Vitals

Jack Nicholson as Jonathan Fuerst, arrogant Amherst College student

Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Winter 1946

Film: Carnal Knowledge
Release Date: June 30, 1971
Director: Mike Nichols
Costume Designer: Anthea Sylbert

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

As we continue facing snow and below-freezing temps here in the northeast U.S., I’m finding comfort in the layered winter style from movies like Carnal Knowledge, Mike Nichols’ cold (in every sense of the word) depiction of sexuality through the mid-20th century.

Even though the “New Hollywood” movement led by directors like Nichols, Robert Altman, and Arthur Penn had been breaking cinematic barriers since the late ’60s when the strict Production Code crumbled and the ratings system was introduced, the content and presentation of Carnal Knowledge was still considered too obscene and offensive for some audiences, to the point that a Georgia theater owner was convicted of obscenity charges (later overhauled by the U.S. Supreme Court) for showing it in his theater.

Carnal Knowledge centers around the swaggering Jonathan (Jack Nicholson) and his mild-mannered friend Sandy (Art Garfunkel), whom we first meet as students at Amherst College in the years following World War II.

Though Sandy’s girlfriend Susan (Candice Bergen) had been reluctant to explore a physical relationship with Sandy, she eventually gives in to Jonathan’s more aggressive seduction. Referring to his new mystery woman as “Myrtle”, Jonathan continues dating Susan behind Sandy’s back, talking about their respective childhoods and their burgeoning political beliefs—Susan, whose favorite book is said to be Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, declares that “we’re Republicans… sometimes I think I’m a Communist, though.” Though Jonathan gains “carnal knowledge” of Susan before Sandy even comes close, Jonathan quickly grows jealous of the emotional connection between Sandy and Susan.

What’d He Wear?

Having originated as European military outerwear in the 19th century, distinctive duffel coats emerged as a cold-weather campus staple in New England by the mid-20th century, as depicted in Carnal Knowledge and as recently as The Holdovers.

The design was standardized by British outfitter John Partridge in the 1850s, likely inspired by older Polish frock coats characterized by their wide bucket hoods and toggle-front closure that remain hallmarks of the duffel coat. Alternately spelled “duffel coat” or “duffle coat”, the name reportedly originated from the thick woolen cloth produced in the northern Belgian town of Duffel. (Which is why I prefer the “duffel” spelling.)

The coat was initially adopted by British Royal Navy service members who appreciated what they called the “convoy coat” for its warm and water-resistant cloth, the roomy fit over their uniforms, large hoods that could accommodate issued headgear, and the front toggles that could still be handled with gloves. Duffel coats would soon be adopted across all branches of the British military, solidifying such a strong association with British Army Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery that his own nickname was applied to the coat’s latest moniker. “Monty coats” thus maintained their momentum after World War II, when they were reconfigured for civilians by companies like the newly formed British outerwear brand Gloverall, eventually attracting male and female customers on both sides of the Atlantic.

The prominence of duffel coats in Carnal Knowledge may be anachronistic, as Jonathan and Sandy sport theirs through the winter of 1946. True, the coats had existed for nearly a century by this point, but they realistically wouldn’t have reached American campuses until a decade later. The British Ministry of Defence was still working with M. & F. Morris Industrial Clothing to offload its many surplus stocks of duffel coats at this point, and it wouldn’t be until 1951 when company head Harold Morris formed the Gloverall brand to market these surplus coats to the public.

“Demand for Gloverall coats—affordable, durable, and very warm—was such that, when the surplus supplied ran out, the company began to manufacture them, albeit in a more streamlined, fashion-friendly version styled by Morris’ father, a master tailor,” writes Josh Sims in Icons of Men’s Style. “The bucket hood was scaled down, flap pockets were added, a new double-faced woolen cloth in navy and tan was used (rather than the Royal Navy’s undyed dun color), the wooden toggles were replaced with horn ones and the rope loops with leather. The benchmark style was called the 512 and by 1955 it was being exported.”

Made from a rich dark navy wool, Jonathan’s thigh-length duffel coat has a four-toggle front closure, each consisting of light wooden toggles attached to natural-colored rope loops that are reinforced to each side of the jacket with black triangular patches. Behind the substantial edge-stitched shirt-style collar, the large hood is lined in a burgundy, purple, green, and navy stripe, tightened with woven navy drawstrings. The coat also has flapped set-in hip pockets and set-in sleeves finished with a single-button semi-strap around each cuff.

After his first night with Susan to bragging about “Myrtle” to the boys the next day, Jonathan layers against the cold in a black wool crew-neck sweater over a red tartan plaid flannel work shirt. Consistent with the “lumberjack shirt” aesthetic that became a prevailing sportswear favorite among American men through the 1940s into the ’50s thanks to brands like Pendleton and Woolrich, Jonathan’s long-sleeved shirt has a long-pointed collar, plain button-up front, single-button cuffs, and two chest pockets—each covered with a round-cornered flap.

Blue jeans weren’t quite as widely accepted at this point just after World War II, but it still makes sense that a cheeky collegian like Jonathan would wear a pair on weekends or when not in class, especially as they’re tonally harmonious with the plaid work shirt under his sweater. The dark-blue denim jeans that he wears for his triumphant dive into the swimming pool appear to be Lee, based on the styling of the five-pocket configuration and the fact that Jack Nicholson wore Lee 101 Riders off- and on-screen around this time, as seen in films like Five Easy Pieces.

As the secret love triangle between Jonathan, Susan, and Sandy continues through the winter, we follow the trio for an evening at a local juke joint. Here, Jonathan wears another red checked shirt under a crew-neck sweater, though the shirt appears to be a lighter-weight cotton fabric and patterned with a white graph-check. His crew-neck sweater is made from a mid-gray wool.

When dressed up in more than his jeans, Jonathan wears gray wool trousers with turn-ups (cuffs) on the bottoms. His winter layers—specifically the duffel coat—cover many other details of the trousers, but the full fit, his other wardrobe pieces, and late ’40s trends suggest that these slacks are likely pleated.

Jonathan’s black leather oxford-laced boots are heavy duty enough to protect his feet as he sludges through the snowy sidewalks of Amherst’s campus. He also wears brown leather gloves, likely lined for added warmth.

How to Get the Look

Jack Nicholson’s cold-weather collegiate look in Carnal Knowledge blends the practical sartorial philosophies of European military staples and workwear classics as he strides through campus in a warm navy duffel coat, its toggles fastened over a plaid shirt layered under a sweater and worn either dressed up with slacks or dressed down with blue jeans.

• Dark-navy wool duffel coat with tan rope-looped four-toggle closure, multistripe-lined hood, and straight flapped hip pockets
• Red checked long-sleeved button-up shirt
• Black or gray wool crew-neck sweater
• Dark-blue denim jeans or gray wool pleated trousers with turn-ups/cuffs
• Black leather heavy-duty oxford-laced winter boots
• Brown leather lined gloves

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

You can do it with him, now do it with me! Tell me my thoughts! Tell me my goddamn thoughts!