Tagged: Sandals
Arrested Development: GOB’s Powder-Blue Sports Coat
Will Arnett as GOB Bluth on Arrested Development (Episode 1.01: “Pilot”)
Vitals
Will Arnett as George Oscar “GOB” Bluth II, magician (part-time)
Orange County, California, Fall 2003
Series: Arrested Development
Episodes:
– “Pilot” (Episode 1.01, dir. Anthony Russo & Joe Russo, aired 11/2/2003)
– “Altar Egos” (Episode 1.17, dir. Jay Chandrasekhar, aired 3/17/2004)
Creator: Mitchell Hurwitz
Costume Designer: Katie Sparks
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
TV audiences first met the Bluth family 20 years ago this week when Arrested Development premiered on November 2, 2003. As Ron Howard narrates over each episode’s opening credits, it’s the story of a wealthy family who lost everything and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together… it’s arrested development.
The son in question is Michael (Jason Bateman), arguably the most responsible of the four Bluth siblings, though it could be argued his sensibility extends into self-righteousness as he seeks to maintain a sense of normalcy while raising his son, the anxious George Michael Bluth (Michael Cera)—named after his father and grandfather and not the singer-songwriter.
In addition to Michael, the avaricious George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) and Lucille (Jessica Walter) also raised the absurd GOB (Will Arnett), the spoiled Lindsay (Portia di Rossi), and the sheltered Buster (Tony Hale).
Like his fellow “eldest son” Connor Roy, GOB—pronounced “jobe”, though not everyone in-universe has received the message—harbors some resentment that his smarter and more ambitious little brother has been tapped to succeed their corrupt father’s footsteps in taking over the family’s real estate firm. Instead, GOB is left to defend his magic tricks illusions against his family’s disapproval and mockery. Continue reading
The White Lotus: Cam’s Cream Mesh-Knit Beach Shirt
Theo James as Cam Sullivan on The White Lotus (Episode 2.06: “Abductions”)
Vitals
Theo James as Cameron Sullivan, cocky investment manager
Sicily, Summer 2022
Series: The White Lotus
Episode: “Abductions” (Episode 2.06)
Air Date: December 4, 2022
Director: Mike White
Creator: Mike White
Costume Designer: Alex Bovaird
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Happy first day of summer!
Among the tone and twists of The White Lotus, one of my favorite aspects of each season has been the summer-friendly vacation wardrobes thoughtfully crafted for each character by costume designer Alex Bovaird-Sprouse. Though the Hawaiian-set first season aired in the summer of 2021, the second season aired through last fall—good timing to inspire warm-weather wardrobes for our friends in the southern hemisphere, though it almost felt taunting watching the doomed vacationers enjoying sun-baked Sicily as our weather was getting increasingly cold each week.
The second season introduced a mostly new set of characters, including the foursome of two former college pals-turned-entrepreneurs and their wives. The headstrong, confident super-bro Cameron Sullivan (Theo James) sees himself as the alpha of the group, while his beautiful wife Daphne (Meghann Fahy) appears content to benefit from the privileges of a wealthy, stay-at-home-when-not-in-the-Maldives lifestyle. By contrast, the moody Ethan Spiller (Will Sharpe) and serious, ambitious lawyer Harper (Aubrey Plaza) believe their sensitive, sexless marriage to be healthier… a perspective that Cam seems quietly committed to shattering by the end of their shared Sicilian sojourn. Continue reading
The White Lotus: Shane’s Pink Seersucker Shirt and Swimwear
Jake Lacy as Shane Patton on The White Lotus (Episode 1.02: “New Day”)
Vitals
Jake Lacy as Shane Patton, smug and spoiled newlywed
Maui, Hawaii, Summer 2020
Series: The White Lotus
Episode: “New Day” (Episode 1.02)
Air Date: July 18, 2021
Director: Mike White
Creator: Mike White
Costume Designer: Alex Bovaird
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
While it’s the second season of The White Lotus that’s currently dominating memes and award show headlines, my honeymoon this week had me—for better or worse—recalling the frat-tastic style of the newlywed realtor Shane Patton (Jake Lacy) from the first season, set in Hawaii.
Lacy himself has described Shane as “the most entitled victim possible,” unable to enjoy his Hawaiian honeymoon with his new wife Rachel (Alexandra Daddario) after being assigned to a different luxury suite than expected, beginning a private battle against the beleaguered hotelier Armond (Murray Bartlett) that escalates through a series of drugs, defecation, and daggers. But before that… breakfast! Continue reading
Glass Onion: Noah Segan as Derol
Noah Segan as Derol in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Vitals
Noah Segan as Derol, carefree stoner who’s “going through some things”
Spetses, Greece, May 2020
Film: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Release Date: November 23, 2022
Director: Rian Johnson
Costume Designer: Jenny Eagan
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Derol is definitely having a moment right now! From articles in Variety to countless memes, the laidback loafer played by Noah Segan has quietly risen as a fan favorite among the star-studded cast of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in the month since it premiered on Netflix.
Glass Onion is set in May 2020, two months into the global lockdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the nonchalant Derol reminds me of the vibe I had aspired to at this stage in lockdown: unbothered, staying in my lane, growing out my hair and chilling. Continue reading
The White Lotus: Shane’s Leafy Toweling Shirt
Jake Lacy as Shane Patton on The White Lotus (Episode 1.05: “The Lotus-Eaters”)
Vitals
Jake Lacy as Shane Patton, smug and spoiled newlywed
Maui, Hawaii, Summer 2020
Series: The White Lotus
Episode: “The Lotus-Eaters” (Episode 1.05)
Air Date: July 11, 2021
Director: Mike White
Creator: Mike White
Costume Designer: Alex Bovaird
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
While I’m on vacation this week, it feels appropriate to continue covering the Emmy-nominated resort style of The White Lotus, this time turning a sartorial eye onto the hotel’s arguably most troublesome guest: the frat-tastic newlywed Shane Patton. Continue reading
Inherent Vice: Doc’s Jungle Jacket
Joaquin Phoenix as Doc Sportello in Inherent Vice (2014)
Vitals
Joaquin Phoenix as Larry “Doc” Sportello, hippie private investigator
Los Angeles County, Fall 1970
Film: Inherent Vice
Release Date: December 12, 2014
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Costume Designer: Mark Bridges
Background
One of my favorite “new watches” over the last year was Inherent Vice, adapted from the Thomas Pynchon novel of the same name. Inherent Vice follows “Doc” Sportello, a stoner private eye dwelling in the fictional hippie enclave of Gordita Beach in southern California at the end of the ’60s. Like the best of P.I. pulp fiction, Doc’s case begins with a late visit from a young woman, in this case his ex-girlfriend Shasta Fay Hepworth (Katherine Waterston) seeking his help investigating land developer Mickey Wolfmann. When another client’s request also intersects with Wolfmann, Doc’s “paranoia alert” is triggered as he’s set on a path that intersects him with an aggressive detective, a plum-suited dentist, and a drug counselor who “[tries] to talk kids into sensible drug use.”
Boogie Nights: Don Cheadle in Red Western-Inspired Leisurewear
Don Cheadle as Buck Swope in Boogie Nights (1997)
Vitals
Don Cheadle as Buck Swope, porn actor and aspiring electronics store owner
San Fernando Valley, Summer 1977
Film: Boogie Nights
Release Date: October 10, 1997
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Costume Designer: Mark Bridges
Background
In the mood for some midweek summer leisure looks, I was inspired by the parade of ’70s style in Boogie Nights. As with so many period productions set during the disco era, Boogie Nights features plenty of the big collars, flashy jewelry, and polyester we’ve come to associate with that decade, and its focus on the porn industry—despite Jack Horner’s insistence that his “pictures” may be a higher art than the era’s run-of-the-mill smut—takes us through the tackier side of a decade already oft reviled for its sartorial excess.
Among the sprawling ensemble cast, I’ve always enjoyed Don Cheadle’s performance as Buck Swope, the conflicted actor in Horner’s troupe constantly wrangling with his identity. Continue reading
Six Feet Under: Nathaniel’s Afterlife Aloha Shirt
Richard Jenkins as Nathaniel Fisher Sr. in the Six Feet Under pilot episode
Vitals
Richard Jenkins as Nathaniel Fisher, Sr., recently deceased funeral director
Los Angeles, December 2000
Series: Six Feet Under
Episode: “Pilot” (Episode 1.01)
Air Date: June 3, 2001
Director: Alan Ball
Creator: Alan Ball
Set Costumer: Josephine Willes
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
The pilot episode of Six Feet Under aired 20 years ago today on HBO, introducing viewers to the Fisher family. The first episode begins with the death of the family patriarch, funeral director Nathaniel Fisher.
Vanishing Point: Cleavon Little as Super Soul
Cleavon Little as “Super Soul” in Vanishing Point (1971)
Vitals
Cleavon Little as Super Soul, blind radio DJ
Nevada Desert, Summer 1971
Film: Vanishing Point
Release Date: March 13, 1971
Director: Richard C. Sarafian
Wardrobe Master: Ed Wynigear
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Before he blazed into Rock Ridge as the controversial new sheriff, Cleavon Little was already shaking up the desert as Super Soul, the almost mystic blind radio DJ who guides our laconic hero in in his white Dodge Challenger through the blue highways of the west in Vanishing Point, released 50 years ago today on March 13, 1971.
The Oklahoma-born Little was already a stage star at the time he walked Super Soul’s dog to the KOW radio booth in Goldfield, Nevada, having won a Tony Award in Ossie Davis’ Purlie just one year after making his Broadway debut. Vanishing Point was only his third credited screen role, his charismatic energy a contrast to Barry Newman’s taciturn Kowalski, whom Super Soul dubs “the last American hero.” Continue reading
The Big Lebowski – The Dude’s Kaoru Betto T-shirt
Jeff Bridges as “The Dude” in The Big Lebowski (1998)
Vitals
Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski, laidback stoner and bowler
Los Angeles, Fall 1991
Film: The Big Lebowski
Release Date: March 6, 1998
Director: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Costume Designer: Mary Zophres
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Today would have been the 100th birthday of Japanese baseball star Kaoru Betto who, despite his talents as one of the league’s earliest power hitters, may be most recognizable to many as his likeness graces the front of Jeff Bridges’ T-shirts in Cold Feet (1989), The Fisher King (1991), and most famously in The Big Lebowski (1998).
Born in Nishinomiya on August 23, 1920, Kaoru Betto made his Nippon Professional Baseball debut as an outfielder for the Ōsaka Tigers (now the Hanshin Tigers) in 1948. After two years with the Tigers, Betto moved to play for the Mainichi Orions (now the Chiba Lotte Marines) for the team’s inaugural season in 1950. Having attained a .335 batting average and 43 home runs during that first season with the Orions and leading them to victory in the first Japan Series, Betto was awarded the Pacific League’s first NPB Most Valuable Player. Betto finished playing after the 1957 season, focusing solely on managing. “The Gentleman of Baseball” died on April 16, 1999, a year after The Big Lebowski was released.
Kaoru Betto, playing for the Ōsaka Tigers in the late 1940s.