From Russia With Love – Bond’s Istanbul Suits, Pt. 3: Charcoal Flannel

Sean Connery as James Bond in From Russia With Love (1963)

Vitals

Sean Connery as James Bond, British government agent and spy

Turkey, Spring 1963

Film: From Russia With Love
Release Date: October 10, 1963
Director: Terence Young
Costume Designer: Jocelyn Rickards
Tailor: Anthony Sinclair

Background

For the 007th of May, I’ll be picking up where I left off in my examination of the From Russia With Love suits.

At this point in the film, Bond has just spent his second day in Istanbul, exploring a series of underground catacombs with Kerim Bey, the charismatic MI6 Station Chief. For that daytime excursion, he wore a Glen Urquhart suit. That evening, Kerim invites Bond to dine with him and his gypsy friends. Assuming that it’s spring (I forget how I came to this conclusion, but I like it), where the temperature in Istanbul can dip into the low-40s, Bond opts to wear something a little heavier with a flannel suit. Continue reading →

Nikolai in Eastern Promises

Viggo Mortensen as Nikolai Luzhin in Eastern Promises (2007).

Viggo Mortensen as Nikolai Luzhin in Eastern Promises (2007).

Vitals

Viggo Mortensen as Nikolai Luzhin, Russian Mafiya “undertaker” and chauffeur with a few secrets of his own

London, Christmas 2006

Film: Eastern Promises
Release Date: September 8, 2007
Director: David Cronenberg
Costume Designer: Denise Cronenberg

Background

WARNING! Spoilers possible!
Eastern Promises is a great film, but there is a noteworthy twist that is hard to ignore when discussing the main character. If you haven’t seen it, please watch it before reading the post! Continue reading →

Robert Shaw’s Gray and Yellow Pinstripe Suit in The Sting

Robert Shaw as Doyle Lonnegan in The Sting (1973).

Robert Shaw as Doyle Lonnegan in The Sting (1973).

Vitals

Robert Shaw as Doyle Lonnegan, ruthless Irish-American mob boss

Chicago, September 1936

Film: The Sting
Release Date: December 25, 1973
Director: George Roy Hill
Costume Designer: Edith Head

Background

One month into spring, we’re finally seeing some consistent spring weather here in the States. Embrace it and inject some spring colors into your business suits à la Doyle Lonnegan in The Sting. Lonnegan is not necessarily a loud dresser, but he does look the part of a fashionable and well-to-do gangster. Continue reading →

Lethal Weapon: Riggs’ Blue Shirt and Jeans

Mel Gibson as LAPD Det. Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon (1987).

Mel Gibson as LAPD Det. Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon (1987).

Vitals

Mel Gibson as Martin Riggs, gradually less-crazy LAPD detective

Los Angeles, Christmas 1987

Film: Lethal Weapon
Release Date: March 6, 1987
Director: Richard Donner
Costume Designer: Mary Malin

Background

After spending a few days with the suicidal Martin Riggs, we begin to see a less crazy side of him as he warms to his partnership with the older and more stoic Danny Glover Roger Murtaugh. No longer does Riggs need to be classified as the titular “lethal weapon”, as he concerns himself more with solving the case and getting revenge on L.A.’s murderers than with putting himself out of his misery. Continue reading →

Californication vs. Kalifornia – Hank Moody and Brian Kessler

David Duchovny as Hank Moody on Californication (left) and a slightly more '90s version of a similar character, Brian Kessler in Kalifornia (right). (The Californication screenshot is from Episode 2.01,

David Duchovny as Hank Moody on Californication (left) and a slightly more ’90s version of a similar character, Brian Kessler in Kalifornia (right).
(The Californication screenshot is from Episode 2.01, “Slip of the Tongue”.)

Californication returned to Showtime last week, beginning its seventh and final season. Around the same time, David Duchovny finally joined Twitter, immediately racking up thousands of followers.

Vitals

David Duchovny as Hank Moody, womanizing and borderline alcoholic novelist
Venice Beach, Spring 2008

Series: Californication
Episodes:
– “Slip of the Tongue” (Episode 2.01, Director: David Duchovny, Air Date: September 28, 2008)
– “The Raw and the Cooked” (Episode 2.04, Director: David Von Ancken, Air Date: October 19, 2008)
– “Vaginatown” (Episode 2.05, Director: Ken Whittingham, Air Date: October 26, 2008)
– “Going Down and Out in Beverly Hills” (Episode 2.08, Director: Danny Ducovny, Air Date: November 16, 2008)
– “In Utero” (Episode 2.10, Director: David Von Ancken, Air Date: November 30, 2008)
– “La Petite Mort” (Episode 2.12, Director: Bart Freundlich, Air Date: December 14, 2008)
Costume Designer: Peggy A. Schnitzer

and

David Duchovny as Brian Kessler, aspiring crime writer and grad student
Pittsburgh to California, Summer 1993

Film: Kalifornia
Release Date: September 3, 1993
Director: Dominic Sena
Costume Designer: Kelle Kutsugeras

Background

Ask someone about what to watch if you want to see David Duchovny playing a carefree writer who journeys out to California in search of paradise and finds the result to be the total opposite. Continue reading →

Nucky Thompson’s Glen Plaid Easter Suit

Steve Buscemi as Enoch

Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson in “Sunday Best”, Episode 3.07 of Boardwalk Empire.

Vitals

Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, political boss and bootlegger

Atlantic City, April 1923

Series: Boardwalk Empire
Episodes:
– “Sunday Best” (Episode 3.07, aired October 28, 2012, dir. Allen Coulter)
– “The Milkmaid’s Lot” (Episode 3.09, aired November 11, 2012, dir. Ed Bianchi)
Creator: Terence Winter
Costume Designer: John A. Dunn
Tailor: Martin Greenfield

Background

Many modern men view Easter as a lesser version of Thanksgiving (not as much food) or Christmas (no presents) that requires a colorful button-down and slacks for a few begrudging hours with family. Since 65% of the world celebrates Easter, it’s safe to assume that many of you will be trudging between in-laws houses and watching the kids hunt for eggs or shovel chocolate into their mouths… you’ll probably be eating your share of chocolate also.

While he looks forward to the holiday with as little enthusiasm as most non-religious adult males do, Boardwalk Empire‘s sharply dressed lead uses the day to inject some spring color into his wardrobe. Continue reading →

Steve McQueen in Gray and Pink as Thomas Crown

With Easter nearly here and spring finally taking over after a long winter, some men may be looking to incorporate more color into their wardrobe.

Steve McQueen as Thomas Crown in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968).

Steve McQueen as Thomas Crown in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968).

Vitals

Steve McQueen as Thomas Crown, millionaire criminal mastermind

Boston, June 1968

Film: The Thomas Crown Affair
Release Date: June 19, 1968
Director: Norman Jewison
Costume Designer: Alan Levine
Tailor: Douglas Hayward

Background

Thanks to films like The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles, and – most recently – Bullitt, Steve McQueen was at the top of the Hollywood game in 1968. He was already popular enough to be demanding about his roles, and his reputation for difficulty just enhanced the “bad boy” status he was cultivating. Continue reading →

Titanic – Billy Zane’s White Tie

Billy Zane as Cal Hockley in Titanic (1997).

Billy Zane as Cal Hockley in Titanic (1997).

Vitals

Billy Zane as Caledon “Cal” Hockley, pompous heir to a Pittsburgh steel fortune

North Atlantic Ocean, April 1912

Film: Titanic
Release Date: December 19, 1997
Director: James Cameron
Costume Designer: Deborah Lynn Scott

Background

Exactly 102 years today, the RMS Titanic saw land for the last time when it departed Queenstown, Ireland (now Cobh) at 1:30 PM (GMT) on April 11, 1912. The destination was New York City, but the ship foundered in the North Atlantic Ocean, taking with it more than 1,500 passengers and crew and leaving only a scattered 700 in the ship’s relatively few lifeboats.

Oh, you’ve heard of Titanic before? Okay, then, I doubt I need to say much more. Continue reading →

Bond in Brioni – The GoldenEye Charcoal Windowpane 3-Piece Suit

Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in GoldenEye (1995).

Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in GoldenEye (1995).

Vitals

Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, sophisticated British secret agent

London, England to St. Petersburg, Russia, April 1995

Film: GoldenEye
Release Date: November 13, 1995
Director: Martin Campbell
Costume Designer: Lindy Hemming

Background

Obviously, I’ve been watching GoldenEye lately. For what many Bond fans – including myself – consider the finest of the Pierce Brosnan era, GoldenEye marked a re-emphasis on style after the grittier Dalton films. Continue reading →

Heat – Neil McCauley’s Gray Double-Breasted Suit

Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley in Heat (1995).

Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley in Heat (1995).

Vitals

Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley, professional armed robber

Los Angeles, Spring 1995

Film: Heat
Release Date: December 15, 1995
Director: Michael Mann
Costume Designer: Deborah Lynn Scott
De Niro’s Costumer: Marsha Bozeman

Background

A person’s characteristics are always made plainly visible by his or her attire. Clothing gives signals that all coordinate with the person’s background, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, occupation, and personality.

In Michael Mann’s noirish 1995 masterpiece Heat, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino face off, sharing the screen for the first time (their roles in The Godfather Part II were in completely separate timelines, as you well know). De Niro plays Neil McCauley, a professional armed robber who remains cool-as-a-cucumber but can be remorselessly ruthless, and Pacino stars as LAPD Lt. Vincent Hanna, the erratic detective tasked with taking him down.

If all a person had to use were images of De Niro in the film, wearing a largely-cut gray suit and an emotionless stare while carrying a state-of-the-art firearm, it would be crystal clear that he was a hardened criminal, respected and feared by both friend and foe, but burdened with a fatal weakness yet to be determined. Continue reading →