F. Murray Abraham as Bert Di Grasso on The White Lotus (Episode 2.06: “Abductions”)
Vitals
F. Murray Abraham as Bert Di Grasso, libertine grandfather
Sicily, Summer 2022
Series: The White Lotus
Episodes:
– “Bull Elephants” (Episode 2.03, aired 11/13/2022)
– “Abductions” (Episode 2.06, aired 12/4/2022)
Director: Mike White
Creator: Mike White
Costume Designer: Alex Bovaird
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
During the 29th annual SAG Awards on Sunday night, the acclaimed second season of The White Lotus was awarded Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Speaking on behalf of the cast while accepting the award, F. Murray Abraham said that “this was the best job I ever had,” not unsubstantial praise from the prolific actor whose six-decade career included his Oscar-winning performance in Amadeus (1984).
The first season had premiered as a limited series, produced in Hawaii during the final months of 2020, its limited location and characters making it ideal to be produced under COVID-19 guidelines. Following the show’s success, a second season was green-lit, filmed at the Four Seasons San Domenico Hotel in Taormina, Sicily.
The second season followed a similar structure as the first, with the opening scene suggesting a mysterious death and only providing a handful of characters whom we knew would be still alive by the season’s end. We then cut to a week earlier as the guests begin arriving, greeted at the dock by their pink-suited hotel manager. The oldest of the guests is Bert Di Grasso (F. Murray Abraham), traveling with his wealthy son Domenic (Michael Imperioli) and grandson—and ostensible namesake—Albie (Adam DiMarco), all intent on tracing their family’s heritage.
While most White Lotus guests tend to bring more emotional baggage than can fit in their suitcases, Bert may be the most untroubled, freely flirting and farting with every woman they encounter… a source of contention for Dom (whose own womanizing has resulted in marital estrangement) and the sensitive—if perhaps too sensitive—Albie.
Bert maintains his nonchalance above their somewhat hypocritical judgement, winking at his awareness when he finds the two escorts hired by Dom half-dressed in his hotel room that morning and welcoming the young women that Albie meets to join them on their excursions, whether touring locations from The Godfather or driving to meet the Sicilian members of the Di Grasso clan: a trio of surly women who all but threaten the men to leave them alone.
The failed reunion finally pierces Bert’s happy-go-lucky armor, albeit briefly, knocking him down into a martini-soaked melancholia that gets washed away by the eventual embrace of a grateful woman.
What’d He Wear?
Despite his distinctive vacation wardrobe, Bert Di Grasso remains one of the few characters from The White Lotus-verse whose clothing has gone mostly unexplored and unidentified. Bert is one of my favorite dressers from the series, blending tasteful styles and cuts with interesting pieces that are appropriate for a sun-bleached vacation.
The Safari-Inspired Jacket
For off-resort outings, Bert often pulls on a beige cotton jacket with safari-inspired styling that suggests adventure. Few men in the series wear jackets for anything except dinner, but Bert’s advanced age suggests he may be the type who likes an additional layer, even in the midst of a Sicilian summer.
The jacket has notch lapels like a sport jacket, with a buttonhole through the left lapel. The four patch pockets contribute to the safari-inspired look, with two box-pleated pockets over the chest and two bellows pockets on the hips, each covered by a rectangular flap that closes through a large dark brown 4-hole button matching the three on the front of the jacket. The set-in sleeves are detailed with sewn-on pointed shoulder straps (epaulets) and finished at the cuffs with pointed tabs that close through a single button.
Rather than the full self-belt that characterizes traditional safari jackets, Bert’s jacket has gusseted sides that slightly pull in the waist to add some shape to the unstructured jacket. The back has a single vent.
Episode 3: “Bull Elephants”
Bert first wears the jacket in the third episode, “Bull Elephants,” as he meets his family—and Albie’s new pal Portia (Haley Lu Richardson)—for breakfast. After questioning Dom about the two women in his hotel room that morning (“they didn’t look like maids, they looked like prostitutes,” mouthing the last word), he shares their touring plans that day, inspired by his watching The Godfather in his room the previous night.
Under the jacket, Bert wears a simple yet elegant white cotton short-sleeved polo shirt, detailed with a two-button placket and tonal ribbed horizontal stripes that add subtle texture.
Bert energetically recalls Apollonia’s death scene from The Godfather. It’s fun watching F. Murray Abraham describe Pacino’s acting, especially with the knowledge that the actor had worked with Pacino in Serpico (1973) and, much more prominently, in Scarface (1983).
Bert protects his bald head with a duo of natty hats that keep his head cool while also coordinating with the rest of his outfit. In “Bull Elephants”, he wears a straw wide-brimmed fedora with a brown grosgrain band.
Linen trousers are a warm-weather essential, as the lightweight natural fiber wears cool and allows air to pass through the legs while looking more traditionally dignified than shorts.
Flanked by his Gen Z grandson’s ’90s retro-informed rugby shirt and cargo shorts and his depressed son’s unseasonal black shirt, Bert emerges as the best-dressed Di Grasso in his safari jacket, white polo, and linen slacks that best suits the family’s elegant summer vacation.
Episode 6: “Abductions”
Three episodes later, the Di Grasso boys are back out enjoying the sights of Sicily, this time intending to visit distant relatives for what they hope to be a happy homecoming. Albie brings along his latest friend, Lucia (Simona Tabasco), whose presence complicates things as she was the local escort whom Dom had initially hired for companionship before his change of heart. Unfortunately for all involved, Lucia’s pimp Alessio has followed the family and intimidates her into leaving with him, leaving the Di Grasso family without anyone to translate as they flail through a terrible first—and only—impression with their Sicilian kin.
Bert dresses for the reunion in his trusty beige safari jacket over a white-and-blue striped cotton long-sleeved shirt with a button-down collar and front placket. The shirt’s fancy stripe pattern consists of a wide cornflower-blue self-bordered awning-stripe (itself decorated with a repeating tonal pattern), bordered on the left side by a medium-width white stripe, a medium-width blue stripe, a thinner white stripe, and then a hairline white stripe.
Bert excitedly confers with Dom before their planned visit to their Sicilian relatives’ home. Note the sewn-on epaulets on Bert’s safari jacket and the fancy self-detailing in his shirt stripes.
Bert frequently wears white linen trousers, which may be part of the white two-piece suit he wears to dinner on the last night. Cut with a straight leg, these flat-front trousers have belt loops, side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms.
Bert often wears Skechers, a brand that integrates supportive comfort technology into its performance-oriented footwear, making them popular among those like Bert who fit the “active senior” profile. With their substantial white rubber wave-shaped outsoles, Bert’s sneakers are from Skechers’ Arch Fit® line intended to provide “podiatrist-certified arch support” and flexible traction to keep the prone-to-falling Bert upright. The tan uppers are a washable synthetic mesh, with six eyelets for the flat white cotton laces.
Bert’s supportive Skechers and cane give him the balance he needs to keep from falling over from the shock of rejection by his Sicilian kin.
Skechers Men's Arch Fit 232040 in beige/taupe (Amazon, $85) Bert wears another straw hat to visit his relatives, though the straw is a darker mix and the hat’s shorter-brimmed profile makes it more of a trilby. The wide hat-band is a violet bandana-print paisley cotton, thrice-pleated like a puggaree band.
Many Internet detectives have already ascertained the sunglasses and watch brand worn by most of The White Lotus‘ characters, but Bert’s accessories remain a mystery.
His silver-framed sunglasses are the squared aviator shape made famous by those produced by American Optical and Randolph Engineering for military pilots, though Bert’s hooked temple tips reassure that these aren’t either of those mil-spec models, nor do they have the telltale “Ray-Ban” logo printed in the corner of the lens as on his grandson’s sunglasses.
Bert’s elegant automatic wristwatch should be easier for eagle-eyed horological experts to identify. Worn on a russet exotic scaled leather strap around his left wrist, the watch’s stainless steel case encircles a round white dial, detailed with silver non-numeric indices at each hour around the dual-ringed edge, a second-counting sub-register above the 6:00 position, and a curved date window complication that shows the correct date at 3:00, presumably with the two preceding dates above it and the two following days under it. (For example, if I were looking at this watch today on February 28th, it would show “26 27 28 1 2″. Really putting the “complication” into complication here.)
You can see the watch in greater detail—as well as the manufacturer’s logo—in this screenshot from the second episode.
How to Get the Look
F. Murray Abraham as Bert Di Grasso on The White Lotus (Episode 2.06: “Abductions”)
Bert Di Grasso blends adventure and leisure into his Sicilian vacation wardrobe, with some choices informed by his age but mostly the sense of taste that would come with experience, an eye for elegance, and an appreciation of comfort.
- Beige cotton safari-inspired 3-button sport jacket with notch lapels, two box-pleated chest pockets (with button-down flap), two bellows hip pockets (with button-down flap), single-button pointed cuffs, side gussets, and single vent
- White-and-blue fancy-striped cotton shirt with button-down collar, front placket, and straight hem
- White linen flat front trousers with belt loops, side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
- Tan leather belt with gold-toned squared single-prong buckle
- Skechers Arch Fit® sneakers with light olive synthetic mesh uppers and white rubber outsoles
- Dark straw short-brimmed trilby with wide violet bandana-paisley cotton puggaree band
- Silver square-framed aviator sunglasses
- Stainless steel automatic dress watch with round white dial (with non-numeric hour indices, 6:00 sub-register, and curved five-day 3:00 calendar window) on russet exotic scaled leather strap
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the series, streaming on HBO Max.
The Quote
They used to respect the old. Now we’re just reminders of an offensive past everybody wants to forget.
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