Tagged: Gray Shirt
DiCaprio in Gatsby’s Iconic White Suit
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby (2013).
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Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, eagerly romantic millionaire and bootlegger
Long Island, New York, Summer 1922
Film: The Great Gatsby
Release Date: May 10, 2013
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Costume Designer: Catherine Martin
Background
Last Tuesday, BAMF Style reflected on Californication‘s tribute to The Great Gatsby with its second season character of Lew Ashby; now, let’s focus on a more literal adaptation when Baz Luhrmann directed his lavish big-screen version a few years ago.
The turning point in the story is when the two old flames Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan are finally reunited in Nick’s humble cottage. Gatsby isn’t dressed for such modest surroundings, wearing – as F. Scott Fitzgerald describes:
…Gatsby, in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie, hurried in.
John Wick’s Suit
Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick (2014).
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Keanu Reeves as John Wick, retired assassin out for revenge
New York City, Spring 2014
Film: John Wick
Release Date: October 24, 2014
Director: Chad Stehelski
Costume Designer: Luca Mosca
Background
Rarely have I ever received such overwhelming demand for a post as I had for John Wick… and I hadn’t even heard of the film before February! Somehow this flick missed my radar completely (the concussion in January didn’t help). Granted, the only movie I’ve managed to see in theaters since last summer was Birdman, but still I tend to be aware of badass action movies upon their release. Thankfully, the badasses who comment on this blog brought it to my attention and now we all have Craig, Aaron, and Gunner to thank for this post!
Any preconceived notions I may have had about Keanu Reeves were tossed—or, rather, violently thrown—out the window after seeing him take out approximately 80 bad guys with advanced weaponry and tactics, all while wearing a sharp suit and driving a beautiful example of automotive American muscle. Continue reading
Michael Corleone’s Gray Striped Suit in The Godfather
Al Pacino on set as Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972).
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Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, cold and calculating New York Mafia boss
Long Island, NY, August 1955
Film: The Godfather
Release Date: March 15, 1972
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Costume Designer: Anna Hill Johnstone
Background
Last weekend, I attended a baptism. While other family members were snapping photos through tearful eyes, I kept picturing fat Clemenza blowing a guy away with a shotgun and Moe Greene getting the Bugsy Siegel treatment.
Whether or not you’re the type of person moved to sentiment by a baptism, anyone who has seen The Godfather can hardly forget the brilliance of Coppola’s juxtaposition between Michael admitting his son into the church while simultaneously sending his enemies to hell.
After returning to the United States and taking his slain brother‘s former mantle as boss of the Corleone Crime Family, Michael Corleone leaves behind the earth tones he sported earlier in the film. Gray is now his color of choice, reflected throughout his wardrobe. Continue reading
Clyde Barrow’s Death Suit (2013 Version)
Emile Hirsch as Clyde Barrow in part two of the 2013 mini-series Bonnie & Clyde.
Vitals
Emile Hirsch as Clyde Barrow, bank robber with “second sight”
Rural Louisiana, May 1934
Series Title: Bonnie and Clyde
Air Date: December 8, 2013
Director: Bruce Beresford
Costume Designer: Marilyn Vance
Background
Eighty years ago today, six Southern lawmen pulled off a feat that the federal government had been failing to do for months with the first real victory in the United States’ “War on Crime”.
With the advent of the Great Depression following the stock market crash of 1929, criminals abandoned gangsterdom and bootlegging (both “Machine Gun” Kelly and “Pretty Boy” Floyd were known to be bootleggers early in their career) in favor of motorized banditry. In the spirit of the Old West, bank robbers took to cars all across the country – with a special concentration in the poorest areas of the Midwest and the South.
This crime wave did not go unnoticed by the government. Soon, names like John Dillinger, “Baby Face” Nelson, and Alvin Karpis were dominating the headlines, and they were surprisingly welcome by the people who were sick and tired of the perceived “fat cats” in the government. Some of the criminals, Dillinger and Floyd especially, even had the begrudging respect of some small-town lawmen. But the greatest disparity between public opinion and actual temperament is with the case of Bonnie and Clyde. Continue reading
Nikolai in Eastern Promises
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
Daniel Craig in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).
Sorry this one took me long, fellas. I had planned to have it up by Tuesday (timed for the “polar vortex” ooooh…) but it’s a long-ass movie with a lot of clothes. However, this should still be pretty well-timed for anyone in North America dealing with record low temperatures this winter.
Vitals
Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist, disgraced Swedish investigative journalist
Hedestad, Sweden, Winter 2006
Film: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Release Date: December 20, 2011
Director: David Fincher
Costume Designer: Trish Summerville
Background
This isn’t one of those movies you pop in just for a laugh on a summer day or to fall asleep to. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a very dark (both thematically and literally) film that’ll stick with you for days after watching. It’s long – closer to 3 hours than 2 – but the fast-paced, heart-racing sequences and the stellar acting, particularly from leads Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, make the time fly.
Craig plays Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist in some hot water after his investigation into a corrupt businessman resulted in a libel case. He is mysteriously called to the home of Henrik Vanger (the always excellent and debonair Christopher Plummer) and thrown into a dark investigation of a forty-year-old murder. Continue reading
Redford in Gatsby’s White Three-Piece Suit
Robert Redford as Jay Gatsby in 1974’s The Great Gatsby.
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Robert Redford as Jay Gatsby, enigmatic millionaire and eager romantic
Long Island, New York, Summer 1925
Film: The Great Gatsby
Release Date: March 29, 1974
Director: Jack Clayton
Costume Designer: Theoni V. Aldredge
Clothes by: Ralph Lauren
Background
According to tradition passed down to us from generations of snobs, Labor Day is the last socially acceptable day for Americans to wear white prominently. If you’re scrambling to get your white in before your country club bars you for showing up in October with your favorite ivory sports coat, follow Gatsby’s example to make a solid impression.
In his 1925 book, F. Scott Fitzgerald describes Gatsby’s attire as:
…Gatsby, in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie, hurried in.
Flashbacks of Hank Moody in “California Son”
Mark Margolis joins David Duchovny in a production photo from “California Son”, the eighth episode of Californication.
Vitals
David Duchovny as Hank Moody, successful author and family man
Venice Beach, Summer 2006
Series: Californication
Episode: “California Son” (Episode 1.08)
Air Date: October 1, 2007
Director: Scott Winant
Costume Designer: Peggy A. Schnitzer
Background
A year before he became the substance-abusing turnstile of a man we’ve come to know and love, Hank Moody was a dedicated family man with several successful novels under his belt. Much like his attitude, Hank’s clothing during this “golden era” was much brighter with nary a black to be seen.
The first real glimpse Californication viewers get of this happy past life comes in the eighth episode, “California Son”. Faced with the death of his father Al (played by the ubiquitous but underrated Mark Margolis), Hank is forced to reflect on the last time he saw Al, which happened to be the summer that his relationship with Karen deteriorated. Continue reading
Jimmy Darmody’s Dark Pinstripe Suit
On January 17, 1920, the eighteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, making Prohibition the law of the land. Nobody benefited more from this stupid, moronic, totally brainless decision than organized crime.
Michael Pitt as Jimmy Darmody on the second season of Boardwalk Empire.
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Michael Pitt as Jimmy Darmody, rising figure in the Atlantic City underworld
Atlantic City and New York City, Spring/Summer 1921
Series: Boardwalk Empire
Season: 2
Creator: Terence Winter
Costume Designer: John A. Dunn
Tailor: Martin Greenfield
Background
After rising from the “half a gangster” of the pilot episode, Jimmy Darmody finally attains his goal of taking control of Atlantic City in June 1921. He’s come a long way from the tweed Norfolk suit, ratty cardigan, and newsboy cap. Never seen without a three-piece suit, the attire of choice for Jimmy’s celebratory party at Babbette’s Supper Club is a classy dark blue pinstripe suit. Continue reading
Californication – “The Whore of Babylon” (1.03)
David Duchovny as Hank Moody in “The Whore of Babylon” (Californication, Ep. 1.03).
Vitals
David Duchovny as Hank Moody, womanizing novelist with substance abuse issues
Venice Beach, Summer 2007
Series: Californication
Episode: “The Whore of Babylon” (Episode 1.03)
Air Date: August 27, 2007
Director: Scott Winant
Costume Designer: Peggy A. Schnitzer
Background
Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. To celebrate the ever-growing American tradition of Black Friday, here’s a guy known for wearing black…
In the third episode of Californication, we learn more about Hank and see him in different settings: a book reading, on a date with a woman he actually likes, and being bailed out of jail. Of these three, viewers should get most accustomed to seeing the latter. Continue reading
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