Tom Selleck in Lassiter (1984)
Vitals
Tom Selleck as Nick Lassiter, debonair jewel thief
London, June 1939
Film: Lassiter
Release Date: February 17, 1984
Director: Roger Young
Costume Designer: Barbara Lane
Background
Released 40 years ago today, Lassiter was one of a pair of back-to-back period-set adventure films in which Tom Selleck starred at the height of his stardom on Magnum, P.I.
Perhaps Selleck was looking to make up for the missed opportunity when his commitment to Magnum, P.I. forced him to turn down the chance to be Indiana Jones before the role went to Harrison Ford, as both High Road to China (a 1920s-set aviation adventure) and Lassiter (set on the eve of World War II) echo the roguish yet risk-averse hero epitomized by Dr. Jones.
Lassiter centers around the titular Nick Lassiter, an American “gentleman thief” living the high life in London in June 1939. A joint task force led by Scotland Yard and the FBI recruit Lassiter to locate and steal a cache of $10 million in diamonds that the Nazis intend to sell to support their espionage efforts and plans for war. Of course, perhaps suspecting that law enforcement has additional plans for him after he’s served his purpose for them, Lassiter arranges a few twists of his own—including a gambit right out of The Sting.
What’d He Wear?
I’ve received several requests to write about Tom Selleck’s style in Lassiter. Indeed, the wardrobe was even a deciding factor for Selleck to take the role as the actor had told Los Angeles Times reporter Nancy Mills at the time that “… this was by far the best thing that came along. I hope I fit into it. I like the clothes and the hook.”
In addition to his handsomely tailored period-informed suits and sport jackets, Lassiter even wears tweed when dressing for action. When riding his Norton motorcycle, Lassiter typically wears a sporty blouson jacket made of brown-and-cream herringbone tweed, with an elasticized ribbed-knit waistband that ends a few inches shy of the front on each side to allow for a two-button fastening.
Four larger dark-brown woven leather buttons fasten up the front up to the shirt-style point collar. The waist-length jacket also has patch pockets on the hips, covered with gently pointed flaps that each close through a single button and have hand pockets accessible behind each pocket. The set-in sleeves are finished with single-button cuffs.
Laying low while under Scotland Yard surveillance the day before the heist, Lassiter checks in with his fence.
The day before the heist, Lassiter layers the jacket over a mini graph-checked off-white shirt with a point collar that he wears open-neck style with the top button undone. Over the shirt, he wears a burgundy-and-fawn mini-checked sweater, with a solid burgundy V-neck band and hem.
Lassiter’s woolen flat cap is patterned in a small-scaled gun club check, a traditionally Scottish check characterized by intersecting lines in different colors. He also bundles up with a red, navy, and gray wide-striped wool scarf with fringed ends.
After the heist, Lassiter wears sports the same pale mint-green checked shirt that he had previously worn with his fawn tweed sports coat when initially pulled in for questioning. The long-sleeved shirt features a brown windowpane check overlaid against a fainter white grid-check, styled with a point collar, front placket, and single-button rounded cuffs.
Lassiter also dons his familiar taupe-brown felt fedora, styled with a sharply pinched crown, self-edged brim, and a wide brown ribbed grosgrain silk band.
Lassiter balances the coarse tweed jacket with dark olive-brown trousers made from a pinwale corduroy (also known as “needlecord”). The double foward-facing pleats are typically associated with English menswear tradition, consistent with the film’s setting. The trousers are styled with side pockets, button-through back pockets, and turn-ups (cuffs). He holds them up with a narrow dark brown leather belt that closes through a small gold-toned squared single-prong buckle.
Appropriately sporty with his dressed-down attire, Lassiter wears snuff-brown suede plain-toe desert boots with two-eyelet derby lacing and black crepe rubber soles. Though suede derby shoes and ankle boots weren’t unfamiliar by the 1930s, this specific style is slightly anachronistic as it wouldn’t be developed until a decade later, when Clarks launched the first desert boots in 1950 after Nathan Clark had observed them specially made for British officers by Cairo cobblers during World War II.
Lassiter wears light taupe ribbed dress socks that maintain consistent tonality between his trousers and shoes.
Lassiter’s wipe-out on his Norton during the finale reveals a pair of tan calf-high cowboy boots worn by Selleck’s stunt double.
Hardly seen under the buttoned left cuff of his tweed blouson jacket, Lassiter likely continues to wear the same gold square-cased dress watch on a gold expanding bracelet that he had been wearing for most of the movie.
How to Get the Look
Tom Selleck in Lassiter (1984)
Lassiter presents a stylish, mature, and classically informed manner of dressing down as Tom Selleck’s gentleman thief jaunts around 1939 London on his motorcycle in a herringbone tweed blouson over a checked open-neck shirt with pleated corduroys and suede desert boots.
- Brown-and-cream herringbone tweed waist-length blouson jacket with point collar, six-button front, patch pockets (with single-button pointed flaps and handwarmer pockets), and single-button cuffs
- Mint green brown/white-grid check shirt with point collar, front placket, and 1-button rounded cuffs
- Dark olive-brown pinwale corduroy double forward-pleated trousers with belt loops, side pockets, button-through back pockets, and turrn-ups/cuffs
- Dark brown leather belt with gold-toned squared single-prong buckle
- Snuff-brown suede plain-toe 2-eyelet desert boots
- Light-taupe ribbed socks
- Taupe felt fedora with brown grosgrain silk band
- Gold square-cased dress watch on gold expanding bracelet
Vintage Lands' End herringbone wool/nylon tweed zip-up blouson (eBay, $100)
Frame "Tweed Trucker Jacket" in gray wool blend (Frame, $558)
Junior's Tan Herringbone Tweed Blouson in 100% wool (Junior's, $675)
Uniqlo Single Collar Short Blouson in brown houndstooth polyester blend (Uniqlo, $59.90)
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the movie.
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