved shirt with point collar, front placket, and button cuffs
• Tan leather belt with silver-toned
• Dark brown leather shoes
• Brown leather corded pendant necklaces
• Flat silver rectangular pendant on thin silver necklace
• Beaded bracelets
• Chunky silver ring
• Vacheron Constantin Malte Chronograph Perpetual Calendar chronograph watch with platinum 39mm case, round silver dial with three sub-registers (including moon-phase complication) and day/month windows on black alligator leather strap
• SAMA Slam gunmetal semi-framed rectangular pilot-style sunglasses

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

I know what I’m doin’.

The post Miami Vice: Colin Farrell’s Stone-Gray Suit as Sonny Crockett appeared first on BAMF Style.

Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch (1955)

Vitals

Tom Ewell as Richard Sherman, imaginative publishing executive and a self-described “foolish, well-to-do married man”

New York City, Summer 1955

Film: The Seven Year Itch
Release Date: June 3, 1955
Director: Billy Wilder
Costume Designer: Travilla
Wardrobe Director: Charles Le Maire
Men’s Wardrobe: Sam Benson

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Born 97 years ago today on June 1, 1926, Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe may be indelibly associated with the iconic image of the star’s white dress being blown upwards by a subway grate on Lexington Avenue. The much-photographed moment was part of a scene in The Seven Year Itch, which premiered on Monroe’s 29th birthday before its wider release later that month.

The title and concept were inspired by a then-common psychological term for the period in a marriage when a partner’s eye supposedly begins to wander, aligned with the mid-20th century practice of wives and children traveling to the country or seaside for the summer while their husbands remain in the city to work… though The Seven Year Itch proposes that their work was more focused on bedrooms than boardrooms. (Mad Men fans may recall a relevant plot from the first season episode “Long Weekend”, set during Labor Day 1960.)

After shipping his wife Helen and son Ricky up to Maine, our protagonist Richard Sherman seems to think he’s above that level of sleaze… until a falling tomato plant introduces him to The Girl, a voluptuous blonde living upstairs in a neighboring couple’s apartment for the summer:

Boy, if anybody were to walk in here right now, would they ever get the wrong idea… cinnamon toast for two, strange blonde in the shower, you go explain that to someone. Don’t tell ’em you spent the whole night wrapping a paddle!

Inexplicably billed as “Tommy Ewell”, Tom Ewell reprised the role he originated on Broadway as Richard Sherman. Viennese-born actress Vanessa Brown (who had an IQ of 165 and whose family fled Europe in 1937 to avoid Nazi persecution) had played The Girl on stage, but the part was recast for the screen, in turn providing Marilyn Monroe with one of her most enduring performances. Interestingly, there were several actors considered to play Richard before the part went to Ewell, who had already won a Tony for his stage portrayal and wasn’t expecting to be cast. Despite that, there was never any question that The Girl would be played on screen by anyone but Monroe.

George Axelrod worked with Billy Wilder to adapt his own 1952 play for the screen, adding a few characters for cinematic purposes while also responding to the restrictions of the Motion Picture Production Code by reducing Richard and The Girl’s adultrous affair to a trio of suggestive kisses during their flirtatious interlude. Despite the stage-to-screen changes, Ewell’s line from the play “I’ve got Marilyn Monroe in the kitchen” was retained for the screenplay as an in-joke… as Monroe was indeed playing the character then in his kitchen.

What’d He Wear?

After wearing a powder-blue business suit across the first two acts, Richard changes into a beige silk suit and bow tie when escorting The Girl to “an air-conditioned movie”, resulting in the iconic moment where her dress’ skirts billow from the air blown upwards by a passing subway under the grate beneath her. Most of the attention is understandably placed on her costume, but Richard wears a nicely proportioned example of a classic 1950s summer suit.

Note the way Richard’s suiting shines under the street’s evening illumination.

Richard’s beige suit is made from dupioni silk, the elegant shantung-like fabric characterized by imperfect slubs and a degree of sheen that can range from dramatic to more understated as worn by the shady Mr. Sherman. “Since its debut on the Riviera in the late twenties, the pure silk dupioni suit has always been the last word in summer chic,” Alan Flusser wrote in Dressing the Man. “From its well-bred beginnings, the silk suit with its natural glossy beauty and superior draping quality was a status symbol, an aristocratic garment made only by the prestigious custom tailors and top manufacturers.”

The suit jacket has a fashionably full cut with a draped chest, nipped waist, and straight shoulders reinforced with padding and roped sleeveheads. The notch lapels roll down to a low-to-medium two-button stance, perfectly positioned to meet the waistband of Richard’s trousers. The jacket has a single vent and four-button cuffs. Low-slung to coordinate with the appearance of the lapel the notches, the welted breast pocket is dressed with the conventional off-white linen handkerchief folded into a pocket square. Rather than more traditional jetted or flapped hip pockets, the straight hip pockets are also welted.

The suit is smartly proportioned so that the jacket’s buttoning point neatly divides the white shirt above it and the matching trousers below it. Note also the uncommon welted hip pockets.

The matching trousers are cut and styled consistent with the era’s standards. In response to the wartime fabric rationing in the early 1940s, menswear through the ’50s balanced a celebration of excess with sleek lines, thus trousers were again rigged with pleats and cuffs.

Richard’s generously cut trousers have double-facing reverse pleats on each side, with side pockets, jetted back pockets (with a button through the back-left pocket), and turn-ups (cuffs) on the bottoms. He holds up his trousers with an edge-stitched brown textured leather belt that closes through a gold-finished single-prong buckle and has a wide self-keeper.

Like many gents of the era, Richard keeps a key to the Sherman family apartment on a silver key-chain, with a small clip that attaches to his belt loop on the front-right side of his waistband, keeping the key itself tucked into his right trouser pocket.

Richard coordinates his belt to his shoe leather, sporting a pair of russet-brown calf penny loafers that he nearly leaves behind when he runs to catch the 8:47 to Maine.

G.H. Bass had developed the original “Weejuns” in the 1930s, quickly catching on among students in the region who were rumored to keep a coin in the distinctive slot in the saddle strap across each vamp—hence the eventual “penny loafer” moniker. Throughout the middle decades of the 20th century, penny loafers grew popular as generally acceptable alternatives to lace-up shoes for American businessmen, though these comfortable slip-ons would never compete with the comparative formality of derbies and oxfords.

Richard dresses down to spend the night on the couch, untying his bow-tie and removing his jacket and shoes to reveal his colorful burgundy argyle socks, consisting of a light-yellow, mint-green, and royal-blue argyle motif and red toes.

Richard maintains the warm, neutral tones of his suit by wearing a pale-ecru cotton shirt and an olive-on-cream checked bow tie. Like penny loafers, shirts with button-down collars were growing increasingly accepted with suits and ties in American workplaces by the 1950s, as Richard had previously demonstrated by wearing the same shirt and shoes with his powder-blue suit at the office. The shirt has a front placket, breast pocket, button cuffs, and box-pleated back.

The tonally coordinated bow tie is checked in shades of olive and brown against the cream background. It follows the distinctive straight batwing silhouette that was most popular through the ’50s: essentially a strip of fabric hardly more than an inch wide without any tapering, flaring, or changing of shape.

Richard wakes up with his bow tie undone, revealing that it’s essentially a narrow, shapeless strip of fabric.

The image of American sartorial success in the fabulous fifties was incomplete without a hat, and every gentleman had the proper headgear to match the season, from heavy felt in the winter to a light-wearing straw for the summer. Richard wears the latter, a handsome fedora crafted from a tightly woven tan straw and detailed with a dark brown grosgrain band.

The Girl treats Richard to a third and final kiss.

Richard’s simple arrangement of gold jewelry consists of a wristwatch and wedding ring, though he’s occasionally too cavalier about the significance of the latter. The thin wristwatch has a rectangular white dial and gold expanding bracelet.

Richard’s building handyman Kruhulik (Robert Strauss) is a little too sympathetic to his situation. Billy Wilder fans likely recognize Strauss from his Oscar-nominated performance in Stalag 17.

“No pretty girl in her right mind wants me… she wants Gregory Peck,” Richard complains during one of his many moments of self-deprecation, prompting the Girl to challenge his over-imaginative brain and its predispositions about what he thinks women want:

You and your imagination! You think every girl’s a dump! You think a girl goes to a party, and there’s some guy—great big lunk in a fancy striped vest, strutting around like a tiger, giving you that “I’m so handsome you can’t resist me” look—and for this she’s supposed to fall flat on her face. Well, she doesn’t fall on her face.

Within a few minutes, Richard co-opts The Girl’s description when confronting Tom MacKenzie (Sonny Tufts), the dashing writer he perceives to be a romantic rival for his wife’s interests, perfectly costumed for the morning in a yellow-striped vest that coordinates with his tie, socks, and beige sports coat.

Richard: “And, what’s more, I’ve got a good mind to punch you right in the nose.”
Tom: “Why?!”
Richard: “Why? Because you’re a big lunk, that’s why! Strutting around in your fancy vest with that ‘I’m so handsome you can’t resist me’ look.”

What to Imbibe

The night after they washed down potato chips with champagne, Scotch-and-sodas, and tall martinis, Richard invites The Girl back to his apartment for her to take advantage of his air conditioning unit and refresh with some late-night libations.

You just relax. I’ll fix us two Tom Collinses, and we’ll have a nice, quiet, serious talk.

Richard seems to enjoy his Tom Collins more than the raspberry-flavored Whiz soda he drank the previous evening.

Though it boasts the same competition of origin stories as other venerated cocktails, the Tom Collins was well-established at American taverns by the late 19th century, when mixologists Jerry Thomas and Harry Johnson included recipes in their respective bartending guides. It should be stated that the gin-based Tom has two lesser-known brothers—the rum-based Charley and bourbon-based John—similarly prepared but never considered competition for brother Tom’s supremacy.

First-time drinkers can reasonably expect the Tom Collins to answer to Jerry Thomas’ 1876 description of “gin and sparkling lemonade”, and the agreed ingredients and proportions have changed little in the more than 150 years since its conception. The Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide stipulates two ounces of gin, an ounce of lemon juice, and a teaspoon of superfine sugar (or equivalent amount of simple syrup), shaken over ice and strained into the appropriately named Collins glass. From there, add ice, fill the tall class with club soda, and stir, completing the presentation with slices of lemon and orange, a maraschino cherry, and a straw.

Richard prepares their drinks by dropping ice cubes into two tall mixing glasses, preparing each by squeezing in a half a lemon (which is then dropped into the drink), adding a spoonful of sugar, a maraschino cherry, a spritz of soda water, then presumably topped off with gin. Collins purists would likely scoff at this method, but Richard is understandably more focused on how he can talk the Girl into spending the night with him rather than winning the 1955 Bartender Spirits Award.

How to Get the Look

Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch (1955)

Whether your date plans to steal the sartorial spotlight by stepping over any sewer grates, you should still dress to impress. Richard’s straw hat and straight bow-tie may ultimately date his garb to the ’50s—for better or worse—but he makes the fine argument for a well-proportioned beige silk summer suit.

• Beige slubby silk summer suit:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight welted hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, and single vent
  • Double reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops, side pockets, jetted back pockets (with button-through back-left), and turn-ups/cuffs
• Pale-ecru cotton shirt with button-down collar, front placket, breast pocket, button cuffs, and box-pleated back
• Olive-on-white checked straight batwing-shaped bow-tie
• Brown textured leather belt with gold-finished single-prong buckle
• Russet leather penny loafers
• Burgundy multi-color paisley socks
• Tan straw fedora with dark brown grosgrain silk band
• Gold wedding ring
• Gold wristwatch with white rectangular dial on gold expanding bracelet
• Off-white linen pocket square

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

It’s just my imagination! Some people have flat feet, some people have dandruff… I have this appalling imagination!

The post The Seven Year Itch: Tom Ewell’s Beige Silk Summer Suit appeared first on BAMF Style.

Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy on Succession (Episode 4.06: “Living+”)

Vitals

Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy, ambitious corporate climber and recovering addict

Los Angeles, Fall 2020

Series: Succession
Episodes:
– “The Munsters” (Episode 4.01, dir. Mark Mylod, aired 3/26/2023)
– “Living+” (Episode 4.06, dir. Lorene Scafaria, aired 4/30/2023)
Creator: Jesse Armstrong
Costume Designer: Michelle Matland

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

The first episode of Succession aired five years ago today on June 3, 2018. Now, less than a week after the fourth and final season concluded last Sunday, we finally have an answer to the question posited since the beginning about who would assume leadership of the Murdoch-inspired media conglomerate Waystar RoyCo after the death of its domineering founder, Logan Roy (Brian Cox).

Despite the ensemble cast that includes three—occasionally four—of Logan’s children vying for the role, @MarkHarrisNYC tweeted yesterday that “the series never forgot that its central four-season plot question was not ‘Who’s going to get it?’ but ‘Is Kendall going to get it or not?'”

Jeremy Strong, whose intense performance as the fragile yet cutthroat, swaggering yet insecure Kendall has been lauded through the series run, seemed to support that focus in a recent interview with Joy Press for Vanity Fair, sharing that “For me—not necessarily for Jesse or for anyone else—this show could have been called The Death of Kendall Roy. The slow, inexorable death of Kendall Roy over four seasons mirrors, in a way, the death of a system and a country. We see the dying of the light in this person. And in tandem, we see the collapse and dying of a light in late stage capitalism, and in this country at this moment.”

The tragedy compounds with the occasional moments of Kendall having fun during his soul’s decline, optimistically grasping at the CEO role he has been predisposed to covet since it was promised to him in a candy shop when he was seven years old (as we eventually learn.) Consider the moment in “Living+” (Episode 4.06) as newly ordained CE-bros Kendall and Roman (Kieran Culkin) are brainstorming the eponymous “personalized longevity programs” that will offers investors a path to “live… more forever.” With death more on his mind than usual, Roman admits that “something about all this does depress me,” to which Kendall deftly responds:

Oh yeah? And, uh, do you think it’s the speech written specifically for our late father or the fact we’re planning to warehouse the elderly and keep them drunk on content while we suck ’em dollar-dry?

What’d He Wear?

“During the journey, we found as a character, Kendall moved through his evolution from very uptight Tom Ford-esque cut suits to his break to neutral, natural tones into the browns and the greens, which were completely out of his palette prior,” costume designer Michelle Matland explained to menswear stylist Caroline Reilly for Variety after the second season aired, an earthy palette that remains associated with Kendall Roy through the end of the series.

Among my favorite of the scores of Succession-related social media accounts that I follow is @kendallroylookingsad, a Twitter and Instagram presence that the show itself seemed to subtweet in the finale as Ken’s younger siblings Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman vocally called out the rare sight of seeing their older brother smiling with actual elation.

Of course, there were certainly other moments through the last season where we see the eldest boy excited and eager for his next phase, whether it’s the aborted “Substack meets Masterclass meets The Economist meets The New Yorker” project The Hundred he was pitching with his siblings in “The Munsters” (Episode 4.01) or brainstorming how he would promise eternal life to Waystar RoyCo’s investors in “Living+” (Episode 4.06). Interestingly, both of these episodes were set in sunny L.A. rather than the series’ New York home base.

For both of these episodes that called for Kenny to excitedly dig his colorful designer heels into business endeavors, costume designer Michelle Matland dressed him in essentially the same outfit: an understated but overpriced brown T-shirt and blue jeans, custom-designed sunglasses, and a taupe suede zip-up jacket from one of his favorite brands, Tom Ford.

In fact, the jacket, jeans, and T-shirt are all Tom Ford! Just as Buddha prescribed.

As identified by the excellent @successionfashion, the jacket is specifically the Tom Ford Light Suede Track Bomber, sold with the staggering price tag of $6,490. The “Track Bomber” nomenclature blends the adventurous legacies of athletes and aviators into one dashing zip-up piece that takes stylistic inspiration from classic leather and nylon flight jackets issued through the mid-20th century as well as the more relaxed track jackets that later became fashionable.

We know Kendall keeps a sartorial pulse on trendy streetwear, though perhaps he specifically wears this track bomber to channel the courage and reputation of America’s high-flying war heroes, though I’d hate to hear Frank, Karl, or Gerri break it to him that there’s a big difference between piloting B-29s and falsifying projected profits for a half-baked retirement community.

Tom Ford describes the color as “dark gray”, though the suede leather shell has a warmer olive finish that shines brown in certain light. The standing collar, cuffs, and hem are all the same matching ribbed-knit material. The sleeves are set-in, and horizontal yokes extend straight across the chest and back, with a vertical seam split down the center of the back between the yoke and hem. The jetted hand pockets on each side of the jacket are gently slanted, framed with raw cut edges and with a single branded silver-toned snap to close.

In both instances, Kendall appears to wear the same brown T-shirt from Tom Ford, which means it retails for $240. The jersey-knit fabric is a blend of 67% Lyocell and 33% cotton. Styled with a classic round crew-neck and short sleeves, the shirt’s hem extends a bit longer than the jacket, affecting a quasi-hip-hop look that would appeal to K-to-the-E-N.

Ken’s whiskered blue jeans are also Tom Ford, specifically the Stretch Slim Fit Denim ($750) made from a blend of 98% cotton and 2% polyurethane that provides the degree of stretch. These jeans follow the traditional layout with belt loops, two patch-style back pockets, two curved-entry front pockets riveted at each corner, and a coin/watch pocket inset on the right side.

Recalling the expensive Lanvin sneakers he had purchased specifically to impress a group of young entrepreneurs, Kendall strides through L.A. in his colorful Gucci Run sneakers.

“The Gucci Run’s dynamic appearance contrasts considerably from its humble name, as bright colors, spiraling lines, and the luxury house’s ever-covetable double-G logo combine on a performance knit upper,” reported Ian Servantes for Inverse in February 2022, anticipating the Run’s arrival in the American market later that year, just in time for Kenny to grab his pair. Like the idea of a suede Tom Ford track jacket, the streamlined Gucci sneakers (which the brand itself advises “should be protected from direct light, heat and rain”) are absolutely a status symbol rather than practical athletic gear.

The gray, green, and pink colorway that Kendall wears has already been discontinued, consisting of gray “performance-knit” uppers, perforated over the vamps and ankles. The fronts have curved forest-green overlaid tips, and the uppers are accented in aqua green, including an elongated presentation of Gucci’s interlocking-G logo on each side. The unique lacing system pulls the black laces through a trio of black plastic webs and another two sets of black speed hooks. The white soles are accented with salmon-colored rubber outsoles, with a pink extension hooking over each front tip. The front outsoles are monogrammed with the more conventional interlocking-G treatment in pink, which Gucci describes as “a playful note of chromatic contrast.”

This likely wasn’t the first time Kendall would kick up his feet, almost aimed at Shiv to show off Gucci’s iconic interlocking Gs on the soles of his sneakers, reminding whoever he shares a room with that he’s the kind of guy who can afford to drop $900 on the latest sneakers… and then step all over their recognizable logo.

In “The Munsters” (Episode 4.01), Kendall continues wearing the plain cashmere baseball caps that have been indelibly tied to his image since the first season. This time, it’s a $625 brown cashmere-blend cap from Kendall-favorite brand Loro Piana.

Ahead of production on Succession‘s fourth season, Jeremy Strong collaborated with Los Angeles-based limited-edition luxury eyewear firm Jacques Marie Mage to develop his screen-worn “Ripley for K.L.R.” frame, a ’60s-inspired panto design produced in a limited run of only 100 pieces for $750 each. As Strong explained in a note shared on the official @jacquesmariemage Instagram account in March 2023, his screen-worn set was embossed with “K.L.R.” on the inside. (You can see a set of the glasses themselves in their follow-up post two days later.)

“Befitting the swagger of… the complicated heir apparent,” Jacques Marie Mage explained in their description, the sunglasses are framed in crystal-brown (“London”) cured cellulose acetate, with a bumped brow-line and gently rounded around the orange-brown CR39 lenses. Apropos Kendall’s preference for luxury and prestige, the glasses boast 18-karat dark gold detailing, including the arrowhead front pins, the tension-secured five-barrel hinges, and inner wire core.

Kendall dresses identically in both “The Munsters” (Episode 4.01) and “Living+” (Episode 4.06), with the only apparent change being the addition of his Loro Piana baseball cap in “The Munsters” and his switched-out watches.

In “The Munsters”, Kendall wears the stealthy black Rolex Predator, the customized version of the Rolex “Deepsea” Sea-Dweller that was unveiled by Bamford Watch Department in 2014. Rolex had introduced its Sea-Dweller dive watch in 1967, designed as an extremely water-resistant tool for professional divers working at greater depths than could be handled by watches like the Rolex Submariner.

To the layperson’s eye, the Sea-Dweller and Deepsea are cosmetically identical to the Submariner, all following the same diving watch silhouette with rotating bezels, dials with similarly shaped luminous non-numeric hour indices and 3 o’clock date windows, and the recognizable three-piece Oyster-style link bracelet; only the Deepsea’s downsized date window, slightly larger 44mm case with a gas escape valve, and the obviously different identifying text on each watch’s dial would be the clear differences. Yet, in contrast to the 1,000-foot maximum depth of the modern Submariner, the current iteration of the Sea-Dweller is water resistant down to 4,000 feet. Already impressive, this was superseded in 2008 when Rolex introduced the Deepsea variant with its impressive depth rating of 12,800 feet—nearly two and a half miles below the surface.

When seeking a Rolex to customize for the dangerous appellation of “Predator”, BWD selected the heavy-duty Deepsea and blacked out all but the text on the dial, finishing the rest of the dial, the bezel, and the bracelet in an intimidating matte black.

Nothing like the dangerous-looking (and sounding!) all-black Rolex Predator watch to prey on Nan Pierce’s “coastal grandma” vibes.

Beginning at Logan’s wake in “Honeymoon States” (Episode 4.04) through the end of the series, Kendall switches to a flat titanium tonneau-shaped Richard Mille RM67-01 with an extreme skeletonized dial that reveals the automatic-winding calibre CRMA6 movement as well as a vertically oriented date display window at 5 o’clock. The hour index numerals are mounted on two parallel titanium rails attached directly to the movement. As identified by @successionfashion, this watch can cost up to $215,000.

“He’s still not ready to go quietly into this good night and has chosen a brand that is easy to recognize and somewhat brash, giving him what he probably considers street cred,” theorizes Nora Taylor for Robb Report. “He wants to be noticed, he wants to be in charge, he wants to be different from the old guard, but he still wants to be taken seriously.”

Prop master Monica Jacobs confirmed this intent to Tom Banham for Esquire, sharing that the Richard Mille watch had been specifically proposed by Jeremy Strong. “Kendall is always reaching for something big and bright and beautiful. To make himself feel good. A lot of the characters, they have this money, it’s old money for a lot of them. They’ve lived this lifestyle for so long. There’s certain flashy things that they like, but they know their style, they know what they want. Kendall comes from that world also, but he does want to reach out for something crazy. He wants to stand out so far.”

In addition to the gold Breitling that Kendall wears in “Rehearsal” (Episode 1.02), the Rolex and Richard Mille were confirmed by prop master Monica Jacobs in Tom Banham’s excellent Esquire article “How the World’s Most Sought-After Watches End up on ‘Succession'”, published in March 2023 just before the fourth season premiered.

For what it’s worth, Kendall actually wears two different Tom Ford “bomber jackets” during the fourth season, later wearing a nappa leather flight jacket for the pre-election night party in “Tailgate Party” (Episode 4.07). He had also previously worn a similarly styled track bomber jacket, albeit made by Loro Piana in a lush rust-colored corduroy, which appeared in “The Disruption” (Episode 3.03).

What to Imbibe

For an all-night planning session crunching (some may say making up) projected profit numbers and directing clouds, Kendall Roy needs to stay sharp and alert. A recovering addict whose relapses often lead to tragic outcomes, Kendall wisely avoids any major substances.

So what does the co-CEO of Waystar RoyCo drink while overseeing such an effort? Coffee? Red Bull? Nope—La Croix!

Who needs caffeine when you can have unsweetened carbonated water

Something about La Croix is very funny and Succession knows it, from the dramatic way Kendall takes his swig from a can—is that Pamplemousse? Peach-Pear?—to the lemony interlude on Election Night two episodes later in “America Decides” (Episode 4.08).

Wisconsin-based G. Heileman Brewing Company introduced La Croix in February 1980, positioned as a more pedestrian sparkling water designed to challenge the “snobbish” association with market leader Perrier (despite also choosing a French-sounding name, which doesn’t always sit well with some Americans…)

I’ll admit that I was surprised that La Croix had been around for so long, as I didn’t feel aware of the beverage until the mid-2010s, coinciding with the brand’s owners capitalizing on the decline of sugary sodas in the U.S. and thus developing new marketing campaigns aimed at millennials like me.

How to Get the Look

Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy on Succession (Episode 4.01: “The Munsters”)

When he gets to L.A. with that gleam in his eye about the next big idea—whether it’s an overstuffed media mashup or eternal life—Kendall Roy pulls on a suede track bomber that channels the fast-moving heroes of yesteryear through an elevated streetwear lens. He wears it with an understated brown T-shirt, blue jeans, and baseball cap… though the prices are hardly understated as they’re from high-end designers Tom Ford and Loro Piana, not to mention the colorful $900 Gucci sneakers.

Of course, you don’t need to drop $10,000 (and that’s before even discussing the watch) or work with a limited edition eyewear designer to pull together a comfortable, casual look like our eldest boy.

• Taupe suede zip-up track bomber jacket with ribbed-knit standing collar, cuffs, and hem, set-in sleeves, and snap-closed jetted hand pockets
  • Tom Ford Light Suede Track Bomber
• Brown lyocell/cotton crew-neck short-sleeve T-shirt
  • Tom Ford Lyocell and Cotton-Blend Jersey T-Shirt
• Blue whiskered stretch cotton denim slim-fit jeans
  • Tom Ford Blue Stretch Slim Fit Denim
• Gray performance-knit designer sneakers with webbed lacing system, forest-green toe tip, mint-green accents, and salmon-and-pink rubber outsoles
  • Gucci Run
• Dark brown cashmere-blend baseball cap
  • Loro Piana Cashmere-Blend Baseball Cap
• Crystal-brown cellulose acetate retro panto-shaped sunglases with brown-orange lenses and 18-karat dark gold accents
  • Jacques Mage Marie Ripley for K.L.R.
• Either a blacked-out Rolex “Predator” Deepsea Sea-Dweller dive watch, a skeletonized Richard Mille RM67-01, or… something more practical

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the series, currently streaming on HBO Max.

For fans of the show’s style, I recommend following the great Instagram accounts @successionfashion and @successionfits.

The Quote

Here’s the rule: no one can say “no.”

The post Succession: Kendall’s Suede Tom Ford Jacket in Season 4 appeared first on BAMF Style.

Roland Young as William Henry Blore in And Then There Were None (1945)

Vitals

Roland Young as William Henry Blore, oblivious private investigator

Devon, England, Summer 1945

Film: And Then There Were None
Release Date: October 30, 1945
Director: René Clair
Costume Designer: René Hubert (uncredited)

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

The great English character actor Roland Young died 70 years ago today on June 5, 1953. Perhaps best known for his Academy Award-nominated performance as Cosmo Topper in Topper (1937) and its two subsequent sequels, Young was also a memorable performer among the ensemble cast of René Clair’s 1945 adaptation of And Then There Were None.

Based on Agatha Christie’s masterpiece thriller novel, this first cinematic version of And Then There Were None was adapted by American screenwriter Dudley Nichols to more closely follow the plot of the stage play, which Christie had adapted herself in 1943 with a more positive ending to better appeal to wartime audiences… a “more positive” ending that still resulted in eight deaths, that is.

Though the war had been over for months when And Then There Were None was released in 1945, it retained this version of the ending, setting a precedent for the subsequent adaptations that would be released in 1965, 1974, and 1989; only a Soviet-made 1987 and a faithfully adapted 2015 BBC miniseries retained Christie’s original English island setting and grim ending.

I love how the original 1945 movie balances Christie’s signature blend of horror and dark humor, with the latter significantly helped by Roland Young’s performance as the blustering Blore, a man appropriately derided as “my good blockhead” by Philip Lombard in the novel. Young presents him as just that, perhaps a competent enough investigator at his detective agency in Plymouth but considerably out of his element against the unknown U.N. Owen.

Overly suspicious yet completely oblivious, Blore remains blusteringly sure of himself, even after his lack of familiarity with electrical mechanics shorts out the power to the house and leaves everyone literally in the dark for their final evening on Indian Island. Nothing can get in the way of Mr. Blore’s indefatigable confidence in his own abilities, loudly punctuating his own conclusions with “I get it!”, though he’s not above the humility of admitting “no, I don’t,” seconds later in the rare instances when he can prove himself incorrect.

It’s fun to watch Young’s Blore struggling to mentally keep up with the dwindling group of survivors, likely seeing himself as their de facto leader despite lacking the natural leadership qualities of Judge Quincannon (Barry Fitzgerald) or the suave Philip Lombard (Louis Hayward) and without the willingness shown by Dr. Armstrong (Walter Huston) to retreat into the supporting role of a “respectable fool”. In fact, it seems almost by accident that Blores survives as long as he does—though, of course, there are no accidents with the mysterious Mr. Owen.

What’d He Wear?

Agatha Christie’s novel doesn’t provide much insight about Blore’s wardrobe, mentioning only a tie, trousers, and wristwatch over the course of the weekend, giving the filmmakers free rein to dress Blore to their vision. A simple-minded and unimaginative investigator, Blore presents himself with a more limited wardrobe than his fellow guests; with the exception of the tuxedo he wears for dinner the first evening, Blore spends the entire weekend dressed in the same tweed jacket and tie that he wore when he arrived.

Rogers’ butcher knife encourages Blore to change his interrogation tactics.

Blore’s single-breasted sports coat is made from herringbone tweed, likely in a duo-tone weave of brown and cream or taupe and tan as these earthy combinations were conventional for country attire. The jacket has a 3/2-roll, with the wide notch lapels rolling over the top button to cleanly show the center button, which is the only one that Blore wears fastened. The jacket has a long, somewhat flared skirt, and the back is ventless as expected for a traditional English sport jacket.

The jacket’s sporty nature is indicated by its loose—but still tailored—fit and the four inverted box-pleat pockets, each with a rectangular flap that closes through a single button, though Blore often wears these haphazardly closed in a manner that adds to his scrappy appearance. All of the buttons—including the three on the front, the three decorating each cuff, and those on the pockets—are all dark nut shank buttons.

Blore wears a white cotton shirt with a long point collar, front placket, and button cuffs. He could have added variety to his costume with a rotation of neckwear but instead wears only the same dark four-in-hand tie with its clustered pattern of floral-like spots.

“I get it!”

Blore perfectly complements his tweedy top half with dark flannel pleated trousers that effectively contrast the lighter jacket while texturally harmonizing with its coarse finish. The pleats contribute to the trousers’ bagginess that works with the fit of the jacket. The proportions are excellent, with the long rise of the trousers meeting the jacket’s buttoning point perfectly over Roland Young’s natural waist. He holds up his trousers with a dark leather belt that may be a shade of brown to match his dark brown leather lace-up shoes.

Blore wears a hole into the carpet as he paces through the living room, considering theories about Mr. Owen’s identity while keeping a watchful eye on Philip Lombard and Vera Claythorne out on the terrace.

Blore’s coat and hat complete the image of the stereotypical 1940s investigator. His calf-length balmacaan raincoat is likely a light khaki, styled with a soft Prussian collar and raglan sleeves that are finished at each cuff with a short strap that closes through a button. Four buttons close under a covered fly, with an additional exposed top button to close through the neck.

Blore wears a dark felt fedora, uniquely styled with a flat-topped crown with very little pinch. The narrow grosgrain band is as dark as the rest of the hat, likely also the same color.

Blore wears a rectangular-cased wristwatch on a dark leather strap that jumps from his right wrist to his left wrist, in addition to a pinky ring on his left hand.  Somewhat less ordinary than these typical accessories for the mid-century everyman is a thin bracelet of small wooden beads encircling his right wrist. At first, I thought this was the more expected chain-link bracelet that Roland Young was photographed wearing around the same time that And Then There Were None was produced, but the bracelet on Blore’s wrist while smoking his pipe en route Indian Island is clearly wooden beads and not a metal chain.

The fedora’s boxy crown and Blore’s buttoned-up coat complete a fitting image for the man Philip Lombard had described in the novel as “my good blockhead.”

Blore’s type of white wide-ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt had been innovated about a decade earlier by Jockey as the “A-shirt” (for “athletic shirt”). A widely repeated story holds that this style of undershirt received its perjorative “wife-beater” moniker just two years after Young wore his in And Then There Were None when a man named James Hartford Jr. was arrested for beating his wife to death, sporting a bloody A-shirt in his mugshot that went the 1947 equivalent of viral after it was featured in newspapers.

Given the fact that I’ve never actually seen physical evidence of these newspapers or the mugshot, I think it’s time for this type of undershirt to be culturally rebranded. Since Bruce Willis so visibly wore one while fighting terrorists in Die Hard, maybe the term “Gruber-beater” will catch on instead?

Somehow, the sight of 57-year-old Roland Young in his sleeveless undershirt didn’t quite have the same impact on undershirt sales as a bare-chested Clark Gable did ten years earlier.

How to Get the Look

Roland Young as William Henry Blore in And Then There Were None (1945)

In his rumpled raincoat over an unchanging jacket and tie, Roland Young’s Blore could present the image of an English World War II-era Columbo, though Blore is considerably less imaginative than Peter Falk’s scrappy detective and instead may just wear the same clothes all weekend as he lacks the creativity to deviate from them. That said, there’s a comfortably broken-in dignity about Blore’s tweed four-pocket sports coat in a style that I’d love to see make an overdue renaissance.

• Herringbone tweed single-breasted 3/2-roll sport jacket with wide notch lapels, four inverted box-pleat pockets with rectangular button-down flaps, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
• White cotton shirt with long point collar, front placket, and button cuffs
• Dark tie with floral spots
• Dark flannel pleated trousers with belt loops, side pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Dark brown leather belt
• Dark brown leather lace-up shoes
• Dark felt flat-crowned fedora with narrow grosgrain band
• Light khaki gabardine balmacaan-style raincoat with soft Prussian collar, covered 4-button fly with exposed top button, and raglan sleeves with strap-buttoned cuffs
• Bracelet of thin beads
• Pinky ring
• Rectangular-cased watch with light-colored dial on dark leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

I get it!

The post And Then There Were None: Roland Young’s Tweed as Blore appeared first on BAMF Style.

Roger Moore as James Bond in Octopussy (1983). Photo sourced from Thunderballs archive at thunderballs.org.

Vitals

Roger Moore as James Bond, British government agent

Udaipur, India, Spring 1983

Film: Octopussy
Release Date: June 6, 1983
Director: John Glen
Costume Designer: Emma Porteous
Tailor: Douglas Hayward

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

The 00-7th of June feels appropriate for celebrating Roger Moore’s penultimate James Bond adventure Octopussy, which premiered 40 years ago this week—June 6, 1983 in the United Kingdom, followed by its American premiere four days later.

As would result from a man dressed in keeping with the fashions of his era, Sir Roger’s sartorial legacy in the Bond franchise has included some divisive reference to him as the “leisure suit” Bond. While he did sport a few examples of leisure suits in his inaugural 007 film, Live and Let Die, he more frequently—and only when appropriate—wore more function-oriented safari suits and jackets. Bond Suits founder Matt Spaiser has written extensively about the contextual purpose that Moore’s safari-inspired clothing served in the Bond franchise, an effort that has hopefully reversed some of these negative attitudes.

Four years after he sported his first true safari suit in Moonraker, Octopussy reaffirmed Moore’s reputation as the safari-sporting Bond when he appropriately donned a khaki two-piece safari suit to escape from the Monsoon Palace. When his captor, the suave exiled Afghan prince Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan), realizes Bond is gone, Khan changes out of his dinner suit into his own olive safari suit to track Bond through the Indian forest in a “most dangerous game”-style hunt, where agent 007 must contend with snakes, spiders, and tigers in addition to the rifle-toting Kamal Khan.

What’d He Wear?

Safari suits originated in the early 20th century to serve the purpose implied by their name: to be worn on safaris in the African bush. The style’s ongoing association with British colonialism emerged from its evolution from the light-colored, lightweight uniforms worn by European soldiers and officers serving in warm climates. The breathable comfort was embraced and adopted by sportsmen like Ernest Hemingway, who designed a “bush jacket” for Willis & Geiger Outfitters in 1936, a year after the term “safari suit” first appeared in an American newspaper, according to The Oxford English Dictionary.

Safari clothing was traditionally made of tropical fabrics like cotton, linen, or lighter-weight wool in shades of khaki ranging from beige and tan to brown and olive. These colors provided a degree of camouflage in desert or jungle conditions and were also consistent with military uniforms. Safari jackets featured military-inspired details such as epaulets (shoulder straps) and functional additions like ample pockets, occasionally accompanied by a waist belt to cinch the fit.

For decades, safari clothing was primarily worn for its intended purpose until it was introduced to the fashion mainstream by designers like Yves Saint Laurent in the late 1960s. This inspired a decade-long wave of safari-inspired fashion, seen on screen worn by everyone from James Bond to Bob Newhart.

The light khaki safari shirt-jacket and matching trousers seen in Octopussy represent the final time we see Moore’s Bond dressed in safari clothing, and it may be his definitive execution of a safari suit.

Foiled again! Bond evades his latest romantic partner, Magda (Kristina Wayborn), who had only slept with him for access to a Fabergé egg. We’ve all been there, James.

In his excellent analysis of the outfit at Bond Suits, Matt Spaiser confirms that “Moore’s London shirtmaker Frank Foster made the shirt-jacket of a plain-weave worsted wool suiting,” a durable cloth that would be comfortably light-wearing in the warm Indian climate without wrinkling like cotton or linen.

The shirt-jacket features a large shirt-style point collar and a front placket with four tan buttons running from Moore’s natural waist to mid-chest, leaving the top naturally open at the neck. The large tan plastic four-hole buttons on the placket match those on the single-button squared cuffs, epaulets, and pockets. There are four patch pockets, all box-pleated with pointed flaps that each close with a single button—the two chest pockets are smaller than the large hip pockets. The back of the shirt-jacket has a pointed Western yoke, and the two long side vents extend up to Moore’s waistline, aligned with the lowest button on the placket and the top of each hip pocket.

Bond slips out of Magda’s room. So far, the trappings of Monsoon Palace don’t seem to call for the drama of a safari suit, but keep watching!

The matching trousers have a flat front with belt loops that go unused and are cut straight through the legs—as opposed to the flared cut on his safari trousers four years earlier in Moonraker—down to their plain-hemmed bottoms. I would have assumed that both pieces of the outfit were crafted by the same party, but the estimable Mr. Spaiser confirms on his blog that the trousers were made by Moore’s then-regular tailor Douglas Hayward.

The trousers don’t have back pockets, but they may have curved, frogmouth-style front pockets. It’s difficult to tell since the skirts of his untucked shirt-jacket cover them for most of their screen-time, aside from Bond’s dramatic escape through the forest.

Pat Banta’s prolific stunt career began with the James Bond series, doubling for Roger Moore in For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and A View to a Kill, including the Tarzan-esque rope swing in Octopussy. He likely appreciated that the costume for this scene called for a safari suit rather than a loincloth.

By this point, Moore’s Bond was almost exclusively wearing Ferragamo shoes and belts, provided for the actor after his neighbor—married to Salvatore Ferragamo’s eldest son—was horrified to watch Moore wearing Gucci leather in his first two Bond films. Thus, the brown leather loafers that Bond incongruously wears with his safari suit are likely Ferragamo. These low-slung slip-on shoes are styled with an apron-toe and a swelled strap across each vamp.

Bond would be understandably unconcerned with fashionability while dressed solely to make his escape, but his beige ribbed socks handsomely continue the leg-line of his light khaki trousers into his shoes. The light-colored, lightweight socks would also keep his feet cooler and more comfortable than darker socks.

Heavy-duty boots or even sneakers may have been more suitable for Bond’s trek through the ragged, hilly terrain outside the Monsoon Palace, but Bond was limited to the shoes that Khan allowed him to have—as well as whatever shoes Roger Moore would have agreed were comfortable enough to wear on screen.

The venerable Q (Desmond Llewelyn) had earlier shown Bond how to use the “standard-issue radio directional finder” in his digital Seiko G757 Sports 100 watch to track down the Fabergé egg, leading 007 to discover Khan’s meeting with the renegade Soviet general Orlov (Steven Berkoff).

This quartz-powered watch has a stainless steel case inset by a black polyurethane mitred-corner “bezel”, shaped like an inverted horseshoe with four retaining screws and “SPORTS 100” printed across the top. The large octagonal LCD display under the crystal consists of an “analog” clock in the upper left corner while the monochromatic digital time display extends across the bottom, complete with day/date functionality. As listed in the upper right corner, the other functions include a timer, alarm, dual timer, and stopwatch. The stainless steel link bracelet closes through a black-finished butterfly-style clasp.

The digital Seiko may have been a questionable choice with Bond’s black-tie ensembles, but it fits the functionality of his safari suit… though Seiko had to quickly remove the radio directional finder function from all commercial G757 models after Fabergé egg robberies quadrupled within a year of Octopussy‘s release.

You can read more about the now-rare Seiko G757 at James Bond Lifestyle, which also mentions the Casio AE1200WHD-1A as an inexpensive, modern-day lookalike.

How to Remove a Leech

Bond’s Tarzan moment lands him in a pool of water that he quickly pulls himself out from, though not without a leech attaching itself to his chest… not far from where 007 had attached his own superfluous papilla nearly a decade earlier. Not one to panic, he coolly flicks his gold Dunhill lighter and burns the leech away.

Bond makes the breast of a bad situation.

While it looks cool on screen, experts have advised against burning off leeches as this could lead to infection. If you’re understandably unwilling to wait the 30-45 minutes for the leech to fall off naturally, Healthline advises the alternative method of gently pulling your skin under the leech until it’s taut, sliding a fingernail (or a flat foreign object like a credit card) under the leech’s mouth to separate it from your skin, and then flicking it away. Once the leech is far enough from your skin that it isn’t likely to reattach, clean the wound with rubbing alcohol and bandage it to stop the inevitable bleeding.

How to Get the Look

Roger Moore as James Bond in Octopussy (1983). Photo sourced from Thunderballs archive at thunderballs.org.

Look, if you don’t like safari suits, no one is forcing you to wear one. But, if you’re journeying through a warm jungle—possibly either hunting or being hunted—you may be glad you took a few safari-inspired style cues from the late, great Sir Roger Moore… though you may want to be a little more intentional about your footwear.

• Khaki plain-woven tropical worsted wool safari suit:
  • Four-button shirt-jacket with large point collar, epaulets, front placket, four box-pleated patch pockets (with button-down pointed flaps), single-button cuffs, and long double vents
  • Flat-front trousers with belt loops and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Brown leather apron-toe loafers
• Beige ribbed socks
• Seiko G757 Sports 100 stainless steel digital watch with LCD display, timer/alarm/stopwatch functions, and stainless link bracelet with black-finished butterfly-style clasp

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

(Tarzan yell)

The post Roger Moore’s Safari Suit in Octopussy appeared first on BAMF Style.

Jonah Hill as Seth in Superbad (2007)

Vitals

Jonah Hill as Seth, crude high school senior

Clark County, Spring 2006

Film: Superbad
Release Date: August 17, 2007
Director: Greg Mottola
Costume Designer: Debra McGuire

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Yesterday marked exactly 16 years since my high school graduation. Early June always awakens my nostalgia for the last days of school, when the excitement of summer ahead was made even more thrilling my senior year when I was just months away from entering college.

Superbad was released two months after I graduated during this significant summer, so it always held a significant place in my moviegoing heart for as much as I could—for better or worse—relate to its protagonists, Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera), during their final weeks of high school as lame-duck seniors.

The movie was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, loosely based on their own experiences as teens in Vancouver during the late ’90s, with added cinematic inspiration by way of American Graffiti, Dazed and Confused, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. By the time Superbad actually made it to the production phase in the mid-2000s, Rogen was a familiar face due to roles in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, but he had aged out of convincingly playing a high school student, providing the opportunity for Jonah Hill’s breakout performance as Seth, the brash teen inspired by Rogen himself.

Superbad centers around one night toward the end of the school year, as the decidedly uncool Seth and Evan—and their even less cool friend, Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse)—scheme to consummate attractions to their respective crushes, planning to ingratiate themselves to the girls by providing liquor for an end-of-the-year party. The quest for teens to lose their virginity is hardly a new concept for coming-of-age cinema (ever heard of Porky’s?), but Superbad adds a fresh perspective as the trio navigate obstacles including blatantly fake IDs, aggressive adults, and getting “fucked by the long dick of the law” as exemplified by Rogen and Bill Hader as a pair of hapless cops… or maybe I just have a soft spot for a movie that deconstructed pre-college anxieties while I was going through the same thing.

What’d He Wear?

Nobody’s gotten a handjob in cargo shorts since ‘Nam!

Seth complains of needing some new clothes for that night’s party that they were unexpectedly invited to, particularly after he agreed to provide booze for his crush Jules (Emma Stone). Unable to return home, lest his parents discover his car was towed for parking in the teachers’ lot, Seth raids Evan’s dad’s closet for a party outfit consistent with the movie’s overarching funky ’70s vibe. (Though there does seem to be some inconsistency with Seth thinking his disco decade duds will lead to more romantic success than wearing cargo shorts.)

While Evan sticks with his established palette of brown-toned polo and trousers, Seth embraces some retro western flair for his party-going outfit.

“That’s him, Johnny Cash,” someone describes Seth at Mark’s party, referring to his dark (but not black!) western-styled shirt. The shirt was custom-made for the production in the tradition of the opulent western shirts worn by singing cowboys of the 1940s like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and Bob Wills. Though there’s often variation in how these elements can be presented, the trademarks of a western shirt include snap-style buttons, dual chest pockets, and pointed yokes, with the decorative detailing adding a more distinctive complexity to Seth’s shirt than typically seen.

Seth’s borrowed navy shirt has white piping that follows the edges and seams, including along the large, ’70s-style collar, placket, cuffs, pockets, and yokes. The shirt’s front placket closes with six silver-trimmed pearl snaps up the front, with a traditional button closing at the neck, though Seth typically wears this button and the highest snap undone.

The two chest pockets are the set-in “smile” style, so named for their gently curved opening that splits the jetting as though each side of the shirt is smiling. Each end of the pocket is embroidered with a white arrow point. “This may actually be a carry-over from pant design,” explains Sneum in their nicely illustrated guide to western shirt design.

While many western shirts have cuffs that merely resemble typical barrel-style shirt cuffs but with two or three snaps instead of a button, Seth’s shirt has the more dramatic “shotgun cuff”, consisting of a five-snap closure with all five snaps on a curved tab that extends up the sleeve beyond the banded cuff.

The shotgun cuffs harmonize with the front and back yokes that are more complex than the typical single- or even double-pointed western yoke. The front yokes extend out from each armpit, curving around the respective pocket, dipping back to touch the edge of the pocket, then tapering down toward the placket to intersect and disappear between the third and fourth snaps. The back yoke echoes this profile, extending out from each armpit though arching upwards before dipping straight downward then breaking toward the center for a triangular “tooth” effect.

Fogell/McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) doesn’t do himself any favors in his “Pinocchio” (per Seth) or “Aladdin” (per Evan) vest, even if you could argue it’s more understated than Seth’s western shirt and plaid pants.

Seth layers the western shirt over a light heather gray cotton/polyester crew-neck short-sleeved T-shirt from Jerzees, the wholesale apparel brand known for their affordable and durable clothing often purchased in bulk for sports.

Seth coordinates the ’70s overtones of his outfit with plaid pants made from a large-scaled variation of Prince of Wales check cloth, woven in a black and white glen plaid framed by a blue overcheck. The flat-front trousers are styled like jeans at the top, with the recognizable five-pocket configuration of curved front pockets, an inset coin pocket on the right, and patch-style back pockets, as well as belt loops that go unused. The turn-ups (cuffs) are a departure from the similarity to jeans.

A partygoer at Mark’s house takes regrettable liberties investigating the stain bestowed on Seth’s trousers by his drunk dance partner.

The only part of his own outfit that Seth continues wearing are his blue-and-white Vans Authentic low-top skate sneakers, recognizable by the red Vans “Off the Wall” branded rubber badge on the back of each white rubber outsole. These were the original shoes that originated when Vans was founded in 1966.

The brand grew in popularity through the ’70s, when they introduced their Old-Skool silhouette and “Off the Wall” motto. As a high-schooler in the mid-2000s, I remember the ubiquity of Vans among all social strata in high school (including my own checkerboard pair). They perfectly suit Seth, who demonstrates a retro-minded and somewhat ironic sense of fashion while also not wanting to sartorially stray too far from what would be acceptable among his peers. Nearly sixty years after their inception, Vans Authentic sneakers are still available, via Vans or Amazon.

Seth’s Vans have blue canvas uppers with white contrasting stitching that matches the flat white woven laces, the five sets of white-finished metal eyelets, and the white rubber midsoles. The tan rubber outsoles are treaded with Vans’ signature “waffle” pattern.

The details of Jonah Hill’s screen-worn costume can be closely seen in photos included with the auction listings for one set of screen-worn clothes, a shirt, T-shirt, and trousers that was auctioned in 2013 by Heritage Auctions and then again by Goldin Auctions in the fall of 2020, selling for $7,380.

Jonah Hill as Seth, and one set of his screen-worn “hero” costume, sourced from Goldin Auctions.

Earlier that day, Seth had dressed for school in gray-toned camo cargo shorts and a light blue shadow-plaid short-sleeved button-up shirt worn open over a white T-shirt detailed with a grayscaled portrait of Richard Pryor.

I get Seth’s point about the cargo shorts (even though I wore plenty of them in high school), but I love that—instead of merely swapping out his pants—he went through an entire outfit change into something far less contemporary.

What to Imbibe

Given Superbad‘s plot driven by underage drinking, my non-existent legal team would like to remind all readers to only drink alcoholic beverages if they have reached legal age… and also to not drink beer that has been poured into laundry detergent containers, even if you’re relatively confident that said containers have been properly cleaned out.

“We put a lot of time into this list, so don’t fuck it up and get sambuca again,” Seth instructs Fogell, before it’s determined that Seth himself would be the one tasked with trying to procure the booze for Jules’ party. To avoid any legal repercussions, the Superbad production team appears to have used exclusively fictional labels for all the booze that appears on screen, even if the characters never drink it.

A particular favorite of mine are the Trotsky’s Choice vodka labels, seen in front of Seth’s chest during this imaginary sequence where his quest ends with a slit throat.

Dictated in part by the preferences of the girls they hope to impress at the party, Seth and Evan’s booze list includes ouzo, bourbon, spiced rum, Goldslick, raspberry vodka, Scotch, and a six-pack of Kyle’s Killer Lemonade. From my recollection of partying in high school, spiced rum and raspberry vodka were standards, occasionally bourbon, but almost never Scotch… likely requested by one of Jules’ friends trying to sound sophisticated. I did have friends of Greek heritage who were much more experienced at downing ouzo than my 14-year-old palette had been, but the fact that it shares an anise flavor with sambuca makes me think Fogell wouldn’t have landed them in too much trouble with the group if he repeated his earlier mistake.

As specifically requested by Evan’s crush Becca (Martha MacIssac), “Goldslick” is described as a premium vodka with little gold flakes, almost definitely informed by the real-life brand Goldschläger, an 87-proof cinnamon schnapps produced in Switzerland and characterized by the thin flakes of gold floating through the liqueur.

The “Kyle’s Killer Lemonade” requested by another of Jules’ friends was almost certainly meant to stand in for Mike’s Hard Lemonade, the Pennsylvania-based “alcopop” introduced in 1999.

Bet you had those cargo shorts now, don’t you Seth?

The dominant beer of the Superbad universe is the fictional “Binyon’s”, with a label similar to the the venerated New York City-based Schaefer beer. Coincidentally, Schaefer expanded its brewing operations in 1972 with the construction of the Lehigh Valley Plant in the small eastern Pennsylvania village of Fogelsville… its name evocative of McLovin’s birth name.

The mother lode.

How to Get the Look

Jonah Hill and Michael Cera in Superbad (2007)

Seth understandably recoils at the idea of wearing cargo shorts or an oversized vest to an end of-school party, but he still embraces the retro sensibilities of a distinctively yoked western shirt and plaid pants with his everyday Vans.

• Navy western-styled shirt with white piping on the curved/pointed front and back yokes, large collar, two “smile” pockets, six-snap front placket, and five-snap “shotgun cuffs”
• Light heather gray cotton/polyester crew-neck short-sleeve T-shirt
• Black, white, and blue Prince of Wales check flat-front casual trousers with belt loops, curved front pockets, inset right-side coin pocket, patch-style back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Blue canvas-upper Vans Authentic skate sneakers with white stitching, flat white laces through five white-finished metal eyelets, white rubber midsoles, and tan waffle-tread rubber outsoles

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

You know how many foods are shaped like dicks? The best kinds.

The post Jonah Hill in Superbad appeared first on BAMF Style.

Logan Lerman as Charlie in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Vitals

Logan Lerman as Charlie Kelmeckis, anxious high school freshman

Pittsburgh, Christmas 1991 through Spring 1992

Film: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Release Date: September 21, 2012
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Costume Designer: David C. Robinson

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Dear friend,

If you read my last post about Jonah Hill’s party gear in Superbad, you know I’ve been on a bit of a high school nostalgia kick lately. And I’m keeping that going with a look at the very significant suit gifted to our sensitive narrator in the book and movie adaptation of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Chbosky based much of his epistolary debut novel on his own high school experiences in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, thus The Perks of Being a Wallflower became especially impactful among my groups of friends. (Like my wife, Chbosky graduated from Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh’s southern suburbs, while I received my diploma on the other side of the Three Rivers at North Allegheny Senior High School.)

The novel was published in 1999, and its realistic and sympathetic depictions of angst and isolation made it a fast-growing favorite among many of my fellow millennials—I could relate to Charlie’s anxieties and sensitivities, and reading about them helped me feel both seen and appreciative for the groups of friends who befriended me despite (or possibly even because of) them. Chbosky refused to sell the rights to a cinematic adaptation unless he could write and direct it himself, a decision which I appreciate as it makes the small changes from page-to-screen intentional and true to the spirit of the original story.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower centers around Charlie, a shy, gifted, and introverted yet observant teen beginning his first year of high school in the fall of 1991. Saddled with considerable trauma like his best friend’s suicide and the circumstances surrounding the death of his beloved aunt, Charlie deals with his depression and isolation through a series of letters to an unidentified recipient, though he finds additional forms of therapy through his helpful English teacher Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd) and acceptance among a group of senior students, particularly the self-described “misfit toys” Patrick (Ezra Miller) and Sam (Emma Watson).

My “wallflowers” were the lifelong friends I made through student council, an organization I almost hadn’t joined at all due to my very Charlie-esque anxiety about running for a position against a popular cheerleader when I was just an oddball eighth grader who often tried to dress like Robert Redford in The Sting—to the surprise of absolutely no BAMF Style readers, I’m sure. After I shocked myself by winning the election, I was introduced to a subset of peers I never knew existed—groups of welcoming, nonjudgmental people who didn’t take out their own angst and trauma on others but were accepting, curious, and open-minded, inspiring me to adopt the same attitudes.

Love always,
BAMF Style

What’d He Wear?

Charlie’s first Christmas with his fellow “wallflowers” includes their annual tradition of Secret Santa, in which each member of the group secretly gives a series of gifts to another. “I have received socks, pants, a shirt, and a belt,” Charlie announces at the final party. “I was ordered to wear them all tonight, so… guessing my Secret Santa is Mary Elizabeth.”

After clearing up that Charlie’s Secret Santa was actually Patrick and not Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman), despite her penchant for bossiness, Patrick explains the rationale behind the gift for his new friend:

All the great writers used to wear great suits. So, your last present is on a towel rack in the bathroom. Delve into our facilities, emerge a star!

The scene plays out almost exactly as in the novel, with Charlie initially mystified by having “received thrift store ‘slacks’… a tie, a white shirt, shoes, and an old belt. I’m guessing that my last gift at the party will be a suit coat because it’s the only thing left.”

Explaining that the suit is secondhand explains both the style, which has some 1960s British Mod inspiration, as well as its missing jacket button (more on both of those later). Though not too offbeat, the suit is a departure from Charlie’s “safe” trad-informed formula for occasions requiring a tie, such as school dances and his sister’s graduation, where he wears a navy blazer, blue OCBD, and repp striped ties. The suit from Patrick signifies his association with the group of friends that has accepted him, even when wearing it the school deepens the gulf between him and his fellow classmates.

Charlie (wearing his suit in English class): Did you have fun on your break?
Mr. Anderson: More fun than you’re gonna have today, Sinatra.

At the time of the movie’s release, Jenni Miller reported for Fandango that “costume designer David C. Robinson and his team scoured Pittsburgh’s secondhand stores for the perfect Perks clothes,” though “Charlie was a ‘classic preppy’ whose suit they snagged on eBay.” I can’t tell if this is a specific reference to Charlie’s actual suit or the preppier blazer-and-khakis combo he wears elsewhere, and I haven’t been able to find any more primary sources to elaborate on this.

The dark olive suit has a silky sheen, possibly a synthetic tonic designed to resemble the shiny Tonik mohair/wool blend developed by Dormeuil in 1957 and popular on suits favored by mod subculture through the swinging ’60s, illustrated on screen by Michael Caine in Alfie (1966) and Get Carter (1971). Patrick’s choice to buy Charlie a suit echoing his era shows a respect for Charlie retro-minded sensibility consistent with his music taste and reading assignments.

Sorry, Charlie.

The suit’s single-breasted jacket follows the profile of a ’60s mod suit, with a high-fastening three-button front and very narrow notch lapels. The straight shoulders are roped at the sleeveheads, and the jacket is shaped with front darts and squared skirt. The back has a short single vent. The jacket also has a welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, and three recessed buttons on each cuff that match the front buttons.

Indicative of the suit’s thrifted origins, the jacket is already missing its center button when Charlie first tries it on, thus he always wears it unbuttoned. (Many classic mod jackets had buttons covered in the same cloth as the suit, but Charlie should evidently consider himself lucky to have buttons at all!)

The straight, narrow tie coordinates with the width of the lapels. The tie is entirely black, save for two orange horizontal lines about midway between the tie knot and blade and two small orange “boxes” near the left edge, each actually comprised of two small horizontal lines. There is a similar orange double-lined pattern on the back end of the tie as well.

Charlie always wears the suit with an off-the-rack shirt made of white cotton (or a cotton/polyester blend), with a semi-spread collar, front placket, breast pocket, and rounded barrel cuffs that close through one of two buttons to adjust the fit around the wrist.

The suit’s matching trousers have double forward-facing pleats, slanted side pockets, and tapered legs down to the short-break bottoms finished with turn-ups (cuffs). Charlie cycles through two different black leather belts: his belt at the party has a thin gold-toned squared single-prong buckle, while he later wears a belt with a more rectangular silver-toned buckle.

Charlie’s black shoes appear to be simple slip-ons. While saying farewell to Sam at the end of the school year, he wears them with somewhat incongruous white socks that sharply contrast with the dark trouser cloth and shoe uppers.

What to Listen to

Both the book and movie zero in on Charlie’s fondness for the Smiths’ haunting 1985 single “Asleep”, which he discovers early in his freshman year after his sister passed down a mixtape from her pitiful boyfriend. (Unnamed in the novel, her abusive suitor was dubbed “Ponytail Derek” for the film, portrayed by a pre-Succession Nicholas Braun!)

Though the introspective and melancholic “Asleep” becomes Charlie’s signature song throughout The Perks of Being a Wallflower, to the extent that he puts it at the beginning and end of a mixtape he makes for Patrick’s Christmas present, both the book and movie focus on the emotional power of music—specifically the right song at the right time.

In the moment where Charlie relates feeling that he and his friends are “infinite” while driving Sam’s pickup truck inbound through the Fort Pitt tunnels at night (a quintessential Pittsburgh experience), Chbosky’s novel recalls that the group heard “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac playing from the tape in her radio. The cinematic adaptation took some flak for its use of David Bowie’s 1977 hit “Heroes” for the scene—not because of the song itself, but because many believed it stretched the bounds of reality that such music-obsessed teens wouldn’t be aware of such a song. However, Stephen Chbosky defended the decision in an October 2012 interview with Bruce Handy for Vanity Fair, explaining that he wasn’t aware of the artist’s earlier work as “in the early ’90s, David Bowie was ‘Let’s Dance’ to me. He was that guy.”

I can relate to this, as I’ve had my own share of “how do you not know that song?” moments. I graduated from high school in 2007 and had spent many of my formative years leading up to that point listening to and appreciating much of my dad’s favorite music, lots of classic rock (specifically the Rolling Stones, Allman Brothers, and Led Zeppelin) and Motown and—because I’m me—a lot of jazz dating back to the 1920s and ’30s. I had some well-intended friends who would give me CDs of more contemporary artists, but they went under-appreciated as I was more inclined to listen to Dean Martin or The Doors than Dashboard Confessional.

One of my first weeks in college, I was riding around with a group of new friends when “Hypnotize” by The Notorious B.I.G. came on. “Wow, this is great! What is this? Is it new?” I asked… about a 10-year-old hip-hop song that was already considered one of the best (and best-known) of all-time. They looked at me like I was from another planet, and the most sympathetic in the group explained “no… it’s Biggie.”

But back to The Perks of Being a Wallflower… which presents the power of music to connect people. (And not to make fun of them, Guy In The Car With Me In 2007!)

Charlie especially recognizes this value of music, creating mixtapes for his friends and even his deceased aunt to leave at her grave. In the book, his mixtapes blend music from over three decades prior to the setting, including one mixtape with two tracks from the Beatles (“Dear Prudence” and “Blackbird”), though he leaves off their 1969 ballad “Something”—the single that his aunt had been planning to give him for a birthday gift on the night she died and which Charlie in turn gifted to Sam.

Mary Elizabeth also embraces the impact of “giving” music, though it’s possible she hinges so much on Billie Holiday to seem as complicated and mysterious as the troubled singer had been.

The group also unites around their shared love for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the 1975 musical comedy horror that quickly gained a cult following for its audience participation, as represented on screen when the group of friends perform during screenings of the movie at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont (less than a 10-minute walk from where I currently live!)

Go Big or Go Home

…or come to Pittsburgh!

Having been brown raised in the northern suburbs, I never anticipated that I would actually cross the river to live in the southern suburbs (if you know, you know), but I’ve been delighted to call the Dormont neighborhood my home for more than two years. Stephen Chbosky had also hailed from the South Hills, graduating from Upper St. Clair High School which my wife confirmed does call its cafeteria the “Nutrition Center” just as Charlie bemoans early in both the book and movie.

The movie was filmed on location in much of Chbosky’s old stomping grounds, though the high school that appeared on screen was actually Peters Township High School, about ten minutes south (and across the county line) from USC. The Big Boy mentioned in the book was also represented on screen by Kings Family Restaurant, a local chain that operated 34 restaurants at its peak but is now down to just four locations.

As mentioned above, The Perks of Being a Wallflower also features the Hollywood Theater on Potomac Avenue in Dormont, specifically chosen by Chbosky as that was exactly where he and his friends attended screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the late 1980s. The theater has closed and reopened and changed management many times in its nearly century-long history, having first functioned as a theater in 1926 when it showed silent films.

If you want to feel infinite like Charlie, Patrick, and Sam, you can start driving from anywhere here in the South Hills, get on I-376 eastbound heading into the city, and have the perfect song queued up just as you’re going through the Fort Pitt tunnels. (As cool as Emma Watson may have made it look, do not stand on the bed of a pickup truck while doing so.)

“When we got out of the tunnel, Sam screamed this really fun scream, and there it was. Downtown. Lights on buildings and everything that makes you wonder… and in that moment, I swear we were infinite.”

When you emerge from the tunnel safely seated and belted, your view of the illuminated downtown Pittsburgh will show the city at its finest…

There’s something about that tunnel that leads to downtown. It’s glorious at night. Just glorious. You start on one side of the mountain, and it’s dark, and the radio is loud. As you enter the tunnel, the wind gets sucked away, and you squint from the lights overhead. When you adjust to the lights, you can see the other side in the distance just as the sound of the radio fades to nothing because the waves just can’t reach. Then, you’re in the middle of the tunnel, and everything becomes a calm dream. As you see the opening get closer, you just can’t get there fast enough. And finally, just when you think you’ll never get there, you see the opening right in front of you. And the radio comes back even louder than you remember it. And the wind is waiting. And you fly out of the tunnel onto the bridge. And there it is. The city. A million lights and buildings and everything seems as exciting as teh first time you saw it. It really is a grand entrance.

— Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Part 4

…okay, but now let’s talk logistics. If it’s your first time through the tunnel, just keep going straight over the bridge and follow the traffic. Whoever designed that whole experience had a great eye for aesthetics, but they give you approximately fifty feet to merge across three or four lanes if you’re trying to head to the North Shore—an easy enough maneuver for experienced yinzers, but it can be daunting for anyone not used to it.

How to Get the Look

Logan Lerman and Emma Watson in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). Photo by John Bramley.

The secondhand suit that Charlie receives as a gift has some evident mid-century style inspiration—specifically from the ’60s mod subculture—that befits his retro-minded sensibilities from bands to books, though he doesn’t do himself any favors by wearing it to school.

• Dark olive tonic mod-inspired suit:
  • Single-breasted 3-button jacket with narrow notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, single vent
  • Double forward-pleated tapered-leg trousers with belt loops, slanted side pockets, and turn-ups (cuffs)
• White cotton or cotton-blend shirt with semi-spread collar, front placket, breast pocket, and adjustable rounded cuffs
• Black straight tie with two orange horizontal lines and two-line box design
• Black leather belt with silver-toned rectangular single-prong buckle
• Black slip-on shoes
• White socks

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

We accept the love we think we deserve.

The post The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Charlie’s Suit appeared first on BAMF Style.

Richard Benjamin and Joan Hackett in The Last of Sheila (1973)

Vitals

Richard Benjamin as Tom Parkman, spaghetti western screenwriter

French Riviera, Late summer 1972

Film: The Last of Sheila
Release Date: June 14, 1973
Director: Herbert Ross
Costume Designer: Joel Schumacher

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

I’ll bet you haven’t seen the last of Sheila! (Okay, so maybe you have seen this movie, but I can’t resist a pun.)

Released 50 years ago today on Flag Day 1973, The Last of Sheila was penned by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins, inspired by the real-life scavenger hunts and murder parties that they used to organize for fellow friends in show business, from actors to agents like Sue Mengers. Director Herbert Ross had been part of the festivities at one point, telling Sondheim and Perkins to collaborate on a screenplay based on their parlor games, and it was Ross who ended up helming The Last of Sheila.

(It’s been reported that Mengers was actually offered a role in The Last of Sheila, but she turned it down as she wasn’t a professional actress and wanted to avoid taking work she felt her clients deserved, and she talked a characteristically effervescent Dyan Cannon into playing the part she inspired.)

The Last of Sheila has been the subject of renewed attention in recent years, thanks in part to Rian Johnson citing it as inspiration for Knives Out and its sequel, Glass Onion, both of which clearly share Sheila‘s DNA with their star-studded casts, plot complexity, and the balance of comic light-heartedness and deadly suspense, as well as specific plot elements like misinterpreted manners of death, a Mediterranean Sea full of red herrings, and an eccentric host welcoming a coterie of famous friends for a mystery party.

The film begins after colorful producer Clinton Greene (James Coburn) lost his wife Sheila in a mysterious hit-and-run accident. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of Sheila’s death, Clinton invites his friends—”six hungry failures”—to spend a week in the Ligurian Sea on the yacht he had named for her, including vivacious talent agent Christine (Dyan Cannon), washed-up director Philip Dexter (James Mason), in-demand actress Alice Wood (Raquel Welch) and her shady husband and promoter Anthony (Ian McShane), and desperate screenwriter Tom Parkman (Richard Benjamin) and his cautious, witty wife Lee (Joan Hackett).

After Clinton insists on taking the group’s photo posed in front of the yacht’s nameplate, he assembles them on deck to hand out cards that secretly assign each a gossipy “secret” that will be the subject of each evening’s game ashore. As the frenemies work to solve each evening’s puzzle, they begin to realize there’s something somewhat darker than a simple game at the heart of Clinton’s gathering.

“You can figure this out if you played the game,” Richard Benjamin explained to Susan King when he and Dyan Cannon were reunited for a 2020 interview for the Los Angeles Times. “The answer to all of it is in the title, like a crossword thing.”

Unlike Benoit Blanc in Knives Out, there’s no detective among the showbiz types gathered aboard Sheila, leaving natural leaders like screenwriter Tom—whom the writers may have seen as their own counterpart—and the veteran director Philip to step up and try to decode what’s happening.

What’d He Wear?

Tom arrives for their first day aboard Sheila wearing a safari-style jacket over a sea-ready blue chambray shirt. By this point in the early 1970s, safari clothing had evolved from its function-driven origins int he 1930s to become a fashionable mainstream menswear staple, thanks in part to designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Ted Lapidus, and as illustrated on screen by Roger Moore’s James Bond (as explored in last week’s Octopussy post.)

As it was designed for more stylish than sporting purposes, Tom’s jacket foregoes the more military-inspired, function-driven elements of traditional safari jackets, like the epaulets or the belted waist, though it should be noted that Philip’s safari jacket is rigged with a fully belted waist. The jacket otherwise retains the adventurous spirit of classic safari-wear, characterized by its color, cloth, cut, and ample pockets.

In their respective safari jackets bookending the group, Philip and Tom illustrate the spirit of adventure following this week’s passengers aboard the Sheila, though their khaki jackets could also foreshadow their ultimate role as de facto detectives (in lieu of trench coats.)

Made from a tan cotton gabardine, Tom’s single-vented safari jacket has a shirt-style collar that he invariably wears flipped up in the back for a touch of rakish insouciance that coordinates with the unbuttoned cuffs. Six brown plastic buttons fasten up the front placket, matching those on the squared single-button cuffs and pockets, with the top buttonhole at the neck slanted. The jacket has a horizontal yoke across the back and a single vent. The four box-pleated pockets are all covered by squared flaps, each with a single button to close.

Tom boards Sheila wearing a rich blue chambray cotton work shirt, affecting an appropriately seagoing aesthetic given the shirt’s historical association with naval workwear. Plain-woven in a blue-and-white twill, the shirt has a then-fashionably large point collar, seven-button front placket, and single-button barrel cuffs that he often wears undone and folded back over the self-cuffed sleeves of his jacket. The two squared chest pockets are box-pleated and each covered with a gently pointed flap that closes through a single button.

Epaulets (shoulder straps) were commonly seen on ’70s sport shirts, a byproduct of the decade’s fascination with safari clothing which was itself inspired by military functionality. Tom’s chambray shirt has epaulets that follow the traditional martial design, sewn to the shoulder seam and buttoned to the body of the shirt closer to the neck. All of the shirt’s buttons are white plastic, coordinated to white-threaded buttonholes that match the white contrast threading along the shirt’s edges and seams.

After their respective nightcaps, the Parkmans heads to bed.

The second day aboard Sheila, Tom wears a navy knitted T-shirt with a banded neck and short sleeves, worn both on its own and briefly layered under his unbuttoned chambray shirt while discussing the game topside with Clinton and Philip.

His tan cotton gabardine flat-front trousers almost match his jacket, creating a slapdash safari suit effect. The trousers have curved side pockets, a set-in back-right pocket that closes through a single-button flap, and slightly flared plain-hemmed bottoms. Through the belt loops, he wears a wide surcingle belt, a preppy style defined by its web body connected to leather fittings. Tom’s belt has tan cotton twill webbing that matches his trousers, with brown leather fittings on the ends that fasten through a gold-toned squared single-prong buckle.

Later on the first night aboard Sheila when Tom has trouble sleeping, he pulls the chambray shirt on over the white cotton flat-front trousers that he had worn earlier with his cream turtleneck while exploring Nice. These trousers follow the four-pocket naval dungaree design, with two patch pockets on the front, two on the back, tall belt loops, and dramatically flared bell-bottoms.

Tom brings a few pairs of casual shoes for the expedition, beginning with a pair of elegant brown suede horsebit loafers. Italian fashion house Gucci pioneered this style in 1953 by streamlining the profile of existing slip-on shoes and affixing a gold metal strap to the vamp designed to resemble a horse’s snaffle bit. As the style caught on across both sides of the Atlantic, they were alternately known as “Gucci loafers” or the more generic “horsebit loafers” as scores of companies copied the increasingly popular design.

The Parkmans await their fellow guests.

Tom, Anthony, and Clinton all cycle through their own pairs of Adidas sneakers while aboard Sheila. Tom’s trainers appear to be the Adidas Antelope, an all-purpose track shoe intended for any distance, weather condition, and running surface, thanks to the serrated rubber “ripple soles” that it shared with the Adidas Rom. The low-profile uppers are made of white elk leather with blue-accented collars along the back of the heel and Adidas’ signature triple stripes running red, blue, and red diagonally down each side. He wears them with white ribbed crew socks.

It’s fortuitous that Tom was wearing his Adidas sneakers when he and Anthony had to help pull Christine aboard, as the sporty Adidas soles would have better traction than his Gucci loafers.

Tom dresses his wrists with pieces that were likely Richard Benjamin’s own personal items. On his right wrist, he wears a silver POW/MIA bracelet honoring the memory of Charles Bifolchi, a Massachusetts-born Major in the U.S. Air Force who was killed when serving as a navigator aboard an RF-4C Phantom II that crashed on January 6, 1968. Due to the enemy activity and topography of the area in southern Vietnam where Major Bifolchi crashed, recovery efforts were unfeasible until the 1990s, when his remains were finally recovered, officially identified, and ultimately buried at Arlington Cemetery in October 2006.

The POW/MIA bracelet program was launched on Veterans Day 1970 to encourage Americans to remember service members who were prisoners of war or missing in action by issuing these simple cuff bracelets inscribed with a service member’s name, rank, and the date they were taken prisoner or listed as missing.

Tom wears a stainless steel cushion-cased watch on a matching “Jubilee”-style five-piece link bracelet around his left wrist, featuring a round dark blue dial detailed with silver-toned non-numeric hour indices and a white date window at the 3 o’clock position. (We unfortunately don’t get as good a look at Tom’s watch as we do of Clinton’s Omega Speedmaster Professional, but the design, era, and the possibility of a watchmaker that starts with a “C” inscribed on the dial suggests to me that he may be wearing a Caravelle.)

Rian Johnson has specifically cited The Last of Sheila as a major influence on both Knives Out and especially its summery sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. In the latter, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) dresses for a night of mystery-solving in a tan four-pocket safari-inspired jacket with matching trousers and a light blue shirt… which may or may not have been costume designer Jenny Eagen’s sartorial tribute to how Richard Benjamin was initially dressed as Tom Parkman in The Last of Sheila.

Two men who take it upon themselves to solve a mystery full of red herrings while in sun-drenched isolation among frenemies… both wearing tan safari-inspired jackets with matching trousers and light blue shirts?

What to Imbibe

Rather than the “second-rate brandy” that Philip refers to or Lee’s lone preference for bourbon, Tom enjoys plenty of the Johnnie Walker Red Label blended Scotch whisky that Clinton keeps stocked in Sheila‘s bar. Tom’s penchant for drinking it on the rocks later draws attention to the missing ice pick… which may or may not be a clue to solving the mystery.

The Johnnie Walker story dates back to 1820, when the Kilmarnock-born teen John Walker founded a grocery and liquor shop with the proceeds he was entrusted after his father’s death. Though Walker himself was a teetotaler, he narrowed his business focus to spirits—ultimately just whisky, blending malt and grain whiskies per customer requests and appending them with the label “Walker’s Kilmarnock Whisky”.

After John Walker’s death in 1857, his son and grandson continued building the brand. The signature squared bottle with its angular label was introduced in 1860, five years before the company actually began producing its own product: “Old Highland Whisky”. This original blend became known as Johnnie Walker Black Label when the brand was reconfigured in the early 1900s, a time that also saw the introduction of the now-discontinued White Label and the venerable Red Label blends.

Johnnie Walker has maintained its color-labeled system since 1909, the same year that cartoonist Tom Browne conceptualized the “Walker” logo. Blended from whiskies of unstated ages, Johnnie Walker Red Label is the base-level tier, typically used as an ingredient for mixing Scotch cocktails. Since 1945, it has been the best-selling Scotch whisky in the world.

How to Get the Look

Richard Benjamin as Tom Parkman in The Last of Sheila (1973)

Tom Parkman blends adventure with fashionable leisure as he joins his friends for a week aboard a luxury yacht in the Ligurian Sea, from his safari jacket and chambray work shirt to his Gucci loafers and preppy surcingle belt.

• Tan cotton gabardine safari jacket with shirt-style collar, 6-button placket, four box-pleated pockets (with button-down flaps), squared single-button flaps, and single vent
• Blue chambray cotton twill work shirt with large point collar, epaulets, front placket, two box-pleated chest pockets (with pointed button-down flaps), and squared button cuffs
• Tan cotton gabardine flat-front trousers with belt loops, curved side pockets, set-in back-right pocket (with button-down flap), and slightly flared plain-hemmed bottoms
• Tan cotton twill webbed surcingle belt with brown leather fittings and gold-toned squared single-prong buckle
• Brown suede Gucci loafers with gold horsebit detail
• Silver POW/MIA bracelet
• Stainless steel cushion-cased watch with dark blue round dial (with silver non-numeric hour indices and 3:00 date window) on stainless

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

There’s something going on… I’m getting some strange vibes.

The post The Last of Sheila: Richard Benjamin’s Safari Jacket appeared first on BAMF Style.

Dennis Quaid and Daniel Henson in Frequency (2000)

Vitals

Dennis Quaid as Frank Sullivan, Sr., firefighter and family man

New York, Fall 1969

Film: Frequency
Release Date: April 28, 2000
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Costume Designer: Elisabetta Beraldo

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Frequency might be one of those movies that doesn’t get discussed much these days, but I remember being intrigued when I caught it on TNT a few years after it came out. Flash forward to a few months ago when I saw it was among the movies leaving HBO Max that month, and I decided to revisit.

Without spoiling too much, the plot centers on a ham radio-driven multiverse without the added complication of a serial killer seemingly inspired by one part Richard Speck, one part Ted Bundy, while Frequency‘s most significant emotional impact comes from the intragenerational bond between a father and son—hence my posting about it on Father’s Day weekend.

For those hoping for more detail… the plot begins in the “present day” of October 1999, when emotionally stunted NYPD detective Frank Sullivan Jr. (Jim Caviezel) discovers his long-deceased father’s old ham radio. During the aurora borealis, the radio springs to life and, thanks to a big ball of timey-wimey stuff, allows him to talk to a man he discovers to be his late father Frank Sr. (Dennis Quaid), speaking into the same set thirty years earlier. As it’s the eve of his father’s death while fighting a fire in an abandoned warehouse, Frank Jr. is able to warn his father about how to avoid his fatal accident, thus saving his life… for the first time.

I don’t know enough about ham radios, the aurora borealis, or time manipulation to comment on the science of Frequency, which is best absorbed through willing suspension of disbelief, but I found the bond between Franks Sr. and Jr. to be particularly impactful, especially as someone who is lucky enough to enjoy a continually growing relationship with both of my parents as I power through my mid-30s.

What’d He Wear?

Frank Sullivan Sr. is arguably a cool dad. Frequency communicates the point when we first meet him, riding into the scene on his motorcycle clad in a well-worn leather jacket with his fire department patch on his arm, sporting aviator sunglasses, an Omega watch, and a Mets cap (though Yankees and Phillies fans may find this to be a point against his coolness.)

An appropriate choice given his favorite mode of transportation, Frank wears a motorcycle jacket made of rugged brown steerhide leather, worn to a considerably lived-in patina. The style resembles a simplified version of the iconic Schott Perfecto model that had been introduced in the 1920s, retaining the overall waist-length cut, four-pocket layout, self-belt, “action back” side pleats, and asymmetrical “lancer” front but without visible snaps or epaulets (shoulder straps).

Frank’s jacket has a slightly tilted front zip, and a half-belt is looped around the front of the waist, closing through a dulled brass-finished squared single-prong buckle. The lapels and collar do not have visible snaps to fasten them in place, as typically found on traditional Perfecto-style moto jackets. The jacket has the regular quartet of pockets: a slightly slanted zip pocket over the left breast, a slanted hand pocket on each side, and the small set-in coin pocket positioned low on the left side that is covered with a pointed flap that may have a concealed snap to close. The set-in sleeves have zippers at the end of each cuff to adjust how they fit over the wrist and allow the wearer to smoothly and snugly wear the cuffs closed over protective gloves.

Frank personalizes his jacket with his ladder company patch sewn onto the left sleeve. The script dictates that Frank’s FDNY affiliations are engine company 12, ladder company 93, the latter known as the “Eye of the Storm” as immortalized on their insignia.

The badge consists of a gray Firefighter’s Cross, which the FDNY (among other departments) calls a “Maltese Cross”, a shape traditionally associated with firefighters due to the medieval Knights of St. John who courageously fought through fires to save their brothers-in-arms amidst a fiery attack during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, according to the Pontiac, Illinois city website. The cross is bordered in black embroidery, with a red-embroidered “LADDER 93” across the top branch and a red-bordered, black-embroidered “EYE OF THE STORM” across the bottom. The right and left branches have a red-bordered, black-embroidered letter in each corner so it would read “F.D.N.Y.”, with a black-embroidered ladder between “F.” and “N.” on the right branch and a black-embroidered fire hydrant between “D.” and “Y.” on the left. The embroidered center depicts a fireman—with a “93” on his helmet—charging through red, yellow, and white flames with an axe in his hand.

Frank’s leather jacket is lined in a small black-and-tan four-and-four check with a red-framed overcheck, coincidentally echoing the colors present in the fire ladder insignia on his left arm.

Ladder 93 represent!

Though Frank rides into the movie wearing khakis and motorcycle boots, he spends most of Frequency in the everyman gear of Levi’s jeans and Chuck Taylor sneakers. Although the recognizable red tab isn’t as clearly seen, Frank’s blue denim jeans have the signature arcuate stitch across the two back pockets as well as the branded leather patch over the back-right belt line identifying them as Levi’s. The more relaxed fit and lower rise than the original Levi’s 501® suggests that he may be wearing the zip-fly Levi’s 505, which had just been introduced in 1967, two years before his scenes are set.

He holds up the jeans with a stiff dark brown leather belt that closes through a gunmetal double-prong buckle, reinforced with brass studs keeping the strap attached.

Frank finds himself in an unfortunate predicament.

Frank wears a rotation of sport shirts, consisting mostly of plaid button-up shirts with button-down collars and solid-colored knit polos. These are all consistent with the typical image of 1960s suburban fatherhood while still relatively timeless looks today.

For the sake of simplicity, we’ll focus on the outfit Frank wears for the most action-packed climactic sequence, which includes his wrongful arrest for the Nightingale murders and subsequent escape from custody. In line with his athleticism, he wears a plain heather gray cotton crew-neck sweatshirt with long raglan sleeves. He layers the sweatshirt over one of his usual white cotton crew-neck, short-sleeved undershirts.

When riding his motorcycle, Frank typically wears non-laced riding boots, but his everyday shoes are the instantly recognizable Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars high-top basketball shoes in the classic black-and-white colorway of black canvas uppers with white rubber toecaps and midsoles. The flat white woven laces are derby-laced through eight sets of nickel-toned eyelets that match the pair of ventilation grommets on the inside of each instep.

These iconic sneakers date back to the 1920s, developed after semi-professional basketball player Chuck Taylor joined the Massachusetts-based Converse Rubber Shoe Company as a salesman in 1921. Converse had recently developed “Non-Skid” basketball shoes with canvas uppers and rubber soles, but Taylor suggested improvements for flexibility and ankle support that resulted in the redesigned “Chuck Taylor All-Stars”. With Taylor’s signature added to the circular patch protecting the ankle, the All-Stars became the first celebrity-endorsed athletic shoe upon its introduction in 1922.

Over the next century, the Chuck Taylor All-Star continued to evolve its design as it grew in popularity, benefiting from visibility it gained as the official shoe of the Olympics for more than thirty years and as the U.S. armed forces’ authorized athletic training footwear during the World War II era. The black-and-white colorway was introduced in 1949, shaking up a previously monochromatic lineup and foreshadowing the more than a dozen colorways currently available. Even after All-Stars faded from the professional sports scene, the style has been embraced as a streetwear staple for decades.

Like so many Americans in the ’60s, Frank indicates a fascination with the ongoing Space Race, asking Frank Jr. over the radio “Hey, what about Apollo? How’d it all work out?” (IMDB considers this a goof, assuming that Frank was asking about the success of Apollo 11, which was four months before we see Frank asking the question. However, it’s more likely that he’s more curious about the success of the space program overall as Apollo missions continued well into the early 1970s.)

The astronauts’ wristwatches may have informed Frank’s own decision to wear a stainless Omega Speedmaster Professional, the model approved by NASA for manned missions in 1965 and was worn by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins when they successfully landed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969, forever immortalizing the Speedy as the “Moonwatch”. (Interestingly, Dennis Quaid had previously worn a Speedmaster while portraying NASA astronaut Gordon “Gordo” Cooper in the excellent 1983 film The Right Stuff.) We also see Frank Jr. wearing a Speedmaster in the 1999 scenes, likely meant to be inherited from his late father or purchased as a tribute to him.

Omega introduced the Speedmaster in 1957 as a racing chronograph. Though there have been some adjustments and variations over the years, the Speedmaster retains much of the original design, including the novel tachymeter scale bezel, domed Plexiglas crystal, and triple-register dial with non-numeric hour indices—the sub-registers representing a 30-minute scale at 3:00, a 12-hour counter at 6:00, and a running seconds indicator at 9:00. As worn in Frequency, the classic Speedmaster configuration consists of a stainless steel case with a black-finished tachymeter bezel and black dial. A black leather bracelet straps Frank’s Speedmaster to his left wrist, the same hand where he wears his simple gold wedding ring.

At the start of Frequency, Frank arrives home wearing a blue cotton twill baseball cap with the orange-embroidered New York Mets logo of a curlicue interlocking “NY” on the front of the crown.

Frank’s gold-framed sunglasses are the squared variation of aviators first produced by American Optical (AO Eyewear) as the “Flight Goggle 58”, developed to the U.S. Air Force Type HGU-4/P standard authorized in the late 1950s. Though AO Eyewear originated this “Original Pilot Sunglass” style, these frames are commonly associated with Randolph Engineering, which became the prime U.S. contractor in 1982.

You can see more photos of Dennis Quaid’s actual screen-worn costume—the leather jacket, sweatshirt, jeans, and a single Chuck Taylor sneaker—at Prop Store and Your Props.

What to Imbibe

As an unpretentious blue-collar guy, Frank’s favorite beer is Miller High Life, enjoyed at home and at bars. Miller had introduced this pilsner as its flagship brew on New Year’s Eve 1903, soon marketing it as “the Champagne of Bottled Beers”. Following the evolution of how beer was served over the course of the 20th century, Miller dropped the “Bottled” part of High Life’s motto in 1969, the same year that Frank Sr.’s scenes in Frequency are set.

Teaming up with his adult son from 30 years into the future, Frank Sr. enjoys one of his usual High Lifes while going undercover to try to stop a serial killer.

The Gun

Not unsurprisingly, Frank keeps a shotgun in the house—specifically a Remington Model 870 pump-action shotgun. This venerable design was introduced in the early 1950s as an improvement upon earlier Remington pump-action designs. It remains in continuous production since then with more than 11 million manufactured, having found considerable usage among civilians, hunters, military, and law enforcement.

Remington offers the Model 870 in a variety of configurations, barrel types and lengths, and gauges, though—again, unsurprisingly—Frank defends his home and family with the basic riot-length model with a blued finish, wooden furniture, and 12-gauge shells fed through the under-barrel tubular magazine.

Frank’s shotgun comes in… handy.

Perhaps as a testament to the Model 870’s reliability, the ending shows that Frank has evidently kept the same shotgun and ably uses it in 1999 as well.

How to Get the Look

Dennis Quaid as Frank Sullivan in Frequency (2000)

Frank’s timeless weekend casual costume of a well-worn moto jacket, raglan sweatshirt, Levi’s, Chucks, and Omega “Moonwatch” perfectly suits his persona as an athletic, adventurous, blue-collar firefighter—a family man with a bit of a rebellious streak.

• Brown steerhide leather Perfecto-style motorcycle jacket with asymmetrical “lancer” zip-up front, gently slanted zip chest pocket, slanted zip hand pockets, flapped set-in lower-left pocket, set-in sleeves with zip-back cuffs, “action-back” side pleats, and half-belt with dulled brass squared single-prong buckle
• Light heather gray cotton crew-neck raglan-sleeve sweatshirt
• White cotton crew-neck short-sleeve undershirt
• Blue denim Levi’s 505 zip-fly jeans
• Dark brown leather belt with gunmetal double-prong buckle
• Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars high-top basketball sneakers with black canvas uppers and white rubber toecaps and midsoles
• Gold wedding ring
• Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph watch with stainless steel case, black tachymeter bezel, black dial with three black sub-registers, and black leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

I’m still here, Chief.

The post Dennis Quaid in Frequency appeared first on BAMF Style.

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano on The Sopranos (Episode 6.01: “Members Only”)

Vitals

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, New Jersey mob boss

New Jersey, Spring 2006

Series: The Sopranos
Episode: “Members Only” (Episode 6.01)
Air Date: March 12, 2006
Director: Tim Van Patten
Creator: David Chase
Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa

Background

Ten years ago today, James Gandolfini died suddenly of a heart attack after a day spent sightseeing in Rome with his family. To commemorate this brilliant, influential, and beloved actor’s legacy, I want to revisit the style from his iconic, Emmy-winning performance as Tony Soprano.

The two-part final season of The Sopranos begins with “Members Only”, an episode rich with themes that set in place the series’ endgame—with some even citing its title as a significant clue to the finale episode. Despite its gangster characters and depiction of the underworld, The Sopranos was always far more philosophical than just a show about the mob, reflecting on themes of identity, masculinity, and mental health, or, as Tony so eloquently describes to Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) during this episode’s therapy session:

The circle jerk of life.

What’d He Wear?

Tony and his criminal cohorts all cycle through a few silk Nat Nast bowling shirts in their respective collections, all following the traditional sport shirt profile of a flat camp collar, loose fit, and straight hem designed to be untucked.

The sixth-season premiere includes the sole appearance of one of Tony’s more recognizable two-toned Nat Nast shirts, constructed of a mostly mint-green silk twill body but with a tapered black center that extends from the lower half of the camp collar down to the hem. The six black plastic buttons up the plain front are thus designed to match this surrounding black panel. The shirt has pleats on the back to keep the fit roomy and comfortable, the short sleeves are elbow-length, and the straight hem has short vents under each side seam. The shirt also has a set-in breast pocket with a welted opening striped in black and mint, uniting the shirt’s overall colorway.

You can read more about this shirt from my friend @tonysopranostyle on Instagram.

Tony typically wears all black below the waist, in this case providing a contrast against the light-colored body of the shirt as well as continuity from the tapered black front section of the shirt.

The black reverse-pleated trousers were likely made by Zanella, the Italian outfitter that made most of the trousers that James Gandolfini was wearing on The Sopranos by this point—he may even be wearing the same black slacks later in “Members Only” with his George Foreman polo shirt. The trousers have side pockets—and likely also back pockets—and the bottoms are finished with turn-ups (cuffs).

Tony probably holds up the trousers with a black leather belt that would match his black leather Allen Edmonds derby shoes, worn with black socks that continue the leg line of his trousers.

Tony wears his usual assortment of gold jewelry, including his gold St. Anthony pendant on a thin gold necklace, his gold pinky ring on his right hand with its diamond-and-ruby bypass setting, and the gold chain-link bracelet on his right wrist that @tonysopranostyle describes as resembling “a Cuban curbed link chain and an Italian Figaro link chain with a twist.”

In addition to the plain gold wedding ring he’s again wearing on his left hand after reconciling with Carmela the previous season, Tony wears his usual Rolex Day-Date “President”, identified as a ref. 18238 in 18-karat yellow gold. The luxury chronometer has a champagne-colored dial with the day of the week across the top and a date window at 3:00, fitted to the unique semi-circular three-piece “President” or “Presidential” link bracelet that was introduced alongside Rolex’s new Day-Date model in 1956 and carries an appropriately executive connotation for the leader of the DeMeo crew.

Tony checks on how many of his allotted fifty minutes remain.

Following his therapy appointment, Tony’s crew visits optometrist Anthony Infante (Lou Martini Jr.), who serves as a civilian conduit so Tony can relay messages to Anthony’s imprisoned brother-in-law Johnny Sack (Vincent Curatola). Of course, Tony being Tony, the Skip uses the meeting as an opportunity to assert his power, trying on a few different frames in Anthony’s shop, beginning with a set of gold-framed aviators with yellow lenses.

Anthony: Ray-Bans. Classic. Affordable. I just put those on special.
Tony: You got something a little more, um, current? Like those?
Anthony: Armanis! Flexible acetate frames, rimless lenses…

Tony picks out and dons a pair of silver-framed Giorgio Armani GA198/S sunglasses, which follow a more contoured rectangular pilot-style shape. His decision made, he shrugs a bit and tells Anthony, “You know what? I left my wallet in the car. I’ll catch ya next time,” and walks out with his new Armani shades.

I wish we got to see more of Tony in his requisitioned Giorgio Armani sunglasses, though it would have fit the character for him to have merely given them away to a friend or colleague without a second thought… or perhaps as a subtle power move to reassert his own dominance, even if Anthony never knew the fate of the designer sunglasses he was intimidated into giving away.

How to Get the Look

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano on The Sopranos (Episode 6.01: “Members Only”)

Though only briefly featured on the series in two quick scenes in one episode, Tony Soprano’s mint-and-black silk bowling shirt remains a memorable part of the iconic character’s wardrobe long after the finale episode aired, perhaps for how efficiently it balances the essence of the Skip’s style: retro-minded casual-wear that bridges leisure and luxury at a slightly louder volume than most men’s wardrobes without crossing too frequently into garish territory.

• Light mint-green silk twill bowling shirt with tapered black center, flat camp collar, six-button plain front, set-in breast pocket, and straight hem with side vents
• Black single reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops, extended button-closure waist tab, side pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Black leather belt
• Black leather derby shoes
• Black socks
• White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
• Rolex Day-Date “President” 18238 self-winding chronometer watch in 18-karat yellow gold with champagne-colored dial and Presidential link bracelet
• Gold curb-chain link bracelet
• Gold pinky ring with bypassing ruby and diamond stones
• Gold wedding ring
• Gold open-link chain necklace with round St. Anthony pendant

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the entire series.

The post Tony Soprano’s Mint-and-Black Bowling Shirt in “Members Only” appeared first on BAMF Style.

Theo James as Cam Sullivan on The White Lotus (Episode 2.06: “Abductions”)

Vitals

Theo James as Cameron Sullivan, cocky investment manager

Sicily, Summer 2022

Series: The White Lotus
Episode: “Abductions” (Episode 2.06)
Air Date: December 4, 2022
Director: Mike White
Creator: Mike White
Costume Designer: Alex Bovaird

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Happy first day of summer!

Among the tone and twists of The White Lotus, one of my favorite aspects of each season has been the summer-friendly vacation wardrobes thoughtfully crafted for each character by costume designer Alex Bovaird-Sprouse. Though the Hawaiian-set first season aired in the summer of 2021, the second season aired through last fall—good timing to inspire warm-weather wardrobes for our friends in the southern hemisphere, though it almost felt taunting watching the doomed vacationers enjoying sun-baked Sicily as our weather was getting increasingly cold each week.

The second season introduced a mostly new set of characters, including the foursome of two former college pals-turned-entrepreneurs and their wives. The headstrong, confident super-bro Cameron Sullivan (Theo James) sees himself as the alpha of the group, while his beautiful wife Daphne (Meghann Fahy) appears content to benefit from the privileges of a wealthy, stay-at-home-when-not-in-the-Maldives lifestyle. By contrast, the moody Ethan Spiller (Will Sharpe) and serious, ambitious lawyer Harper (Aubrey Plaza) believe their sensitive, sexless marriage to be healthier… a perspective that Cam seems quietly committed to shattering by the end of their shared Sicilian sojourn.

Tensions are running high toward the end of the trip as the Sullivans and Spillers plan a day at the beach. By this point, Harper has grown suspicious of Ethan’s behavior during a boys’ night earlier in the vacation, but—after the two butt their passive-aggressive heads while discussing issue—it becomes Ethan’s turn to be suspicious after he discovers Cam and Harper have retreated back up into the hotel together while he was drowning his sorrows in the Ionian Sea.

What’d He Wear?

After his luggage was mistakenly sent to New York, Cameron and Daphne spend a portion of one of their early days in Sicily buying him an all-new vacation wardrobe from local shops. The orange pique polo and white trousers he wore for their arrival suggests he may have intended on a more subdued wardrobe, but he takes the opportunity to outfit himself in a series of bright and boldly printed shirts, swim trunks, and sport jackets.

In the season’s penultimate episode, Cam dresses for a day at the beach in the distinctive Nanuska “Ayaan Knit Shirt”, made from a stretchy cream-colored blend of 45% cotton, 22% viscose, and 33% paper… yes, paper.

The shirt is arranged in a grid of large squares, each knitted in a different mesh pattern—some checked, some diagonal—and in varying thicknesses and direction, ultimately creating a garment that reminded me of an elegant cheese grater. Dropped shoulders accent the relaxed fit, though the short sleeves still end above the elbow rather than looking too baggy. The collar, placket, sleeve-ends, straight hem, and large patch pocket are all ribbed for a more solid-colored effect. Four large recessed cream-colored buttons fasten from the hem up to mid-chest, where it diverges to form a flat collar described as a camp collar but more reminiscent of a casual Prussian collar.

Nanuska actually produced the shirt as part of a two-piece set with matching shorts, but Cam practices some surprising modest by wearing more conventional (and practical) swim trunks.

The dark brown-and-white floral-printed polyester swim trunks have a trim fit and mid-thigh inseam that flatters Theo James’ athletic physique. Unlike some of his trunks rigged with side adjusters, these have a simple white drawstring in the front. In addition to side pockets, the trunks have a patch pocket on the back right.

Cam cycles through a few pairs of sunglasses from luxury eyewear brands like Jacques Marie Mage and Oliver Peoples. For this scene, he appears to be wearing the latter, specifically the Oliver Peoples “Gregory Peck” model with the appropriately named “Tuscany tortoise” darker brown acetate frame. These round sunglasses were developed in collaboration between Oliver Peoples and the Peck estate in tribute to the actor’s Oscar-winning performance as the bespectacled Southern attorney Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Cam wears his usual dark-blue slide sandals, each comprised of a simple wide instep strap connected to a matching footbed.

Nothing to see here, Ethan! Just your flushed-looking wife now wearing a hat while your dudebro frenemy emerges from his adjoining hotel room with his book. We all know what an avid reader Cam is!

Cam wears an 18-karat white gold Rolex Submariner Date 126619LB, a blue-dialed successor to the ref. 116619LB that had been known as the “Smurf” for its matching bright blue Cerachrom bezel and matching blue dial. Released in 2008 to commemorate Rolex’s 100th anniversary, the 40mm Smurf was among the first Rolex watches to be produced with a white gold case and bracelet. Rolex discontinued its 40mm Submariners in 2020, when it increased the width of all Submariner cases to 41mm.

The ref. 126619LB features the same bright blue ceramic bezel (and $38,000+ price tag) as the Smurf, but its darker-contrast black dial has resulted in users nicknaming it the “Cookie Monster” instead. The Cookie Monster follows the classic Submariner Date design, with the dial detailed by luminous non-numeral hour indices and a date window at 3 o’clock under scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. The white gold three-piece Oyster-style link bracelet continues the Smurf’s dual satin and high-polish finish and Glidelock clasp.

You can read more about the Smurf and Cookie Monster Submariners in Emily Green’s excellent Watchbox article.

Although several places online describe Cam’s Rolex as the older “Smurf” model, the contrast between the blue bezel and darker dial suggest to me that he wears the newer “Cookie Monster” Submariner.

An enthusiastic husband if not always a faithful one, Cam wears a yellow gold wedding band on his left ring finger.

How to Get the Look

Theo James and Aubrey Plaza on The White Lotus (Episode 2.06: “Abductions”)

Cam opts for eye-catching comfort at the beach in his soft and relaxed open-knit shirt… and the “Cookie Monster” Rolex on his wrist jibes with his personality being the kind of guy who wants people to know he’s unafraid to wear his $38,000 watch in the sand and surf.

• Cream cotton/viscose/paper-blend mesh-knit short-sleeved camp shirt with 4-button front and large patch-style breast pocket
• Brown-and-white floral-print polyester mid-thigh swim trunks with white drawstring, side pockets, and back-right patch pocket
• Dark-blue slide sandals
• Oliver Peoples “Gregory Peck” tortoise acetate-framed round-lensed sunglasses
• Rolex Submariner 126619LB “Cookie Monster” dive watch with 18-karat white gold 41mm case, blue Cerachrom ceramic bezel, black dial with 3:00 date window, and 18-karat white gold three-piece “Oyster”-style link bracelet
• Gold wedding ring

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the series, streaming on HBO Max.

The post The White Lotus: Cam’s Cream Mesh-Knit Beach Shirt appeared first on BAMF Style.

James Woods and Tuesday Weld in Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

Vitals

James Woods as Max Bercovicz, ambitious mob bootlegger

Miami Beach, Fall 1933

Film: Once Upon a Time in America
Release Date: May 23, 1984
Director: Sergio Leone
Costume Designer: Gabriella Pescucci

Background

Happy first weekend of summer… at least to my fellow readers in the Northern Hemisphere! Today’s post continues embracing sun-friendly resort-wear, this time by way of Sergio Leone’s controversial gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America.

Robert De Niro and James Woods star as Noodles and Max, a pair of gangsters who worked their way up from teenage street hoods to bootleggers viciously ruling the streets of New York in the latter Prohibition era. Between Max’s megalomania and Noodles having spent much of their mob’s formative years in prison, resentments grow between the pair, but the influx of cash is enough to bury any problems… at least until late 1933.

While lazing under the sun with their respective molls in Miami Beach to the dulcet tones of Cole Porter’s “Night and Day”, Noodles learns from the newspaper that they’re about to be “unemployed” with the repeal of the Volstead Act just weeks away.

Max isn’t the type to welcome retirement, so he immediately begins drawing plans in the sand to fulfill his lifelong dream of… robbing the Federal Reserve. As Noodles casually sips what appears to be a strawberry daiquiri, we get a glimpse of how crazily Max reacts to, well, being called crazy.

What’d He Wear?

As formality standards began loosening with the increased popularity of beach vacations among the wealthier classes during the interwar era, advances were made in seasonal sportswear and leisurewear.

Max wears a matching top and trousers made of slubby beige cloth, an elegant set that may have been called “beach pajamas” at the time but could also be classified as a precursor to the infamous leisure suits of the ’70s. While linen would be the more breathable and resilient fabric, the textile appears to be raw silk. The more expensive silk may have appealed to Max’s cutthroat obsession with wealth.

The unlined single-breasted jacket has a flat camp collar in a drooping, “dog-eared” shape and a three-button front that he wears open. The shoulders are built up with padding for a wider silhouette, set-in at the top of each sleeve. The sleeves are comfortably loose and plain at the cuffs, and Max rolls them up each forearm. The patch pockets can be accessed through each side. The western-yoked back has two points, each positioned at the top of an inverted box pleat that extends down the back.

Maybe Max would chill out if he just took a few sips from that delicious-looking red cocktail.

Max wears his raw silk beach set over a dark navy swimsuit, likely following the same design as the black swimsuit that Noodles wears: a sleeveless, one-piece singlet with a very short inseam. Though it may seem absurd in the modern age of water-resistant polyester trunks, Prohibition-era swimwear was often made from a tightly knitted wool.

The matching flat-front trousers have side pockets and a loose fit through the legs out to the bottoms, which are finished with turn-ups (cuffs). Belt loops were being increasingly integrated onto trousers over the previous decade, as seen on Max’s beach pants. He holds them up with a tan-and-white striped webbed cotton belt with a gold-toned single-prong buckle that coordinates to four gold-toned grommets.

Max canoodles with Carol (Tuesday Weld) while Noodles reads the newspaper with his new girlfriend Eve (Darlanne Fluegel).

Max likely has a pair of beach-friendly shoes like espadrilles tucked among their belongings, but he remains barefoot through the scene.

On his right pinky finger, Max wears a large gold ring with an oval, rust-colored surface.

Only a true mastermind leaves no trace of his criminal plans by drawing a box in the sand, writing “FR” in it, and then letting it wash away at hide tide.

Max’s light brown acetate-framed sunglasses follow a squared panto-style shape that may not have been common yet in the early 1930s, though the overall themes of time manipulation in Once Upon a Time in America could account for the occasional anachronism.

James Woods and Tuesday Weld in Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

How to Get the Look

I haven’t heard yet if Prohibition-era beach pajamas are making a comeback this summer, but I’ve noticed an increasing popularity for men’s matching sets, so it’s possible that gents will soon be strolling back out onto the sand in Max-style sets, though I’d suggest linen as a hardier, more breathable, and ultimately more practical alternative to raw silk.

• Beige raw silk beach pajamas:
  • Three-button shirt-jacket with drooping camp collar, side-entry patch pockets, and set-in sleeves with plain cuffs
  • Flat-front trousers with belt loops and turn-ups/cuffs
• Navy knitted wool sleeveless singlet swimsuit
  • (For a more modernized alternative, I suggest a dark navy tank top worn as an undershirt)
• Tan-and-white striped web belt with gold-toned single-prong buckle and four gold-toned grommets
• Gold pinky ring with oval rust-colored surface
• Light brown acetate-framed squared panto-style sunglasses

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The post Once Upon a Time in America: Max’s Beige Beachwear appeared first on BAMF Style.

Alexander Skarsgård as Gadi Becker in The Little Drummer Girl (2018)

Vitals

Alexander Skarsgård as Gadi Becker, aka “Peter”, mysterious Mossad agent

Naxos, Greece, Spring 1979

Series: The Little Drummer Girl (Episode 1)
Air Date: October 28, 2018
Director: Park Chan-wook
Costume Design: Sheena Napier & Steven Noble

Background

Between his breakthrough role on True Blood and his recent excellent turn as obnoxious tech entrepreneur Lukas Mattson on the last two seasons of Succession, Alexander Skarsgård’s credits included a starring role as Israeli agent Gadi Becker in Park Chan-wook’s six-episode BBC adaptation of John le Carré’s 1983 espionage novel The Little Drummer Girl.

Gadi has been re-recruited by spymaster chief Martin Kurtz (Michael Shannon) to follow an amateur acting troupe from England during their spring vacation through the Greek islands, specifically to make contact with the charismatic and flight wannabe radical Charmian “Charlie” Ross (Florence Pugh).

Charlie initially blows off Gadi, but—after the recent betrayal of her friend Sophie with Charlie’s on-and-off-boyfriend—Charlie shows more openness to the enigmatic man she knows as Peter Richtoven and had written off for his “international man of mystery” persona.

I always thought this was a pretty cool move/shot.

Fed up with their dynamic, Charlie greets “Peter” one morning in her beachside taverna by coolly kicking the chair opposite her to open up a seat at her table, wordlessly inviting him to join her. The two get more warmly acquainted during a walk along the beach when he gifts her a yellow dress and announces that he’s leaving that day for Athens, inviting her to join him… though the little drummer girl has no way of knowing she’s about to take a high-heeled step into the dangerous world of international espionage.

What’d He Wear?

Gadi—or, more specifically, his gold watch—first catches Charlie’s attention while she’s ruminating over a postcard to send home to mum, and she allows herself to follow the pleasant new distraction instead. Time and time-telling appear as a major motif throughout The Little Drummer Girl, with prominent shots of wristwatches and clocks from the start.

We the audience should recognize Gadi’s timepiece as the same 18-karat yellow-gold Omega Constellation ref. BA 368.0847 that had been worn by the Palestinian bomber Salim Al-Khadar, aka “Michel” (Amir Khoury) during the opening scenes, establishing a few bread crumbs of deceit that would build into Gadi adopting Michel’s other affectations like his necklace, ring, and familiar green suede jacket.

Omega had introduced the tonneau-shaped BA 368.0847 in the late 1960s as the latest addition to its Constellation line, with a five-piece link bracelet that broke ground as the first watch bracelet to be truly integrated with its case (according to this European Watch Company listing). Powered by a 20-jewel automatic movement, the watch has a light gold squared dial that matches the metal and shape of its case, detailed with applied gold non-numeric hour indices and a date window at 3 o’clock.

Gadi drapes his left arm with the familiar-looking gold Omega over the back of a bench at the beachside taverna where he first encounters Charlie in Greece.

We get only a brief look at the off-white short-sleeved shirt Gadi wears for his and Charlie’s initial wordless encounter (in the above screenshot), but it appears to follow the same design as the sky-blue linen camp shirt that he wears for their more cordial beach walk several days later.

The shirt is roomy enough to look comfortable in the sunny heat of the Greek islands while trim enough to still flatter Skarsgård’s lean, athletic frame. The short sleeves are finished with sewn cuffs. The flat camp collar (also known as a “revere collar” or “resort collar”) is narrower than collars we associate with the late 1970s, left intentionally open at the top with five mixed light blue plastic buttons down the placket-less plain front. The shirt is intentionally worn untucked, with a squared patch pocket on each side of the front and short vents at the bottom of each side seam along the straight waist hem.

Gadi wears light olive-colored cotton chino flat front trousers, styled with belt loops, slanted side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms that he appears to have self-cuffed to keep them out of the sand. He holds them up with a brown leather belt.

Gadi’s shoes appear to be the same tan loafers he earlier wore with his golden shirt and blue trunks on the beach, designed with open-woven leather uppers and a braided strap across each instep. The quarters and side panels are smooth leather, perforated on the sides with open-weave braiding that extends back from the toes up to the solid heel quarter pieces. Apropos their huarache-like design, Gadi doesn’t wear socks with these shoes.

Gadi’s sunglasses follow the iconic browline-style design that was pioneered by Shuron Ltd. in 1947, defining a look through the ’50s and ’60s as popularized by wearers like Lyndon B. Johnson, Vince Lombardi, and Malcolm X. The style had generally fallen from vogue by The Little Drummer Girl‘s late 1970s setting, but browline frames would be revived as hot eyewear in the ’80s thanks to their appearance in movies like Rain Man, Reservoir Dogs, and Top Gun and the much-publicized introduction of Ray-Ban Clubmaster sunglasses.

Gadi’s sunglasses are constructed of dark brown tortoise “brow” pieces, connected to a gold-finished frame with brown lenses.

What to Imbibe

“Fresh fish and Boutaris wine,” Gadi orders in Greek as he strides over to Charlie’s table, following her silent invitation.

Charlie: How do you know I like Boutaris?
Gadi: I don’t… I like it.
Charlie: Do you always drink at nine in the morning?
Gadi: Not in moderation.

Established in Naoussa in 1879, the Boutari Company has grown to become one of the top wineries in Greece.

How to Get the Look

Alexander Skarsgård as Gadi Becker in The Little Drummer Girl (2018)

Gadi dresses for a beachside morning in a timeless and comfortable warm-weather casual combination of a camp shirt and chinos, benefiting from light-wearing and breathable fabrics like linen and cotton. He appoints the commonplace shirt and trousers with more distinctive additions like his browline-framed sunglasses, gold tonneau-cased Omega, and woven-upper leather loafers.

• Sky-blue linen short-sleeved 5-button camp shirt with patch-style hip pockets
• Olive cotton chino flat-front trousers with side pockets and self-cuffed plain-hemmed bottoms
• Brown leather belt
• Tan open-woven leather loafers
• Tortoise-framed browline sunglasses with gold-rimmed brown lenses
• Omega Constellation BA 368.0847 yellow-gold tonneau-cased automatic watch with squared gold dial (with non-numeric hour markers and 3:00 date window) on integrated five-piece link bracelet

Shop the shirt:

The cloth, color, collar, and two dropped patch pockets of Gadi's sky-blue linen camp shirt make identical alternatives difficult to find from retailers in 2023, but there are a few reasonable alternatives from gents seeking similar summer shirts:

Everlane Relaxed Linen Short-Sleeve Shirt in light-blue 100% linen ($59)

Gitman Vintage Seersucker Cuban Shirt in blue stripe 100% cotton ($198)

Todd Snyder Sea Soft Linen Camp Collar Shirt in "oil blue" 100% linen ($138)

 

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the series, described by Troy Patterson for The New Yorker as “a chic, surreal adaptation… that approaches spy craft as a form of experimental art”, and read John le Carré’s 1983 novel.

The post The Little Drummer Girl: Gadi’s Blue Beach Shirt appeared first on BAMF Style.