Category: Casual
The Last of Sheila: Ian McShane’s Hockney Shirt
Ian McShane as Anthony Wood in The Last of Sheila (1973)
Vitals
Ian McShane as Anthony Wood, controlling Hollywood husband and ex-convict
French Riviera, Late summer 1972
Film: The Last of Sheila
Release Date: June 14, 1973
Director: Herbert Ross
Costume Designer: Joel Schumacher
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
As Ian McShane celebrates his 83rd trip around the sun today, I want to return to one of his earlier roles among the stylish 1973 murder mystery The Last of Sheila‘s ensemble cast.
Only thirty when the film was released, McShane co-stars as Anthony Wood, the charming but controlling manager for his actress wife Alice (Raquel Welch). The couple are included among the frenemies invited by eccentric producer Clinton Greene (James Coburn) to spend a week stationed on his yacht, Sheila, named for the late wife who died exactly one year earlier in a mysterious hit-and-run. Clinton reveals a plan to be more than just hosting seven days frolicking in the Ligurian Sea, unveiling a dark—and ultimately deadly—mystery game centered around gossip and murder. Continue reading
Kill Me Again: Michael Madsen’s Leather Jacket
Michael Madsen in Kill Me Again (1989)
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Michael Madsen as Vince Miller, ruthless armed robber
Nevada, Spring 1989
Film: Kill Me Again
Release Date: October 27, 1989
Director: John Dahl
Costume Designer: Terry Dresbach
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
This year has seen the loss of screen legends across generations, from Gene Hackman and Robert Redford to Val Kilmer and Michael Madsen. On the first anniversary of Madsen’s September 25, 1957 birthday, let’s look at the one film where he and Kilmer starred together—the 1989 crime thriller Kill Me Again, where both men are drawn into a dangerous web spun by Fay, a femme fatale played by Kilmer’s then-wife Joanne Whalley.
Madsen steadily grew his career as a supporting actor through the ’80s in movies like WarGames (1982) and The Natural (1984) before appearing in Kill Me Again as the murderous thief Vince Miller, who could be argued as a template for the vicious villains he would play in movies like Reservoir Dogs (1992), The Getaway (1994), and Donnie Brasco (1997). Continue reading
Almost Famous: Billy Crudup’s Denim Wrangler Shirt
Billy Crudup as Russell Hammond in Almost Famous (2000)
Vitals
Billy Crudup as Russell Hammond, moody rock guitarist
On tour through the U.S., Spring 1973
Film: Almost Famous
Release Date: September 22, 2000
Director: Cameron Crowe
Costume Designer: Betsy Heimann
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Following its Toronto International Film Festival premiere and a limited theatrical release a week later, Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical Almost Famous was widely released 25 years ago this week on September 22, 2000.
Inspired by Crowe’s own teenage years as a freelance music journalist—and Rolling Stone‘s youngest-ever contributor—interviewing the likes of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, and bands including Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, and Yes. The 16-year-old Crowe spent three weeks on the road with the Allman Brothers Band for his first cover story, forming the basis for Almost Famous‘ central narrative through the spring of 1973.
Crowe’s on-screen surrogate is the 15-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit), who receives the life-changing assignment of following the rising band Stillwater on their national tour. Despite his mentor, rock critic Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman), urging him to maintain an emotional distance, William falls under the spell of the band and their groupies “band aids” like Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), who is embroiled in an affair with Stillwater’s enigmatic guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup)—also the most reluctant member of the band to grant William an interview. Continue reading
Trap: Josh Hartnett’s Chore Coat and Striped Sweater
Josh Hartnett in Trap (2024)
Vitals
Josh Hartnett as Cooper Abbott, firefighter, family man, and fugitive killer
Philadelphia, Fall 2023
Film: Trap
Release Date: August 2, 2024
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Costume Designer: Caroline Duncan
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
I’ve been eager to see Josh Hartnett’s career renaissance after a fascinating arc, from late-’90s heartthrob turned prestige TV lead on Penny Dreadful to his triumphant reemergence on the silver screen with a supporting role in Oppenheimer and his crispy leading role in Trap, M. Night Shyamalan’s darkly comic psychological thriller Trap that was released last summer.
Hartnett stars in the latter as Cooper Abbott, a Philadelphia firefighter who takes his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a sold-out pop concert headlined by superstar Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan)… only for the entire show to be the titular trap designed by law enforcement to ensnare him, as it turns out the minivan-driving family man has a dark, deadly secret under his affable persona. Continue reading
Michael Keaton as Ray Nicolette in Jackie Brown vs. Out of Sight
Michael Keaton as Ray Nicolette in Jackie Brown (1997)
Vitals
Michael Keaton as Ray Nicolette, energetic federal agent
Los Angeles, Summer 1995
Film: Jackie Brown
Release Date: December 25, 1997
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Costume Designer: Mary Claire Hannan
Film: Out of Sight
Release Date: June 26, 1998
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Costume Designer: Betsy Heimann
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
My fellow Pittsburgher Michael Keaton was born 74 years ago today on September 5, 1951. Among his many roles, Keaton was introduced to the Elmore Leonard cinematic universe as the bimbo “good cop” Ray Nicolette to Michael Bowen’s more aggressive “bad cop” Mark Dargus in Jackie Brown, Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 adaptation of Leonard’s novel Rum Punch. Continue reading
Keith David’s Ochre ’70s Suede and Plaid in the Duster Finale
Keith David as Ezra Saxton in the series finale of Duster.
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Keith David as Ezra “Sax” Saxton, ruthless but complex Arizona crime boss
American Southwest, Summer 1972
Series: Duster
Episode: “66 Reno Split” (Episode 1.08)
Air Date: July 3, 2025
Director: Darren Grant
Created by: J.J. Abrams & LaToya Morgan
Costume Designer: Dayna Pink
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Just because Duster was unfortunately canceled by HBO Max after its first season finale aired two months ago today doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten about it. Luckily, the showrunners told a comprehensive story in the first season that generally concluded Keith David’s arc as the charismatic crime boss Ezra Saxton. Continue reading
Against All Odds: Jeff Bridges’ White Shirt and OG-507 Trousers
Jeff Bridges in Against All Odds (1984)
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Jeff Bridges as Terry Brogan, recently cut football player
Cozumel, Mexico, Fall 1983
Film: Against All Odds
Release Date: March 2, 1984
Director: Taylor Hackford
Costume Designer: Michael Kaplan
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
A loose remake of Jacques Tourneur’s seminal 1947 noir Out of the Past, Against All Odds recasts the typical private eye as Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges), a pro football player sidelined after a career-ending shoulder injury. Cut from the fictional Los Angeles Outlaws, Terry turns to his shady bookie friend Jake Wise (James Woods), who offers him a job finding his missing girlfriend Jessie (Rachel Ward)—who also happens to be the daughter of the Outlaws’ owner.
Terry’s search leads him to Cozumel, a sun-drenched island off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, where Jessie invites him to her secluded tropical refuge. There, amid the crashing surf and flowing tequila, the two plunge headlong into a dangerous affair. Continue reading
Pierrot le Fou: Belmondo’s Navy Ribbed Seaside Shirt and Jeep Cap
Jean-Paul Belmondo as Ferdinand Griffon in Pierrot le Fou (1965)
Vitals
Jean-Paul Belmondo as Ferdinand Griffon, runaway husband and itinerant yacht-hand
French Riviera, Summer 1965
Film: Pierrot le Fou
Release Date: November 5, 1965
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Jean-Luc Godard’s tenth feature, Pierrot le Fou, premiered 60 years ago this week during at the 26th Venice International Film Festival, more than two months before its wider release in November 1965.
The film stars Godard’s frequent collaborators, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina (who was also the director’s wife), as the doomed Ferdinand and Marianne fleeing OAS gangsters from Paris to the Mediterranean. Continue reading
Night Moves: Gene Hackman’s Blue Lacoste Shirt
Gene Hackman as Harry Moseby in Night Moves (1975)
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Gene Hackman as Harry Moseby, private detective and former professional football player
Florida Keys, Fall 1973
Film: Night Moves
Release Date: June 11, 1975
Director: Arthur Penn
Costumer: Arnie Lipin
Costume Supervisor: Rita Riggs
Background
I love sweaty ’70s movies during the summer, especially when our star is rocking a superb soup-strainer.
Released 50 years ago in June 1975, the dolorous detective thriller Night Moves features the marvelous mustached private eye Harry Moseby (Gene Hackman) dressed in array of casual attire, from super-trendy safari shirts and suede shirt-jacs to more timeless attire like a smart tweed sports coat and a classic Lacoste tennis shirt to beat the heat when his work takes him to the Florida Keys. Continue reading
The White Lotus: Walton Goggins’ Linen Dandy Del Mar Beach Set
Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood on The White Lotus, Episode 3.08: “Amor Fati”. Photo by Fabio Lovino.
Vitals
Walton Goggins as Rick Hatchett, troubled tourist and “victim of [his] own decisions”
Koh Samui, Thailand, Spring 2024
Series: The White Lotus
Episode: “Amor Fati” (Episode 3.08)
Air Date: April 6, 2025
Director: Mike White
Creator: Mike White
Costume Designer: Alex Bovaird
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
It seems like every month I’m checking in on my man Walton Goggins, but I can’t help myself after seeing how Alex Bovaird’s Emmy-nominated costume design dressed Rick Hatchett exactly in my summer aesthetic on The White Lotus. Whether he’s in wild tropical-printed shirts and cargo pants or a chic matching set from Dandy Del Mar, Rick’s vacation wardrobe hits all the right notes.
I first discovered the Cali-based brand Dandy Del Mar back in 2020 through their retro-informed swimwear and terry-forward loungewear, and as the brand’s collection of leisurewear has grown, so has my personal stash. (This isn’t a sponsored post, I swear—I’m just a big fan!) Naturally, I was thrilled when I saw Rick sporting one of their matching sets during his emotional reunion with Chelsea on the beach in Koh Samui during the latest season finale.
As this summer draws closer to an end, let’s look back at how Rick Hatchett dressed toward the end of his fateful stay at the White Lotus this year. Continue reading
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