William Daniels as Elizabeth Wilson in The Graduate (1967)
Vitals
William Daniels as Mr. Braddock, affable but aloof suburban father
Los Angeles, Summer 1967
Film: The Graduate
Release Date: December 22, 1967
Director: Mike Nichols
Costume Designer: Patricia Zipprodt
Background
The Graduate made Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) an icon for many, whether they could identify with his aimless disillusionment or his killer Ivy style. It may be my own “advancing” age—as I’ll officially be old enough to run for president exactly three weeks from today—that recently drew me more to his father’s charmingly dated leisurewear, specifically the matching blue cabana set when unintentionally humiliating poor Benjamin on his 21st birthday by forcing him to model a full scuba suit for “a practical demonstration” in the Braddock family swimming pool in front of their friends.
It may help my affection for the character that Mr. Braddock was portrayed by the great William Daniels, whose prolific career has spanned eight decades with iconic roles like John Adams in the stage and screen presentations of 1776 and as the avuncular Mr. Feeny on ’90s sitcom Boy Meets World, as well as a distinctive voice that he lent to KITT on the ’80s series Knight Rider.
What’d He Wear?
Cabana sets were most popular during the postwar boom in the United States through the 1950s and ’60s, a time when middle-class Americans were able to afford the luxuries of summer vacations and poolside relaxation—and needed to be able to dress for it. For as little as $10, gents could grab a matching shirt and shorts—often, but not always, lined in quick-drying terry-cloth—from brands like Catalina, Jantzen, and McGregor or catalogs from Sears and Montgomery Ward.
As the century waned, so too did the dawn of the cabana set, rendered passé aside from retirees like Seinfeld‘s Frank Costanza keeping them boxed in his attic… or “hipster doofuses” like Cosmo Kramer who bought Frank’s discards. Of course, all fashion is cyclical, and after decades of depressingly uncreative men’s resort-wear like tank tops, board shorts, and flip flops, even cabana sets made their unexpected return around 2020 thanks to companies like Busbee McQuade, Dandy Del Mar, Hammies, Kenny Flowers, OAS, and Tombolo reimagining these retro styles for a modern audience.
Mr. Braddock wears a more restrained cabana set for the era, fashioned from a matching solid light-blue cotton (or a cotton and linen blend) without any patterns, prints, or terry-cloth lining. The short-sleeved shirt has a longer length, like a shirt-jacket, and the flat “camp collar” traditionally associated with resort apparel. The sleeves and hem each have side vents, and the two patch-style pockets on the hips are closed through a single white button that matches the four large white buttons up the plain front, which Mr. Braddock wears totally unbuttoned in the spirit of this poolside celebration.
The matching flat-front shorts have a mid-thigh inseam and a long rise to William Daniels’ natural waist, where he closes the pointed extended waist tab through one of two white buttons that match those on the shirt. The only visible pocket is a set-in pocket just below the right belt line, covered with a pointed flap that closes through a single white button. Though most men’s swimwear since the 1960s has been made of more water-treated synthetic fabrics, cotton swim trunks were still regularly worn well into the late ’60s, especially for more leisurely beach- or pool-based activities rather than competitive swimming.
Mr. Braddock protects against the sun with both sunglasses and a bucket hat. Having originated at the turn of the 20th century as a functional hat favored by farmers and fishermen, the bucket hat was reimagined as a fashion accessory in the 1960s. Mr. Braddock wears one of these more casual -oriented versions, crafted from cotton canvas with a navy crown and brim, white band and edges, and white lining as seen on the underside of the brim.
The sunglasses have polished black acetate rectangular frames and wide arms, with elongated silver rivets on the front that may inform the manufacturer. He also wears a silver-toned wedding band on the ring finger of his left hand and a gold wristwatch secured to a unique gold-plated expansion band detailed with overlaid cylinders that taper in length as the band stretches farther away from the watch case.
Mr. Braddock completes his outfit with espadrilles, the classic casual warm-weather footwear characterized by their jute rope soles. (To be fair, the shots of Mr. Braddock’s feet are either too far or too blurry for me determine if he indeed wears true rope-soled espadrilles, though the spirit of these slip-on shoes are clearly inspired by this style.) The uppers are made from a solid navy cotton canvas.
POV: Your dad is forcing you to jump into the family swimming pool in front of all their friends to show off the birthday gift they got you.
How to Get the Look
William Daniels in The Graduate (1967)
Contemporary cabana sets ranged in print, fabrics, and styles, so Mr. Braddock’s shirt and shorts in their matching solid light-blue cotton are among the more tasteful examples that would have been available during the late ’60s.
- Light-blue cotton short-sleeved cabana shirt with camp collar, four-button front, and button-through hip pockets
- Light-blue cotton flat-front mid-thigh shorts with extended pointed-tab waistband and set-in right-side pocket (with button-through pointed flap)
- Navy cotton canvas bucket hat with white band and edges
- Black polished acetate rectangular-framed sunglasses
- Silver-toned wedding ring
- Gold wristwatch with round white dial on gold-plated expansion band with tapered overlaid cylinders
- Navy cotton canvas-upper espadrilles with jute role soles
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the movie.
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