Tagged: Warm Climate
The Living Daylights: Timothy Dalton’s Casual Tan Suit as 007
Timothy Dalton as James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987)
Vitals
Timothy Dalton as James Bond, British government agent
Tangier, Morocco, Fall 1986
Film: The Living Daylights
Release Date: June 27, 1987
Director: John Glen
Costume Designer: Emma Porteous
Costume Supervisor: Tiny Nicholls
Tailor: Benjamin Simon
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Happy 80th birthday to Timothy Dalton! Born March 21, 1946 in Wales, Dalton became the fourth actor to portray James Bond when he starred in The Living Daylights in 1987. He had actually been approached several times for the role over the previous decades but initially felt too young—and too intimidated—to replace Sean Connery. Still, the part may have been in his blood: his father, Peter Dalton Leggett, served in the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the real-life British World War II unit that inspired Ian Fleming to write several of Bond’s literary adventures.
Though he only officially starred as 007 twice on screen, Dalton’s portrayal has enjoyed renewed appreciation for its fidelity to the harder-edged tone of Fleming’s source material and how this may have inspired Daniel Craig’s later characterization.
One of my favorite suits and scenes from The Living Daylights takes Bond to Tangier, where the agent confronts KGB director Leonid Pushkin (John Rhys-Davies)—using the general’s girlfriend (Virginia Hey) as a decoy when a bodyguard storms in the hotel room. Commanding the situation with his silenced Walther PPK, Bond settles the tension with the Soviet general as they mutually agree to stage a public assassination.
Scripted by stalwart Bond screenwriters Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson, the scene plays like a lost Fleming chapter—firmly rooted in late Cold War-era espionage while also showcasing a sharp suit that feels like perfect inspiration for spring style and warmer days ahead. Continue reading
Wild Things: Matt Dillon’s Faded Blue Polo and Corduroy Shorts
Matt Dillon as Sam Lombardo in Wild Things (1998)
Vitals
Matt Dillon as Sam Lombardo, shady high school guidance counselor
South Florida, Spring 1999
Film: Wild Things
Release Date: March 20, 1998
Director: John McNaughton
Costume Designer: Kimberly A. Tillman
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Wild Things is one of those movies I remember being disregarded as a sleazefest, mostly due to Matt Dillon’s illicit ménage à trois with Neve Campbell and Denise Richards (which, of course, made eight-year-old me all the more interested in seeing it). But time has been kinder to John McNaughton’s twisty erotic thriller, which has grown a cult following in the 28 years since its release this week in March 1998. Even at the time, critics like Roger Ebert, Janet Maslin, and Gene Siskel were able to praise elements of it, albeit not without feeling compelled to note that it was—in Ebert’s words—”lurid trash.” Continue reading
Death on the Nile: George Kennedy’s Brown Striped Sport Jacket
George Kennedy as Andrew Pennington in Death on the Nile (1978)
Vitals
George Kennedy as Andrew Pennington, crooked American lawyer
Egypt, September 1937
Film: Death on the Nile
Release Date: September 29, 1978
Director: John Guillermin
Costume Designer: Anthony Powell
Background
It seems like just yesterday that George Kennedy died at age 91 rocked my corner of Twitter for how so many obituaries eulogized him as a “beefy character actor,” and yet it’s been ten years since the Oscar winner’s death on February 28, 2016.
Kennedy rose to fame after his Academy Award-winning performance in Cool Hand Luke (1967) and was a mainstay of American cinema for decades, often playing tough guys or cops in movies like the Airport and Naked Gun franchises, though the first time I first saw the actor was in John Guillerman’s lavish, star-studded 1978 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Egyptian-set murder mystery Death on the Nile. Continue reading
Evil Under the Sun: Colin Blakely’s Blazers as Sir Horace Blatt
Colin Blakely as Sir Horace Blatt in Evil Under the Sun (1982)
Vitals
Colin Blakely as Sir Horace Blatt, bombastic millionaire yachtsman
Mediterranean Sea, Summer 1939
Film: Evil Under the Sun
Release Date: March 5, 1982
Director: Guy Hamilton
Costume Designer: Anthony Powell
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Born 95 years ago today on September 23, 1930 in Northern Ireland, Colin Blakely was an underrated actor who excelled both on stage and screen. He won acclaim for his Shakespearean performances, his portrayal of Dr. Watson in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), and BAFTA-nominated turn in Equus (1977), while also standing out among the star-studded casts of two lavish Agatha Christie adaptations.
Following his small part as the quickly uncovered American private detective in Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Blakely returned to the Christie-verse for a juicier role in Evil Under the Sun (1982)—loosely adapted from the Queen of Crime’s 1941 novel of the same name, with many characters consolidated and the action transferred from the English coast to a fictional island in the Adriatic Sea. Continue reading
Richard Arlen’s White Suit in Island of Lost Souls
Richard Arlen in Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Vitals
Richard Arlen as Edward Parker, shipwrecked sailor
South Pacific, Summer 1932
Film: Island of Lost Souls
Release Date: December 23, 1932
Director: Erle C. Kenton
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
The old maxim that a gentleman shouldn’t wear white after Labor Day has long grown outdated, but those looking for one last hurrah in summer whites can find inspiration in Erle C. Kenton’s pre-Code sci-fi/horror adventure Island of Lost Souls.
Set on the titular island (but actually filmed on Catalina), this adaptation of H.G. Wells’ 1896 novel The Island of Doctor Moreau stars Charles Laughton as the eponymous Moreau and Richard Arlen as the shipwrecked Edward Parker, who finds himself at Moreau’s mercy on the island.
The sole survivor from the sunken S.S. Lady Vain, Parker is plucked from the sea aboard the Covina, where he’s treated by the enigmatic ex-doctor Montgomery (Arthur Hohl)—who seems more in command of the ship and its strange animal cargo than the drunken Captain Davies (Stanley Fields), who grumblingly describes their mysterious destination as “Dr. Moreau’s island, and it stinks all over the whole South Seas.”
Parker soon understands this criticism firsthand after discovering that Moreau has been dissecting men and beasts and combining their DNA into grotesque hybrid creatures, snarling in response: “Now I can understand why you and your island stink from one end of the South Seas to the other!” To keep Parker distracted and further his own experimentation, Moreau introduces him to the alluring Lota (Kathleen Burke) without explaining that she is part-panther.
Born 126 years ago today on September 1, 1899 (and shockingly only two months younger than Laughton), Arlen was cast after Randolph Scott was initially considered to play Parker. One of the most prominent actors of the 1920s and ’30s, Arlen brought his experience as a Canadian Royal Flying Corps pilot to his starring role in the first-ever winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, Wings (1927). Though his stature waned in later decades, Arlen was one of the few major silent-era stars to successfully transition onto television, with guest appearances on dozens of shows until his death in March 1976. Continue reading
Against All Odds: Jeff Bridges’ White Shirt and OG-507 Trousers
Jeff Bridges in Against All Odds (1984)
Vitals
Jeff Bridges as Terry Brogan, recently cut football player
Cozumel, Mexico, Fall 1983
Film: Against All Odds
Release Date: March 2, 1984
Director: Taylor Hackford
Costume Designer: Michael Kaplan
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
A loose remake of Jacques Tourneur’s seminal 1947 noir Out of the Past, Against All Odds recasts the typical private eye as Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges), a pro football player sidelined after a career-ending shoulder injury. Cut from the fictional Los Angeles Outlaws, Terry turns to his shady bookie friend Jake Wise (James Woods), who offers him a job finding his missing girlfriend Jessie (Rachel Ward)—who also happens to be the daughter of the Outlaws’ owner.
Terry’s search leads him to Cozumel, a sun-drenched island off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, where Jessie invites him to her secluded tropical refuge. There, amid the crashing surf and flowing tequila, the two plunge headlong into a dangerous affair. Continue reading
The White Lotus: Walton Goggins’ Linen Dandy Del Mar Beach Set
Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood on The White Lotus, Episode 3.08: “Amor Fati”. Photo by Fabio Lovino.
Vitals
Walton Goggins as Rick Hatchett, troubled tourist and “victim of [his] own decisions”
Koh Samui, Thailand, Spring 2024
Series: The White Lotus
Episode: “Amor Fati” (Episode 3.08)
Air Date: April 6, 2025
Director: Mike White
Creator: Mike White
Costume Designer: Alex Bovaird
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
It seems like every month I’m checking in on my man Walton Goggins, but I can’t help myself after seeing how Alex Bovaird’s Emmy-nominated costume design dressed Rick Hatchett exactly in my summer aesthetic on The White Lotus. Whether he’s in wild tropical-printed shirts and cargo pants or a chic matching set from Dandy Del Mar, Rick’s vacation wardrobe hits all the right notes.
I first discovered the Cali-based brand Dandy Del Mar back in 2020 through their retro-informed swimwear and terry-forward loungewear, and as the brand’s collection of leisurewear has grown, so has my personal stash. (This isn’t a sponsored post, I swear—I’m just a big fan!) Naturally, I was thrilled when I saw Rick sporting one of their matching sets during his emotional reunion with Chelsea on the beach in Koh Samui during the latest season finale.
As this summer draws closer to an end, let’s look back at how Rick Hatchett dressed toward the end of his fateful stay at the White Lotus this year. Continue reading
Purple Noon: Alain Delon’s Blue Ivy-Style OCBD, Cream Jeans, and Loafers
Alain Delon as Tom Ripley in Purple Noon (1960)
Vitals
Alain Delon as Tom Ripley, charming American con artist
Italy, Summer 1959
Film: Purple Noon
(French title: Plein soleil)
Release Date: March 10, 1960
Director: René Clément
Costume Designer: Bella Clément
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
French screen and style icon Alain Delon died one year ago this week on August 18, 2024. One of the actor’s most celebrated and stylish roles remains his portrayal of Tom Ripley in Purple Noon, René Clément’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s psychological thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley.
The French/Italian co-production (released in France as Plein soleil) was the first cinematic adaptation of Highsmith’s novel, followed by Anthony Minghella’s 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley and Steven Zaillain’s 2024 Netflix miniseries Ripley. Clément was inspired to cast Delon after spotting the young actor in the 1959 comedy Women are Weak, and his enigmatic performance as Tom Ripley eventually launched him to wider global recognition.
Highsmith’s own opinion about the film ranged from cheers for Henri Decaë’s stunning cinematography to jeers against Clément’s bastardized ending, though the author fully praised Delon’s “excellent” portrayal of her devious creation. Continue reading
The Godfather, Part II: Fredo Corleone’s Pink in Havana
John Cazale as Fredo Corleone in The Godfather Part II (1974)
Vitals
John Cazale as Fredo Corleone, insecure mob family sibling
Havana, Cuba, December 1958
Film: The Godfather Part II
Release Date: December 12, 1974
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Costume Designer: Theadora Van Runkle
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
John Cazale was born 90 years ago today on August 12, 1935 in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Though his career was heartbreakingly brief, John Cazale—born 90 years ago today on August 12, 1935 in Suffolk County, Massachusetts—remains considered as one of the finest actors of his generation. Incredibly, all five feature films he appeared in during the 1970s were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Among these unforgettable roles, his most enduring may be Fredo Corleone—the insecure, overmatched middle brother of the Corleone crime family. Cazale first played Fredo in The Godfather (1972), but it was The Godfather Part II (1974) that gave him the tragic spotlight as Fredo, desperate for power and recognition, betrays his younger and more successful brother Michael (Al Pacino), setting off a slow-burning familial powder keg that mirrors the revolutionary unrest simmering around them in the streets of Havana. Continue reading
Alec Guinness’ Tropical Khaki Drill Uniform in The Bridge on the River Kwai
Alec Guinness in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Vitals
Alec Guinness as Lt. Col. L. Nicholson, duty-bound British Army officer and POW
Between Burma and Thailand, Spring 1943
Film: The Bridge on the River Kwai
Release Date: October 2, 1957
Director: David Lean
Wardrobe Credit: John Wilson-Apperson
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
One of the most acclaimed war epics of all time, The Bridge on the River Kwai was directed by David Lean and adapted from the 1952 novel by French author Pierre Boulle, a former POW who infused the story with a mix of firsthand insight and satirical commentary. The film became the highest-grossing release of 1957 and won six of its seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Alec Guinness, who died 25 years ago tomorrow on August 5, 2000.
In this fictionalized account of the construction of a railway bridge along the Burma-Siam route during World War II, Guinness portrayed dignified career officer Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson of the British Army, whom we meet as he leads his whistling troops into a Japanese prison camp deep in the arid Thai jungle. Continue reading
You must be logged in to post a comment.