The Sopranos: Tony’s Black-and-Cream Glen Plaid Sportcoat

Vitals

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, Jersey mob boss and conflicted family man

New Jersey, Fall 1999 through Winter 2001

Series: The Sopranos
Episodes:
– “Toodle-Fucking-Oo” (Episode 2.03), dir. Lee Tamahori, aired January 30, 2000
– “Funhouse” (Episode 2.13), dir. John Patterson, aired April 9, 2000
– “Another Toothpick” (Episode 3.05), dir. Jack Bender, aired March 25, 2001
– “Second Opinion” (Episode 3.07), dir. Tim Van Patten, aired April 8, 2001
– “…To Save Us All from Satan’s Power” (Episode 3.10), dir. Jack Bender, aired April 29, 2001
– “Army of One” (Episode 3.13), dir. John Patterson, aired May 20, 2001
– “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Episode 4.08), dir. Dan Attias, aired November 3, 2002
Creator: David Chase
Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa

Background

Labor Day marks the approach of colder weather. For Mafia Monday, Tony Soprano shows off how to dress for versatile situations in chillier fall and winter weather.

What’d He Wear?

A staple of Tony Soprano’s wardrobe is a number of boldly checked jackets and sport coats. On occasion during the second, third, and fourth seasons, he wears a sport coat with a large-scale glen plaid check in black and cream.

Tony’s glen plaid check sport jacket is cut to be flattering for James Gandolfini’s larger size. It is single-breasted with notch lapels and a 3-roll-2 button stance. The light brown urea buttons match the four buttons on the cuff of each slightly-too-long sleeve. The wide shoulders are padded with sleevehead roping. The front is darted, and the back is ventless. The sportcoat has straight flapped hip pockets and a welted breast pocket where Tony often wears a display kerchief in its later appearances.

In a September 2014 interview with The Independent, the show’s costumer Juliet Polcsa noted that, as he got heavier over the course of the show, James Gandolfini was less comfortable in closer-fitting knit polos and so he would be outfitted more frequently in button-up shirts. Although this was a practical decision informed by his size, it also had the benefit of reflecting greater prestige as Tony’s power grew in the underworld.

During both of the jacket’s second season appearances – which Tony wearing it to a therapy appointment, a strip club, and his daughter’s graduation – he wears it over a black soft long-sleeve polo shirt made by Axis (as confirmed in this 2017 auction listing) with three light brown urea buttons. The soft, comfortable fabric of the shirt may be cashmere.

Tony wears his black polo tucked into black reverse-pleated trousers for these occasions as well. They have side pockets – and likely jetted back pockets – and turn-ups (cuffs) on the bottom. He wears them with a black leather belt with a squared steel single-prong buckle. Due to the black in the rest of his outfit, Tony also wears a pair of black leather 5-eyelet split-toe derby shoes from Allen Edmonds and black ribbed wool dress socks.

Beginning with the jacket’s third season appearances, Tony begins embracing the earth tone possibilities and incorporates more brown into the rest of his wardrobe. For a visit to his uncle’s oncologist in “Second Opinion” (Episode 3.07), Tony wears a white mock-neck silk knit shirt with a taupe pick-stripe texture across the chest.

Two episodes earlier, in “Another Toothpick” (Episode 3.05), he wore a similar black mock-neck knit shirt during a dinner out to Vesuvio.

For a dressier Vesuvio dinner with the guys in “…To Save Us All from Satan’s Power” (Episode 3.10), Tony wears this jacket with a shirt and tie. His plain white dress shirt has a spread collar, a front placket, a breast pocket, and French cuffs. His gold silk necktie is textured by a gold self-grid, and he further accents his outfit with a salmon-colored silk display kerchief in the jacket’s breast pocket. I believe that this is the sole time that Tony wears a tie with this jacket.

Three episodes later, in “Army of One” (Episode 3.13), Tony returns to therapy in this plaid jacket with a dark gray ribbed knit long-sleeve polo shirt with three brown plastic buttons below the large, open collar. Worn with a pair of dark charcoal pleated trousers, it reflects the look of his earlier-mentioned therapy appointment in “Toodle-Fucking-Oo” (Episode 2.03). A light gray silk kerchief pokes out of the jacket’s breast pocket.

This glen plaid  jacket makes its final appearance in “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Episode 4.08) when Tony wears it to therapy with a slightly wrinkled white herringbone-striped cotton dress shirt with a spread collar. The French cuffs are fastened by a pair of double-ridged gold cross cluster links.

Unlike the earlier white dress shirt, it has a plain front and no breast pocket. He also wears it without a tie, although the brown silk display kerchief in his jacket’s breast pocket adds some flair.

In “Second Opinion”, “…To Save Us All from Satan’s Power”, and “Mergers and Acqusitions”, Tony nicely balances the earthy notes in the plaid sportcoat with a pair of medium brown double reverse-pleated trousers, styled like most of his other pants with side pockets, button-through jetted back pockets, and cuffed bottoms. Through the belt loops, Tony wears a brown leather belt with a square gold-toned single-prong buckle. His shoes and socks go unseen, but they are likely also brown.

After the Vesuvio dinner in “…To Save Us All from Satan’s Power” (Episode 3.10), Tony undresses to get into bed with Carmela and shows off a pair of light gray cotton boxer shorts and a white ribbed cotton sleeveless A-shirt.

The gold 18″-long open-link chain necklace he wears around his neck buries the St. Anthony pendant somewhere between his undershirt and chest hair. (Note that I’d previously identified this as a St. Jerome pendant before I received a correction from BAMF Style reader Dylan Singh explaining that Tony wears the more common—and more name-appropriate—St. Anthony.)

The necklace isn’t Tony’s only gold accessory. He wears a gold chain-link bracelet around his right wrist, and the gold pinky ring with its ruby and diamond stones shines from his right pinky.

On his other hand, Tony proudly wears a gold wedding band on the third finger of his left hand. The 18-karat gold Rolex on his left wrist is also very appropriate for a mob boss as Rolex itself has designated it “the most prestigious Rolex model since 1956”.

This Rolex President Day-Date 18238 has a 36mm yellow gold case with a “champagne” dial and a heavy Oyster three-piece link bracelet with a concealed clasp.

How to Get the Look

Unlike his many tracksuited pals, Tony Soprano’s wardrobe often shows the intersection of comfort, class, and versatility, well exemplified by the many combos worn with his glen plaid sports coat.

• Black-and-cream glen plaid wool single-breasted 3-roll-2-button sportcoat with notch lapels, wide padded shoulders with roped sleeveheads, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, and ventless back
• Dark polo or mock-neck long-sleeve knit shirt
• Dark wool double-reverse pleated trousers with belt loops, side pockets, button-through jetted back pockets, and bottom cuffs
• Dark leather belt with squared single-prong buckle
• Dark leather 5-eyelet split-toe derby shoes
• Dark dress socks
• White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
• Light gray cotton boxer shorts
• Rolex President Day-Date 18238 yellow gold wristwatch
• Gold open-link chain bracelet
• Gold pinky ring with ruby and diamond stones
• Plain gold wedding band
• Gold open-link chain necklace with round St. Anthony pendant

For dressier occasions, Tony wears a white shirt with French cuffs. Naturally, his tie and cuff links are gold.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the entire series.

The Quote

Is everything about everybody really about their mothers? All right, back to the other thing. For a guy like that, he’s going out with a woman he could technically not have penisary contact with her Volvo.