September 29, 2016

Casino – De Niro in Blue on Blue (on Blue) Silk

Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein in Casino (1995).

Vitals

Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, Vegas casino executive and mob associate

Las Vegas, Spring 1973

Film: Casino
Release Date: November 22, 1995
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Design: Rita Ryack & John A. Dunn

Background

It does absolutely nothing to advance the plot and it’s unnecessary to establish the traits an already well-established character, but the sequence of Ace Rothstein’s brand of justice for two men caught cheating at blackjack under his watch in the Tangiers casino is one of the most entertaining and memorable in the film.

True to his name, Ace has tremendous gambling instincts and is thus able to spot “two yokels” trying to run a scam on a blackjack table purely from watching the way they bet. He does some first-hand investigating and discovers that a gruff, bearded man and his twerpish confederate have spotted a weak dealer who isn’t protecting his hole card well enough. Ace calls in two of his security team – Armstrong and Friday – and instructs the one armed with a cattle prod to zap “BJ 19, second base, the beard” (indicating the bearded man sitting at the second seat at blackjack table #19). When he calls in an order for “Mr. Happy… loud”, the casino is distracted by cocktail waitresses singing about a dealer’s birthday while Armstrong uses the aforementioned prod to down one of the cheaters in a fit presumed to be cardiac arrest.

The bearded man is taken to a frightening bare back room straight out of Orwell, and Rothstein calmly asks which hand the man uses to “shuffle your checks”. Upon finding out that the man uses his right hand, Rothstein nods to one of his officers and a hammer comes out of nowhere, smashing the man’s right hand. “Now you’re gonna have to learn with your left hand,” Rothstein duly informs him.

The affable Billy Sherbert (Don Rickles) is dispatched to rope in the twerpish man, who is immediately confronted with the sight of his co-cheater’s mangled hand. He agrees never to cheat at the Tangiers again and thanks Rothstein (likely for letting him keep his life) before he leaves. “Throw him in the alley and tell the cops he got hit by a car,” Rothstein orders.

It shows just how much trust studios have in Martin Scorsese that he could keep a relatively superfluous scene running several minutes in a movie that was already just a few seconds shy of three hours long… all set to the sounds of Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart covering Willie Dixon’s 1961 blues ballad “I Ain’t Superstitious”.

What’d He Wear?

Ace Rothstein decks himself out in all light and dark shades of azure for one of the most memorable sequences, from his Yale blue suit to the more sky-toned matching shirt, tie, and pocket square. Why so much blue? On Breaking Bad, Vince Gilligan used blue clothing to indicate moral corruption in Walter and Skyler White’s characters in reference to Heisenberg’s blue meth product.

Perhaps in Casino, Ace’s all blue suit is a nod to his role in this scene specifically as the casino’s “police”, investigating criminal activity and doling out justice as he sees fit. Perhaps it’s Ace asserting his masculine dominance over two men trying to cheat him over by sporting the most traditionally masculine-associated color.

The slubbing of Ace’s dark blue suiting indicates either raw silk, linen, or a blend of both. The silk would be more “on brand” for Ace Rothstein, but a linen suit would certainly breathe coolly and comfortably during Las Vegas’s dry, hot nights… especially if one is inclined to wear a dark suit.

Ace’s suit is likely raw silk, lacking the shine of a finished silk like dupioni or shantung.

Ace’s single-breasted suit jacket closes with only a single button. Not much is seen of the flat front trousers as Ace keeps his jacket buttoned throughout the scene, but the slightly flared bottoms are plain-hemmed and he definitely has side pockets where he often slips his hands.

Ace commands the room as he confronts a blackjack cheater.

The suit jacket’s wide peak lapels have a full belly, a convex break line, and a shorter gorge seam despite the ’70s-appropriate lapel width. The wide shoulders are well-padded with strongly roped sleeveheads. Like the front of the jacket, each cuff closes with one button. The jacket appears to have double vents and patch hip pockets. The breast pocket is welted with a sky blue silk display kerchief neatly folded inside, made by Anto to perfectly match the shirt and tie.

Sam Rothstein means business.

Anto created all of Ace’s shirts, ties, and pocket square, allowing for each set to perfectly match in a manner that a fastidious and detail-oriented dressed like Ace would appreciate. The sky blue silk shirt that Ace wears in this scene has a large point collar with edge stitching about a half-inch in. It buttons up a plain front and has single cuffs for links, which appear to be 14-carat white gold with a half bezel set emerald cut blue aquamarine in the center. Naturally, his silk tie is the same shade of sky azure as his shirt.

All blue.

When conducting surveillance on the two cheaters in his casino, Ace bends down to ostensibly tie his shoelace. The cheaters should have been suspicious: Ace’s shoes don’t have any laces. In fact, he is wearing a pair of black leather loafers with raised heels and a silver horsebit detail. His dark socks are probably blue to continue the trouser leg line into his shoes.

Ace, as he would’ve been seen by the ‘eye in the sky’.

Ace being who he is, his ring perfectly matches his cuff links. The 14-carat white gold ring on his right pinky has an emerald cut blue aquamarine stone, set in a geometric polished shank. Though his wristwatch is barely seen through most of the sequence, it would be very uncharacteristic for Ace to switch metals now; he’s appears to be wearing an 18-carat white gold Bueche Girod vintage watch.

Calling for “BJ 19, second base, the beard.”

This iconic outfit was naturally featured on Ibraheem Youssef’s poster Ace’s Casino suits, shown second from the right on the second row but featured with the light blue leather shoes that he would later wear when meeting county commissioner Pat Webb in his office.

How to Get the Look

Ace exudes luxury and power as he dispenses his brand of Las Vegas justice while wearing all blue silk.

Dark blue lightweight raw silk tailored suit, consisting of:
- Single-breasted 1-button jacket with wide peak lapels, welted breast pocket, patch hip pockets, 1-button cuffs, and double vents
- Flat front trousers with side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms
Sky blue silk dress shirt with long point collar, plain front, and single cuffs
Sky blue silk tie
White gold 14-carat cuff links with half bezel set, emerald cut aquamarine stone
Black leather horsebit slip-on loafers with silver horsebit detail and black raised heels
Dark blue dress socks
Bueche Girod 14-carat white gold vintage wristwatch
White gold 14-carat pinky ring with emerald cut, geometric shank-set aquamarine stone

Of course, it’s little details like the matching sky blue pocket square – perfectly folded into his breast pocket – that help set Ace Rothstein’s distinctive style apart from any wannabe wiseguys in his circle.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

They never know what hit ’em. And if and when they do find out they just got zapped by a cattle prod, they wish they really did have a heart attack.

September 26, 2016

North by Northwest

Today is the 4th anniversary of BAMF Style, so I’m commemorating the occasion by posting a revised and updated version of my first post – an analysis of the iconic gray-blue glen check suit worn by Cary Grant in North by Northwest. Thanks for all the support over the years!

BAMF Style

Cary Grant as Roger O. Thornhill in North by Northwest (1959).

Vitals

Cary Grant as Roger O. Thornhill, Madison Avenue ad man mistaken for an international spy

New York City, Fall 1958

Film: North by Northwest
Release Date: July 28, 1959
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Tailor: Arthur Lyons of Kilgour, French & Stanbury
Wardrobe Department: Harry Kress

Background

North by Northwest is famous for being one of the best thrillers and espionage films of all time, but it has also received plenty of accolades as the greatest “suit movie” due to the sharply-tailored gray-blue Glen plaid suit that Cary Grant wears throughout the film. In August 2015, Esquire gave it the top spot on its Greatest Suits in Film list… which also included several other heroes you’ll see on the pages of BAMF Style.

The suit even inspired a short story from writer Todd McEwen, retelling North by Northwest from the…

View original post 3,810 more words

September 22, 2016

Harrison Ford’s Tweed Jacket in The Fugitive

Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive (1993).

Vitals

Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble, fugitive and former doctor trying to clear his name

Chicago, Spring 1993

Film: The Fugitive
Release Date: August 6, 1993
Director: Andrew Davis
Costume Designer: Aggie Guerard Rodgers

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

In addition to being one of the best modern thrillers, The Fugitive is also one of the best TV-to-movie adaptations, seamlessly updating the characters and story to transform four seasons of a 1960s TV show into a compelling and suspenseful 1990s action flick.

After being wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife, Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) gets a lucky break when his prison transport crashes after fellow prisoners launch an escape attempt… making him the primary target of Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones). Unlike lesser films that would try to paint Gerard as a lawman using this case for his own redemption or personally entangled with his mark, this is simply another job for the marshal.

Dr. Kimble evades Gerard and his team during a St. Patrick’s Day parade, but the close shave encourages him to continue his journey of putting the pieces together to clear his name and bring justice to his wife’s killers.

What’d He Wear?

This segment of The Fugitive is clearly set in the late winter and early spring, but Dr. Kimble’s “on-the-run” look would be just as comfortable and practical for a fall day. His outfit of a tweed jacket, chambray shirt, knit tie, and blue jeans certainly evokes Robert Redford in Three Days of the Condor, a similar story about an innocent man that finds himself on the run in the big city.

Dr. Kimble’s outer layer is a tweed sport jacket made up of brown yarns mixed with beige and blue. The notch lapels have swelled edges, a buttonhole stitched through the left lapel, and a tan woolen strip beneath the collar that is clearly seen when Richard turns up his lapels against Chicago’s windy night air.

Like most accused criminals on the run, Dr. Kimble likes to keep in touch with the very lawman who is chasing him.

The single-breasted tweed jacket has two brown leather buttons on the front and three slightly smaller buttons on each cuff. The front is darted, the back is split with a single vent, and the natural shoulders have softly roped sleeveheads.

Even for a guy living his life on the run like Richard Kimble, you never know how your day will end up.

There is a welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, and a pocket on each inside panel; directly under the jetted right inside pocket, a black Benjamin label can be spotted.

Dr. Richard Kimble’s jacket manufacturer shares its name with Harrison Ford’s oldest son. Hm.

Dr. Kimble wears a large-fitting and lightweight blue chambray cotton work shirt, likely made by Anto Beverly Hills. The shirt has a slim collar with white stitching about a half-inch from the edge. It has white plastic buttons down the plain front, each buttoning through a white-stitched buttonhole. The cuffs each close with a button. There are no darts or pleats on the back.

There are two patch pockets on the shirt chest, with a single-button flap over each one to close. The pocket flaps have rounded corners and closer white edge-stitching than the collar, about a millimeter from the edge of the flaps and pockets. The left pocket has a short open pen slot on the inside.

One of Jane Lynch’s earliest screen roles was, as seen here, Dr. Kathy Wahlund, Richard’s friend at Chicago Memorial Hospital.

Kimble’s slim knit tie is black with sets of three thin red horizontal stripes. The tie has a pointed blade and no rear keeper loop so the slimmer, flat-bottomed tail flies free during the sequence’s many action scenes.

Black and red is an interesting choice for a tie with this outfit, popping some subtle color diversity into the predominantly blue and brown palette.

Part of the genius of Dr. Kimble’s attire is that it nicely walks the line between professional and casual, because – let’s face it – in America these days, most people will still think you look “fancy” just because you’re wearing a tie, whether you’re sporting it with a tailored suit and well-shined oxfords or clean jeans and sneakers.

Of course, it helps that Kimble is wearing a pair of clean, rich-colored medium blue denim jeans with a straight leg. They have a standard five-pocket layout and no visible manufacturer’s tag. Although they have belt loops – as jeans usually do – Richard wears them with no belt.

Plus, a rugged pair of jeans protects your legs better when you dive through a glass skylight.

Dr. Kimble wears a pair of all-black leather sneakers with black laces and black soles, an unobtrusive choice if one must wear sneakers with a dressier outfit. (Given Kimble’s predicament, sneakers rather than dress shoes was probably a good idea!) His socks appear to be basic white cotton tube socks.

With everything that’s been going on in his life lately, you can’t blame Richard Kimble for taking a quick snooze when he gets the chance.

Dr. Kimble wears no undershirt, but the elastic waistband of his white cotton boxer shorts can be glimpsed when takes a crowbar to Charles’ legs during the film’s climax.

A swing and a hit!

What to Imbibe

Why, of course our a everyman hero drinks a bottle of Budweiser beer!

St. Patrick’s Day or not, this all-American hero isn’t going to drink a brew that wasn’t crafted right here in the USA!

(Although, as this was set in Chicago, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Richard downing a bottle of Old Style.)

How to Get the Look

Dr. Kimble’s ensemble in the city is perfect for blending in: rugged and durable but still fashionable enough that he can fit in anywhere from a banquet to a backyard.

Brown mixed tweed single-breasted 2-button sportcoat with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and single vent
Blue chambray work shirt with button-down flapped chest pockets and button cuffs
Black slim knit tie with sets of triple red stripes
Blue denim jeans
Black leather sneakers
White cotton tube socks
White cotton boxer shorts

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

I thought you didn’t care?

September 20, 2016

George Clooney’s Gray Suit in Ocean’s Eleven

George Clooney as Danny Ocean in Ocean’s Eleven (2001).

Vitals

George Clooney as Danny Ocean, recently paroled casino heister and con man

Las Vegas, Summer 2001

Film: Ocean’s Eleven
Release Date: December 7, 2001
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Costume Designer: Jeffrey Kurland

Background

The first stop that Danny Ocean and his criminal compadre “Rusty” Ryan make when planning their unprecedented multi-casino heist is to see Reuben Tishkoff, their old-time Vegas money man. They show up at his desert spread each sporting a snazzy gray summer suit, open-neck shirt, and sunglasses, reflecting the image of old-school Vegas cool while talking to the tacky reality of old school Vegas in the form of a gold-bedazzled and brazenly-robed Elliott Gould.

What’d He Wear?

I previously wrote about the distinctive light gray cotton suit that Brad Pitt wears in this scene, and now – by request from Ryan Hall – I’ll be checking out the more traditional gray suit worn by George Clooney.

Danny’s outfit follows his general “uniform” throughout the series of solid, conservative suits with a white or dark open-neck dress shirt. The shine of this timeless gray suit indicates silk or a silk blend with a very subtle, wide-scaled windowpane grid throughout. Looking at the details, it appears to be similarly styled and tailored to the black suit he wears through much of Ocean’s Eleven.

The subtle grid pattern of Danny’s suit is best seen in this production photo of Clooney and Pitt on set.

The single-breasted suit jacket has wide, padded shoulders with roped sleeveheads. The breast and hip pockets are patches, dialing down the formality and better contextualizing the suit as a sporty item perfect for the context of a summer afternoon (or morning, as the orange juice may suggest.) The two buttons on the front and the three buttons on each cuff are all light gray plastic.

Possibly also the same dress shirt he wears with his black suit, Danny’s white shirt has a front placket and mitred button cuffs. He wears the top button at the point collar open. Unlike his louder-dressed partner-in-crime, Danny typically only unbuttons the top button and wears his shirt collar inside the jacket; Rusty, on the other hand, often sports his shirt collar disco-style by flattening it over the jacket lapels.

Rusty and Danny provide very contrasting looks, exemplifying the diversity of a gray single-breasted summer suit. Between them, Reuben sits unrivaled in style.

More of Danny’s outfit is seen when he and Rusty get up from the table to leave after veiled comments about previous shared experiences in Belize. The medium-rise trousers appear to have a flat front, side pockets, and cuffed bottoms. His black leather belt has a squared steel single-claw buckle.

Danny matches his belt leather to his shoes, wearing a pair of black leather bluchers that are likely the same pair of 4-eyelet cap-toe derbies that he wore with his tuxedo. His dark socks are probably (and should be) gray, but there is also the possibility that they’re black.

Having baited their money man, Rusty and Danny wait for him to bite.

Danny’s accessories are all functional and subtly fashionable. His gray-lensed, square-framed sunglasses have been theorized online to be Dita Lancier Ps.004 shades, which are framed in lightweight titanium. On his left wrist, he wears his stainless Hamilton Linwood Viewmatch with a polished, round 38 mm case, textured silver dial with 3:00 date window and gold and black hour markers, and 16 mm black crocodile strap that fastens through a steel tang buckle. The only other piece of jewelry is his plain silver wedding band on the third finger of his left hand.

The jacket and shirt both make a brief appearance a few scenes later when the gang is plotting in their Bellagio suite, although Danny appears to be wearing them with a pair of darker gray trousers.

How to Get the Look

Danny Ocean proves that a monochromatic gray color scheme can be more exciting than it sounds in the form of a refreshing and stylish summer suit.

Gray tonal-windowpane silk-blend summer suit, consisting of:
- Single-breasted 2-button jacket with notch lapels, patch breast pocket, patch hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
- Flat front medium-rise trousers with belt loops, side pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
White cotton dress shirt with point collar, front placket, and mitred button cuffs
Black leather belt with squared steel single-claw buckle
Black calf leather 4-eyelet cap-toe bluchers
Dark gray dress socks
Titanium-framed square aviator sunglasses with dark gray lenses
Hamilton Linwood Viewmatch wristwatch with a polished stainless steel 36mm case and textured silver dial on a 16mm black crocodile leather strap
Silver wedding band

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

It’s never been tried.

September 18, 2016

Steve Martin’s Red Silk Suit in My Blue Heaven

Steve Martin with Rick Moranis in My Blue Heaven (1990). Sadly, this is just a promotional photo and Steve’s rad Ray-Ban sunglasses didn’t make it into this scene.

Vitals

Steve Martin as Vinnie Antonelli (aka Tod Wilkinson), ex-Mafia informant

New York City, Early Winter 1990

Film: My Blue Heaven
Release Date: August 17, 1990
Director: Herbert Ross
Costume Designer: Joseph G. Aulisi

Background

This week’s focus on dupioni silk continues with the loud red suit worn by Steve Martin in My Blue Heaven, posted today to celebrate my sister’s birthday as this flick is a family favorite that she and I are constantly quoting to each other.

Although Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill provides himself the living epigraph of living the rest of his life “like a schnook” at the end of Goodfellas, the story really didn’t end there. Loosely based on Hill’s post-mob life in the witness protection program, My Blue Heaven was written by Nora Ephron, who had been inspired by her husband Nicholas Pileggi’s interviews with Hill. Through the interview process, it was discovered that a career criminal like Hill didn’t reform himself immediately (if at all) and was often getting into trouble with authorities – returning to his old criminal ways, maintaining a high profile, and even entering a bigamist marriage under his “new” name – all depicted in My Blue Heaven.

This sequence finds Vinnie Antonelli – the film’s Henry Hill substitute played by Steve Martin – returning to New York to testify in a major mob trial against his old boss. The reserved FBI agent guarding him, Barney Coopersmith (Rick Moranis), expects that the two will be spending the night in at the motel and attempts to satiate Vinnie’s wish for Italian food in the form of macaroni and cheese and salad with Italian dressing. Vinnie, finally back on his home turf after months in suburbia, has other ideas.

What’d He Wear?

As Vinnie and Barney ostensibly begin to settle in for a quiet evening at their motel, Vinnie wears a red dupioni silk suit, styled like many of his others, that was evidently newly acquired that day from his tailor Gaetano. Hardly an outfit for being babysat by a milquetoast FBI agent, Vinnie clearly already has his pre-testimony night of “drinking and girls” on his mind.

Vinnie’s suit has a single-breasted jacket with a low-stance single-button closure. The wide peak lapels have a slightly abbreviated gorge and a buttonhole stitched in the left lapel.

Vinnie talks Barney into enjoying a night on the town.

The jacket has straight, wide, padded shoulders and a ventless back, all very characteristic attributes of stylish suits at the time although it thankfully avoids the excessively baggy, full fit of the era that even James Bond couldn’t avoid in Licence to Kill. The jacket has a welted breast pocket and straight jetted hip pockets. Each sleeve ends with 3-button “kissing” cuffs.

Vinnie’s red silk suit shines with every turn he makes.

The low button stance of the jacket works nicely with the lower rise of the trousers, which have single reverse pleats, straight side pockets, and no back pockets. Vinnie wears a black leather belt with a slim single-claw gold buckle to hold up his trousers.

Barney doesn’t seem to notice that, while he is ordering dismal room service, Vinnie is getting dressed to go out.

Vinnie’s light pink dress shirt nicely compliments the overwhelming quantity of red in the rest of the outfit. The shirt has a spread collar, front placket, and a plain back with no pleats. He further thumbs his nose at anonyminity by wearing a shirt with his distinctive initials – “V.A.” – monogrammed on the left breast pocket.

Vinnie isn’t staying Very Anonymous with the monogrammed shirt.

The shirt has long, squared French cuffs that Vinnie fastens with an elaborate pair of gold cuff links that each feature a mounted onyx pebble.

Also a good view of Vinnie’s Rolex.

Vinnie’s silk tie is printed with a lavender paisley pattern.

He wears a pair of well-shined black leather tassel loafers, a more subtle option that downplays the loud suit more than his flashier “everyday” two-tone spectator loafers in black and white would. The trouser leg line is nicely carried into the shoes by a pair of maroon silk dress socks.

Vinnie goes the whole nine yards and sports a pair of socks that perfectly matches his suit.

A man of luxury, Vinnie doesn’t let his new witness protection status get in the way of his jewelry either. His two-tone Rolex DateJust is possibly a 116233 model with a stainless steel 36mm case, 18-karat yellow gold bezel, and a mixed gold and stainless Jubilee bracelet. The white face appears to be the appropriately named “Roman dial”.

Vinnie and Barney get closer than ever while dancing with new pals.

An expensive watch might not signify his criminal background to the nice folks of Fryburg, California, but Vinnie’s gold pinky ring would certainly make him stand out further from the early bird crowd. Nicely calling out the color of his suit, Vinnie’s ring has a brick red-colored, oval-shaped setting.

Go Big or Go Home

Honestly, this scene has lent me some of the best advice for dating (or confidence in general) when Vinnie advises Barney to “look ’em in the eye” when talking to women. Despite his bigamy and his self-admitted preference for women who are “kinda dirty or somethin'”, Vinnie proves to be a reasonably respectful barroom suitor.

In fact, Vinnie hands down many life lessons – possibly part of his new wave of inspiration as he writes his story – including:

How to treat a suit: don’t sit around wearing your pants without the jacket.
How to talk to women: “look ’em in the eye.”
How to dance… especially the meringue.
Vinnie follows all three of his own rules during his night out with Barney and the charming guidettes.

How to Get the Look

You can take the guy out of the Mafia, but you can never take the Mafia out of the guy; Vinnie proves both unwilling and unable to even pretend he’s no longer the type of guy who goes out in a bold red silk suit, flashing his Rolex and pinky ring as he buys rounds of drinks for the bar.

Red dupioni silk tailored suit, consisting of:
- Single-breasted 1-button jacket with wide peak lapels, padded shoulders, welted breast pocket, jetted hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
- Single reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops, straight side pockets, no back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
Light pink dress shirt with spread collar, front placket, monogrammed breast pocket, and double/French cuffs
Lavender paisley printed silk tie
Gold elaborate cuff links with a mounted onyx pebble
Black leather belt with rounded-edge gold single-claw buckle
Black leather tassel loafers
Maroon silk dress socks
Rolex DateJust two-tone gold wristwatch with white Roman dial on yellow gold and stainless mixed Jubilee bracelet
Gold pinky ring with brick red oval setting

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

Footnotes

Another sartorial focus in this scene would be the two stereotypically-dressed mob assassins who track down Vinnie at the nightclub. They are wearing, as Hannah later unwittingly mocks:

Your honor, are we to believe that this man is in danger? That some cartoon character hitmen in black suits with white-on-white ties armed with guns are going to walk through that door…?

If these guys were any more stereotypical, their names would be Rocco and Bruno or something like that.

September 15, 2016

Judge Wargrave’s Navy Suit in And Then There Were None

Charles Dance as Justice Lawrence Wargrave in BBC’s And Then There Were None (2015).

Vitals

Charles Dance as Lawrence Wargrave, retired judge

Devon, England, August 1939

Series Title: And Then There Were None
Air Date: December 26-28, 2015
Director: Craig Viveiros
Costume Designer: Lindsay Pugh

WARNING! Spoilers ahead! (Seriously.)

Background

Agatha Christie often regarded And Then There Were None to be her best work, and with 100 million sales to date and a classic plot that still builds nail-biting suspense nearly eight decades later, it’s no wonder that this timeless thriller has the reputation that it does.

Born 126 years ago today, on September 15, 1890, Agatha Christie has been listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling novelist of all time, no doubt due to her classics like Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and – of course – And Then There Were None. I have a personal connection to this book, as I outlined to exhaustion in my post about Aidan Turner’s attire as Philip Lombard in what I consider the definitive adaptation of her finest work.

After more than a dozen adaptations for the stage and screen, Christie’s greatest novel finally received the adaptation it deserved in 2015 when Sarah Phelps was tasked with writing a three-part miniseries for BBC. Craig Viveiros’ direction, Phelps’ writing, and Lindsay Pugh’s costuming all came together with chilling cinematography and a talented cast to deliver this masterpiece.

Charles Dance particularly stood out among the talented cast as the definitive Justice Lawrence Wargrave. Dance perfectly delivered the combination of an authoritative yet charismatic former judge who is both able to hide his obsession with justice behind a “respectable” façade and then, just as convincingly, able to show off his shrewd mechanizations through contemptuous yet humble arrogance as he allows that façade to crumble in front of his final victim. From the mockery of his own “head wound” (“liver and kidneys,” he explains) to telling Vera how she was “quite my favorite… really” with a charmingly smug and almost reassuring smile, you gotta love the way that Dance plays Wargrave’s final confession to Vera as she hangs helplessly before him.

(I know I warned you twice above about spoilers but, come on, if you didn’t realize that Tywin Lannister would be the one pulling the strings here, you ought to know better!)

What’d He Wear?

Unless dressed for dinner in his black tie formalwear, Wargrave spends most of the series wearing a well-cut navy blue striped three-piece suit. The suiting is dark navy lightweight wool with an alternating gray and blue rope stripe.

The single-breasted jacket has a three-button front with traditional English details like padded shoulders with roped sleeveheads, a nipped waist, and flared skirt with ventless back.

As Henry Hill warned us in Goodfellas: "Your murderers come with smiles." This production photo shows Charles Dance in costume with a wet-suited crew member.

As Henry Hill warned us in Goodfellas: “Your murderers come with smiles.” This production photo shows Charles Dance in costume with director Craig Viveiros.

The jacket’s wide peak lapels sharply point to each shoulder with pick-stitching visible close to the edges. A buttonhole is cut straight across through the left lapel which Wargrave uses to clip his eyeglass cord to his jacket. The gold clip is attached to a black cord that loops around the left temple of the gold-framed thin folding eyeglasses in his welted breast pocket. Wargrave’s slightly curved breast pocket is an elegant detail known as a “barchetta” pocket. (Barchetta is Italian for “little boat”… similar to the shape of this pocket.)

Wargrave dozes off for his introduction to the audience in the first episode.

In addition to the barchetta breast pocket, Wargrave’s jacket has straight flapped hip pockets with a flapped ticket pocket on the right. Each sleeve has 4-button cuffs.

For most of his duration on Soldier Island, Wargrave wears the suit’s matching single-breasted waistcoat. The vest has four welted pockets and a 6-button front with the lowest button left open over the notched bottom.

He wears a gold pocket watch in the lower left welt pocket, connected to an ornate gold fob via a gold link-chain that hooks between the third and fourth buttons of the vest.

The suit’s double forward-pleated trousers are fully cut with a high rise that remains well-concealed under the waistcoat. Given Wargrave’s penchant for traditionalism, they are likely held up with suspenders/braces, but these remain unseen throughout the show. They do have side pockets and the bottoms are finished with cuffs.

Ever the proper houseguest, despite the circumstances, Wargrave never lets his waist go uncovered and thus several details about the trousers remain unknown.

Though similar to his later shirt and ties, the shirt and tie that Wargrave wears when he arrives at Soldier Island with the other guests on August 8 are never again seen after the first episode.

The multi-striped shirt is white with bold double-stripes in light blue and soft tan that appear wide like butcher’s stripes when seen from a distance. The blue and tan stripes on this shirt (and his others) echo his rope-striped suiting. The shirt has a front placket and rounded single cuffs. It is collarless so Wargrave attaches a white collar with a wide cutaway spread, fastening it to his shirt with a gold collar stud.

Wargrave self-medicates. Note the eyeglasses that he typically carries attached via cord in his jacket’s barchetta pocket.

Wargrave wears the same pair of flat gold rectangle cuff links with all of his dress shirts throughout the series.

For this first day of travel, Wargrave’s tie is black silk with a pattern of small tan dots; every other dot is enclosed in a gray square box.

Wargrave makes the acquaintance of his fellow island-goers.

For lunch – and an impromptu dip into the sea – on the second day, August 9, Wargrave wears a different shirt that is striped and styled similarly to the first one; he will wear this shirt for the duration of the series. The white shirt is striped in blue and tan with a front placket, rounded single cuffs, and collar band with its gold stud to attach the white cutaway collar.

If only we got to see more of that badass dressing gown!

When Wargrave is warming up after having followed Vera into the water, he removes the collar and tie to dry up in his luxurious blue printed dressing gown. With the collar and tie removed and the gold collar stud undone, the top of his off-white henley undershirt can be seen poking out.

Earlier in the day when he was dressed for lunch, Wargrave wore a gradient-striped tie that darkens from tan through brown to black, separated by a wide gray stripe before the gradient stripe pattern begins again.

When And Then There Were None needed a Jim Halpert, Judge Wargrave rose to the occasion.

When And Then There Were None needed a more reserved Jim Halpert expression, Judge Wargrave rose to the occasion.

Wargrave’s dive into the sea that evening to “save” Vera was the last appearance of his suit’s matching vest. He stops wearing it for the “doomsday” confession evening on the third day, when he wears the same striped shirt as the day before with a busier printed tie of small gray boxes on a dark navy silk ground.

When he “comes clean” to the others, Wargrave is more exposed than usual without a vest.

Finally, for his “rise from the dead” on August 11, Wargrave varies the outfit by sporting a dove gray vest in place of his normal suit vest. As he busies himself around the house, carrying out task after task, the look evokes a butler or manservant…appropriate given Wargrave’s self-appointed role as a “servant of death”. The single-breasted vest also has four welt pockets and a notched bottom that is left open under the bottom of the six urea buttons.

Wargrave makes the final arrangements as the last two soldiers (and thank god this adaptation called them that) prepare to meet their end.

He wears the same striped shirt as he wore the previous two days, although he swaps in a fresh tie. This tie appears to also involve a series of softly gradient diagonal stripes, surprisingly in the American style of right-down-to-left, all in shades of blue.

Well, this is certainly a spoiler. You did see the warning at the top of the page, right? (This is the best angle we get of his tie!)

Wargrave wears a pair of black leather balmorals – also known as oxford shoes – with a perforated cap toe. He usually wears them with black socks, although a quick glimpse while searching Lombard’s room reveals that he wore lighter gray socks on the third day. (The next day, he is back to black socks.)

And the spoilers just keep on comin’! Sorry, gang.

When he first arrives at Soldier Island, Wargrave wears a heavy charcoal Chesterfield coat that is a surprising choice for an August afternoon, even in chilly England. The single-breasted wool overcoat has a three-button fly front and large-notched lapels with a black velvet collar. Though a velvet collar isn’t a requirement for a Chesterfield coat, it does add formality as well as the option to easier replace the collar as it wears out before the rest of the coat; given his penchant for detachable collar shirts, Wargrave seems aware of the practicality of such a concept. The coat has a straight welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and a long single vent.

The group’s old-timers, Justice Wargrave and General Macarthur (no, not that one), arrive with the rest of the guests.

The other guests should have been able to guess the murderer right away if they had remembered that Wargrave was the only arrival to wear the stereotypically villainous black hat. Wargrave wears a black felt Lord’s hat, best described as a homburg with a pinched crown.

Justice Wargrave’s sole affectation is a gold signet ring, worn on his left pinky.

How to Get the Look

Wargrave dresses to kill (pun!) throughout his duration on Soldier Island. The uniformity of each day’s navy suit and striped shirt ensemble is subtle enough that it could go unnoticed unless one looked close enough… much like his own violently obsessive personality.

Dark navy lightweight wool three-piece suit, consisting of:
- Single-breasted 3-button jacket with sharp peak lapels, barchetta welted breast pocket, flapped straight hip pockets and ticket pocket, 4-button cuffs, and ventless back
- Single-breasted 6-button vest with four welt pockets and notched bottom
- Double forward-pleated high-rise, full-cut trousers with side pockets and turn-ups/cuffs
White blue-and-tan-striped cotton collarless dress shirt with gold collar studs, front placket, and rounded single cuffs
Dark printed or striped silk tie
Gold flat rectangle cuff links
Black leather perforated cap-toe balmorals/oxford shoes
Black socks
Off-white long-sleeve henley undershirt
Charcoal heavy wool single-breasted Chesterfield coat with black velvet collar, 3-button fly front, well-padded shoulders, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and long single vent
Black felt Lord’s hat with black grosgrain ribbon
Gold pocketwatch on gold chain
Gold signet ring on left pinky

Don’t want to lose your glasses? Attach them to a cord and clip the cord through your lapel buttonhole.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the series and celebrate Agatha Christie’s birthday by picking up her classic, best-selling thriller!

The Quote

With great power comes great responsibility.

Footnote

It’s worth noting that Charles Dance indeed shares a resemblance to Wilfred Hyde-White, who portrayed the judge in 1965’s Ten Little Indians, but Dance’s respectable gravitas and the supreme quality of this production cements him in my mind as the definitive Wargrave.

(Also worth noting is Barry Fitzgerald’s entertaining and surprisingly “cute” performance of the judge in 1945’s And Then There Were None. Given that Charles Dance is nearly an entire foot taller than Fitzgerald, there is no resemblance to speak of.)

September 12, 2016

Havana – Robert Redford’s Blue Dupioni Silk Jacket

Robert Redford as Jack Weil in Havana (1990).

Vitals

Robert Redford as Jack Weil, charmingly smooth yet cynical gambler and U.S. Navy veteran of World War II

en route Havana, December 1958

Film: Havana
Release Date: December 14, 1990
Director: Sydney Pollack
Costume Designer: Bernie Pollack

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Robert Redford’s attire in Havana has been a frequent request on this blog, so I ordered the DVD, screencapped every outfit, researched, and have posts scheduled throughout the next year. You’re welcome!

This inaugural Havana post will focus on the first major outfit that Jack Weil (Redford) wears on screen. It appears to be his preferred travel outfit, as he wears it when ferrying to and from Havana. The film begins on Christmas Eve 1958, mid-way through the ferry’s crossing and toward the end of a poker game between Weil, the ferry captain, and several other bigwigs on board. After Cuban authorities discover a contraband Walther PPK on board, Weil claims ownership and ~~charms~~ bribes his way out of trouble and shrewdly blackmails the pistol’s true owner for a few extra bucks in his pocket.

Weil’s behavior is observed by the alluring Roberta Durán (Lena Olin), who recognizes a potential mercenary that will assist her husband’s revolutionary activity for a fee… and a Casablanca-inspired plot ensues as Weil’s cynical exterior is gently broken down out of romantic feelings for a woman already married to a passionate, dedicated fighter.

What’d He Wear?

Robert Redford’s look in Havana was developed by the director’s brother, Bernie Pollack, a costume designer whose work with Redford stretches back to the early ’70s when Bernie was an uncredited costumer in films like The Candidate, The Sting, The Way We Were, The Great Waldo Pepper, and Three Days of the Condor. All the President’s Men was one of the first films where Bernie Pollack was credited on the costume design team, and he has since developed his resume as a trusted costumer of major stars like both Redford and Harrison Ford.

Jack Weil decks himself out for the passage to Havana in primarily blue and gray. The highlight of his ensemble is a dark navy dupioni silk sportcoat, custom made for Redford by the Western Costume Company.

Call me an old romantic, but Jack’s slubby dupioni silk jacket seems to shine the most when he is talking to Bobby.

The silk sportcoat is fit very stylishly for the late 1950s with wide, padded shoulders with roped sleeveheads, a darted front, and ventless back. The single-breasted jacket has a two-button front with matching 3-button “kissing” cuffs at the end of each sleeve. All three external pockets are patches: one breast pocket and two larger hip pockets.

Jack checks out the hip bathroom scene on the Miami-Havana ferry.

Weil wears a richly-colored navy dress shirt with a tag by Nat Wise of London (now Anto). Rakish gambler that he is, Weil almost always wears the long-pointed collar unbuttoned with his tie loosened to some degree. The placket down the front has large white plastic buttons that match the single button on each slightly rounded cuff (and the slightly smaller button that closes the gauntlet further up the wrist). The top of the placket is squared off at the collar. Weil often keeps his pack of unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes in the shirt’s breast pocket.

Jack reflects during his last morning in Havana.

For the Christmas Eve party and subsequent visit to Joe Volpi’s casino, Weil wears a boldly-printed silk tie that evokes the Art Deco era and ties in both predominant colors of his outfit. The tie is split down the middle with a navy ground on the right and a silver ground on the left. The silver creeps into the navy half in the form of a branch-like series of lines down the tie, almost resembling amoeba; the silver-grounded left side is split by a bubbled column of alternating navy and silver dots.

Cynicism sets in hard during a visit to Joe Volpi’s casino.

After the revolution, Weil leaves Havana and sees Bobby for the last time. With no Christmas party to attend and nothing to celebrate, he wears the same outfit but ditches the tie.

Jack wears a pair of comfortable and fully-cut light gray trousers made from a soft material that suggests silk or a silk blend. They have belt loops, double reverse pleats, button-through jetted back pockets, and straight side pockets where Redford almost always keeps at least one of his hands. The bottoms are finished with cuffs (or turn-ups) with a medium break over his shoes.

Weil’s trousers are best seen as he struts into the open-air restaurant on his last morning in town as well as in some production photos featuring both Lena Olin and a sharp ’55 Cadillac convertible.

Jack’s slim black leather belt has a small, closed gold rectangular buckle.

Jack reaches for his handy bribe money after taking the blame for some on-ship contraband.

“Nice shoes, Jack,” comments Joe Volpi. “New?”

Jack Weil’s two-tone leather “spectator shoes” are the major visual introduction to the character. His black-and-white wingtip brogues immediately signify to the audience that this is a guy who takes pride in his appearance and knows the impression that his clothes make for him. They are 5-eyelet balmorals (or oxfords) with a black perforated toe cap, black outside counter on the heel, black eyelet tabs, and black laces; the vamp and quarter are all white. The shoes are featured with another outfit, a turquoise blue suit that Redford wore in the film, at The Golden Closet. In this scene, he wears them with black socks.

Jack’s shoes are the first thing we see, but just from seeing those, we can tell he’s no schlub.

On his right wrist, Jack wears a gold watch with a round case, gold dial, and flat gold bracelet. He also wears what appears to be an ornate gold signet ring on his right pinky. This is one of the few times that Redford isn’t wearing the silver ring that he describes as a real-life gift from Hopi Indians in the 1960s.

Jack bends down to put Bobby’s Regalias cigarettes back in her purse, flashing his gold jewelry as he does.

Many outfits from Havana, including this one, have been featured on various online auctions. This jacket, shirt, and belt was auctioned with a different pair of trousers and shoes as part of Profiles in History’s “Hollywood Auction 56” in July 2013, the very same auction that included Steve McQueen’s iconic tweed shooting jacket from Bullitt, Tony Montana’s “little friend” grenade launcher in Scarface, Indiana Jones‘ hat and whip from Last Crusade, and even the Walther air pistol used by Sean Connery for promotional James Bond photo shoots. According to the auction page:

This original costume was worn by Robert Redford as “Jack Weil” in Sydney Pollack’s epic Havana. The outfit includes a dark blue sport jacket, dark blue dress shirt, black belt, a pair of brown two-tone wing tip shoes and khaki pants. Redford wore this ensemble in several scenes, most notably during a rendezvous with “Roberta Duran” (Lena Olin). The outfit is also seen at a restaurant when “Jack” is preparing to depart Cuba for the United States. The suit was custom-made for Mr. Redford and bears the original Western Costume Company internal labels with “Robert Redford” and sizing information. The blue dress shirt was made by “Nat Wise of London” and includes the actor’s initials “RR” and the production date “January 1990.” Director Sydney Pollack’s brother Bernie Pollack designed the costumes for Havana.

The auctioned outfit, which includes “a pair of brown two-tone wing tip shoes and khaki pants” featured in other scenes, can be found on page 280 of the Profiles in History catalog. It is item #755 and featured on the same page as a dress worn by Jennifer Connolly in The Rocketeer and the distinctive Hammerli 280 pistol used by Bridget Fonda in Point of No Return.

A few years ago, during one of my frequent thrift store shopping outings, I discovered a great blue silk blend jacket from Kuppenheimer, a venerated men’s fashion house that went bankrupt in 1997 after more than 140 years in business and had once been the preferred costumer by Rod Serling. I’m not sure of the age – I would guess it’s from sometime in the early ’90s based on styling and labels – but it is always a popular option when I want to liven up my attire for a night out.

My lucky find: a Kuppenheimer blue silk blend jacket.

What to Imbibe

Delicious Cuban cocktails abound in Havana, beginning with the refreshing-looking Daiquiri that Jack Weil orders when he and Bobby reunite in Joe Volpi’s casino on Christmas afternoon.

Sipping on an admittedly pleasantly-garnished ginger ale, Bobby must have been rather jealous of Jack’s refreshing daiquiri.

A favorite of many from Ernest Hemingway to John F. Kennedy, the Daiquiri was supposedly invented by an American in Cuba around the time of the Spanish-American War. Most credit is given to Jennings Cox, an expatriate mining engineer working in Cuba who ran out of gin while entertaining guests. Adding sugar and lime juice to sweeten the drink to meet his genteel guests’ tastes, the Daiquiri was born.

Although it was brought to the U.S. via Rear Admiral Lucius W. Johnson at Washington D.C.’s Army and Navy Club in 1909, it wasn’t until World War II when the drink caught on for Americans. With whiskey harder to come by due to wartime rationing and FDR’s Pan-American program popularizing Latin American culture, rum-based drinks like the Daiquiri began the enduring popularity that lasted decades after the war through the rise of Tiki culture in the ’50s and ’60s.

More than a century after Jennings Cox concocted his impromptu crowdpleaser, the general preparation has remained the same. To make a classic Daiquiri, pour 9 parts white rum, 5 parts lime juice, and 3 parts simple syrup into an ice-filled shaker. Shake it well, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. (If you want a frozen Daiquiri, which is also trendy, mix everything together with pulverized ice in a blender.)

How to Get the Look

As Jack Weil in Havana, Robert Redford wears a stylish and luxurious blend of blue and gray silk that certainly would have indicated his celebrity status in 1958 Cuba.

Dark navy blue dupioni silk single-breasted 2-button sportcoat with notch lapels, patch breast pocket, patch hip pockets, 3-button “kissing” cuffs, and ventless back
Dark navy blue dress shirt with long-pointed collar, front placket with white buttons, breast pocket, and rounded button cuffs
Navy and silver silk “branches and bubbles” Deco-printed necktie
Light gray silk double reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops, straight side pockets, button-through jetted back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
Black leather belt with gold rectangular closed buckle
Black & white two-tone leather 5-eyelet wingtip balmoral brogues
Black dress socks
Gold wristwatch with round gold dial on flat bracelet
Gold signet pinky ring

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

I can be suave, believe me.

Footnotes

There are some great production photos of Robert Redford (and Lena Olin!) while he is wearing this outfit on set, but watermarks prevented me from being able to use them on this page. Check them out at Alamy.com!

Jack Weil also often enjoys a shot of añejo with his morning coffee, which also serves as his parting drink before he leaves Havana for the last time.