Dillinger (1973): Geoffrey Lewis’ Striped Suit as Harry Pierpont

Geoffrey Lewis as Harry Pierpont in Dillinger (1973)

Vitals

Geoffrey Lewis as Harry Pierpont, even-tempered bank robber

Across the Midwest, Fall 1933 to Spring 1934

Film: Dillinger
Release Date: July 20, 1973
Director: John Milius
Costume Designer: James M. George

Background

Today would have been the 90th birthday of character actor Geoffrey Lewis, born July 31, 1935. A familiar face across decades of movies and television, Lewis had one of his earliest prominent screen roles among the supporting cast of John Milius’ bullet-riddled 1973 directorial debut Dillinger, chronicling the life and crimes of the titular Depression-era bank robber.

Lewis co-starred as Harry Pierpont, a real-life associate of Dillinger’s known for his loyalty, cool head, and quiet leadership within the gang. Born in Muncie in 1902, the real “Pete” Pierpont first made a name for himself with Indiana law enforcement during the early 1920s through a spree of escalating crimes and bank heists. He was eventually captured and sentenced to both the Indiana State Reformatory and Indiana State Prison, where he crossed paths with a younger inmate named John Dillinger, then serving a 10–20 year stretch for mugging a grocer. Pierpont took the eager Dillinger under his wing, teaching him the tricks of the trade. Continue reading →

One Way Passage: William Powell’s Shipboard Flannel Suit

William Powell in One Way Passage (1932)

Vitals

William Powell as Dan Hardesty, recaptured death row fugitive

Hong Kong to San Francisco, via Honolulu, Fall 1932

Film: One Way Passage
Release Date: October 22, 1932
Director: Tay Garnett
Costume Designer: Orry-Kelly (gowns)

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

On the anniversary of William Powell’s July 29, 1892, birthday, let’s look at how the dashing actor brought his marvelous sense of style to the screen in the last of his six major films opposite Kay Francis, the pre-Code drama One Way Passage.

Crafted from a story by Robert Lord, who won the Academy Award for Best Story, One Way Passage stars Powell and Francis as Dan Hardesty and Joan Ames, star-crossed lovers who meet over Paradise cocktails at the International Bar in Hong Kong. Shortly after, they reconnect aboard the S.S. Maloa steaming across the Pacific to San Francisco. Continue reading →

Sam Shepard’s Denim Western-wear in Fool for Love

Sam Shepard in Fool for Love (1985)

Vitals

Sam Shepard as Eddie, rodeo stunt rider

Mojave Desert, Spring 1985

Film: Fool for Love
Release Date: December 6, 1985
Director: Robert Altman
Wardrobe Credit: Kristine Flones

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Today marks eight years since the death of 10-time Obie Award-winning actor, director, and writer Sam Shepard, who died July 17, 2017 at the age of 73.

As someone who loves movies set in motels and thinks that Shepard and Harry Dean Stanton were two of the coolest guys to have walked on this planet, I had long been intrigued by Robert Altman’s 1985 adaptation of Shepard’s own play Fool for Love, starring Shepard and Stanton opposite Kim Basinger. Continue reading →

Bob Dylan’s Black Leather Jacket at Newport 1965: Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown

Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (2024). Photo by Macall Polay.

Vitals

Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, folk singer-songwriter

Newport, Rhode Island, Summer 1965

Film: A Complete Unknown
Release Date: December 25, 2024
Director: James Mangold
Costume Designer: Arianne Phillips
Jacket Maker: Jimmy McBride

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Sixty years ago tonight, Bob Dylan closed out his third consecutive appearance at the annual Newport Folk Festival by taking the stage with a backing band, signaling a seismic shift in music that stunned and polarized the attendees.

The controversial Sunday night set became the climactic scene in James Mangold’s acclaimed A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet as Dylan alongside Ed Norton as Pete Seeger and Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez. Continue reading →

Blood Simple: Dan Hedaya’s Slate Leisure Suit

Dan Hedaya in Blood Simple (1984)

Vitals

Dan Hedaya as Julian Marty, surly bar owner

Texas, Fall 1982

Film: Blood Simple
Release Date: January 18, 1985
Director: Joel & Ethan Coen
Costume Designer: Sara Medina-Pape

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

In honor of Dan Hedaya’s 85th birthday—born July 24, 1940—it’s worth revisiting one of the most memorable early showcases for his talents: the Coen brothers’ 1984 feature debut, Blood Simple. With a screen career stretching back to 1970, Hedaya has long been one of cinema’s most welcome character actors, equally at home playing sleazeballs and softies—from Carla Tortelli’s scummy ex-husband Nick on Cheers to Cher Horowitz’s gruff but loving dad in Clueless.

In Blood Simple, Hedaya takes on one of his most tragic and pathetic roles as Julian Marty, the cuckolded Texas bar owner whose simmering jealousy leads him to hire crooked private detective Loren Visser (a sweaty, unforgettable M. Emmet Walsh) to trail his wife Abby (Frances McDormand, also making her screen debut).  Continue reading →

The Loveless: Willem Dafoe as Leather-clad Biker Vance

Willem Dafoe in The Loveless (1981)

Vitals

Willem Dafoe as Vance, lone biker and ex-convict

Rural Georgia, Summer 1959

Film: The Loveless
Release Date: August 7, 1981
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow & Monty Montgomery

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Happy 70th birthday to Willem Dafoe, the versatile actor born July 22, 1955, in Appleton, Wisconsin—not far from Sheboygan, where I just spent the weekend!

After an uncredited part cut from Michael Cimino’s ambitious 1980 Western epic Heaven’s Gate, Dafoe made his credited screen debut as the lead in The Loveless, which also marked the directorial debut of Kathryn Bigelow and Monty Montgomery, who co-wrote the screenplay.

Dafoe stars as Vance, a brooding biker who describes himself as “what you’d call… ragged,” joining up with his small gang at a truck stop off U.S. Highway 17 in Georgia, en route to Daytona to catch the NASCAR races. The year’s never stated, but context clues—like the cars, music, and 10¢ Cokes—suggest the summer of 1959, the same year Lee Petty won the first Daytona 500.

As in the film’s spiritual predecessor The Wild One (1953), the gang sparks mixed reactions from the townspeople: suspicion and fear from the older generation, curiosity and desire from the younger. As the sun sets and the tension rises, both visitors and locals grow increasingly drunk… and increasingly armed. Continue reading →

Scarface: Paul Shenar’s Subdued Style as Sosa

Paul Shenar as Alejandro Sosa in Scarface (1983)

Vitals

Paul Shenar as Alejandro Sosa, Bolivian cartel kingpin

Cochabamba, Bolivia, Fall 1981

Film: Scarface
Release Date: December 9, 1983
Director: Brian De Palma
Costume Designer: Patricia Norris

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

In response to a paid request from a BAMF Style reader (thanks for the tip, Alexander!), today’s post follows Tony Montana (Al Pacino) and Omar Suarez (F. Murray Abraham) deep into the Andes for their meeting with the urbane Bolivian cartel kingpin Alejandro Sosa (Paul Shenar), who welcomes them to work out a cocaine distribution deal—though Omar receives a less warm welcome than he may have anticipated. Continue reading →

Walton Goggins on The White Lotus: Storytelling Through Pattern Play

The White Lotus just earned 23 Emmy nominations for its third season, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Contemporary Costumes, and seven acting nods—among them Walton Goggins, recognized for his turn as Rick Hatchett.

While I’m on vacation this week, it feels like the perfect time to share this guest article focused on the style of a man on vacation—Goggins’ very own Rick—written by Katherine Manweiler, founder of Montage, the storefront for media and culture that turns on-screen style into personalized fashion discovery.

The White Lotus: Storytelling Through Pattern Play

What memory do floral patterned shirts conjure? Tom Selleck on Magnum P.I.? Your dad at a Sandals all-inclusive? How about the breakout style icon of summer 2025?

Walton Goggins as Rick Hatchett on The White Lotus (Episode 3.04: "Hide or Seek")

Walton Goggins as Rick Hatchett on The White Lotus (Episode 3.04: “Hide or Seek”)

At Montage, we’re curating a shoppable collection of styles from beloved television shows and films. From activity on our Instagram page to a global user base on our shopping app, we had a front row seat to the commentary, crazes, and clicks driven by costume designer Alex Bovaird’s eclectic wardrobing of The White Lotus‘ third season. Continue reading →

La Collectionneuse: Patrick Bauchau’s Slate Sweater and Swimwear

Patrick Bauchau and Haydée Politoff in La Collectionneuse (1967)

Vitals

Patrick Bauchau as Adrien, art gallery owner

French Riviera, Summer 1966

Film: The Collector
(French title: La Collectionneuse)
Release Date: March 2, 1967
Director: Éric Rohmer

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Bastille Day feels like a fitting occasion to celebrate French director Éric Rohmer’s first color film, the 1967 drama La Collectionneuse, which has recently resurfaced across summer mood boards. No surprise, given its sun-drenched palette courtesy of cinematographer Néstor Almendros, a frequent Rohmer collaborator who also shot aesthetically satisfying masterpieces like Days of Heaven.

Considered the fourth entry in Rohmer’s “Six Moral Tales”, La Collectionneuse was made with extreme efficiency while the director waited for Jean-Louis Trintignant’s availability to shoot My Night at Maud’s. Rohmer and Almendros worked with a minimal crew, relying on natural light and long takes to ground the characters in their idyllic—and quietly volatile—setting.

La Collectionneuse was also the first starring role for Belgian actor Patrick Bauchau, who had appeared uncredited in Rohmer’s La Carrière de Suzanne four years earlier and would later be known to 007 fans as the henchman Scarpine in Roger Moore’s final James Bond film, A View to a Kill. Here, he plays the narcissistic gallery owner Adrien, who intends to take advantage of the monastic conditions at his rich friend Rodolphe’s rented villa near Saint-Tropez to enjoy “a real vacation” in peace and solitude:

I even tried not to think. I was face-to-face alone with the sea, far from cruises and beaches, fulfilling a childhood dream put off year after year. I lost myself completely in the play of shadow and light, sinking into a lethargy heightened by the water. That state of passivity, of complete availability, promised to last much longer than the euphoria of one’s first summer dip into the ocean. I could easily see myself spending a whole month this summer this way.

However, this peace and solitude are threatened by the feisty young Haydée (Haydée Politoff), unexpectedly staying at the villa. Adrien and his friend Daniel (Daniel Pommereulle) are initially distrustful of the girl who brings a different lover to the villa every night, but he gradually comes to appreciate her company when she joins him on his early morning swims. Continue reading →

Point Break: Keanu Reeves’ Purple Skydiving Shirt and Jeans

Keanu Reeves as Johnny Utah in Point Break (1991)

Vitals

Keanu Reeves as Johnny Utah, ambitious FBI agent

Los Angeles, Summer 1991

Film: Point Break
Release Date: July 12, 1991
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Costume Supervisors: Colby P. Bart & Louis Infante

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Not only was Point Break widely released 34 years ago today on July 12, 1991, but the second Saturday in July is also World Skydiving Day, so of course we’ll be following OSU quarterback-turned-FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) as this one radical son-of-a-bitch jumps from a plane with the gang of bank-robbing surfers led by the enigmatic Bodhi (Patrick Swayze)… twice! Continue reading →