Vitals

Steve Carell as Michael Scott, paper sales regional manager

Scranton, Pennsylvania, February 2005

Series: The Office
Episode: “Pilot” (Episode 1.01)
Air Date: March 24, 2005
Director: Ken Kwapis
Creator: Greg Daniels
Costume Designer: Carey Bennett

Background

The American adaptation of The Office debuted 20 years ago today on NBC, bringing viewers into the everyday monotony of the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the Dunder Mifflin paper company. Led by the cringe-worthy but eventually endearing salesman-turned-manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell), the show quickly established Michael’s desperate need for affection, which only becomes more apparent with each passing episode.

The first season closely mirrored the dark sarcasm of Ricky Gervais’ original British series, often recycling plot lines and even specific dialogue across its brief six-episode run. However, starting with season two, the American series found its own voice, shifting from the first season’s harsher, more mean-spirited tone to a zanier, more character-driven approach that allowed it to carve out its own unique identity in the television landscape.

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What’d He Wear?

Carey Bennett’s costume design complements The Office’s portrayal of the mundanity of mid-2000s corporate America, with Michael Scott’s wardrobe—never exactly “sharp” but always authentic—embodying the uninspired sea of conservative suits, plain white shirts, and soul-crushing ties seen through this era.

Michael dresses for the pilot episode in an unremarkable dark-gray business suit that may be 100% worsted wool or—based on the subtle sheen under the office’s florescent lighting—a blend of wool and synthetic polyester, like the suits he would wear later in the series from mid-level brands like J.C. Penney’s exclusive label Stafford.

The single-breasted suit jacket follows a typical design with its notch lapels, two-button front, welted breast pocket, and straight flapped hip pockets. The back is ventless, and the sleeves are finished with four “kissing” buttons at the cuffs.

The trousers’ double reverse-facing pleats are far from the elegant lines of mid-century pleated trousers and more emphasize Michael’s schlubby sartorial corporate mediocrity. Held up by a black leather belt with a polished gold-toned single-prong squared buckle, the trousers have side pockets, button-through back pockets, and turn-ups (cuffs).

Michael’s shoes are plain black leather apron-toe derbies with five-eyelet lacing, worn with plain black ribbed cotton lisle socks.

This early iteration of Michael spends more screen time in his shirt-sleeves than he would in later episodes, perhaps a translation of how Ricky Gervais dressed as David Brent on the original British series. In the pilot episode, he wears a plain white poplin dress shirt with a point collar, front placket, breast pocket, and button cuffs that he typically wears undone and rolled up his sleeves. The details and fit are reflective of many off-the-rack American men’s shirts.

The first four seasons’ costume designer Carey Bennett commented to The Hollywood Reporter that she dressed Michael in “ties that I believe he thinks are power ties, but, to me, they are hideous… we get them at drug stores and places like that.”

Michael’s tie in the first episode is comprised of a repeating print split into horizontal rows of balanced shapes that alternate between burgundy and beige figures that curve toward the right on one row and burgundy and gray figures curving toward the left on the next, repeating along the entire swath of silk out to the 3.75″-wide blade, with a subtle tribal-style tonal print through it all. This exact tie was made by Pronto Uomo, an inexpensive brand often found at retailers like Men’s Wearhouse—exactly the type of place where Michael would shop for business-wear, likely enticed by the Italian brand name that his mind would equate to exclusive fashion houses like Gucci or Versace. (In fact, you can still find exact matches for Michael’s tie on eBay two decades later.)

In the pilot episode only, Michael wears a stainless steel tank watch with a square white dial and black edge-stitched leather strap. He would alternate between round-cased steel and gunmetal watches on metal bracelets for the rest of the season before switching to his tonneau-shaped Timex Indiglo analog watch for the second season onward.

Though the first season was still finding its narrative footing, it may also be the most authentic representation of the monotony of American office life seen on the series. The characters underwent a significant “glow up” for the second season onward as the show continued finding a wider audience, with Michael’s external makeover matching his slightly more likable personality.

In addition to Steve Carell’s improved haircut (rather than the slicked-back corporate ‘do that emphasizes a degree of hair loss), Michael becomes a slightly better dresser after the first season—albeit in a way that still exemplifies American corporate banality. While his suits and shirts all fit better (aside from the occasional MISSterious women’s suit), Michael continues cycling through those ugly “drug store” ties described by Ms. Bennett, with the first episode’s Pronto Uomo tie even reappearing in the second episode of the third season, “The Convention”.

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How to Get the Look

Walk into any American office circa 2005—and in some cases, still in 2025—and you’d see dozens of men dressed like Michael in gray department-store suits, off-the-rack white shirts, and ties that wouldn’t have made the cut at Dan Flashes… speaking volumes for how effectively costume designer Carey Bennett de-glamorized dressing for the American workplace.

• Dark-gray wool/polyester-blend suit:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 4-button “kissing” cuffs, and ventless back
  • Double reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops, side pockets, button-through back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• White poplin shirt with point collar, front placket, breast pocket, and button cuffs
• Burgundy, tan, and gray repeating curve-printed silk tie
• Black leather belt with gold-toned squared single-prong buckle
• Black calf leather apron-toe 5-eyelet derby shoes
• Black ribbed cotton lisle dress socks
• Steel tank watch with square white dial on black leather strap

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Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the whole series, available on Blu-ray and streaming on Peacock.

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The Quote

I guess the atmosphere that I’ve tried to create here is that I’m a friend first and a boss second, and probably an entertainer third.