The Day of the Jackal: Blue Sleeveless Cardigan
Edward Fox in The Day of the Jackal (1973)
Vitals
Edward Fox as “The Jackal”, mysterious professional assassin
Southern France, near Grasse, August 1963
Film: The Day of the Jackal
Release Date: May 16, 1973
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Costume Design: Joan Bridge, Rosine Delamare, and Elizabeth Haffenden
Background
The only time we see Edward Fox’s enigmatic Jackal in a non-earthtone ensemble outside of his numerous disguises is this brief interlude for a summer evening in the south of France, near Grasse, as he chats up Colette (Delphine Seyrig) in a hotel parlor. His seduction induces Colette into his cadre of temporarily useful—but ultimately disposable—assets as he kills his way across Europe to his ultimate target… French President Charles de Gaulle.
What’d He Wear?
Although not his usual neutral-toned colors, The Jackal dresses in his signature manner of a shirt unbuttoned at the neck to reveal a patterned day cravat. In this case, it’s a black-on-white printed paisley silk neckerchief, the same that he had previously worn in Genoa with his cream striped shirt and camel sports jacket.
The Jackal also wears a striped shirt here, but in a light shade of blue with thin satin stripes that add a silky sheen. The color and details are similar to the shirt worn by James Caan during Sonny Corleone’s “last stand” in The Godfather, released the previous year. The Jackal’s shirt has a point collar, front placket, and squared double (French) cuffs.
A bored summer night for an assassin in the south of France. Who can’t relate to that?
The Jackal’s cornflower-blue sleeveless cardigan appears to be made from a soft cashmere wool. The sweater has five smoke plastic buttons up the front which he wears totally open, and there is a patch pocket on each hip.
He wears a pair of dark navy flat-front trousers that rise to Edward Fox’s natural waist. The trousers have frogmouth-style front pockets and a straight fit through the legs to the plain-hemmed bottoms. He wears them with a black leather belt that closes with a silver-toned single-prong buckle.
The Jackal appears to be wearing something (a key?) in the right-hand front pocket of his trousers, attached to a thin silver chain over his belt and into his waistband.
As this is The Jackal’s only non-earth-tone outfit (when not in disguise), it’s also the only instance of his deviating from brown shoes in favor of black shoes, a pair of black lace-ups that he wears with gray socks.
This would have been a bad time for The Jackal to blow his cover in front of Colette and start flipping through an issue of Assassin’s Weekly.
The Jackal wears his usual plain yellow gold wristwatch with a round off-white dial on a brown leather strap.
How to Get the Look
The Jackal abandons his usual earth-tones in favor of shades of blue for this dressed-down weekend ensemble that inspires a sense of leisure in luxury.
- Light-blue satin-striped shirt with point collar, front placket, and squared double/French cuffs
- Black-on-white printed paisley silk day cravat
- Cornflower-blue cashmere sleeveless cardigan sweater with five-button front and patch-style hip pockets
- Dark navy flat front trousers with belt loops, frogmouth front pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
- Black leather belt with rounded silver-toned single-prong buckle
- Black leather lace-up shoes
- Gray socks
- Yellow-gold wristwatch with round off-white dial and brown leather strap
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the movie and read Frederick Forsyth’s thrilling 1971 novel.
fantastic film even by to days standerds fox plays the part very well the typical englishman abroad at that time i remember my father wearing cravats in late 60s 70s it must of been the in thing then