Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans on Succession, Episode 4.05 (“Kill List”)
Vitals
Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans, obsequious corporate media executive
Møre og Romsdal, Norway, Fall 2020
Series: Succession
Episode: “Kill List” (Episode 4.05)
Air Date: April 23, 2023
Director: Andrij Parekh
Creator: Jesse Armstrong
Costume Designer: Michelle Matland
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Working my way through the winter blues, I’m returning to some of the luxuriously simple cool-weather looks from the final season of Succession—specifically the fifth episode trip to Norway, where the Roy siblings hope to land a deal with tech giant GoJo.
Included among the Waystar RoyCo contingent is the spineless yet calculating Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen), whose machinations and devotion to the company’s late CEO Logan Roy (Brian Cox) placed him in a better position for advancement than Logan’s own children… including his daughter Siobhan (Sarah Snook), whom Tom had married before betraying to advance his good graces with Logan. Now with his prime advocate gone, Tom is reduced to groveling along with the rest of the Roy siblings to impress the GoJo leadership, specifically its erratic CEO Lukas Mattson (Alexander Skarsgård).
What’d He Wear?
Tom layers in shades of navy-blue for the Waystar Royco team’s final day in Norway, warmly dressed for the climate in a cashmere down vest zipped over his navy merino wool turtleneck with near-matching corduroy trousers. (He had also worn navy cashmere puffer outerwear the previous day, in the form of a Herno three-button padded sport jacket with a removable zip-up bib.)
The vest has a navy cashmere outer shell with horizontal air pockets padded with feather down for light-wearing insulation. A silver-toned zip extends straight up the front from the waist hem to over the standing funnel-neck, though Tom only wears it zipped up to mid-chest, at least until he fully unzips it upon boarding the company plane. Two pockets are set-in at hand level, with straight vertical welted entries that each close with a single silver-toned snap. Made by Brunello Cucinelli—a favored brand for Tom’s brother-in-law Kendall (Jeremy Strong)—the vest originally retailed for $2,995.
Tom exclusively wears corduroy trousers during this trip to Norway, beginning with his tan Polo Ralph Lauren slacks the previous day through his dark-navy mid-wale cords this morning. Appearing to be pleated, these trousers have slanted side pockets, back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms.
“You know, you should be careful, Tom… these people are coming down from molly, and their pupils? They’re dilated. And your shoes are like looking at the sun,” Shiv mocks, before kicking dirt and pebbles onto them, insisting that she’s “helping” him before adding:
This is why people don’t take you seriously, ’cause your shoes are so fucking white.
Tom’s famous white sneakers are the Tod’s 1T model, which originally retailed for $795. The uppers are smooth white calf leather, beige suede heel quarters and lace panels, and polyamide fabric inserts. White laces are pulled through six sets of eyelets. The tan rubber outsoles are detailed with “maxi pebble” studs, which extend up onto the heel.
Shiv’s kicks appear to land some damage, as the round toecap on Tom’s left sneaker appears to be separating from the rest of the shoe.
After wearing a Cartier Santos for two seasons to align with his wife’s preferred brand, Tom signals his independence by wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph throughout the fourth season. In addition to rejecting Shiv’s watch brand, the significantly more expensive Royal Oak also signals his elevated status at Waystar RoyCo with a timepiece that Nora Taylor wrote for Robb Report would cost “about $70,000 on the secondary market”.
For Professional Watches, Jason Pitsch suggests that Tom’s Royal Oak is the ref. 26331ST.OO.1220ST.01, powered by AP’s 37-jewel calibre 2385 movement. This self-winding chronograph boasts a 41mm stainless steel case and matching bracelet. The blue “Grande Tapisserie”-patterned dial has three rhodium-toned sub-registers, white-gold applied hour-markers, and luminescent-coated hands.
Despite rejecting his ex-wife’s preferred Cartier brand in favor of his new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (more visible in this production photo than on screen), Tom also curiously continues wearing his silver-toned wedding band, despite the fact that his relationship with Shiv has devolved into childish games like scuffing shoes, tugging earlobes, and—in the next episode—biting.
Photo by Graeme Hunter.
How to Get the Look
Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans on Succession, Episode 4.05 (“Kill List”)
Tom’s outfit for a Norwegian morning would have cost thousands of dollars (excluding that Audemars Piguet!), but you wouldn’t need a $3,000 vest or $800 sneakers to pull together your own adaptation of the look, which is relatively simple when looking at the pieces themselves rather than the brands involved.
- Navy merino wool turtleneck
- Navy cashmere-knit padded zip-up vest with standing collar and snap-fastened vertical side pockets
- Navy corduroy pleated trousers with slanted side pockets, back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
- White-and-beige leather, suede, and fabric sneakers with studded rubber outsoles
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 26331ST.OO.1220ST.01 chronograph with stainless steel 41mm case, blue square-patterned dial with three rhodium-plated sub-registers, and stainless steel bracelet
- Silver-toned wedding ring
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the series, currently streaming on Max.
For fans of the show’s style, I recommend following the great Instagram accounts @successionfashion and @successionfits.
The Quote
Your earlobes are thick and chewy… like barnacle meat.
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