Vitals

Christopher Plummer as Sir Charles Litton, retired jewel thief

The Middle East, Summer 1974

Film: The Return of the Pink Panther
Release Date: May 21, 1975
Director: Blake Edwards
Wardrobe Supervisor: Bridget Sellers

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

If you’re one of the sartorial purists who subscirbe to rules like “no white after Labor Day”, then let this post serve as inspiration for the upcoming weekend; if you don’t believe in such restrictions, then this post can inspire you all year long.

After an eleven-year hiatus (ignoring Alan Arkin’s take on the role in ’68), director Blake Edwards and actor Peter Sellers brought the bumbling Inspector Clouseau back to the big screen in The Return of the Pink Panther. Unlike subsequent films that seemed to redefine the titular “Pink Panther” as Clouseau himself, this title correctly refers to the reappearance of the priceless pink gem from the first film.

Clouseau again finds himself facing off against the master thief Sir Charles Litton, now portrayed by Christopher Plummer since David Niven—who played Sir Charles Lytton in the Pink Panther—was now unavailable. The role was then offered to Douglas Fairbanks Jr., only four months older than Niven, who would have brought a similar dashing gravitas. After Fairbanks also declined, the role ultimately went to Plummer, who was twenty years younger than both Niven and Fairbanks and infused a more sinister than suave characterization.

This time, however, Sir Charles is innocent and—realizing he has been framed for the diamond’s theft—flies from his villa in Nice to the fictional Middle Eastern nation of Lugash to clear his name.

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What’d He Wear?

It’s interesting to see how the interpretation of Sir Charles as a gentleman thief differed over the course of just a decade. In the early 1960s, David Niven’s debonair persona suited the Phantom in his velvet dinner jackets and sleek tailoring. A decade later, Christopher Plummer’s more youthful Sir Charles more embodies the 1970s playboy—still well-tailored in smartly fitting suits, but with a preference for open-neck shirts unbuttoned to mid-chest with disco-era collars framing his face like a Romantic poet.

Sir Charles dresses for the Maghreb heat of Lugash in a pale cream tropical worsted suit that follows contemporary trends without losing itself in ’70s excess. The single-breasted jacket has notch lapels of surprisingly moderate width, tapering to a two-button stance that buttons over Plummer’s natural waistline. The shoulders are padded straight for a more imposing profile that fits Plummer’s more menacing characterization. The welted breast pocket is supplemented by flapped hip pockets that slant gently rearward. The sleeves are finished with functioning three-button “surgeon’s cuffs”, which Plummer rakishly wears with one or two undone over each wrist; unlike the beige suit he wears for his arrival in Lugash, these are not turnback cuffs. Only the foot-long double vents argue to date his suit jacket to the 1970s, as everything else follows generally timeless proportions.

The trousers are more representative of 1970s fashions, cut and styled for minimalism to closely follow Plummer’s form. This means no back pockets and no clearly visible front or side pockets, though there may be some tucked into the slits below the beltless waistband. The narrow cut through the legs gently flares out below the knees to plain-hemmed bottoms.

Sir Charles maintains the bleached tones of his suit with all-white leather moc-toe loafers that he wears with plain white cotton lisle socks.

Contrasting against the white tailoring, Sir Charles wears a French blue silk popover sport shirt likely made by Turnbull & Asser, of whom Plummer was a real-life customer. (Plummer and his co-star Peter Sellers also had shirts made by Frank Foster, though this particular placket differs from how Foster made his shirts.)

This shirt’s long point collar is the outfit’s most prominent reflection of ’70s trends. The half-placket extends to mid-torso with three white faux-pearl plastic buttons contrasting against the fabric, matched by the two-button barrel cuffs at the end of each subtly bloused sleeve.

Sir Charles wears an elegantly simple gold dress watch on his left wrist, styled with a round white dial and black leather strap.

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What to Imbibe

Sir Charles returns to his room and pours himself a highball, topping it with a regional mineral water. Printed in Arabic and French text, the water’s label appears to read “Sidi Harazem”, a Moroccan town known for its thermal spa complex that capitalizes on its mineral-rich springs. His base spirit is unclear, but we see elsewhere that Sir Charles keeps Black & White blended whisky in his hotel room, so it’s reasonable to assume he’s having a classic Scotch-and-water.

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How to Get the Look

Sir Charles models a relatively low-key, low-risk sartorial entry for gents unsure of how to wear white suits by keeping his proportions timeless and accessories minimal, with my only adjustment being to keep the blue shirt but a more restrained collar that isn’t quite as 1975-coded.

• Cream tropical worsted wool suit:
  • Single-breasted 2-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, slanted flapped hip pockets, 3-button “surgeon’s cuffs”, and long double vents
  • Flat-front trousers with beltless waistband, no pockets, and slightly flared plain-hemmed bottoms
• Blue silky popover shirt with long point collar, 3-button half-placket, 2-button cuffs
• White leather moc-toe loafers
• White cotton lisle socks
• Gold dress watch with round white dial on black leather strap

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Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.