Clik here to view.
Cary Grant as T.R. Devlin in Notorious (1946)
Vitals
Cary Grant as T.R. Devlin, American government agent
Miami and Rio de Janeiro, Spring 1946
Film: Notorious
Release Date: September 6, 1946
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Background
It’s impossible to over-celebrate the elegant yet understated sartorialism of Cary Grant, born this day in 1904. One of my favorite of Grant’s movies is Notorious, the 1946 espionage adventure that paired him with Ingrid Bergman as a pair of American spies tasked with exposing Alexander Sebastian, a former Nazi played with charmingly evil affability by Claude Rains.
Notorious was the second collaboration between Grant and director Alfred Hitchcock, and it marked the start of a string of wildly successful and ultimately timeless movies that Hitch would direct over the next two decades. Grant and Bergman would also pair up again a dozen years later for Stanley Donen’s 1958 rom-com Indiscreet.
What’d He Wear?
T.R. Devlin’s main suit through most of Notorious is a sharp pinstripe suit in dark flannel, perhaps a bit warm for his tropical spring days and nights in Miami and Rio, but the perfect business suit for a 1940s G-man. Devlin’s suit is likely charcoal or dark gray, as a colorized photo suggests.
Clik here to view.
Grant’s suiting is best seen in close-up shots such as his car ride with Alicia (left).
A behind-the-scenes photo with Hitch and Ingrid colorizes Grant’s suit to a dark gray (right).
The long single-breasted suit jacket is typical of the ’40s drape cut with its full chest, ventless back, and wide, padded shoulders. The notch lapels roll down to a three-button front, of which Devlin always and correctly wears only the middle button fastened. The hip pockets are jetted and each sleeve ends with three buttons on the cuff.
Clik here to view.
Devlin suspects that something is amiss…
Devlin’s suit jacket has a welted breast pocket, where he occasionally wears a white or printed silk display kerchief that likely added a touch of color to the outfit.
Clik here to view.
A bolder pocket square for Devlin’s reintroduction to a drowsy Alicia.
The reverse-pleated trousers rise high on Grant’s waist to meet the tie blade under the jacket’s center button. The bottoms are finished with plain hems. An indication of Grant’s supreme tailoring is the relationship between the jacket’s waist button, trouser rise, and tie blade all coming together at the waist for a harmonious flow. All that is visible above the button is the shirt and tie, and only the trousers are visible below it. Well done, Cary Grant’s tailor.
Clik here to view.
A refreshing sight for a sartorialist.
Since Grant liked soft collars and was playing an American in Notorious, his white shirts all have button-down collars with the characteristically incongruous detail of French cuffs rather than button cuffs. These types of shirts, though rare, are still available from traditional clothiers like Brooks Brothers (such as this striped shirt…for $375!)
Clik here to view.
Details of Devlin’s shirt include a long-pointed button-down collar and wide front placket.
Devlin’s usual tie with this suit is very dark silk, likely black, tied in a four-in-hand knot.
Clik here to view.
Oh what fun!
One scene of Devlin meeting with his supervisor, Captain Paul Prescott (Louis Cahern), finds him wearing a dark repp tie with thick stripes that alternate between two dark shades, occasionally broken up by a much thinner white stripe. All stripes are in the English left shoulder-to-right hip direction. A colorized lobby card from the time of the film’s release presents this as a tie in duo shades of red and worn with a dark navy suit.
Clik here to view.
Devlin meets with Captain Prescott.
Another quick scene of Devlin and Captain Prescott includes the same suit and shirt with yet another striped tie, this one much lighter in color with double sets of thin white stripes, also in the left-down-to-right direction.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Devlin wears a pair of black leather derby shoes with socks much lighter in color than both the shoes and suiting, possibly a mid-gray.
Clik here to view.
If you think Cary’s too impatient here, just wait another ten years until Deborah Kerr stands him up on the top floor of the Empire State Building!
Cary Grant often wore a Cartier Tank in real life, and that may be the dark-strapped watch that he wears on his wrist in Notorious as well.
Clik here to view.
Too difficult to tell?
How to Get the LookImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![notor1stripe-crop]()
By the time of Notorious, Cary Grant was already a well-established enough star to incorporate his own style details into his character’s clothing, and this comfortable business suit is no exception.
- Charcoal pinstripe flannel suit, consisting of:
- Single-breasted 3-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
- Single reverse-pleated high-rise trousers with side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms
- White cotton shirt with button-down collar, front placket, and double/French cuffs
- Black silk tie
- Black leather derby shoes/bluchers
- Gray socks
- Cartier Tank gold dress watch with square white dial on brown leather strap
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Buy the movie.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
