Tagged: Politician
Nucky Thompson’s Beige Linen Suit
Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson in “Golden Days for Boys and Girls”, Episode 5.01 of Boardwalk Empire.
Vitals
Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, bootlegger and former Atlantic City political boss
Havana, April 1931
Series: Boardwalk Empire
Episode: “Golden Days for Boys and Girls” (Episode 5.01)
Air Date: September 7, 2014
Director: Tim Van Patten
Creator: Terence Winter
Costume Designer: John A. Dunn
Tailor: Martin Greenfield
Background
To commemorate this unofficial start of summer with Memorial Day tomorrow, BAMF Style is checking in with fashion plate Nucky Thompson from Boardwalk Empire as he enjoys a warm spring evening in Havana at the start of the fifth season.
Having exiled himself to Cuba in the seven years since we last saw him, Nucky is still wheeling and dealing in the illegal liquor trade, currently working on an export deal with the good folks of Bacardi rum in the possible wake of Prohibition’s imminent end. Continue reading
Nucky Thompson’s Morning Dress
Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson on Boardwalk Empire (Episode 3.03: “Bone for Tuna”)
Vitals
Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, political boss and bootlegger
Atlantic City, January 1923
Series: Boardwalk Empire
Episode: “Bone for Tuna” (Episode 3.03)
Air Date: September 30, 2012
Director: Jeremy Podeswa
Creator: Terence Winter
Costume Designer: John A. Dunn
Tailor: Martin Greenfield
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
I’m taking the blogger’s imperative and dedicating this whole week to Boardwalk Empire and its celebrated throwback style.
During its five-season run, Boardwalk Empire highlighted the spectrum of Prohibition-era men’s fashion from Jimmy Darmody’s street tweeds (link) and Mickey Doyle’s comic bowler-topped sack suits to Chalky White’s natty plaid suits accented by bold bow ties and Nucky Thompson’s distinctive take on white tie (link).
As a decidedly unconservative dresser, it thus becomes very meaningful when the typically bold-suited Nucky Thompson dons traditional morning dress for a morning in church. Continue reading
Frank Underwood’s Blue Suit at the DNC
Kevin Spacey as President Frank Underwood in “Chapter 48” of House of Cards (2016).
Vitals
Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood, ruthless and calculating U.S. President
Atlanta, July 2016
Series: House of Cards
Episode: “Chapter 48” (Episode 4.09)
Streaming Date: March 4, 2016
Director: Robin Wright
Costume Designer: Johanna Argan
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Tomorrow is Election Day here in the U.S. and hopefully the end of one of the ugliest campaign seasons in modern American politics.
In the political world of House of Cards, voters tomorrow would be choosing between Democratic incumbent Frank Underwood and Republican candidate Will Conway (Joel Kinnaman). In Chapter 48 of the series, Underwood notes about his opponent:
You’re a New York Republican. That’s an attractive fiction, isn’t it?
Chapter 48 spans the first three days of the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta from Monday, July 25 through Wednesday, July 27. (The actual 2016 DNC was held in Philadelphia, in case you’d forgotten, and was quite dramatic in itself… which I’m sure you hadn’t forgotten.) President Underwood’s team seemingly makes a play for Secretary of State Catherine Durant (Jayne Atkinson) to be chosen as his running mate while secretly working behind the scenes to secure the spot for the First Lady, Claire Underwood (Robin Wright, who also directed this installment.)
One of the episode’s more outstanding scenes finds the unlikely situation of both candidates meeting alone, sifting through the heavy haze of dirty politics permeating the air while channeling their opposition into a discussion of video games. Continue reading
Frank Underwood’s Cream Linen Suit
Kevin Spacey as President Frank Underwood in “Chapter 33” of House of Cards (2015).
Vitals
Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood, ruthless and calculating U.S. President
Gaffney, SC, August 2015
Series: House of Cards
Episode: “Chapter 33” (Episode 3.07)
Streaming Date: February 27, 2015
Director: John Dahl
Costume Designer: Johanna Argan
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
The Week of Weddings comes to an end with a subdued renewal of vows for that coldest of TV couples, Frank and Claire Underwood.
“Chapter 33” is a particularly meditative episode for a show that has found its lead character throw another major character in front of a train. The episode uses the creation and subsequent destruction of a Hindu mandala to tell the story of the unorthodox Underwood marriage. While political murders and extramarital affairs aren’t enough to kill their marriage, the President and his wife find themselves more divided than ever after the events of the previous episode. It’s significant that they return to the original church in Gaffney where their formation was created in order to rejuvenate their relationship, and it’s while talking to Yates in front of their first home together that he can admit:
I can tell you this, though, there would have been no White House without Claire.
Of course, Gaffney was also the place where Frank Underwood was created, and it is here – through the increasingly less biased eyes of biographer Thomas Yates – that he is as removed from his ruthless political self as possible. He is disarmingly introspective and charismatic, pouring out stories and wisdom though it were from a bottle of bourbon in his office. Continue reading
Frank Underwood’s Blue Linen Suit
Kevin Spacey as President Frank Underwood in “Chapter 34” of House of Cards (2015).
Vitals
Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood, ruthless and calculating U.S. President
Washington, DC, September 2015
Series: House of Cards
Episode: “Chapter 34” (Episode 3.08)
Streaming Date: February 27, 2015
Director: John Dahl
Costume Designer: Johanna Argan
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
According to the Netflix version of House of Cards, today – September 7, 2015 – would have found the American eastern seaboard in trouble as Hurricane Faith rumbled on its way. Luckily for dwellers in both the show’s universe and the real universe, the Category 4 hurricane ended up offering no real threat… leaving President Underwood in the frustration position of having provided emergency funding when it wasn’t needed. While this wouldn’t necessarily mean trouble for a politician, it meant the end of Frank’s “AmericaWorks” pet project and thus the beginning of his 2016 presidential run. Continue reading
House of Cards’ Remy Danton Goes Casual
Mahershala Ali as Remy Danton on House of Cards (“Chapter 38”, Episode 3.12, 2015).
Vitals
Mahershala Ali as Remy Danton, former White House Chief of Staff
Washington, DC, December 2015
Series: House of Cards
Episode: “Chapter 38” (Episode 3.12)
Streaming Date: February 27, 2015
Director: Robin Wright
Costume Designer: Johanna Argan
WARNING! Spoilers ahead! If you haven’t finished the third season yet, then:
a) Go and do it, and
b) You’re bad at Netflix.
Background
Though Kevin Spacey receives much well-deserved praise for his power suits and performance as ruthless politician Francis Underwood, I always try to find a good guy to root for even in a shadowy world like House of Cards‘ D.C. While a few exist outside the political world, the only character who proves any definite altruism by the end of the third season is Remy Danton, the ex-lobbyist and now ex-Chief of Staff for the Underwood administration. Continue reading
Nucky Thompson’s Brown and Pink Check Suit
Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson in “The Ivory Tower”, Episode 2 of Boardwalk Empire.
Vitals
Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, Atlantic City’s corrupt treasurer and gangster
Atlantic City, January 1920 through August 1921
Series: Boardwalk Empire
Seasons: 1-2
Creator: Terence Winter
Costume Designer: John A. Dunn
Tailor: Martin Greenfield
Background
To pay tribute to the return of Boardwalk Empire for its final season and recognize the current Gilt Groupe promotion that I’ll discuss, today’s post covers one of the most recognizable suits worn by the show’s protagonist, Enoch “Nucky” Thompson. Continue reading
Nucky Thompson’s Glen Plaid Easter Suit
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
John F. Kennedy’s Ivy League Style
John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States.
Vitals
John F. Kennedy, U.S. President
Early 1960s, Washington, D.C.
Background
Not every commemoration on BAMF Style is a happy one. To honor JFK on the 50th anniversary of his assassination, I’ll be examining the style of a man often described as our country’s most stylish president.
Whether he was in his office, at a cocktail party, or sailing off of Narragansett Bay, the Kennedys’ style captured the attention of the nation, with men taking hints from Jack’s fashion-forward sartorial sense and women envying Jackie’s elegance.
Everyone has their own conspiracy theory about who truly ended his life in Dallas fifty years ago today, but this isn’t the place to discuss that. Instead, I’ll be delving into the look and style of a man who became an American icon. Continue reading
Nucky Thompson’s Red, White, and Blue
Steve Buscemi as “Nucky” Thompson in “The Emerald City”, episode 1.10 of Boardwalk Empire.
Happy 4th of July to all American followers of BAMF Style.
Vitals
Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, corrupt Atlantic City treasurer and Republican political boss
Atlantic City, November 1920
Series: Boardwalk Empire
Episodes:
– “The Emerald City” (Episode 1.10, aired November 21, 2010, dir. Simon Cellan Jones)
– “A Return to Normalcy” (Episode 1.12, aired December 5, 2010, dir. Tim Van Patten)
– “Two Boats and a Lifeguard” (Episode 2.08, aired November 13, 2011, dir. Tim Van Patten)
Creator: Terence Winter
Costume Designer: John A. Dunn
Tailor: Martin Greenfield
Background
While our nation may be politically divided today, there is one politician that all of America can agree on: Enoch “Nucky” Thompson. Continue reading