Tagged: Single-Breasted Peak-Lapel Jacket
The Sopranos: Christopher’s Red Sport Coat
Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti in “A Hit is a Hit”, episode 1.10 of The Sopranos.
Vitals
Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti, Jersey mob associate and aspiring screenwriter
New York City, Spring 1998
Series: The Sopranos
Episodes: “A Hit is a Hit” (Episode 1.10) and “D-Girl” (Episode 2.07)
Air Dates: March 14, 1999 (1.10) and February 27, 2000 (2.07)
Directors: Matthew Penn (1.10) and Allen Coulter (2.07)
Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa
Background
Although a bit late for this Valentine’s Day (and my self-proclaimed #MafiaMonday), this post explores a creative integration of red into a man’s outfit. While some – and, likely, most – will consider it over-the-top, the character in question isn’t exactly known for his good taste.
For date nights in New York City with Adriana, Chris likes to show off his gangster status by donning his two favorite wardrobe colors: red and black. The pairing of a red sport coat with black trousers and shirt evokes a look made famous by Robert De Niro in Casino. Given Christopher’s obsession with mob movies (and Martin Scorsese), it would make sense that he would choose to mimic an outfit from one of the best-known mob movies sported by the genre’s undisputed maestro. Continue reading
“Pretty Boy” Floyd’s Death in Public Enemies
80 years ago today, Depression-era outlaw Charles Arthur Floyd was shot down by federal agents and local police in a farm outside East Liverpool, Ohio.
Channing Tatum as Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd in Public Enemies (2009).
Vitals
Channing Tatum as Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd, charismatic but violent Depression-era outlaw
Clarkson, Ohio, October 1934
Film: Public Enemies
Release Date: July 1, 2009
Director: Michael Mann
Costume Designer: Colleen Atwood
Background
After dedicating the majority of my life to researching the Depression-era crime wave that saw guys like John Dillinger, “Pretty Boy” Floyd, and Alvin Karpis roaming the American countryside with the support of the public and the rage of the government, I was elated when I learned that Bryan Burrough’s masterful docu-novel Public Enemies was finally being turned into a film. I wondered how a two-hour movie could capture the intricacies of each colorful individual in each of the various gangs over a two-year period, and I assumed that – like Burrough – director Michael Mann would focus primarily on Karpis, the lone survivor of the original batch of Public Enemies. Continue reading
The Wolf of Wall Street: Dark Blue Chalkstripe Flannel on IPO Day
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).
Vitals
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, shrewd Wall Street stockbroker
Long Island, Fall 1993
Film: The Wolf of Wall Street
Release Date: December 25, 2013
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Designer: Sandy Powell
Tailor: Leonard Logsdail
Background
It’s Labor Day, so sartorial traditionalists should start packing up their cream linen suits and pull their sharp chalkstripe flannels up to the front. Ideally, you have today off of work and one extra day before you need a snazzy suit to make an impression when strutting back into the office tomorrow.
Though avoiding excess isn’t exactly Jordan Belfort’s thing (i.e., drugs, women) in The Wolf of Wall Street, he did manage to avoid some of the sartorial excesses of the late ’80s and early ’90s that continue to plague thrift shops and convenience stores to this day. For the most part, he avoids baggy double-breasted suits with low button stances and excessive shoulder padding. Continue reading
The Death of John Dillinger – 1973 Style
Warren Oates and Michelle Phillips as John Dillinger and Billie Frechette, respectively, in Dillinger (1973). The film inaccurately portrays Polly Hamilton as an alias for Billie Frechette; in reality, Polly was an entirely different person.
Vitals
Warren Oates as John Dillinger, doomed Depression-era bank robber
Chicago, July 1934
Film: Dillinger
Release Date: July 20, 1973
Director: John Milius
Costume Designer: James M. George
Background
Although it had been founded in 1908, the FBI had existed for more than a quarter of a century without grabbing major national attention. There were many major successes, but the recent crime wave of bank-robbing desperadoes tarnished the agency’s image and, in turn, turned outlaws into folk heroes.
One of these criminal “folk heroes” was John Dillinger, a 31-year-old Indiana native who had recently embarrassed national law enforcement by reportedly breaking out of jail with a wooden gun. Although they had Dillinger in their sights for the better part of a year, the FBI—then known as the Bureau of Investigation (BOI)—had no legal jurisdiction to take him down. Dillinger’s crimes—ranging from bank robbery to alleged murder—were all certainly major, but none violated any federal law. Then, it was realized that Dillinger had stolen the Lake County sheriff’s car during his escape. By driving the stolen automobile across a state line, Dillinger violated the Dyer Act.
The Dyer Act, also called the National Motor Vehicle Theft Act, was passed in 1919 to combat the growing threat of trafficking stolen automobiles. If a person was found guilty of violating the Dyer Act, they would be sentenced with imprisonment up to ten years, a hefty fine, or both. In Dillinger’s case, the BOI determined that his punishment would be execution. Continue reading
Gatsby’s Caramel Suit and Yellow Duesenberg (2013 Version)
Leonardo DiCaprio on set as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby (2013)
Vitals
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, eccentric and romantic millionaire bootlegger
New York City, Summer 1922
Film: The Great Gatsby
Release Date: May 10, 2013
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Costume Designer: Catherine Martin
Background
Car Week is wrapping up with a yin to Monday’s yang. The first post this week looked at the big yellow Rolls-Royce tourer from the 1974 adaptation of The Great Gatsby and the suit Robert Redford wore while driving it. The car was practically as close as the one mentioned in the novel, but the suit was too dark and too contemporary to be accurate with the suit in the novel.
Today’s post looks at the more recent 2013 adaptation directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role. The film nicely brought to life the “caramel-colored suit” that Fitzgerald wrote about in the novel, but the Rolls-Royce of the novel is now an anachronistic supercharged Duesenberg. I can’t complain too much since the scenes of Gatsby driving his Duesy are some of the most exciting moments in the movie.
He saw me looking with admiration at his car.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it, old sport?” He jumped off to give me a better view. “Haven’t you ever seen it before?”
I’d seen it. Everybody had seen it. It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns. Sitting down behind many layers of glass in a sort of green leather conservatory, we started to town.
– The Great Gatsby, Chapter 4
American Gangster: Frank Lucas’ Light Brown Killer Suit
Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007).
Vitals
Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas, heroin kingpin
Harlem, Spring 1970
Film: American Gangster
Release Date: November 2, 2007
Director: Ridley Scott
Costume Designer: Janty Yates
Tailor: Leonard Logsdail
Background
Frank Lucas was a gangster and heroin kingpin that amassed millions of dollars during the Vietnam War importing pure heroin in the caskets of deceased servicemen. Continue reading
Truth vs. Fiction: The Bank-Robbing Style of Warren Oates as Dillinger
Warren Oates as John Dillinger, leaving a South Bend bank job in 1973’s Dillinger.
Vitals
Warren Oates as John Dillinger, Depression-era bank robber and “super gang” leader
Indiana, Fall 1933
Film: Dillinger
Release Date: July 20, 1973
Director: John Milius
Costume Designer: James M. George
Background
Eighty years ago today in East Chicago, Indiana, 43-year-old ECPD patrolman William Patrick O’Malley responded to a call concerning the robbery of the First National Bank. Without hesitation, O’Malley showed up at the scene, unaware that he would be going up against John Dillinger, the Indiana bandit who would soon become famous as the first national Public Enemy #1. Continue reading
Robert Redford’s Gray Suit in The Sting
Robert Redford as Johnny Hooker in The Sting (1973).
Yesterday was the 77th birthday of BAMF Style favorite Robert Redford. With a resume including the Sundance Kid, Jay Gatsby, Three Days of the Condor, Havana, and – of course – The Sting, Redford provides plenty of material for sartorial BAMFery.
Vitals
Robert Redford as Johnny Hooker, small-time Depression-era grifter
Chicago, September 1936
Film: The Sting
Release Date: December 25, 1973
Director: George Roy Hill
Costume Designer: Edith Head
Background
The Sting has always been one of my favorite films and was one of the first to convince me to wear suits more often. Continue reading
James Mason’s Vacation in Evil Under the Sun
James Mason as Odell Gardner in Evil Under the Sun (1982)
Vitals
James Mason as Odell Gardner, Broadway theatrical producer
Adriatic Sea, Summer 1939
Film: Evil Under the Sun
Release Date: March 5, 1982
Director: Guy Hamilton
Costume Designer: Anthony Powell
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
The 72-year-old James Mason was as effortlessly sophisticated as ever in the 1982 mystery Evil Under the Sun, based on the novel by the same name by Agatha Christie. Mason steals the show among the ensemble cast as Odell Gardner, a Broadway producer with a sling of recent flops and wit sharp enough to match anyone but his wife, played by Sylvia Miles. Continue reading
Poolside De Niro in Casino
Robert De Niro as “Ace” Rothstein in Casino (1995)
Vitals
Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, Vegas casino manager and mob associate
Las Vegas, Summer 1972
Film: Casino
Release Date: November 22, 1995
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Design: Rita Ryack & John A. Dunn
Background
With tomorrow marking the first official day of summer, people will be flocking to the pool. It’s a nice place to catch some sun, but maybe you’re not in the mood for swimming. Who knows why – maybe you’re afraid of water, or maybe you have lice. Still, you’ll want to make sure you look cool while sitting poolside, puffing away on a cigarette while dealing with your city’s major power brokers and delegating control of your turf…assuming you’re a ’70s casino executive in Martin Scorsese’s world. Continue reading
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