Vitals

Gregory Peck as Robert Thorn, American diplomat

Rome, June 6, 1970 and London, June 1975

Film: The Omen
Release Date: June 6, 1976
Director: Richard Donner
Wardrobe Supervisor: Tiny Nicholls

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

The Omen was released fifty years ago today on June 6, 1976—a date intentionally selected to mirror the film’s opening on June 6th at 6 a.m., when American ambassador Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) rushes through Rome to reach his wife Katherine (Lee Remick). Robert arrives to learn that the child Katherine has just delivered died moments after birth, but hospital chaplain Father Spiletto (Martin Benson) convinces him to secretly adopt a newborn orphan and raise the boy as their own without Katherine’s knowledge.

Unfortunately for Robert, Katherine, and the world at large, that boy is Damien—the Antichrist—but I suppose you’ll have that when someone’s birth is the infamous 6-6-6: the “Number of the Beast” described in the Book of Revelation.

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What’d He Wear?

The Omen‘s English production was fortuitous for Gregory Peck to be outfitted by his regular Savile Row tailor, H. Huntsman & Sons, who had been dressing the actor in smart suits for two decades. “For Peck it was about creating a wardrobe that spoke of conformity, transformation and moral conflict,” describes Huntsman’s blog. “As such, Peck’s choice of tailoring in the film is meticulous, powerful and purposeful. 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.”

Peck’s tasteful screen wardrobe in The Omen consists of three-piece business suits, a sporty corduroy suit, and classic sport jackets, all tailored by Huntsman. When we meet Robert Thorn during Damien’s birth in Rome on June 6, 1970, Peck wears an appropriately somber dark charcoal mid-weight wool three-piece suit, patterned with a subdued gray pinstripe.

Like all of Peck’s suits in The Omen, this jacket’s notch lapels roll to a single-button closure over his natural waist, where it meets the top of his flat-front trousers that rise appropriately high under his six-button waistcoat. The jacket’s few decade-informed concessions are the long double vents and slightly wider-than-average notch lapels, which are still smartly restrained given the excess of disco-era men’s fashions. The jacket features otherwise conventional details like a welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, and four-button cuffs.

For the scenes in 1970 Rome, Robert wears a soft eggshell-white cotton poplin shirt with a large point collar and double (French) cuffs that he closes with flat gold coin-like cuff links. His tie features a large-scale repeating foulard print of gold, blue, and gray medallions against a dark navy ground.

Five years later, Robert is now working in London, where he’s hounded by reporters asking about his nanny’s suicide at Damien’s birthday party. His next visitor is Father Brennan (Patrick Troughton), who witnessed the devil born into Damien and asks Robert to accept Jesus and the strength to overpower evil… to which Robert responds by having security remove the priest.

His light slate-gray poplin shirt follows the same design as the prior shirts, with a long-pointed semi-spread collar and double cuffs—this time fastened with gold clustered oval links. His tie has an alternating print of large slate and bronze medallions against an indigo-blue ground.

A standout of the Huntsman-tailored pieces Peck wears on screen is the light taupe-brown wool topcoat he wears in Rome, styled like a walker-length Chesterfield that extends to just above his knees. The notch lapels are finished with a brown velvet collar, elegantly rolling to the top of a widely spaced three-button single-breasted front. The set-in sleeves are left plain at the cuffs, and there are straight flapped hip pockets.

Robert’s suit trousers have plain-hemmed bottoms that break high over his conservative black leather cap-toe oxfords, worn with black socks that maintain the leg-line of his trousers into the shoes.

Peck likely wears his own gold wristwatch, a dress watch with a round white or light silver dial on a black leather band.

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How to Get the Look

Some say the devil’s in the details, others say the devil’s in your son. Either way, stalwart style icon Gregory Peck is dressed for the occasion in his serious three-piece Huntsman suits, patterned ties, and head-turning velvet-collar coat.

• Dark charcoal pinstripe mid-weight wool Huntsman-tailored suit:
  • Single-breasted 1-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, and long double vents
  • Single-breasted 6-button waistcoat
  • Flat-front trousers with plain-hemmed bottoms
• Eggshell-white or light-slate cotton poplin shirt with long point collar and double/French cuffs
• Dark-blue with large medallion foulard print tie
• Light taupe-brown wool single-breasted 3-button tailored topcoat with velvet-collared notch lapels, straight flapped hip pockets, and plain cuffs
• Black leather cap-toe oxford shoes
• Black cotton lisle socks
• Gold dress watch with white or silver round dial on black leather band

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Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.