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The Omen: Gregory Peck’s Green Corduroy Suit

Nick (luckystrike721)
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Gregory Peck in The Omen (1976)

Vitals

Gregory Peck as Robert Thorn, American ambassador to the United Kingdom

England and Rome, Fall 1975

Film: The Omen
Release Date: June 6, 1976
Director: Richard Donner
Wardrobe Supervisor: Tiny Nicholls
Tailor: H. Huntsman & Sons, London

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

With Halloween just around the corner, there’s no better time to revisit Richard Donner’s 1976 supernatural horror classic The Omen, which marked its 50th anniversary earlier this year on June 6th—a date whose devilish numerical significance aligns with the opening scene in Rome, where American diplomat Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) learns that his wife Katharine (Lee Remick) gave birth to a son who died shortly after birth. At the urging of a hospital chaplain, he secretly adopts another infant born that same morning, allowing Katherine to believe the child is her own. The couple names the boy Damien, and for the next five years, their seemingly idyllic family life conceals the horrifying truth about their son’s origins.

As a series of increasingly disturbing incidents and the warnings of a mysterious Catholic priest suggest that Damien may be the Antichrist, Robert begins to question everything he knows about his son. After a terrifying encounter with Damien leaves Katherine hospitalized following a miscarriage, Robert joins photographer Keith Jennings (David Warner) on a journey back to Rome to uncover the truth behind Damien’s birth.

What’d He Wear?

Gregory Peck had been a customer at H. Huntsman & Sons for more than two decades by the time the Savile Row tailor crafted his smart suits and sport jackets to wear on screen in The Omen. “Playing a high-ranking international diplomat, his wardrobe reflects a man of stature and sophistication and the sharp lines and structured silhouette of his suits and overcoats emphasize discipline, determination and rationale,” describes Huntsman’s blog.

Contrasting the stoic gray business suits that he wears for his diplomatic duties, Robert has a softer and sportier suit made from a handsome dark-green corduroy that otherwise reflects the same tailoring queues. Little about the suit reflects the excessive menswear trends of the 1970s, save perhaps for the jacket’s long double vents and slightly wider-than-average of the notch lapels which roll to a single-button closure over Peck’s natural waist. The jacket features otherwise conventional details like a welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, and four-button cuffs.

Robert is surprised to find that Damien’s demonic guardian Mrs. Baylock (Billie Whitelaw) has replaced most of the household staff.

Robert’s light ecru poplin shirt provides a gentler harmony with his earthy suit than a stark white or blue shirt. The 1970s influence is most evident in the collar, which follows a classic semi-spread shape but flares out at the tips for additional breadth flanking his tie knot. It also has a front placket and double (French) cuffs that he fastens with gold rectangular links, as well as a breast pocket that feels more traditionally American than English—one of the few aspects of his wardrobe aligned more with Peck/Thorn’s nationality than his tailoring and home base.

Following his usual jacket-and-tie decorum, Robert initially wears a brick-red tie patterned with a large-scaled gold medallion-shaped foulard print, though he discards this tie by the time he and Keith arrive in Rome.

The flat-front trousers rise to Peck’s natural waist line, where Robert holds them up with a wide dark-brown leather belt that fastens through a gold-toned rectangular single-prong buckle.

The trousers are styled with side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms, which break over the tops of his usual black leather cap-toe oxfords. With a sportier suit like this corduroy two-piece and a nonprofessional setting (like sneaking into a cemetery), Robert could have been sartorially forgiven for something trendier and less formal like loafers or leather boots, but continuing to wear the proper black cap-toe oxfords reflects his English-informed vestiary decorum.

Brands like xSuit pride themselves on added mobility than the average suit, but if Gregory Peck was pushing 60 and scaling fences in a tailored corduroy suit, Burberry raincoat, and leather oxfords, you don’t need four-way stretch tech fabric for your daily commute.

Robert layers on his usual light khaki cotton gabardine Burberry raincoat that specifically protects most of his handsome corduroy suit while he and Keith dig through graves in a Roman cemetery after dark. This knee-length mackintosh has a covered fly front with the top button through an exposed buttonhole, slash side pockets, and a long rear vent. Designed for ease over a wearer’s arms when wearing a tailored jacket underneath, the coat has raglan sleeves that are finished with pointed half-tabs, each closing through a single button.

Robert continues wearing his usual wristwatch, which is likely Peck’s own yellow-gold dress watch with a round white or silver dial and black leather band. He also occasionally pulls on his thick tortoiseshell glasses when driving, but his most significant added accessory through this sequence are the tan leather gloves he wears to protect his hands when rifling through graveyard dirt.

How to Get the Look

Gregory Peck in The Omen (1976)

Gregory Peck brought his real-life style to the big screen in films like The Omen, handsomely tailored for autumn in a dark-green corduroy suit with his usual accompaniments of a classic solid shirt, foulard tie, black leather cap-toe oxfords, and Burberry raincoat.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

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