Tagged: Pullover Sweater
The Exorcist: Father Karras’ Off-Duty Georgetown Jacket and Fall Layers
Jason Miller as Fr. Karras in The Exorcist (1973)
Vitals
Jason Miller as Fr. Damien Karras, Jesuit psychiatrist and—according to at least one demonic entity—”faithless slime”
Washington, D.C., Fall 1972
Film: The Exorcist
Release Date: December 26, 1973
Director: William Friedkin
Costume Designer: Joseph Fretwell III
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Progressing deeper through spooky season toward Halloween, let’s look at some understated style in William Friedkin’s 1973 horror classic The Exorcist. Playwright and actor Jason Miller made his Academy Award-nominated screen debut as Damien Karras, SJ, the theological psychiatrist summoned to exorcise a demon from the 12-year-old Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair).
A landmark in legitimatizing the horror genre, The Exorcist received ten Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Miller. Miller’s own experience likely informed his performance as he graduated from the Jesuit-run University of Scranton before dropping out of his studies at the Catholic University of America. He soon found success in theater, where he caught Friedkin’s eye for the role of Father Karras—reportedly beating out ’70s screen giants Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson, and Stacy Keach (who had actually been hired for the part). Even after his Oscar-nominated success, Miller preferred to continue working in regional theater
What’d He Wear?
Georgetown mother Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) desperately tries to talk Father Karras into exorcising her daughter, but he’s skeptical that she’s actually possessed by a demon—until realizing that Regan shouldn’t have known that he was a priest given his lack of clerical garb when they first meet. Indeed, Karras looks more transplanted from the world of sports than spirituality given his bright royal-blue nylon coach’s jacket paired with smart casual fall layers. Continue reading
Danny’s Apollo Sweater in The Shining
Danny Lloyd as Danny “Doc” Torrance in The Shining (1980)
Vitals
Danny Lloyd as Danny “Doc” Torrance, young boy with supernatural senses
Silver Creek, Colorado, Winter 1979
Film: The Shining
Release Date: May 23, 1980
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Costume Designer: Milena Canonero
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Aside from the occasional student style, most of my BAMF Style posts over the 14 years of this blog’s existence have centered on adult characters. Whether it’s the onset of spooky season or the fact that my own son turns one this month, it finally feels like the right time to make sure I don’t, uh, overlook one of the sickest fits in horror cinema: the Apollo 11 sweater worn by young Danny Torrance as he pedals through the hallways of the haunted Colorado hotel in Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 1980 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining.
The role marked the first of only two major screen appearances for Danny Lloyd, who celebrates his 54th birthday today. Born October 13, 1972, Lloyd was just six years old when he was cast as the psychically gifted child navigating an increasingly terrifying winter at the isolated Overlook Hotel with his parents, Jack (Jack Nicholson) and Wendy (Shelley Duvall). Continue reading
East of Eden: James Dean’s Tan Sweater and Sport Shirt
James Dean in East of Eden (1955)
Vitals
James Dean as Caleb “Cal” Trask, angsty and entrepreneurial farmer’s son
Monterey to Salinas, California, Spring 1917
Film: East of Eden
Release Date: March 9, 1955
Director: Elia Kazan
Costume Designer: Anna Hill Johnstone
Background
Despite his profoundly lasting cultural impact as a 1950s screen and style icon, James Dean only starred in three credited films before his death 71 years ago today on September 30, 1955. Of these, Elia Kazan’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s epic novel East of Eden was the only to actually be released during his lifetime.
Steinbeck took inspiration from the biblical story of Cain and Abel, graphed onto the moody Cal Trask (Dean) and his brother Aron (Richard Davalos), who both vie to impress their devout father Adam (Raymond Massey) as well as Aron’s girlfriend Abra (Julie Harris).
The novel follows the Trask family settling in California’s Salinas Valley during the 1860s through Cal and Aron’s drama through the end of World War I. The 1955 film was entirely set during these later years, though the new 2026 miniseries (releasing on Netflix tomorrow!) likely follows the family saga across Steinbeck’s full timeline.
What’d He Wear?
Costume designer Anna Hill Johnstone dressed James Dean primarily in layered neutrals as Cal Trask, perhaps signaling his impartial vulnerability while also allowing him to be both literally and mentally stripped down over the course of his emotional journey. His open-neck shirts and sweaters may seem surprisingly contemporary to modern viewers—and Johnstone surely wanted younger audiences to relate to Cal by not making him look inaccessibly old-fashioned—but historical photography and catalogs depict younger men increasingly embracing casual sportswear throughout the 1910s. Continue reading
The Four Seasons: Alan Alda’s Après-ski Sweater in Winter
Alan Alda in The Four Seasons (1981)
Vitals
Alan Alda as Jack Burroughs, married lawyer
Stowe, Vermont, Winter 1980
Film: The Four Seasons
Release Date: May 22, 1981
Director: Alan Alda
Costume Designer: Jane Greenwood
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Happy 90th birthday to Alan Alda, the movie and TV icon born January 28, 1936. Alda rose to prominence through the 1970s playing Army surgeon “Hawkeye” Pierce in the TV adaptation of M*A*S*H—an early style inspiration for yours truly, as I was particularly obsessed with Hawkeye’s rakish pairing of aloha shirts with his G.I.-issue OG-107 fatigue trousers.
In addition to being the only cast member to appear in all 256 episodes, Alda also ignited his talents behind the camera, ultimately writing 17 and directing 32 episodes during the series’ eleven-season run. Even before M*A*S*H ended, Alda penned his screenwriting debut, The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979), starring as the eponymous fictional senator. As Alda’s own grandson Jake would summarize in his Letterboxd review: “My grandpa has an affair with a young Meryl Streep… what more can I ask for?”
Two years later, Alda released his directorial debut, The Four Seasons (1981), which he also wrote and—of course—starred in. Alda portrays New York lawyer Jack Burroughs who, along with his wife Kate (Carol Burnett), join two other middle-aged couples for quarterly getaways: one for each of the titular four seasons, and thus framed by Vivaldi’s violin concerti of the same name. Continue reading
Chilly Scenes of Winter: John Heard’s Moth-eaten Maroon Sweater
John Heard in Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979)
Vitals
John Heard as Charles Richardson, obsessive state analyst
Salt Lake City, Winter 1979/80
Film: Chilly Scenes of Winter
Release Date: October 19, 1979
Director: Joan Micklin Silver
Costume Designer: Rosanna Norton
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
The wintry weather this first full week of the year feels appropriate to slip into John Heard’s deceptively cozy wardrobe in Joan Micklin Silver’s 1979 comedy Chilly Scenes of Winter. Originally marketed by United Artists as a zany, lighthearted rom-com that the studio re-titled Head Over Heels (much to its cast and crew’s dismay), Chilly Scenes of Winter is actually an all-too-real exploration of the depths to which a seemingly sane person can fall when tortured by their concept of love.
Heard plays Charles Richardson, a seemingly normal Utah State Department of Development report analyst who begins dating his colleague Laura (Mary Beth Hurt), only to grow increasingly and desperately obsessed with winning back her affection after she ends their relationship. Continue reading
Rocky: Sylvester Stallone’s Black Leather Jacket
Sylvester Stallone in Rocky (1976)
Vitals
Sylvester Stallone as Robert “Rocky” Balboa, ambitious boxer and mob enforcer
Philadelphia, Fall/Winter 1975
Film: Rocky
Release Date: December 3, 1976
Director: John G. Avildsen
Costumer: Robert Campbel
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Happy New Year! Fifty years ago tonight, scrappy southpaw Rocky Balboa went the distance against the heavyweight champ, turning a Philadelphia club fighter into an American myth—so, in the spirit of “new year, new you”—let’s punch into the style of Sylvester Stallone’s era-defining breakthrough role. Continue reading
My Night at Maud’s: Jean-Louis Trintignant’s Sheepskin Jacket
Jean-Louis Trintignant in My Night at Maud’s (1969)
Vitals
Jean-Louis Trintignant as Jean-Louis, serious-minded engineer and conflicted Catholic
Clermont-Ferrand, France, Christmas 1968
Film: My Night at Maud’s
(French title: Ma nuit chez Maud)
Release Date: June 4, 1969
Director: Éric Rohmer
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Considered one of the best French actors of the post-war era, the late Jean-Louis Trintignant was born 95 years ago today on December 11, 1930. Trintignant worked with many prolific directors but his sole collaboration with Éric Rohmer was the Nouvelle Vague drama My Night at Maud’s—the fourth-released of Rohmer’s “Six Moral Tales”.
My Night at Maud’s premiered at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival and would be nominated for two Academy Awards. Trintignant portrays the ambitious engineer Jean-Louis, deeply in love with the young biology student Françoise (Marie-Christine Barrault) he has seen at his church, until just before Christmas when his friend Vidal (Antoine Vitez) introduces him to the eponymous Maud (Françoise Fabian). The night of their first meeting features intense discussions ranging from ethics to existence until, at Maud’s existence, Jean-Louis spends an awkward—and initially platonic—night in her bed, acting only on his newfound attraction by kissing her before he leaves in the morning.
Through their subsequent interactions, Jean-Louis’ faith conflicts with his growing attraction to the outspoken, divorced atheist as he and Maud recognize the tragic unlikelihood of lasting love between them. Continue reading
The Amityville Horror: James Brolin’s Corduroy Jacket and Cargo Pants
James Brolin and Margot Kidder in The Amityville Horror (1979)
Vitals
James Brolin as George Lutz, surveyor and stepdad
Long Island, New York, Fall 1975
Film: The Amityville Horror
Release Date: July 27, 1979
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Men’s Costumes: Richard Butz
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Fifty years ago next month, George Lutz and his family moved into 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville on the south shore of Long Island. Amity, as you know, means friendship (as the mayor in Jaws has made clear), but there’s nothing friendly about the paranormal activity that drove the Lutz family from that Dutch Colonial Revival house after only 28 days.
Though the veracity of the events have been called into question (and, I believe, generally debunked), they remain in the forefront of public consciousness thanks to Jay Anson’s 1977 book The Amityville Horror and its subsequent film adaptations—the best-known and best-regarded of which being the 1979 horror thriller of the same name starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder as George and Kathy Lutz. Continue reading
Trap: Josh Hartnett’s Chore Coat and Striped Sweater
Josh Hartnett in Trap (2024)
Vitals
Josh Hartnett as Cooper Abbott, firefighter, family man, and fugitive killer
Philadelphia, Fall 2023
Film: Trap
Release Date: August 2, 2024
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Costume Designer: Caroline Duncan
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
I’ve been eager to see Josh Hartnett’s career renaissance after a fascinating arc, from late-’90s heartthrob turned prestige TV lead on Penny Dreadful to his triumphant reemergence on the silver screen with a supporting role in Oppenheimer and his crispy leading role in Trap, M. Night Shyamalan’s darkly comic psychological thriller Trap that was released last summer.
Hartnett stars in the latter as Cooper Abbott, a Philadelphia firefighter who takes his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a sold-out pop concert headlined by superstar Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan)… only for the entire show to be the titular trap designed by law enforcement to ensnare him, as it turns out the minivan-driving family man has a dark, deadly secret under his affable persona. Continue reading
Tough Guys Don’t Dance: Ryan O’Neal’s Party Sweater
Ryan O’Neal in Tough Guys Don’t Dance (1987)
Vitals
Ryan O’Neal as Tim Madden, ex-convict and aspiring writer prone to blackouts
Provincetown, Massachusetts, Summer 1986
Film: Tough Guys Don’t Dance
Release Date: September 18, 1987
Director: Norman Mailer
Costume Designer: Michael Kaplan
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
My family’s vacation in New England this week has me reflecting on my questionable decision last year to watch Norman Mailer’s self-directed adaptation of his own Cape Cod-set novel Tough Guys Don’t Dance.
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