Vitals

Brad Pitt as Robert “Rusty” Ryan, hustler and casino heister

Las Vegas, Spring 2001

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

Background

Whether you’re in town for a few crazy nights with friends or a multimillion dollar casino heist, you don’t want to look like a piker in Vegas.

What’d He Wear?

Rusty Ryan, one of the flashier dressers in Danny Ocean’s crew, accompanies Danny to casino big shot Reuben Tishkoff’s pad in a luxurious light gray summer suit in lightweight soft cotton. In some angles, the suit has the bright Nevada sun shining directly on it, so some people assume the suit to be white. These people are wrong, although Rusty is certainly the type of guy who would (and could) wear a white suit.

The suit was clearly tailored specifically for Pitt and was aimed to accentuate his shoulders. The jacket shoulders are padded with roped sleeveheads, and the jacket tapers down to his waist. Curved front darts extend out from each armpit down the front of the jacket, and a ventless rear keeps the fit close around the torso. It is a very retro style, evoking suits of the 1930s with a touch of modern luxury.

The jacket sleeves are too long, extending nearly to the base of his thumb and fingers. The 4-button cuffs are functional “surgeon’s cuffs”; Rusty leaves the last two buttons undone to indicate as much. This is also a common trait for Daniel Craig’s James Bond. Leaving surgeon’s cuffs unfastened has been described as very sprezzatura gesture, telling the world that one is wearing a bespoke suit without actually having to say anything and risk being called a braggart. This sort of stylish nonchalance can be seen as pretentious so if you plan on doing it, make up for it by being courteous and understated in other aspects of life. (i.e. Don’t be that asshole who parks his BMW across three parking spots then steps outside to “Check on my Beemer” every five minutes while bragging about out-lifting your trainer.)

Rusty’s jacket is single-breasted with a single button front closure. The rounded peak lapels are wide with a long and high slanted gorge, another very 1930s detail. There is a welted breast pocket, and the flapped hip pockets slant toward the rear. Edge stitching is present throughout, from the lapels and pockets to the edges of the lower quarters.

Rusty’s flat front suit trousers are very simple and clean-looking. The waistband is simple with no belt loops or visible fastening tabs, yet another indication that the suit was custom-fitted for Pitt. There are single front darts and a straight fit through the legs to the plain-hemmed bottoms.

No pockets are visible due to the nature of this short scene as Pitt leaves the jacket on the whole time, but the trousers offered with a replica suit (mentioned below) have slanted hip pockets and a single button-through jetted rear pocket. I can’t say for certain if that is at all reflective of the actual movie suit, but it’s reasonable to assume that these trousers are similarly-styled.

Rusty wears a blue, gray, and white striped silk shirt from Anto Beverly Hills. The shirt’s black plastic buttons fasten down a plain, placket-less front. The large collar is detailed with dark blue inner lining and 3.5″-long points. It stays consistent with his other shirts on screen, rising 1.5″ high. The shirt’s cuffs are never clearly seen either in the scene or on the auction page, but they appear to be an open cuff that Anto describes as a custom “single French cuff”, something that the rakish Pitt somehow manages to get away with doing all the time. The Anto shirt was made specifically for Pitt in the film with “BP” and “Feb. 2001” stitched on the tag.

The Heritage Auction I have been referring to can be found here with the following description:

Includes a light grey cotton suit and a striped silk Anto dress shirt with the initials “BP” sewn inside the collar, worn by Pitt in the hit 2001 heist movie.

Pitt’s outfit in the film sold for $2,151 on April 14, 2007. I found this to be a surprisingly low amount for such a snazzy suit worn in a major film by such a famous star.

Unfortunately, I can find very little information about Rusty’s shoes in the scene. Zooming in on them in the brief glimpse we get, they appear to be brown leather with dark laces and plain toes. Rusty likely wears them with light-colored socks in either a gray or brown tone.

Rusty’s accessories are much more recognizable. Throughout Ocean’s Eleven, he wears a thick silver ring on his right ring finger with a small, dark stone, and he wears a smaller silver pinky ring on his left hand. Pitt is also well-known to be a fan of Oliver Peoples sunglasses, often wearing them in his films. Ocean’s Eleven is no exception, with Rusty wearing a pair of Oliver Peoples “Whistle” sunglasses with a rounded brushed chrome frame and dark gray lenses. He wears these sunglasses both in this scene and while visiting Saul in St. Petersburg.

Earlier, I mentioned a replica of the suit available for purchase online. Like most costume replicas, it wouldn’t be an exact match for the distinctive and stylish suit in the film, but for $299, it could do in a pinch or for a costume-related outfit. The “white” suit is available from the Celebrity Suit Shop. As I warn, a few details are off (this jacket has 3 cuff buttons, etc.), and I can’t personally testify to the suit’s quality, but I want to be thorough and make sure it gets a mention!

How to Get the Look

Like many outfits worn by Brad Pitt, it’s important to recognize that most women would find the man attractive in even the worst clothing. He can make anything look stylish, which can be very endangering for a man who doesn’t know his own sartorial limits. Still, a look inspired by this suit should be a safe and comfortable summer bet.

• Very light gray soft lightweight cotton two-piece suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted jacket with wide peak lapels, 1-button front, welted breast pocket, slanted flapped hip pockets, 4-button “surgeon’s cuffs”, padded shoulders with roped sleeveheads, curved front darts, and ventless rear
  • Flat front darted trousers with plain waistband, straight legs, plain-hemmed bottoms
• Blue, gray, and white silk Anto shirt with large point collar and unfastened single French cuffs
• Light brown leather plain-toe shoes
• Light-colored dress socks
• Oliver Peoples Whistle sunglasses with rounded brushed chrome frames and dark gray lenses
• Thick silver ring with dark stone on right ring finger
• Silver pinky ring on left hand

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

Reuben: Look, we all go way back and uh, I owe you from the thing with the guy in the place and I’ll never forget it.
Danny: That was our pleasure.
Rusty: I’d never been to Belize.