Vitals

Tony Sirico as “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri, mob enforcer and Army veteran

New Jersey, Fall 1998

Series: The Sopranos
Episode: “I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano” (Episode 1.13)
Air Date: April 4, 1999
Director: John Patterson
Creator: David Chase
Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

One of my closest friends recently started watching The Sopranos for the first time, and our conversations as she makes her way through the first season inspired me to revisit the signature style of my all-time favorite series. Her progress toward the season finale reminded me of one of my favorite sequences, balancing the show’s casual brutality with equally casual absurdity.

After a season spent making life difficult—and more obnoxious—for New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, Uncle Junior’s scuzzy consigliere Mikey Palmice (Al Sapienza) finds his morning jog turned into a literal run for his life as Soprano enforcers Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico) and Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperoli) chase him through the autumnal suburban woods. Peppered with fatal 9mm rounds, Mikey isn’t the only casualty of the aftenroon as poor Paulie also comes away from the hit with a mild case of poison ivy.

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What’d He Wear?

Paulie and Christopher dress appropriately in tracksuits when violently interrupting Mikey’s run, their “Bensonhurst tuxedoes” here giving plausible deniability should they be stopped by law enforcement after the hit (“just out for a run, officer!”)

The colors of their costumes also feel significant, as the hit itself is literally Tony’s crew turning the tables on Junior, wiping out his killers before they get a chance to kill them. Mikey embodies this when sprinting from his house after beautiful parting words to his wife (“go take a Midol!”) while dressed in a bright orange jacket reminiscent of what hunters wear to stand out among fellow sportsmen in the woods. Mikey leaves the house believing himself to be the predator, but the hunter soon becomes the hunted when Paulie and Chris pile out of Paulie’s gold Cadillac—both sporting black-and-blue tracksuits and packing 9mm double-stack magazines to definitively transform Mikey into their prey.

While Chris exudes youthfulness in his Nike tracksuit, the manicure-nailed Paulie continues <representing prestige> in one of several tracksuits he owns from French luxury fashion house Givenchy, identified by the black-embroidered “4G” logo (four squared, rotationally arranged Gs) over his chest. The body is 100% nylon, lined in a softer jersey-knit blend of 65% polyester and 35% cotton.

The track jacket is predominantly black, with a wide indigo-blue chest panel matching the indigo-blue collar edges and double stripes running down the sleeves. The cuffs and waist hem are elasticized, with a black straight-zip front that can convert the collar into a standing funnel-neck if desired.

The tracksuit’s matching pants are a solid black, without any of the blue accents seen on the jacket. The waistband is elasticized, and the side pockets positioned straight along the side seams are supplemented by two set-in back pockets likely closed with zips.

This sequence is one of the few times that Paulie doesn’t wear his all-white leather Vikings loafers, opting instead for dark sneakers more suitable for running through the woods. (The next time that Paulie and Chris are just “a couple of assholes lost in the woods,” he’s less prepared in loafers that easily fall off in the snow!)

Except in cooler weather, Paulie always wears his tracksuits over just his undershirts, which are invariably white ribbed cotton sleeveless A-shirts. His textured gold cross on a gold rope-chain necklace hangs down over the top of the shirt’s low, rounded neckline.

Just as he doesn’t wear his trademark white shoes, Paulie also foregoes his usual pinky ring—perhaps removed to more convincingly effect the look of a simple jogger. I wouldn’t argue it as a costume-related oversight, as this was one of Tony Sirico’s real-life affectations and he was reportedly quite forceful in making sure Paulie was always presented on screen exactly to his personal specifications.

We also can’t tell if Paulie wears one of his usual quartz-powered Movado wristwatches under the elasticized cuff of his track jacket. He rotated between both stainless steel and gold PVD-coated models, always on a matching open-linked “Esperanza” bracelet with a matte black “museum dial”.

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The Gun

At first glance (and perhaps even second and third), Paulie’s semi-automatic pistol during this scene appears to be a classic Browning Hi-Power but is actually a Hungarian-made FÉG Model R-9, clearly identified when the screen-used pistol was featured on The Golden Closet. (The same pistol had earlier appeared in Tony’s hands in the fourth episode “Meadowlands”.)

Hungarian arms manufacturer Fegyver-és Gépgyár (FÉG) began manufacturing copies of the Hi-Power in the early 1970s, including the original P9, the adjustable rear-sighted P9C, and the distinctive vent-ribbed FP9, before developing the double-action P9R family that includes the R-9.

Manufactured during the mid-1980s, the Model R-9 combines the Hi-Power’s familiar appearance with considerable operational influence from the Smith & Wesson Model 59. The R-9 echoes the single-action Hi-Power’s visual architecture from its recessed muzzle profile and angled rear slide serrations to its 7.8-inch overall length and 4.65-inch barrel, while adopting the Model 59’s traditional double-action (DA/SA) trigger and slide-mounted safety/decocker in place of the Hi-Power’s single-action trigger and frame-mounted manual safety.

No more than 5,500 R-9 pistols were exported to the United States before FÉG ended production. FÉG owners in the United States report with some frustration that no parts are interchangable with the more widely encountered Browning Hi-Power or Smith & Wesson Model 59. This specifically applies to their magazines, as FÉG slightly lengthened the Hi-Power’s thirteen-round, double-stack magazine to adapt to its Model 59-influenced design.

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How to Get the Look

Tracksuits are a mainstay style of The Sopranos, though Paulie’s black-and-blue nylon Givenchy tracksuit in the first-season finale is one of the few times this classic activewear is worn for its intended purpose of running… albeit running through the woods to hunt down a mob target. This outfit is one of the rare occasions where Paulie avoids his characteristic affectations of a pinky ring and white leather loafers, instead opting for sneakers.

• Black-and-indigo nylon Givenchy tracksuit:
  • Track jacket with full straight front-zip and elasticized cuffs and hem
  • Track pants with elasticized waistband, on-seam side pockets, and two zip back pockets
• Dark sneakers
• White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
• Textured gold cross on gold rope-chain necklace

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Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the whole series.

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The Quote

I can feel it itching me already!