Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie Jerimovich on The Bear (Episode 2.08: “Bolognese”)
Photo credit: Chuck Hodes/FX
Vitals
Eben Moss-Bachrach as Richie Jerimovich, restaurant manager and honorary Berzatto “cousin”
Chicago, Spring 2023
Series: The Bear
Episodes:
– “Bolognese” (Episode 2.08)
– “Omelette” (Episode 2.09)
– “The Bear” (Episode 2.10)
Air Date: June 22, 2023
Director: Christopher Storer
Creator: Christopher Storer
Costume Designer: Courtney Wheeler
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
“New year, new me” is an oft-repeated philosophy thorough January as people reaffirm committing to becoming their best selves. One of my favorite on-screen transformations recently has been Richie Jerimovich’s journey to find his purpose across the second season of The Bear. For his portrayal of Richie, Ebon Moss-Bachrach has been nominated for a Golden Globe, an Independent Spirit Award, and an Emmy—with the results of the latter to be announced this Monday night.
The Bear established Richie at the start as a brash and boastful loudmouth, proud of his self-maintainted reputation as a wild card. “I’m not like this because I’m in Van Halen, I’m in Van Halen because I’m like this,” he frequently reasserts, all the while increasingly questioning his purpose. Though he loves his “cousin” Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Richie clearly resents the new methods that the experienced chef and his visionary new hire Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) had brought to their longstanding Chicago restaurant… until Carmy enrolls Richie in a week honing his stagiaere skills in what would be essentially an unpaid internship at the exclusive Chicago restaurant Ever.
Under the tutelage of the little-seen head chef Terry (Olivia Colman), Richie discovered the value in elevating the culinary experience for customers, shifting his mindset to recognize that he has the ability to succeed. Having developed the ingredients for self-actualization over the course of the season, Richie returns from Ever as a matured version of himself, now channeling his greatest assets—a natural charisma and ease with people, as noted by Terry—into a productive capacity as he joins Carmy, Syd, and Natalie (Abby Elliott) to launch their new restaurant, The Bear.
The end of the second season finds Richie rising to the occasion, leading by inspiration:
We are in the fortunate position of being able to blow some fucking minds tonight.
A far cry from the Glock-wielding wannabe gangster in the first episode, Richie maintains his own stress levels through the ups and downs of The Bear’s “family and friends night” soft launch, from referencing Siddhartha (albeit not without his characteristic profanity) to the new hires before opening to taking over BOH to run the line (again, not without profanity) after a meth addiction and a faulty fridge door incapacitate two of The Bear’s cooking staff.
What’d He Wear?
I’m wearin’ a suit ’cause it makes me feel better about myself.
Through the first season and a half of The Bear, Richie’s screen wardrobe rotated between a handful of grease-stained Original Beef (or “Berf”) T-shirts with tracksuit separates and his trusty black leather Members Only jacket which, like its wearer, has trouble finding its place in the modern world.
Changed by his brief but impactful stagiarire experience bringing “luxuriation” to the expectant diners at Ever while clad in a shark-gray Pronto Uomo suit, Richie’s sartorial shift indicates his new sense of purpose as he takes himself and his role more seriously.
Richie’s sartorial experience at Ever imbues him with the confidence and desire to adopt his own suit of armor.
“I wear suits now,” Richie frequently reaffirms to his impressed colleagues at The Bear.
For inspiration, Richie turned toward Al Pacino in Heat as his paragon of competence and style, dressing accordingly in low-contrasting, monochromatic dark suits, shirts, and ties. (I like to think that Richie may have read BAMF Style posts about Vincent Hanna’s wardrobe for inspiration, but maybe that’s wishful thinking.) Costume designer Courtney Wheeler shared with Mike DeStefano for Complex that Ebon Moss-Bachrach had conceptualized Richie looking to Heat for inspiration, which she describes as “Completely Richie… that’s completely his idea of being put together and his idea of feeling powerful.”
“Wheeler imagined that Richie wanted to re-create his inspiring stagiaire aesthetic, plus the all-black serendipitously coordinated with The Bear’s decor,” explains Fawnia Soo Hoo for The Hollywood Reporter. Wheeler elaborated to Trishna Rikhy for Esquire that the suit they ultimately selected cost between $700 and $800, after trying both lower-priced and higher-end suits: “It was about finding a middle ground, and that happened to be the middle price point we did. With Ebon, how it fit and how he felt in it was really important. The brand is not supposed to be important at all for his storyline, but I honestly do think it’s believable that Richie said, I’m going to go out and buy this suit. It’s recognizable, it’s what a guy wears who knows his stuff.”
Pulled off the rack from Hugo Boss, the black micro-waffle textured 100% virgin wool suit wasn’t perfectly tailored, as Wheeler understandably identifies that Richie wouldn’t be the sort with the inclination, knowledge, and/or budget to do so. After all, he’s also the type who selects a black suit for his first nice suit (when tradition would suggest gray or navy instead), though he achieves his primary purpose of an improved self-image in an industry that doesn’t reward sartorial purity as sternly as finance or law.
Amidst the sea of white uniforms BOH, Richie stands out in his all-black suit.
The black single-breasted jacket has pick-stitched peak lapels that roll to a two-button front. Most frequently associated with double-breasted jackets, peak lapels go through rotations of fashionability on single-breasted jackets—perhaps most historically notable in the 1930s and 1970s before the style was revived during the 2010s and popularized by models like the Tom Ford “Windsor”.
Richie’s suit jacket otherwise follows conventional design with its welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, double vents, and “kissing” four-button cuffs.
Let it rip.
The matching flat-front trousers have side pockets, jetted back pockets (with a button through the back left), and plain-hemmed bottoms. Richie holds them up with a black leather belt that closes through a squared steel-toned single-prong buckle.
Photo credit: Chuck Hodes/FX
Ten days out from the opening of The Bear, Richie debuts his suit to his colleagues in “Bolognese” (Episode 2.08). Consistent with his inspo, he wears a black shirt patterned with gray pencil stripes and blue shadow stripes. The shirt design includes a spread collar, plain front, and button cuffs. He restrains the busy shirt stripe by wearing a micro-woven charcoal silk tie.
For friends-and-family night in “Omelette” (Episode 2.09) and “The Bear” (Episode 2.10), Richie appropriates a truly all-black look, wearing a solid black cotton shirt with spread collar, plain front, and button cuffs. His black tie is vertically ribbed, inlaid with a repeating tonal black “downhill”-direction bar stripe.
Black leather lace-up shoes are the smartest route with a black suit, and Richie unimpeachably chooses cap-toe oxfords—a classic choice that wouldn’t clash against his black suit.
Richie doesn’t wear a wristwatch, bracelet, or any visible jewelry aside from the gold wedding band on the ring finger of his left hand, signifying his tenuous attempt to grasp onto his ended marriage.
How to Get the Look
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie Jerimovich on The Bear (Episode 2.09: “Omelette”)
In the spirit of Richie’s transformation, wear a suit that makes you feel good about yourself. For Richie, that meant channeling Al Pacino’s low-contrasting dark designer suits, shirts, and ties in Heat, albeit in a cut refreshingly updated for the times.
- Black micro-waffle-textured wool Hugo Boss suit:
- Single-breasted 2-button jacket with peak lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, and double vents
- Flat-front trousers with belt loops, side pockets, jetted back pockets (with back-right button-through closure), and plain-hemmed bottoms
- Black shirt with spread collar, plain front, and button cuffs
- Black tonal-striped silk tie
- Black edge-stitched leather belt with steel squared single-prong buckle
- Black calf leather cap-toe oxford shoes
- Black socks
- Gold wedding ring
Sources
- Complex — “Meet the Woman Making ‘The Bear’ One of the Most Stylish Shows on Television” by Mike DeStefano
- Esquire — “How The Bear Became High-Key Fashion Television” by Trishna Rikhy
- The Hollywood Reporter — “‘The Bear’ Costume Designer on How One Dapper Suit Marks the Turn of Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie” by Fawnia Soo Hoo
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the series, currently streaming on Hulu.
The Quote
Anticipation creates luxuriation. Yeah… yeah? Fuckin’ abra-fuckin’-cadabra, chefs.
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