Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) aims John McClane’s own Beretta at him in a production still from Die Hard (1988).
Vitals
Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber, shrewd German terrorist leader and self-described “excellent thief”
Los Angeles, Christmas 1988
Film:Die Hard Release Date: July 15, 1988 Director: John McTiernan Costume Designer: Marilyn Vance
Background
Like surprisingly many others, Die Hard is my favorite Christmas movie and no holiday season – no matter how hectic or bleak – is complete without a viewing of what is arguably the greatest action movie ever made.
For the first BAMF Style holiday season in 2012, I broke down the rugged (and eventually very sparse) style of Bruce Willis’ John McClane, but it feels like the time has come to look at what the film’s fashion-driven antagonist wore as he led his European gunslingers into Nakatomi Plaza on Christmas Eve 1988.
Mr. Takagi, I could talk about industrialization and men’s fashion all day, but I’m afraid work must intrude…
What’d He Wear?
Nice suit. John Phillips, London. I have two myself. Rumor has it Arafat buys his there.
Obviously, Hans Gruber knows a thing about clothes as he takes the time to compliment the Nakatomi Corporation’s soon-to-be martyr’s suit. Whether or not the dark suit sported by Hans himself is one of his two from the prestigious (but ultimately fictional) John Phillips.
Hans Gruber’s dark charcoal suit is very contemporary to its 1980s setting, not surprising for a man so interested in fashion and image. The jacket is cut short with a double-breasted 4-on-2 button stance.
Hans meets his new buddies at the Nakatomi Corporation!
Hans’ combination of notch lapels and a double-breasted front was most popular during the decade, although it also popped up a bit during the ’60s. When he makes his first appearance on screen, Hans wears his lapels flipped up under his raincoat to create a more menacing look before he enters “businessman” mode when taking over the building. Each lapel has a buttonhole.
The jacket also has a welted breast pocket, jetted hip pockets, a ventless back, and padded shoulders with roped sleeveheads. All in all, very befitting for a flashy ’80s terrorist’s power suit.
Much less is seen of the trousers, especially as Hans spends so much time behind a desk once he has taken control. They have side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms with a full break. He wears them with a black leather belt with a gold single-claw buckle.
Hans wears a pale blue poplin dress shirt. The collar is slim with moderate spread, and the rounded cuffs close with a button. The front has a placket and a pointed-bottom pocket over the left breast.
Hans really wanted that new iPhone for Christmas, but Ma and Pa Gruber shafted him with a secondhand Kenwood walkie-talkie. Maybe next year…
Just because he’s killing and stealing on Christmas Eve doesn’t mean Hans Gruber isn’t one to inject some holiday fun into his attire! Hans wears a maroon silk necktie, tied in a four-in-hand knot.
Unlike his nemesis, Hans manages to keep his feet covered throughout the evening. He wears a pair of black leather cap-toe bluchers and black dress socks.
Stubbing out one of the Gauloises he bummed from McClane…
For his on-screen introduction, Hans Gruber wears the trope-worthy Badass Longcoat, here in the form of a taupe raincoat. The coat is worn open with a loose belt hooked through a loop on each side. Each lapel has a buttonhole through it, and the jacket’s cuffs close through a single button tab.
In lieu of a scarf, Hans just flips up his suit lapels. Win win.
Finally, Hans’ sole visible accessory is a gold tank watch fastened to his left wrist on a black alligator strap.
Still smarting over not getting that iPhone…
How to Get the Look
If not for his nefarious aims, Hans Gruber would have certainly looked the part of a very welcome guest at a company Christmas party in the ’80s!
Charcoal tailored “power suit”, consisting of:
Double-breasted 4×2-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, jetted hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
Trousers with belt loops, side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
Pale blue poplin dress shirt with slim collar, breast pocket, front placket, and rounded button cuffs
Maroon silk tie
Black leather belt with square gold single-claw buckle
Black leather cap-toe bluchers
Black dress socks
Taupe belted raincoat with 1-button tab cuffs and long single rear vent
Gold tank watch on black alligator leather strap
The Gun
For his takeover of Nakatomi Plaza, Hans Gruber’s sidearm is a Heckler & Koch P7M13 semi-automatic pistol, finished in hard chrome and chambered in 9×19 mm Parabellum. Although Hans and his gang are clearly involved in criminal activity without much regard for noise, he is seen removing a suppressor (which matches the pistol’s chrome finish) when he first draws it on Mr. Takagi. According to IMFDB, this indicates that “it’s not a P7M13SD because there is no threaded barrel to use a suppressor”
Hans blows his job interview almost immediately.
Heckler & Koch GmbH first revealed its PSP in 1976, aimed at the police market. Production began on the P7 three years later, and the weapon was soon adopted by the German Army’s special forces and the GSG 9 counter-terrorism unit. In addition to its distinguished look and innovative cocking-lever grip, the P7 series utilizes a unique gas-delayed blowback locking system which utilizes each ignited cartridge’s gas pressures.
Hans should consider finding a better place to store his weapon.
The first variant of the P7 was the P7M8 in the early 1980s, followed quickly by the P7M13 in 1982 which could carry 13-round magazines of 9 mm ammunition. With its double-stack magazine, the P7M13 was slightly larger at 30 ounces with an overall length of 6.9 inches, sharing the P7M8’s barrel length of 4.1 inches.
Supposedly Alan Rickman had trouble keeping his eyes open when exposed to the multiple instances of muzzle flash in the film, but this shows that he could keep it together when needed!
The script initially called for a Walther:
Hans slowly takes out his Walther and his silencer.
…which still found use in the film in the form of the menacing Karl’s Walther PPK. Instead, Hans was armed with the less familiar (and thus more exotic) but equally German Heckler & Koch P7M13.
Ray Liotta as Henry Hill, ambitious New York mob associate
Queens, NY, Summer 1963
Film:Goodfellas Release Date: September 19, 1990 Director: Martin Scorsese Costume Designer: Richard Bruno
Background
For Mafia Monday, I’m taking a look at what was always one of the more memorable movie outfits for me growing up.
Goodfellas introduces us to the adult Henry Hill, aged 20, while casually taking part in a heist at Idlewild Airport. Presumably that evening, he and his mobbed-up cronies take their beehive-haired comares to The Bamboo Lounge, an actual former hangout for the gang located in Canarsie. (The location used in the film was actually the Polynesian bar Hawaii Kai, previously located at 1638 Broadway in Manhattan before it was closed the year before Goodfellas was released.)
The scene shows us the potential glamour of mob life, with silk-suited mobsters with names like “Fat Andy” and “Jimmy Two Times” sipping on anisette while seated next to women who are far out of their league. The hardworking Henry is able to enjoy these aspects of the night while also working, shuffling in racks of stolen mink coats and planning his next heist at the Air France terminal.
While the scene would have already been memorable for these reasons, it has become legendary for the mostly improvised “You think I’m funny?” banter between Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) and Henry. The scene emerged from Pesci recounting a very similar story to Martin Scorsese, who decided to include it in the film under Pesci’s direction.
What’d He Wear?
Henry stands out from the other guys in their gray silk suits with his slick mixing and matching of white and black, including an ivory jacket and a black shirt with a distinctively large contrast collar.
This is one of those “smoking is cool” moments in movies that the tobacco companies must secretly love.
The off-white single-breasted jacket that Henry wears for his night out appears to be ivory silk and resplendent with sumptuously sporty details. Both buttons on the front are covered in the same ivory silk as the jacket as is each button on the cuff. The sleeves end with a narrow turnback cuff likely around ¾” long.
The breast pocket and both hip pockets are all patch pockets. Henry’s jacket has straight shoulders, roped sleeveheads, and a ventless back. The notch lapels have swelled edges.
Henry is just as comfortable at the bar as he is in the storage room, providing that he’s got a fat stack of cash coming his way for all that swag.
Although we see his black trousers, not much else is seen of Henry’s lower half in the scene. I think we can safely assume that he changed out of his olive alligator shoes into a pair of black leather loafers with black silk socks, but these gangsters aren’t always so predictable when it comes to style.
In fact, Henry’s black shirt with its contrast collar and cuffs is anything but predictable. Only the shirt itself is black; the long-pointed collar, the button cuffs, and even the plastic buttons down the front placket are all white.
It incorporates the almost impossibly long-pointed “Goodfella collar” with its nearly non-existent spread. Though its nomenclature is derived from this movie, it’s been seen on mobsters represented in other Scorsese flicks like Raging Bull and Casino. You can’t just walk into a Macy’s and ask for a shirt with this type of collar, though. (Maybe not outside of Brooklyn, at least.)
A few sites online – like Guido Fashions – specialize in marketing the “Goodfella collar” or “Italian collar”, but I have yet to test any of them out myself. In fact, I tried to emulate the look in my youth by sporting a standard black dress shirt over a vintage white shirt with a long ’70s collar poking out over the shirt, but it looked horrible and made me very sweaty to boot.
Also, most Macy’s salespeople don’t like to be told to “shut the fuck up” like this. They just don’t get it.
Ray Liotta has recalled anecdotes of Scorsese stepping in to tie Liotta’s necktie for him to ensure that it would be totally accurate for the period and setting. The slim ivory silk tie that Henry wears in this scene is certainly reasonable for a sharp, ambitious mobster to wear for a night out in the summer of ’63, although most of the knot is totally hidden beneath that big collar.
Henry feels some stress from working nights.
Not yet totally swamped by the jewelry demands of being both a mobster and a married man, Henry keeps his accessories somewhat simple early on. In addition to the Standard Mafia Issue gold pinky ring on his right hand, he also wears an all-gold watch secured to his right wrist by a black alligator strap. Still fully Catholic, he wears only his gold cross on a gold necklace with no Star of David to be seen.
Go Big or Go Home
Although Scorsese is careful to avoid glamorizing the Mafia lifestyle, these early scenes of the guys kicking back in a nightclub with everything on the house can’t help but to make any reasonable guy wonder if he’s chosen the right occupation. Luckily, the opera of deaths, arrests, and living “like a schnook” during the film’s finale should reassure that reasonable guy that selling insurance is an a-okay life decision!
Of course, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t feel free to have a Goodfellas-themed night out on the town, especially if you’ve got a friendly bar owner in your list of contacts. Button up your silk suit, hide that little tie knot under a big shirt collar, and spend far too much on making your girlfriend’s hair look like a beehive. Put some classic Italian pop – in this case, it’s Mina’s 1960 hit “Il cielo in una stanza” – and line up your table with liquor. Safe bets are Leroux anisette and Crown Royal, which was indeed the real Tommy DeSimone’s preferred whiskey. (Interestingly, Crown Royal wasn’t legal to import into the U.S. until 1965, which makes many people think it’s an error to see it in this scene set in 1963. Um… would a silly think like a law really stop these guys from bringing their favorite booze into the country?)
Keep in mind that Manischewitz would look funny on Tommy’s table. And speaking of “funny”…
GOODFELLAS
Tommy’s reputation as a violent hothead doesn’t do him any favors with his friends. Sure, they love to hear his stories, but you might be sacrificing your life just by showing your appreciation for them:
Henry: You’re a pistol, you’re really funny. You’re really funny. Tommy: What do you mean I’m “funny”? Henry: (laughs) It’s funny, you know. It’s a good story, it’s funny… you’re a funny guy. Tommy: What do you mean? You mean the way I talk? What? Henry: It’s just, you know, you’re just funny, it’s… funny, the way you tell the story and everything. Tommy: Funny how? What’s funny about it? Anthony Stabile: Tommy, naw, you got it all wrong. Tommy: Oh, oh, Anthony. He’s a big boy, he knows what he said. What’d ja say? Funny how? Henry: Just- Tommy: What? Henry: Just… ya know… you’re funny. Tommy: You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it’s me, I’m a little fucked up maybe, but I’m funny how, I mean funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh? I’m here to fuckin’ amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny? Henry: Just… you know, how you tell the story, what? Tommy: No, no, I don’t know, you said it. How do I know? You said I’m funny. How the fuck am I funny, what the fuck is so funny about me? Tell me, tell me what’s funny! Henry: (after a long pause) Get the fuck out of here… Tommy! Tommy: (leading the laughter) Ya motherfucker! I almost had him, I almost had him. Ya stuttering prick ya. Frankie, was he shaking? I wonder about you sometimes, Henry… You may fold under questioning!
How to Get the Look
Although not everything (like morality) is black and white in Henry’s mob world, that’s no reason not to find a creative marriage of both colors for a night out with fellow gangsters.
Ivory silk single-breasted sportcoat with notch lapels, 2 covered-button front, patch breast pocket, patch hip pockets, “turnback” cuffs with single decorative covered button, and ventless back
Black trousers
Black dress shirt with long white point collar and white button cuffs
Ivory silk tie
Black leather horsebit loafers
Black silk dress socks
White sleeveless ribbed cotton undershirt
Gold watch on black leather strap
Gold pinky ring, worn on right pinky
Gold Catholic cross pendant, worn on gold necklace
For us to live any other way was nuts. To us, those goody-good people who worked shitty jobs for bum paychecks and took the subway to work every day, and worried about their bills, were dead. I mean, they were suckers. They had no balls. If we wanted something, we just took it. If anyone complained twice they got hit so bad, believe me, they never complained again.
I use this still of Ray Liotta’s laughing face as the background on my iPhone. I honestly do.
Footnotes
I recently came across a cool blog that stays up to date with the latest mob-related news – appropriately titled Cosa Nostra News – and I recommend it for fellow historians of American organized crime.
If you’re curious about how accurate Goodfellas really is, pay attention to when Henry’s voiceover introduces us to “Fat Andy” at the bar. (Hint: he’s the fat guy.) This brief part was played by NYPD detective Louis Eppolito. Eppolito could be called the good egg from a bad family after his father, uncle, and cousin had all been linked to the Mafia… except that Eppolito himself was arrested in 2005 and charged with racketeering, obstruction of justice, extortion, and up to eight murders. Both Eppolito and his partner were sentenced to life imprisonment. (Technically, life imprisonment plus 80 years, should their lives be unexpectedly long.)
Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder, scrappy Harlan County criminal and ex-miner
Harlan County, Kentucky, Fall 2010
Series:Justified Episodes:
– “The Hammer” (Episode 1.10, Director: John Dahl, Air Date: May 18, 2010)
– “Veterans” (Episode 1.11, Director: Tony Goldwyn, Air Date: May 25, 2010) Costume Designer: Ane Crabtree
Background
Fresh out of prison, Harlan County’s wiliest and wittiest criminal mastermind Boyd Crowder finds himself in the backwoods of his old Kentucky home, teaching his particular brand of religion to a congregation of redneck drug slingers. Not satisfied with having shot him in the chest earlier that year, Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens shows up and rubs proverbial salt in Boyd’s wound by reminding the “congregation” that there is a standing $50,000 reward for anyone who can provide information sending their new leader back to prison.
What’d He Wear?
Boyd leads his backwoods brethren by layering comfortably for the brisk fall weather. The main staple of his attire in these episodes is a dark gray thin-wale corded jacket with black fleece insulation that extends over the collar; Levi calls this style a “sherpa trucker jacket” and their similar product can be found for $98 online.
Boyd’s “sherpa jacket” is apropos for his new status as a mountain man.
Boyd’s fleece-insulated trucker jacket has six silver-toned metal buttons down the front with a single button to fasten each cuff. Each side of the waistband has a short tab with two buttons to adjust the fit.
The metal buttons of Boyd’s trucker jacket are best seen when he’s accepting this thoughtful gift from his loving father.
The two patch pockets on the chest have pointed bottoms and close with pointed flaps that each close with a single button. A double front yoke detail extends down each panel, starting under the pocket flap and slightly tapering toward each other before meeting the waistband. Each side of the jacket features a vertical welt pocket used as handwarmers.
It is interesting to compare how Boyd and Raylan wear their trucker jackets in cooler weather. A stoic lawman in the tradition of the Old West, Raylan sports the same blue denim jacket as usual but wears a dark wool long coat over it as an extra layer against the cold. Boyd, a criminal used to life on the run, minimizes by wearing one thicker, isolated jacket.
Harlan County’s finest meets Harlan County’s most wanted.
If he does need an extra layer, Boyd wears a cream-colored wool scarf around his neck and under his jacket. The scarf may even be cashmere, far more luxurious than one would expect for a character in these surroundings but certainly not out of character for Boyd Crowder.
These episodes also introduce us to Boyd’s enduring habit of wearing his shirts buttoned up to the throat. In “The Hammer” (Episode 1.10), he sports a black flannel shirt with black buttons and a gray chambray shirt.
In “Veterans” (Episode 1.11), Boyd wears a light blue chambray shirt, naturally buttoned to the throat. The blue plastic buttons fasten down a front placket with white edge stitching. The patch pocket on the right chest closes with a button-down flap with mitred corners; the left chest pocket is an open square patch with no flap.
Boyd finds himself in a tight spot in “Veterans” (Episode 1.11).
The jacket also makes some sporadic appearances throughout the second season. In “The I of the Storm” (Episode 2.03), Boyd wears the gray sherpa jacket over a dark blue shirt with a subtle gray and green overcheck. “Save My Love” (Episode 2.07) finds coal miner Boyd arguing at work while wearing this jacket over a colorful flannel shirt in maroon, blue, and orange plaid. Finally, in “The Spoil” (Episode 2.08), he is briefly seen wearing the corded jacket over a white shirt. Of course, all of these shirts are also worn buttoned to the throat.
The jacket makes a brief return in “Save My Love” (Episode 2.07) and “The Spoil” (Episode 2.08).
Boyd’s dark blue denim jeans have a “skinny” fit, suitable for the slim-framed Walton Goggins. The jeans have narrow cuffs folded at the bottom of the tapered legs, and Boyd wears a smooth dark brown leather belt through the waist loops.
Boyd lays down the law for his fellow outlaws.
A man of the people – despite his cashmere scarf – Boyd wisely foregoes luxury when choosing his footwear, opting for a pair of well-worn tan leather work boots. The boots are laced through four brass eyelets with at least two brass hooks above them.
How to Get the Look
Still finding his place in Harlan County’s criminal hierarchy, Boyd dresses comfortably with only a hint of luxury sneaking through his badass blue-collar look. He needs to be rugged enough to be able to live and work out in the woods while still commanding respect from his hillbilly flock.
Dark gray corded “sherpa trucker jacket” with black fleece collar and lining, 6-button front, button-down flapped chest pockets, welted handwarmer pockets, 1-button cuffs, and 2-button adjustable waist tabs
Long-sleeve utility shirt, buttoned to throat
Dark blue “skinny” denim jeans with hand-cuffed bottoms
Dark brown smooth leather belt with squared brass single-claw buckle
Tan leather plain-toe work boots with brass eyelets and hooks
Cream cashmere wool scarf
The Gun
Boyd Crowder first draws his Beretta 92FS, which would go on to become his sidearm of choice in the series, in “The Hammer” (Episode 1.10) when he is trying to get Bobby Joe Packer off drugs.
Boyd finds a foolproof way of “getting through” to Bobby Joe.
The Beretta 92FS evolved from the original Beretta 92, introduced in 1972. The U.S. military adapted the 92F variant to become the M9 service pistol in the mid-1980s. The 92FS is differentiated from the earlier 92F only by an enlarged firing pin on the underside of the slide to keep the pistol relatively intact should the slide crack. Both the 92F and the 92FS are chambered for the popular 9×19 mm Parabellum round with 15-round standard magazines.
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Watch the entire series. If you want to see these episodes in particular, check out the first and second seasons. Just know that, like the fine bourbon sipped in the show, Justified gets even better with age.
James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano on The Sopranos (Episode 5.02: “Two Tonys”).
Vitals
James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, New Jersey mob boss
New Jersey, March 2004
Series:The Sopranos Episode:“Rat Pack” (Episode 5.02) Air Date: March 14, 2004 Director: Alan Taylor Creator: David Chase Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa
Background
I’m not sure why, how, or who decided it, but today – January 22nd – is considered to be National Hot Sauce Day in America.
Today’s post is a short one but appropriate given today’s “holiday”.
What’d He Wear?
During a brief scene in the Bada Bing’s back office in “Rat Pack” (Episode 5.02), Tony Soprano holds a brief meeting while wearing a shirt loudly celebrating Louisiana’s venerable pepper-based condiment.
The black cotton polo shirt is printed with images of the iconic Tabasco sauce bottle with bursts of red peppers all over the shirt. The shirt has three white buttons, both left open by Tony, below the solid black collar. The end of each short sleeve is solid black and elasticized. From what I can tell, this is the shirt’s only appearance on the show.
Tony angrily shows off his love for one of America’s favorite sauces.
The McIlhenny Company, which has produced Tabasco sauce since its inception in 1868, also officially manufactures clothing and other goods bearing Tabasco branding. As this episode aired in 2004, it’s hard tracking down information on this exact shirt, but it’s almost definitely an example of a McIlhenny-produced shirt. Some similar items can be found on eBay for any curious hot sauce aficionados out there.
The rest of Tony’s outfit is all black: his reverse-pleated trousers, his leather bluchers, and his dress socks.
Tony kicks back.
Tony also wears the rest of his usual mobbed-up jewelry, including his yellow gold Rolex President Day-Date on his left wrist, the gold chain bracelet on his right wrist, and his gold pinky ring with a ruby and diamond on his right hand.
Although we can’t see it in this scene, we can assume that Tony is also wearing his usual gold open-link chain necklace with a pendant of St. Jerome.
His trusty Rolex stays on his left hand even when his wedding band isn’t.
How to Get the Look
Who knew Tony was so passionate about Tabasco sauce that he actually owned a shirt colorfully dedicated to celebrating it?
Black Tabasco-printed cotton short-sleeve polo shirt with 3-button collar
Black reverse-pleated trousers with plain-hemmed bottoms
Black leather bluchers
Black dress socks
White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
Rolex President Day-Date 118238 yellow gold wristwatch
Gold open-link chain bracelet
Gold pinky ring with ruby and diamond stones
Gold open-link chain necklace with round St. Jerome pendant
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Buy the entire series, and give yourself an extra dose of hot sauce with dinner tonight!
Gene Hackman and Estelle Parsons as Buck and Blanche Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde (1967).
Vitals
Gene Hackman as “Buck” Barrow, bank robber, ex-convict, and family man
Texas, May 1933
Film:Bonnie & Clyde Release Date: August 13, 1967 Director: Arthur Penn Costume Designer: Theadora Van Runkle
Background
Happy birthday to Gene Hackman, who turns 86 years old today!
Bonnie and Clyde marked the first major role for Hackman, who had spent much of the ’60s as a struggling actor who shared rooms with fellow struggling actors Dustin Hoffman and Robert Duvall. 1967 turned out to be a banner year for the friends and roommates, earning Hackman and Hoffman their first Academy Award nominations.
Hackman brings an easygoing charm to the role of the more famous Clyde’s older brother Buck, and the film gets many of the “on paper” details right about Buck. As Clyde’s older brother, he had more experience tangling with the law and spent the first few months of Clyde’s criminal career in the Texas state prison. He had escaped once, but – as Hackman tells Warren Beatty’s Clyde – it was his new wife Blanche that talked him into returning to prison to serve out the rest of his sentence, and he would be pardoned 15 months later. Buck and Blanche journeyed to visit Bonnie and Clyde, ostensibly for a reunion and possibly for Buck to try and talk Clyde into following his good example. Of course, the murder of two Joplin policemen during this reunion meant Buck would be wanted again as well, and the brothers led the motley “Barrow Gang” in a string of small-town stickups and kidnappings over the next three months.
Buck and Blanche enjoy some tender moments, both in real life and on film.
The charismatic Buck that Hackman portrays is far from the dangerous and serious criminal that had become so well known to Dallas police. Born Marvin Ivan Barrow in March 1903 in west Texas, the adventurous boy quickly gained a reputation for his restless spirit and was given the nickname “Buck”. Buck’s restlessness, combined with poverty and any existing psychological factors, made the young man’s descent into crime inevitable. The impressionable Clyde, six years younger and always looking up to Buck, would certainly follow in the same path. In November 1929, two weeks after Buck made the acquaintance of a lovely young Oklahoma girl named Blanche Caldwell, Buck was shot, wounded, and captured during a holdup in Denton, Texas. Clyde, who had been one of his accomplices, got away. (Perhaps if the family would have had the foresight to observe Clyde’s ability to run away from trouble while Buck was constantly being captured, they would have endowed the younger brother with the “Buck” moniker.)
While he enjoyed a joke as much as any other good ol’ boy, Buck was still a serious, deadly criminal who didn’t hesitate to pick up a shotgun or one of Clyde’s trademark Browning Automatic Rifles to fire back at the police when the gang was cornered. He was certainly the triggerman in at least one of the two Joplin policemen’s deaths, and he alone was responsible for the death of Henry D. Humphrey, the city marshal of Alma, Arkansas who nearly captured Buck and gang member W.D. Jones after a failed robbery.
(Blanche, who was still alive when Bonnie and Clyde was released in 1967, was incensed at her portrayal by Estelle Parsons and was embarrassed that she had taken her husband Eddie with her to see the film. She had previously approved the script and was fond of Warren Beatty, but Blanche said the finished product made her look like “a screaming horses’s ass!” Of course, Parsons had the last laugh as she was the only cast member to receive an Academy Award for her performance.)
What’d He Wear?
A curious choice for a warm Texas day, Hackman’s Buck accompanies Bonnie and Clyde on a bank robbery while wearing a brown Donegal tweed three-piece suit with light brown horn buttons on the jacket and vest. (Clyde himself wears a brown herringbone tweed suit, so perhaps the day was colder than it looks!)
“Aw, let’s host a lighthearted kidnapping,” is basically the subtext of this scene just before the gang abducts a young couple at gunpoint.
Buck’s single-breasted suitcoat has notch lapels (with a buttonhole through the left lapel) that roll to the top of the jacket’s 2-button front. It has a breast pocket and straight hip pockets with flaps, although the flaps are often tucked in. The shoulders are padded with roping at the sleeveheads and 2-button cuffs. The lining is burgundy-colored, and a single vent cuts up the back to ease some of Buck’s more acrobatic bank robbery maneuvers.
Buck was very sweet but sometimes thickheaded, not realizing he didn’t need to put his hands up when he’s the one actually robbing the bank.
Buck’s suit has a matching single-breasted vest with a single-breasted, 6-button front. It has four welt pockets and a notched bottom. Although Buck never takes off his suit jacket during these scenes, the tan-colored back lining can be seen when he leaps over the bank counter.
“Show us on the elderly security guard where the bank robber touched you…”
Much of the men’s costuming in Bonnie and Clyde is mixed-and-matched from various suits and outfits, adding a sense of verisimilitude since these people were constantly on the move, washing their clothes in rivers and streams when they couldn’t take the chance to visit a small-town laundry. Buck previously wore the tweed trousers from this suit while hanging out with the gang in Joplin, paired with his leather flight jacket and a blue chambray shirt. These low rise trousers have a flat front with on-seam side pockets but no back pockets. The legs are slightly flared with narrow turn-ups.
DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS!
Although suspenders or braces are traditionally worn with three-piece suits, a true Texan like Buck wears a big brass horseshoe-shaped belt buckle on his tan tooled leather belt. Belts were also becoming more common on men’s trousers during the previous decades as waist lines began to fall lower.
Buck’s dress shirt looks solid white in most shots, but close-ups reveal subtle thin gray stripes. The shirt has a front placket and 1-button rounded cuffs.
In his role as “a grand host”, Buck re-buttons his vest when the gang has “company”.
Buck wears a solid red silk tie that reveals its surprisingly short length when he opens his vest while counting money after the bank job.
Even Buck and Blanche fell victim to common marital squabbles like which partner should receive the greater portion of the proceeds from a bank robbery.
On his feet, Buck sports a pair of brown calfskin leather medallion wingtip bluchers with black socks.
Though he didn’t wear it during the heist itself, Buck’s hat is a black felt wide-brimmed fedora with black grosgrain edges and a red grosgrain ribbon.
Hackman recalls a story from the set when he noticed an old Texan farmer behind him, staring at him. The man said, “Hell, Buck would’ve never worn a hat like that.” Hackman turned to him and responded with, “Maybe not.” The farmer stepped forward to introduce himself by saying, “Nice to meet you. I’m one of the Barrows.”
Go Big or Go Home
The bank robbery that serves as the centerpiece of the movie would have been pure fantasy for the real Clyde, who hardly ever left a bank without more than a few hundred dollars clenched in his fist while tellers, guards, and police fired wild shots all around him. Clyde is given a heroic moment of allowing a poor farmer to keep his own cash since it doesn’t belong to the bank, an apocryphal story often attributed to either John Dillinger or “Pretty Boy” Floyd.
Buck is also given a Dillinger-esque moment when he swiftly leaps over the tellers’ cage in a stunt borrowed often times in real life by John Dillinger, who had himself lifted it from watching Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro.
Hackman channels Dillinger channeling Fairbanks.
And, of course, the always considerate Buck wouldn’t think to leave the scene of a crime without picking up a little something for his wife; Buck filches a pair of sunglasses from an elderly security guard for his wife, Blanche. This would turn out to be a fortuitous gift as Blanche is only a few weeks away from being nearly blinded!
Buck’s finger on the trigger could have made the excitement of gift-giving a little more tragic in the wrong circumstances…
How to Get the Look
Although perhaps a bit warm for its context, Buck looks every bit the countrified gentleman for he and his brother’s small-town bank holdup.
Brown Donegal tweed suit, consisting of:
Single-breasted 2-button suit jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 2-button cuffs, and single rear vent
Single-breasted 6-button vest with four welt pockets, notched bottom, and tan-lined back
Flat front low rise trousers with belt loops, on-seam side pockets, and turn-ups/cuffed bottoms
White gray-striped dress shirt with front placket and 1-button rounded cuffs
Red silk short necktie
Tan tooled leather belt with curved brass horseshoe-shaped buckle
Brown calfskin leather medallion wingtip bluchers
Black dress socks
Black felt fedora with red grosgrain ribbon
The Gun
Although both Clyde and his brother preferred .45-caliber Colt M1911 pistols, the .45 ACP blank round was notoriously unreliable in semi-automatic handguns at the time Bonnie and Clyde was filmed. Buck’s preferred sidearm throughout the film is thus a Colt New Service revolver, also chambered in .45 ACP.
A production photo of Gene Hackman with Buck’s Colt New Service.
The New Service was first produced by Colt in 1898 to fill both government and civilian contracts. The swing-out cylinder was still in its relative infancy after having been introduced for the 1889 model New Army & Navy revolver. For nearly fifty years, the Colt New Service was produced in a variety of heavy calibers from .357 Magnum and .38 Special up to .44-40 Winchester and .455 Webley. As a large-framed service revolver, barrel lengths ranged between 4″ and 7.5″.
The Colt New Service was first produced in .45 ACP during World War I when supplies of the M1911 pistol were unable to meet troop demands. The M1917 was developed, with Colt adapting its New Service and Smith & Wesson adapting its .44 Hand Ejector to fire .45 ACP cartridges loaded from half-moon clips.
Buck is seen with a few other weapons during the film, but the New Service appears to be his sidearm of choice. He fires a double-barreled shotgun during the Joplin gunfight, he holds a blued Smith & Wesson on Frank Hamer when they briefly capture the lawman, and he is seen loading Bonnie’s nickel-plated Smith & Wesson after the bank robbery featured in this scene. Hackman also holds a Winchester lever rifle in some promotional photos for the film, but these are never seen in the gang’s arsenal (either in the movie or in real life).
I also was lucky to recently watch an episode of American Experience with a very good friend of mine who has been interested in learning more about the outlaw duo, and I found myself very pleased to be able to watch it without having to interject with corrections or commentary of my own! (Also, I think she’s now seriously considering bank robbery as a vocation.)
Michael Imperioli as Christopher Molitsanti on The Sopranos (Episode 3.03: “Fortunate Son”).
Vitals
Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti, newly “made” mob soldier
New Jersey, Fall 2001
Series:The Sopranos Episode: “Fortunate Son” (Episode 3.03) Air Date: March 11, 2001 Director: Henry J. Bronchtein Creator: David Chase Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa
Background
This suit had been requested a few weeks ago, and – as both a huge fan of The Sopranos and a kindred spirit of the tragic Christopher Moltisanti character – I was more than pleased to delve a little deeper into the suit and scene where Christopher finally “gets his button” for Mafia Monday.
Christopher’s two passions – the Mafia and the movies – come to yet another head in “Fortunate Son” when he finally receives the call to look sharp and be ready in an hour… he’s getting made. Having decided a season earlier in “D-Girl” to pass up his dream of a career in Hollywood (although it’s dubious that his misspelled screenplays would have turned any heads), Christopher is finally given the opportunity to dedicate his life to the most infamous criminal organization in America. Despite his excitement, Chris’ habit for watching too many movies keeps him on his toes and especially wary of any of his fellow Mafioso riding behind him during the journey.
Silvio chides him for it (“He sat on one asscheek the whole way over!”), but many real-life mob associates have been summoned to secret ceremonies only to never be seen alive again.
Luckily for Christopher, this was a genuine summons and he soon finds himself happily embraced by Tony Soprano in a New Jersey basement. Christopher and fellow inductee Eugene Pontecorvo are then told:
You know why we’re here. So, if you got any doubts or reservations, now is the time to say so. No one’ll think any less of you… ’cause once you enter this family, there’s no getting out. This family comes before everything else. Everything. Before your wife and your children and your mother and your father. It’s a thing of honor.
While this would become a problem for poor Eugene by the sixth season, Christopher is very eager to finally join the ranks of La Cosa Nostra. In yet another indication that the showrunners have done extensive research, Christopher and Eugene’s fingers are then pricked by a needle to draw blood before Tony places a photo of St. Peter in each of their hands and initiates them into the mob code of omertà:
Now, as that card burns, so may your soul burn in hell if you betray your friends in the family.
What’d He Wear?
He told me to look sharp and meet him at Modell’s in half an hour.
After years of loyal service, the Soprano crime family is finally “opening the books” for Christopher Moltisanti, and he wants to look his best for the occasion. This is the sole appearance of the navy blue herringbone two-piece suit that he chooses for such a momentous day, and the way it shines in certain light indicates that it is likely made from silk or at least a silk blend.
Chris becomes wary of a potential bad omen during the ceremony.
Christopher’s suit, as well as the ones worn by Tony, Paulie, and Silvio during the same scene, are among the more than 5,000 artifacts exhibited at the Museum of Television.
Christopher’s single-breasted suit jacket has notch lapels that roll abruptly to the top of the three-button front. The flapped hip pockets sit straight on his waist line, and a cream silk handkerchief puffs from the welted breast pocket. The jacket has padded shoulders, roped sleeveheads, and long double side vents.
Chris’s suit jacket, shirt, and tie as well as a “continuity photo” taken on set of Imperioli, all sourced from the Museum of Television.
The low rise trousers have belt loops for Christopher’s black leather belt. The plain-hemmed bottoms have a long break that drapes over his shoes.
Find me a shirt and tie to go with this. Not the Camelia, though; Paulie’s got one just like it.
Whether it was he or Adriana who picked it out, Christopher’s monochromatic shirt and tie combination evokes the look of a classic movie gangster… before it was more commonly associated with Regis Philbin. This is the most important day of Christopher’s criminal life, and a movie buff like him is going to revert to what he knows to guarantee that he looks the part.
Had there been a little more time, Christopher and Paulie could’ve gotten some shopping done before leaving the shopping center.
His cream dress shirt has squared French cuffs, which Paulie instructs him to show off – “Shoot your cuffs” – before they get into the car. A pair of small black, gold-trimmed links fasten the cuffs into place.
Christopher’s tie is also a cream silk, matching both the shirt and the pocket handkerchief in his suitcoat’s breast pocket.
He told me to shine my shoes…
Although the shoes don’t receive much screen time, it’s important to these guys that Christopher maintains his appearance from top to bottom. Despite only having an hour to get ready and meet Paulie at Modell’s, Christopher takes the time to ensure that his black leather bluchers are shined to gangland standards.
His socks go unseen, but Christopher’s habit for hanging around the house in his underwear tells us that he likely wore one of his usual white sleeveless undershirts under his suit as well as a pair of gray boxer shorts. We also see his gold St. Christopher medallion, worn on a thin gold necklace around his neck.
A nice touch of realism comes from this look inside Christopher’s closet, where we see familiar pieces like his red sportcoat.
After briefly switching to a Rolex DateJust for the second season, Christopher once again wears a yellow gold Cartier tank on his left wrist for the third season. This particular wristwatch, an 18-karat Cartier Tank Française, has diamonds embedded in the right and left sides of the square case. The square dial is white with Roman numerals, and it is worn on a gold chain-link bracelet.
Good thing Chris wasn’t wearing polyester or that open flame might’ve caused more trouble than he expected.
Go Big or Go Home
Always ambitious but never quite motivated enough, Christopher was clearly going to spend a lazy day at home in his underwear. Hanging out with Adriana, drinking a bottle of Bud, and rolling a joint were the only items on his to-do list before his Motorola StarTAC rings and Paulie delivers the exciting news.
A day in the life of a low-level mob associate.
Christopher zips into action as soon as he realizes the significance of the call. If even he can be ready for anything in an hour’s notice, what’s your excuse?
How to Get the Look
Christopher presents a more subtle look than we’ve seen on him, employing only two solid colors – blue and cream – for his big day.
Christopher receives some needed sartorial advice from the always dapper Paulie Walnuts.
Navy blue herringbone silk suit, consisting of:
Single-breasted 3-button jacket with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, double rear vents
Flat front trousers with belt loops and plain-hemmed bottoms
Cream dress shirt with point collar, front placket, and double/French cuffs
Cream silk necktie
Small black gold-trimmed cuff links
Black leather belt
Black leather bluchers
Black dress socks
White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
Gray cotton boxer shorts with elastic waistband
Thin gold necklace with a round gold St. Christopher medallion
Cartier Tank Française gold wristwatch with diamond-crusted square case, white dial, and gold link bracelet
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Buy the entire series, and check out the third episode of the brilliant third season if you want to see The Sopranos‘ take on the “getting made” ceremony.
Ray Liotta as Henry Hill, ambitious New York mob associate
New York, Spring 1964
Film:Goodfellas Release Date: September 19, 1990 Director: Martin Scorsese Costume Designer: Richard Bruno
Background
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, so BAMF Style is appropriating Mafia Monday for one of the most memorable scenes from Goodfellas, the impressive Steadicam shot that follows Henry and Karen’s date at their Copacabana. After leaving his Chrysler Newport with a doorman across the street (“It’s easier than leaving it at a garage”), the camera follows Henry as he spirits Karen through the labyrinth of hallways and kitchens into the famous nightclub, peeling off twenties for every hand that helps along the way.
Last April, Filmmaker magazine spoke to Steadicam operator Larry McConkey about filming that famous Copa tracking shot. As well as including some interesting insight about the early days of Steadicam in the late ’70s, the interview also includes great trivia for Goodfellas fans about one of the most iconic scenes in the movie, revealing that it was blocked, lit, and filmed in a half-day… before lunch. As Larry described:
I had to be wide to follow [Ray and Lorraine] down the stairs, because otherwise it would be a shot of the tops of their heads, but when they got to the bottom of the stairs they turned a corner and they would disappear if I didn’t catch up to them. So I said, “Ray, we have to figure out a way for you to stall at the bottom of the stairs so I can catch up to you.” Joe Reidy said, “We have a lot of extras so we can have a doorman and Ray could talk to him.” Then someone came up with the idea “You know what, Ray should give him a tip.” Now we’re echoing a theme that’s built into the character and built into the movie. Then walking down the hallway I said, “Ray, I really want to see your face now. So we’ve got to figure out a reason for you to turn around.” He said, “Well, I can talk to somebody else in the hall.” So we brought in a couple who were making out and Ray would turn and say, “Every time, you two.” So we structured events within the shot that covered the limitations of not being able to cut in order to give it pace and timing. What I didn’t expect, and what I only figured out later, was that all those (interactions) ended up being the heart and soul of the shot. Because Ray incorporated his character into those moments, those moments actually became what the shot was about instead of being tricks or being artifices.
What’d He Wear?
As part of a circle that spends its nights covered in silk suits and gold jewelry, Henry could be considered a relatively subtle dresser. Even his flashier moments are executed with a fashion sense not often seen among the ’70s Mafia set. For his big date with Karen at the Copa, Henry wears a sharp charcoal two-piece suit likely made from mohair or a mohair/wool blend, based on the way it shines in certain light.
The details of Henry’s single-breasted 2-button suit jacket fall perfectly in line with the slick minimalism that was fashionable in the mid-’60s. It has slim notch lapels, short side vents, and jetted hip pockets. The sleeveheads are roped with two buttons on each cuff. Henry interestingly pops a black silk handkerchief into the jacket’s welted breast pocket; the pocket square’s dark color barely contrasts against the dark charcoal suit, but carries the understated message of “this is my nighttime pocket square.”
Henry leads Karen through the Copa kitchen.
Most of the shot tracks Henry’s upper half (and specifically, his back), so all that we can tell about his flat front trousers is that they have a low rise with belt loops, through which he wears a black leather belt. Assuming that they follow his usual style points from this era on screen, they would have plain-hemmed bottoms.
And since we can’t see below Henry’s thighs, more guesswork is needed for his shoes. Based on Henry’s fashion sense and his usual belt-matching, it’s safe to say that he was sporting black shoes and socks. Oxfords would be the most traditional shoe for a suit like this, but Henry’s penchant for horsebit loafers – to the point of wearing them for his wedding – likely means that he would be sporting them for a night out like this.
The ubiquitous long-pointed “Goodfella collar” returns on Henry’s white dress shirt, which also features a front placket and French cuffs. Some online retailers specialize in marketing the “Goodfella collar” or “Italian collar”, but I can’t speak personally to their quality.
Henry’s tie is maroon silk with a motif of large printed circles, all slightly darker red than the tie ground. According to Liotta, Scorsese would often step in to keep his tie knots accurate for the setting.
Karen doubts that a construction union delegate could really afford front-row seats at the Copa, let alone dishing out $20 to everyone who flashes them a smile, but a woman would do just about anything to see Henny Youngman in person, right?
Although Karen covered it up for their last date, Henry is likely still wearing his gold Catholic cross pendant on a gold chain around his neck. The rest of his gold accessories adorn his right hand, with a pinky ring on his finger and a gold watch on a black strap around his wrist.
Go Big or Go Home
Henry knows how to impress a date! Granted, it’s probably an expensive night, but it certainly looks cool. With a confidence dialed down from arrogant swagger, Henry dazzles Karen as he leads her through the back entrance of the Copa to avoid lines, greeting many familiar faces along the way (“Every time, you two!”) before finally ending up in the club itself. The maitre’d immediately ignores the long line in order to personally greet and shake Henry’s hand.
Scorsese took measures to make sure the scene had the same impact on audiences as it did when he witnessed the same thing as a young man: “…the table should fly at the camera and fill the frame,” Scorsese told Larry McConkey. “When I was a kid I came to a club like this and it was incredible to me and the thing I most remember was the way a table would appear out of nowhere.”
And it is indeed impressive to see a table whisked from seemingly nowhere and set up in record time with a tablecloth, a centerpiece light, and two chairs just in time for Henry and Karen to take their seats. After palming a twenty to each of his waiters, another walks over with a bottle of champagne (Dom Pérignon, because of course) and explains that it’s from a “Mr. Tony, over there.” After cursory nods of appreciation, Henry turns back to Karen with the same casual self-satisfaction that I offer a date after upgrading my Arby’s meal from a medium to large. Her following three lines express her surprise (“You gave them $20 each!”), suspicions (“What do you do?”), and arousal (“They don’t feel like you’re in construction…”)
The entertainment shifts from the non-diegetic soundtrack featuring one of the greatest tracks of the early ’60s “girl group” era to “the king of the one-liners” as Henny Youngman himself takes the stage and does some dazzling of his own:
Take my wife, please. I take my wife everywhere but she finds her way home. I said, “Where do you wanna go for our anniversary?” She said, “Let’s go somewhere I’ve never been.” I said, “Try the kitchen.” Dr. Wellsler is here. Gave a guy six months to live. Couldn’t pay his bill. Gave him six more months.
The song used during Henry and Karen’s iconic club entrance is “Then He Kissed Me” by The Crystals, produced by Phil Spector and released in July 1963. In two-and-a-half minutes, the song basically tells a sanitized version of Karen’s romance with Henry as an encounter leads to dating, which leads to eventual marriage. The idyllic song is optimistic and hopeful, a far cry from a future that involves hard drug addiction, multiple arrests and murders, and – eventually – witness protection.
(By the way, $20 in 1964 is inflated to just over $152 in 2016. Since there is no such thing as a $152 bill, the best thing to do is probably still hand out twenties. If the guys you’re tipping complain about inflation, send them to Paulie.)
How to Get the Look
A charcoal suit, white shirt, and dark red tie is often found in the business world, but the details of Henry’s ensemble differentiate his attire for a well-to-do mobster’s night on the town.
Henry forgets that most dates like if you have your eyes open most of the time.
Charcoal mohair suit, consisting of:
Single-breasted 2-button suit jacket with slim notch lapels, welted breast pocket, jetted hip pockets, short double rear vents, and 2-button cuffs
Flat front low rise trousers with belt loops and plain-hemmed bottoms
White dress shirt with long-pointed “Goodfella collar”, front placket, and double/French cuffs
Maroon silk necktie with printed circles
Black leather horsebit loafers
Black dress socks
White sleeveless ribbed cotton undershirt
Gold watch on black leather strap
Gold pinky ring, worn on right pinky
Gold Catholic cross pendant, worn on gold necklace
Scorsese stuck pretty close to he and Nicholas Pileggi’s original vision for the scene:
EXT. COPACABANA - NIGHT
HENRY gives the keys and a rolled-up twenty-dollar bill to
the DOORMAN at the building across the street and steers
KAREN toward the Copa.
KAREN
What're you doing? What about the
car?
HENRY
(while pushing her
through the crowd
waiting to get in)
He watches it for me. It's better
than waiting at a garage.
HE SEE HENRY deftly steer KAREN away from the Copa's main
entrance and down the basement steps. A HUGE BODYGUARD,
eating a sandwich in the stairwell, gives HENRY a big
"Hello." WE SEE HENRY walk right through the basement
kitchen, which is filled with CHINESE and LATINO COOKS and
DISHWASHERS who pay no attention. KAREN is being dragged
along, open-mouthed, at the scene. HENRY starts up a stained
kitchen staircase through a pair of swinging doors and
suddenly KAREN sees she is inside the main room. The harried
MAITRE D' (he is surrounded by CUSTOMERS clamoring for
their tables) waves happily at HENRY and signals to a
CAPTAIN. WE SEE a table held aloft by TWO WAITERS wedging
their way toward the stage and plant the table smack in
front of what had until that moment been a ringside table.
As HENRY leads KAREN to their seat, she sees that he is
nodding and shaking hands with MANY of the OTHER GUESTS.
WE SEE HENRY quietly slip twenty-dollar-bills to the
WAITERS.
KAREN
(sitting down)
You gave them twenty dollars each?
WE SEE the CAPTAIN approach with champagne.
CAPTAIN
This is from Mister Tony, over
there.
HENRY
Where, over there?
CAPTAIN
Over there, over there.
KAREN watches HENRY turn around and wave at a 280-POUND
HOOD.
KAREN
What do you do?
HENRY
(toasting Karen and
clinking glasses)
I'm in construction.
KAREN
(taking his hands)
They don't feel like you're in
construction.
HENRY turns to the stage where the lights begin to dim and
HENNY YOUNGMAN walks out.
HENRY
I'm a union delegate.
Lee Marvin as Charlie Strom in The Killers (1964).
Vitals
Lee Marvin as Charlie Strom, professional mob hitman
Miami, Fall 1963
Film:The Killers Release Date: July 7, 1964 Director: Don Siegel Costume Designer: Helen Colvig
Background
Tomorrow would have been the birthday of Lee Marvin, who was born in New York on February 19, 1924. After his WWII service with the Marine Corps, Marvin spent a few decades acting before lighting up the screen as introspective assassin Charlie Strom in Don Siegel’s adaptation of The Killers. In addition to his first top-billed film role, The Killers also led to Marvin winning the BAFTA Award for Best Actor (in addition to his role in Cat Ballou).
The story originated as an Ernest Hemingway short story in 1927 and was first filmed in 1946 with Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, and William “Fatman McCabe” Conrad in his first credited role. In a rare instance of an author appreciating the cinematic adaptation of his work, Hemingway was reportedly quite pleased with this now-classic film noir that borrowed his words for the opening act before taking audiences through the totally original story co-penned by Richard Brooks, Anthony Veiller, and John Huston.
In 1964, Don Siegel directed this remake which appropriately brought the two titular assassins – played here by Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager – to the forefront. Siegel and screenwriter Gene L. Coon avoided the issues that plague most remakes by totally revamping the story and characters while maintaining the opening premise and violent tone that hooked readers and viewers for the last four decades. The blog Immortal Ephemera pays tribute to both adaptations and draws out the strength of this newer version:
For me it took the 1964 Don Siegel movie version of The Killers to realize the true genius of Hemingway’s story. That movie is a further step removed from the text, more a movie remake than straight adaptation of the Hemingway story. The Siegel film retains the killers, removes the Nick Adams character, but leaves Lee Marvin’s hitman character to obsess over all that had first puzzled Nick when the story was first published in Scribner’s in 1927.
The Killers begins with its two laconic hitmen, Charlie (Marvin) and Lee (Gulager) striding into a school for the blind, searching for a teacher named Johnny North (John Cassavetes). North receives a warning call, but he calmly waits at his desk as Charlie and Lee swiftly gun him down. The psychotic Lee is satisfied by the large payout coming their way, but Charlie is bothered by North’s acceptance of his fate and determines that there is more to the story.
What’d He Wear?
Charlie Strom’s light gray semi-solid silk two-piece suit immediately differentiates him as an outsider in the bucolic school for the blind in the opening act. In fact, Johnny North probably chose a place like this to hide since any professional killer in a silk suit would draw attention immediately.
Charlie’s silk suit is more fitting when he goes to Miami, but even then his mechanic shop surroundings provide a clear contrast to his urban gangster ensemble.
The single-breasted suit jacket has slim notch lapels that roll down to the two-button front, which Charlie alternates between wearing with either only the top button closed (for sartorial correctness) or only the bottom button closed (to keep his jacket closed while allowing him easier access to his large revolver holstered underneath it.)
Charlie’s jacket has a welted breast pocket and straight hip pockets with slim flaps. The shoulders are padded, and the sleeveheads are roped with two buttons at the end on each cuff. The back has short double side vents.
Since he keeps his jacket closed throughout this brief opening scene, the only confirmed detail about Charlie’s flat front trousers are the cuffed bottoms with their tall turn-ups. At 6’2″, Lee Marvin can get away with taller cuffs on his trousers without sacrificing the appearance of his own height.
Each of Charlie’s suits in the film is differently styled, but the trousers seem to be consistent with on-seam side pockets, jetted back pockets with button loops, and belt loops, through which he wears a black belt when wearing black shoes. I think we can reasonably assume that Charlie’s trousers are similar to his others when it comes to some of these details.
Charlie wears a white dress shirt with a spread collar and single-button squared cuffs. When relaxing on the train, he takes off his jacket and tie to reveal a front placket and pointed-bottom breast pocket.
Charlie’s tie typically matches his suit, and his slim silver silk necktie with this outfit is no exception. The tie has a short length, and the pointed tip falls out of his jacket when he leans over with only the bottom button fastened.
Charlie’s way with women could use some work.
Charlie struts down the school hall in black calf leather 2-eyelet derby shoes with cap toes. Rather than matching his socks to his trousers, he wears a pair of black dress socks, likely made of thin silk.
Although Lee has swagger, Charlie is clearly the leader of the two hitmen.
To show his cool indifference for his surroundings, Charlie keeps on both his hat and sunglasses while inside the school.
Even Charlie’s hat indicates his preference for sticking to shades of gray. Both the felt fedora and its wide grosgrain ribbon are darker gray, with a small red feather pinned into the bow on the ribbon’s left side. The fedora’s short brim is snapped down in the front.
Charlie’s sunglasses have thick brown plastic frames with dark green lenses.
Either he’s blatantly indifferent to the school’s sense of decorum or Charlie Strom is nursing one hell of a hangover.
Although not very clearly seen here, Charlie appears to be wearing a stainless non-date Rolex Submariner 5513 with a black dial and black bezel on a stainless link bracelet. It is best seen when wearing his Glen plaid suit to lock Norman Fell into a sweatbox or when wearing his blue suit and firing his suppressed .357 during the gunfight finale.
How to Get the Look
Unlike other professional killers, Charlie Strom doesn’t care that his sharp clothing draws attention. In fact, he seems to relish looking every bit the intimidating gangster.
Light gray semi-solid silk suit, consisting of:
Single-breasted 2-button jacket with slim notch lapels, welted breast pocket, slim-flapped hip pockets, 2-button cuffs, and short double rear vents
Flat front trousers with belt loops, side pockets, jetted back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffed bottoms
White dress shirt with spread collar, front placket, breast pocket, and 1-button cuffs
Silver silk necktie
Black leather 2-eyelet cap-toe derby shoes
Black thin dress socks
Gray felt short-brimmed fedora with wide dark gray grosgrain ribbon
Brown plastic-framed sunglasses with dark green lenses
Rolex Submariner 5513 with stainless case, black dial, and black bezel on stainless link bracelet
The Gun
Charlie’s weapon of choice for the opening hit is the same blued Smith & Wesson Model 27 that he would use during the finale.
Interestingly, the revolver is fitted with a somewhat silly-looking “soup can” suppressor; while movies, TV, and books always like to outfit its professional hitmen with intimidating-looking “silencers”, it’s not often realized that the gas escaping through the cylinder makes a suppressor on a revolver practically useless. (Plus, Strom kills most of his victims in broad daylight with plenty of witnesses… what good would it do to silence the sound?)
Despite the relatively useless suppressor, Charlie’s weapon of choice is far from useless itself. Smith & Wesson first introduced the venerable .357 Magnum cartridge in 1935 for its Registered Magnum model. The .357 Magnum quickly gained a reputation as a powerful and reliable self-defense round, and shooters also appreciated that .38 Special rounds could be fired from a .357 revolver. When Smith & Wesson began numbering its models in the mid-1950s, the large carbon-steel N-frame .357 Magnum was officially designated the Model 27.
The movie’s titular killers, doing what they do best.
Charlie Strom is clearly a fiercely independent, unique brand of assassin. He’s confident striding into a hit, wearing a flashy suit and blowing away his victim in a room full of witnesses, then he takes the time afterward to actually think about what he’s just done. It makes sense that he would carry distinctive weapons like the Model 27 and, as a backup, a Single Action Army holstered to his belt (as we’ll see later). While revolvers and semi-automatic pistols each offer their own relative pros and cons, one major benefit of a revolver to a hitman like Charlie would be the lack of ejected shells (and thus evidence) left on the scene.
For his next violent revenge-crime flick, Point Blank, Lee Marvin would “upgrade” to the large-framed Smith & Wesson Model 29 in .44 Magnum.
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Buy the movie. The Criterion Collection offers a dual-pack with the original 1946 version starring Burt Lancaster as well as this 1964 update.
The Quote
I gotta find out what makes a man decide not to run… why, all of a sudden, he’d rather die.
George C. Scott as Harry Garmes in The Last Run (1971).
Vitals
George C. Scott as Harry Garmes, washed-up expatriate getaway driver
Portugal, Spring 1971
Film: The Last Run Release Date: July 7, 1971 Director: Richard Fleischer Wardrobe Supervisor: Annalisa Nasalli-Rocca
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
The Last Run is a relatively obscure crime flick from the early ’70s that starred George C. Scott, fresh off of his Oscar-winning turn in Patton, as a retired Bogart-esque criminal living the easy expatriate life in Europe à la Hemingway when he is called back for the proverbial “one last job”. Of course, anyone who’s ever seen any movie ever knows that “one last job” is never quite as easy as it sounds, and our aging protagonist finds himself facing more than he bargained for when driving escaped killer Paul Rickard (Tony Musante) and his girlfriend Claudie Scherrer (Trish Van Devere) across Portugal and Spain into France.
Based on a recommendation (and the gracious gift of the film itself on DVD!) from Craig, a frequent and astute blog commentor, I was immediately enthralled by The Last Run and paid it tribute with a Car Week post in December 2015 that focused on Harry Garmes’ brown leather jacket and rare BMW 503 roadster. Today’s post breaks down Harry’s look as he speeds through the final leg of his last run.
What’d He Wear?
This outfit is more “business casual” than Harry’s brown leather jacket, dark turtleneck, and khakis from earlier in the film. Harry wears a navy blue single-breasted jacket constructed from soft woven flannel.
Harry Garmes in his zone: behind the wheel of a fast car.
Harry’s navy sportcoat has notch lapels, a welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, and a long single rear vent that reveals the jacket’s tan lining when blown up by the wind. Each of the distinctive mitred cuffs has a single functioning button, dark blue plastic just like the two in the front.
In case you’re worried that this is a spoiler… uh, Harry has an unfortunate incident with a vat of red paint. Poor Harry!
Harry pairs the sport jacket with a pair of gray wool flat front slacks with side pockets and jetted back pockets. He wears a black leather belt – likely the same from his other outfit – through the belt loops. The trousers have plain-hemmed bottoms with a short break.
Harry crafts a booby trap to ward off his pursuers.
On the second day of Harry’s drive with Paul and Claudie, he wears a light gray acrylic long-sleeve polo shirt, which closes at the neck with two black plastic buttons beneath the large collar. There is also a single button on the inside of each elasticized cuff at the end of the shirt’s long sleeves. The welted pocket over Harry’s left breast also closes with a button. Like the cuffs, the waistband is elasticized.
Harry is stuck sharing a hotel room with Paul and Claudie.
For their final day on the road, Harry swaps out the polo for a cream cable-knit turtleneck jumper. The ribbed wool sweater appears to be a soft variation like cashmere, a luxurious choice that would make sense for an aging career criminal living out his retirement.
Most men wouldn’t choose cashmere for a grease monkey session, but Harry Garmes doesn’t stand on ceremony.
Although he wore desert boots for his first day on the road, Harry opts for different footwear here that fits better with the rest of his outfit. Harry sports a pair of black leather monk strap ankle boots with a single strap on each that closes over the outside through a brass buckle. He also wears black socks.
Harry checks out the BMW.
Perhaps unfortunately, The Last Run clearly shows us Harry Garmes’ underwear of choice: white Jockey briefs with a thin gray stripe around the waistband.
More fortunately, we also get some great shots of Harry’s stainless watch, worn on his left wrist with a steel bracelet. It has a large round silver dial with two sub-dials, and at least one commentor on this blog has stated their belief that it’s an Omega.
Although Harry’s watch and booze leave some speculation, The Last Run makes it clear that our hero prefers Marlboro: the preferred cigarette for American badasses for more than 60 years.
Harry’s only other accessory is the plain gold wedding band that adorns the third finger of his left hand.
Go Big or Go Home
Despite his German car and Spanish gun (a Star Model B, though it’s based off of the very American M1911A1 pistol design), Harry Garmes remains rooted in the grizzled yet honorable cynicism that defined so many great American anti-heroes drafted by Hemingway or portrayed by Bogart. He’s totally abandoned any semblance of hope or religion as he hurdles toward the end of the road on what he knows to be his last run, contently behind the wheel of his prized 1957 BMW 503 convertible.
Henry chauffeurs Claudie to the end of the road.
How to Get the Look
Harry dresses up a little more for his last few days with his guests, showing how a guy can still look nice even when spending the bulk of his time in the driver’s seat.
Harry Garmes proudly stands beside his BMW.
Navy blue flannel single-breasted 2-button sportcoat with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, flapped hip pockets, mitred 1-button cuffs, and long single rear vent
Light gray acrylic long-sleeve polo shirt with 2-button placket, buttoned welt pocket, and elasticized cuffs with single inner button
Gray wool flat front trousers with belt loops, side pockets, jetted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
Black leather belt
Black leather monk strap ankle boots with brass buckles
Black socks
White cotton Jockey briefs
Stainless wristwatch with round silver dial, 2 sub-dials, and steel bracelet
Gold wedding ring
In cooler weather (or, in Harry’s case, a bullet-flying romp by the sea), a chunky cream cashmere turtleneck sweater would be a great alternative to a polo.
James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano in “Two Tonys”, episode 5.01 of The Sopranos.
Vitals
James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, Jersey mob boss and conflicted family man
New Jersey, March 2004
Series:The Sopranos Episode: “Two Tonys” (Episode 5.01) Air Date: March 7, 2004 Director: Tim Van Patten Creator: David Chase Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa
Background
Easter is right around the corner, so BAMF Style is taking this Mafia Monday to look at a brightly-dressed family man.
Recently inspired by The Prince of Tides (by all things), Tony decided the time was right to escalate his therapy by actually dating his therapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi. Following up on his gift of flowers – accompanied by a gallon of Tide detergent – he is persistent in his desire to see her socially, despite her outright refusal. When finally pushed to her limits by him, Dr. Melfi lists off the things about him as a person that don’t appeal to her – including, you know, being a criminal – and he doesn’t take it well.
What’d He Wear?
Although he always had a habit of dressing nicely for his therapy sessions, the newly-single Tony softens his look when returning to Dr. Melfi in “Two Tonys” with the aim of asking her out on a date.
Tony wears a pale blue single-breasted sportcoat with a subtle windowpane overcheck. It closes with a single button at the bottom of the notch lapels; the left lapel has a stitched buttonhole. Given Tony’s hat-in-hand approach (at least until he blows up), I’m half-surprised that he didn’t stick a carnation in his lapel to impress Dr. Melfi.
Tony in therapy. Sort of.
Despite no carnation, he does have a light blue printed silk handkerchief – which perfectly matches his tie – puffing out of the jacket’s welted breast pocket. Tony’s jacket also has jetted hip pockets, as many of his do.
Tony’s jacket is ventless with padded shoulders, roped sleeveheads, and 4-button cuffs. This type of jacket was a Tony Soprano favorite in the later seasons, with sportcoats in all shades of blue, gray, gold, and brown showing up with the same subtle overcheck grid, style points, and tailoring details.
Like most people, even Tony Soprano paces when he’s nervous.
Tony wears a pair of light brown wool trousers with a full but straight cut through the legs. As Tony, James Gandolfini tends to wear pleated pants that are more flattering considering his considerable size, and these double reverse-pleated slacks are no exception. They have straight pockets on each side, about an inch forward from the seams. The bottoms are cuffed with turn-ups and have a short break.
Tony fails to consider during his courtship of Dr. Melfi that she may not be attracted to men who wear pleated pants. (As I’ve known some women for whom pleats are a dealbreaker.)
Tony goes the extra step when matching his brown leather belt to his brown loafers; the belt has a gold half-oval buckle, and the loafers have a gold horsebit detail. His light brown ribbed dress socks continue the leg line from the trousers into his shoes.
Tony and that glass table have a bit of a tempestuous relationship…
In addition to all of the earth tones on Tony’s lower half, he wears a light ecru dress shirt with a spread collar and French cuffs fastened by gold “cluster” links. The shirt appears yellow in some of the promotional photos released with the episode, but its appearance on the show is more along the lines of ecru than the more vivid yellow.
Tony’s light blue printed silk tie both calls out the pale blue jacket while perfectly matching his display kerchief; the two were likely available as a set. The pattern alternates between a blue floral burst and a paler blue square that encapsulates a red diamond-like shape.
The same outfit is briefly seen again in “Where’s Johnny?” (Episode 5.03) during a meeting with Uncle Junior. As he wears it without a tie this time, he swaps out the light blue printed silk pocket square for a cream silk one with light blue dots.
“Where’s Johnny?” (Episode 5.03)
Now a single man, Tony has cut his accessories down from five to four with the removal of his wedding ring. Now, the gold pinky ring on his right hand is his own finger embellishment; the ring has a ruby and a diamond stone. Further up the right hand, Tony wears a wide gold chain bracelet around his wrist.
On the opposing wrist, Tony wears his luxurious Rolex-Preisdent Day-Date watch. The wristwatch has a yellow gold 18-karat 36mm case, a “champagne” gold dial, and a flat three-piece link bracelet with a concealed clasp. A commentor on my last Tony Soprano post clarified for me that this is the 18238 model (rather than the 118238), evident by its polished lugs and heavier bracelet that Rolex had introduced for this model.
Even Tony’s cuff links are gold. Now there’s a guy who knows his brand.
Tony’s final accessory remains unseen under his shirt, a gold open-link chain necklace from which a pendant of St. Jerome dangles over his white ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt.
How to Get the Look
When courting Dr. Melfi, Tony knows that she’s got more class than his usual goomahs. He dresses to impress and make himself look as affluently non-threatening as possible… a decision that he reverses by the end of the episode when he sits outside chomping on a cigar while wearing a leather jacket and cradling an AK-47* on his back patio.
Pale blue windowpane single-breasted 1-button sport coat with notch lapels, welted breast pocket, jetted hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, and ventless back
Light ecru dress shirt with a spread collar, plain front, and double/French cuffs
Gold “cluster” cuff links
Light blue printed silk necktie
Light brown double reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops, straight side pockets, jetted rear pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
Brown leather belt with gold half-oval single-claw buckle
Brown leather horsebit loafers
Light brown ribbed dress socks
White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
Rolex President Day-Date 18238 yellow gold wristwatch
Gold open-link chain bracelet
Gold pinky ring with ruby and diamond stones
Gold open-link chain necklace with round St. Jerome pendant
The light blue printed silk display kerchief in Tony’s breast pocket perfectly matches his tie, a likely indication that the two were sold together.
* The “AK-47” is actually a Chinese-made Norinco Type 84S rifle, a 5.56×45 mm derivative of Norinco’s AK-47 clone.
You know, forget about the way that Tony Soprano makes his way in the world, that’s just to feed his children. There’s two Tony Sopranos. You’ve never seen the other one.
Al Pacino as Carlito Brigante in Carlito’s Way (1993).
Vitals
Al Pacino as Carlito “Charlie” Brigante, paroled nightclub owner and former heroin dealer
New York City, September 1975
Film:Carlito’s Way Release Date: November 3, 1993 Director: Brian De Palma Costume Designer: Aude Bronson-Howard
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Ten years after the wild success of Scarface, Al Pacino strapped on a gat and stepped in front of Brian De Palma’s camera as Carlito Brigante, the character developed in Judge Edwin Torres’ 1970s crime novels Carlito’s Way and After Hours. Despite its title, Carlito’s Way is primarily based on the latter novel, depicting Carlito’s desperate attempts to “go straight” after yet another release from prison.
Unfortunately, Carlito’s life is filled with colorful characters like his impulsive cousin Guajiro (John Ortiz), opportunistic friend Pachanga (Luis Guzmán), and the swaggeringly ambitious “Benny Blanco from the Bronx” (John Leguizamo)… not to mention the ultimate in sleazy lawyers, David Kleinfeld (Sean Penn), who even appears to have inspired the character of Ken Rosenberg in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and was likely inspired by real life attorneys such as-
The only good thing in Carlito’s post-prison life appears to be his budding relationship with his former girlfriend, Gail (Penelope Ann Miller), who has channeled her aspiring dance career into one of the more naked professions. Learning that there could be a baby Carlito on the way, our tragic hero ties off his loose ends and prepares to raise his family in paradise.
What’d He Wear?
Although he’s no longer dealing, Carlito seals his badass cred in Spanish Harlem by strutting around in a the epitome of a Badass Longcoat. Carlito wears a long black leather coat that extends down past his knees without ever looking too big on Pacino’s 5’7″ frame. On the last day of the movie, Carlito dresses up his black leather coat with a vest, tie, and trousers.
Carlito and Gail receive some disquieting news, but he remains unflappable.
This classic ’70s coat is single-breasted with four buttons down the front, which Carlito always leaves open. The large lapels are embellished by detailed stitching about 3/4″ inward from the edges, which extends down the front of the jacket. The flapped hand pockets slant down toward the back. (The jacket has evidently been repaired since Carlito was shot in the shoulder while wearing it when Guajiro takes him to the crooked drug deal.)
Carlito confronts his former lawyer and former friend (aw…)
A very distinctive aspect of the coat is the ridging that appears on the front, back, and sleeves. Eleven ridges stitched diagonally on each chest panel create what looks like ten “tubes” between the jacket’s center and side stitching. The cuffs are plain with no buttons or straps, but there are six ribbed “tubes” that extend around the front half of the sleeves. Some of the coat’s replica sites describe this more simply as “a stripe design on the sleeves and across the chest” or “unique stitching detail pattern at front and back”.
The back of the coat is split beneath an inverted V-shaped yoke at the top. Each side is then split into two more panels, with seven more ribbed “tubes” stitched diagonally down to each outer side of the jacket. Stitching across the waist separates the top of the jacket from the bottom, with a single rear vent splitting the bottom back. (I might be doing a very bad job explaining these ridges and tubes. Luckily, there are screenshots to help explain!)
Carlito ties up his loose ends in various ways.
According to a 1994 article from Entertainment Weekly, the coat immediately sparked vintage leather jacket revival for both men and women:
The uberlapeled three-quarter-length leather coat recently worn by Al Pacino in Carlito’s Way has sent fans—including actresses Rosie Perez, Annabella Sciorra, and Rebecca De Mornay, and singer Terence Trent D’Arby—scurrying into thrift shops for used originals (which can be found for $60) and into high-end boutiques for pricey, more stylish ’90s versions of the jacket (a Donna Karan design goes for $1,350). While the coat screams Superfly, Shaft, and maybe even Starsky and Hutch, it defies simple description. ”It’s kind of like the jacket in Shaft, but modified,” says Aude Bronson-Howard, costume designer for the ’70s-set Carlito’s Way, who scoured New York City thrift shops until she unearthed the perfect two-decade-old specimen.
Carlito’s coat remains very popular with fans of the film, and plenty of replica sites – including South Beach Leather, Leathers Club, and Leather Madness – offer their own versions for typically under $200. The popularity of the coat even led to a replica showing up on Jay Hernandez when he played a younger Carlito in the 2005 prequel, Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power, a straight-to-video film that certainly exists.
Carlito’s metallic gray silk shirt is rare for 1975 in that its large spread collar has long points that would make it fashionable then without being too long to be fashionable today. It buttons down a front placket and has squared French cuffs that Carlito fastens with silver oval links.
The action… wait for it… escalates.
Carlito’s dark silver tie is a shade darker than his shirt, worn in a loose four-in-hand knot with his unbuttoned shirt collar. The pattern on the tie is a series of ornate gray and olive diamonds and broken squares.
Although the coat is large enough to be worn over a suit, Carlito opts only to wear a suit’s vest and trousers underneath his coat. Both appear to be part of a black wool suit with thin black tonal stripes.
Carlito prepares for trouble.
Carlito’s single-breasted vest has four welt pockets and five buttons down the front, although he typically leaves the top one or two undone. The bottom button is high enough over the notched bottom that he can comfortably and fashionably wear it buttoned.
Carlito looks appropriately smug for a man hearing some incriminating recordings.
The matching flat front trousers are straight through the legs down to the slightly flared (this was supposed to be 1975…) plain-hemmed bottoms. Carlito can clearly be seen delving into the trousers’ slanted side pockets, but the back is never seen. He often tucks his Beretta away behind his waist, although this may just be into the waistband of his trousers and not into a pocket.
No wonder so many people are afraid of escalators.
Carlito wears a thin dark russet textured leather belt, which fastens with a large half-oval brass single-claw buckle. The high placement of the vest’s bottom button and the low rise of the trousers mean that the belt is frequently poking out, especially during the action scenes.
Interestingly, Carlito mismatches his belt and shoes by sporting a pair of black leather ankle boots, similar to the “Cuban boots” that Pacino had worn in Scarface.
For a guy trying to stay under the radar, Carlito is no stranger to flashy jewelry. On his right pinky, he wears a large gold ring with a black square-set stone split by a single gold bar. He also wears a yellow gold chain-link identity bracelet on his right wrist.
Carlito gives Gail a reassuring pat on the belly like every woman loves.
Gold jewelry appears to be Carlito’s preference, as he wears a yellow gold wristwatch on his left wrist. This round-cased watch has a dark blue dial and is worn on a gold bracelet. I’ve seen it identified as an 18-karat Piaget, but that may just be from the book (which I, admittedly, have not yet read.) Hoping the experts might be able to weigh in here…
After Benny Blanco from the Bronx has made his impression on Charlie, we return to the opening sequence where Carlito is being carted off on a gurney. Part of his shirt sleeve is torn away, revealing the short sleeve of a white cotton crew neck undershirt.
Go Big or Go Home
To generalize from the two decades of Pacino’s career that preceded it, Carlito Brigante could be simplified as Tony Montana with Serpico’s scruples. He’s an outgoing and almost flamboyantly charismatic Hispanic drug dealer… but too many years in prison have led to him seeing the light and looking to honestly make *ahem* his way in the world.
Although everyone has spent much of the movie praising Carlito’s cunning, it’s during this final act that we see the greatest examples of his cunning. He outwits his sleazy, double-dealing lawyer and secures his demise in the most passive but definite way possible, and he’s able to affably distract a group of mobsters bent on killing him with just enough time to get away. This latter evasion is a stroke of genius, scored by (Patti) Labelle’s 1974 ode to intercourse “Lady Marmalade”, and leads to yet another great De Palma-directed gunfight set in a train station.
Unfortunately, his raison d’être also serves as his hamartia; though he is a master of spotting the long game, he fails to see the moves being set up in front of him that lead to his sadly aborted trip to paradise with Gail.
How to Get the Look
Carlito oozes ’70s cool, looking equally badass whether rushing through the streets, taking charge at his nightclub, or doing battle against a group of mobsters.
Black long leather coat with large edge-stitched lapels, 4-button single-breasted front, slanted flapped side pockets, long single vent, and ribbed stripe-stitching on front/back/cuffs
Metallic gray silk dress shirt with long-pointed spread collar, front placket, and squared double/French cuffs
Dark silver silk tie with gray and olive square-and-diamond motif
Black tonal-striped wool single-breasted 5-button vest with four welt pockets and notched bottom
Black tonal-striped wool flat front trousers with belt loops, slanted side pockets, and flared plain-hemmed bottoms
Dark russet brown textured leather belt with brass half-oval single-claw buckle
Black leather Cuban-style ankle boots
Silver oval cuff links
Gold chain-link ID bracelet
Gold wristwatch with dark blue dial on gold bracelet
Gold pinky ring with black square-set stone
The Gun
Although anachronistic for the film’s 1975 setting, Carlito Brigante’s main weapon is a Beretta 92F semi-automatic pistol, kept in the safe in his office or carried in the back of his waistband. He uses his Beretta to great effect, most famously while ducking and firing from what must be one of the longest escalators in existence.
“Say hello to my reasonably-sized friend!”
Though it’d been making semi-automatic pistols for the Italian Army since the beginning of the 20th century, the first in the Beretta 92 series wasn’t introduced until 1975, after three years of design that incorporated elements from many previous Beretta pistols. It’s very unlikely that a recent parolee in New York would have gotten his hands on a fresh-off-the-line Beretta in ’75, let alone the 92F variant that wouldn’t be developed until the mid-1980s when the U.S. military wanted a modified design for consideration. (Spoiler alert: America went with Beretta and the M9 pistol was born.)
The Beretta 92FS was rolled out quickly after the 92F with a slightly enlarged hammer pin developed in response to issues that arose during U.S. government testing.
Carlito jams his Beretta so hard into a thug’s chest that the slide actually slides back a bit.
According to the sharp-eyed users at IMFDb, you can “note the old style single white line painted on the rear sight as opposed to the twin dots that appear on modern models” when Carlito is drawing the Beretta from behind his back on the train.
If you can’t see the angles no more, you’re in trouble.
Footnote
I’d always enjoyed Carlito’s Way but hadn’t even considered appreciating it sartorially until I received a Twitter suggestion. Thanks for the tip, Phil!
Albert Finney as Leo O’Bannon in Miller’s Crossing (1990).
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Albert Finney as Liam “Leo” O’Bannon, Irish Mob-connected political boss
Upstate New York, Fall 1929
Film: Miller’s Crossing Release Date: September 21, 1990 Director: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen Costume Designer: Aude Bronson-Howard
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Today is the 80th birthday of Albert Finney so BAMF Style is taking a look at his portrayal of Liam “Leo” O’Bannon, the “cheap political boss with more hair tonic than brains” in Miller’s Crossing, the Coen brothers’ 1990 nod to Dashiell Hammett. The movie particularly draws out plot points and characterizations from Hammett’s The Glass Key and Red Harvest, both centered around a shrewd tough guy during a Prohibition-era mob war. The Glass Key has been specifically cited as an influence on Miller’s Crossing with Leo and his pragmatic protégé Tom Reagan clearly modeled after the book’s Paul Madvig and Ned Beaumont, respectively. Madvig, a crooked big shot, relies on Ned to do his thinking for him without realizing that the two men are also sharing a mutual love interest.
The Coen brothers originally imagined Trey Wilson for the Madvig-esque role of Leo O’Bannon, but Wilson’s death just before production brought Albert Finney into the role, his first major film in three years. Who else but Finney could have delivered “Jesus, Tom” with so much earnest conviction each time?
As the boss of two warring mobs in the film’s unnamed setting, Leo becomes targeted for an assassination attempt. The sequence proves that while brains might not be his strong suit, Leo’s got plenty of chutzpah to match his excessive hair tonic. Toss in a stirring tenor rendition of “Danny Boy”, a tommy gun with a seemingly bottomless ammunition capacity, and a well-deserved cigar and a classic scene was made.
What’d He Wear?
The screenplay describes the scene: “Leo – stretched out an his bed, wearing a robe over his pyjamas, smoking a cigar, listening–but only to the phonograph. Its sound covers any other noise in the house.”
Hedonism, 1920s gangster style.
Leo’s status as a big man in town is evident by elegant loungewear. His red printed silk dressing gown has black satin trim, including the black shawl lapels. The robe has three pockets, including two slanted hand pockets with black satin jetting.
Leo wasn’t preparing for a gun battle when he went to bed that night, but – if anything – he reinforces the Boy Scouts’ maxim to “Be Prepared”.
Before the battle begins, Leo places his now-extinguished cigar in the patch pocket over his left breast, which has a thin strip of black silk about an inch down from the opening.
Although it appears solid red in wider shots, the robe’s silk is actually two printed tones of red in a swirly Deco-style design.
Even when settling in for a night of slumber, Leo keeps his hair immaculate.
The robe ties around the waist with a matching red printed silk belt with black satin-trimmed edges and black tips.
Underneath, Leo wears pale blue cotton pajamas with thin white piping on the edges. The untucked pajama shirt has four clear plastic buttons, including a slightly smaller button that closes at the top under the narrow, rounded collar. There are two white-piped patch pockets on the lower portion – one over each hip. The pajamas’ simple trousers have plain bottoms with no cuffs.
Expecting trouble, Leo casually slips into his black Prince Albert house shoes (hey – “Albert!”) Like classic Albert slippers, they have velvet uppers, leather soles, and quilted inner lining – black in this case, although red is also common. The vamp is decorated with a gold embroidered crown and a brown leather strip across the top. The dark brown hard leather soles come in handy when Leo finds himself tumbling outside.
Albert puts on his Albert slippers.
Leo wears a large gold ring on the third finger of his right hand, flashing the big black stone setting when he firing a revolver at the hitmen from under his bed.
Leo relaxes comfortably at the intersection of leisure and luxury.
Since he was reading his newspaper, Leo also sports a pair of reading glasses with clear half-moon lenses and thin gold frames and arms.
Go Big or Go Home
From the beautifully atmospheric scores contributed by frequent collaborator Carter Burwell to O Brother Where Art Thou‘s Soggy Bottom Boys cutting their recording of “Man of Constant Sorrow” and The Dude’s character-defining music taste in The Big Lebowski, the Coen brothers have always been masters of using music to heighten the scene.
The juxtaposition of Irish tenor Frank Patterson’s deep and soulful “Danny Boy” playing under the artistry of a silk-robed Albert Finney wielding a Thompson submachine gun created one of the most memorable and iconic moments in both the Coens’ canon and the genre as a whole. The narrative even acknowledges the dissonance as we see Leo settling in for a comfortable night at home, drifting in and out of sleep with his cigar, his newspaper, and a beautiful ballad. It was clearly part of the Coens’ vision from the get-go, as the screenplay tells us that “Faintly, from another room in the house, we can hear a phonograph playing John McCormack singing ‘Danny Boy’.”
John McCormack was one of the most celebrated Irish tenors of his time and hearing his remarkable renditions of songs like “Danny Boy” and “When You and I Were Young, Maggie” leave no question as to why. To elevate the scene depicting Leo’s assassination attempt from badass to cinematic perfection, the Coens recruited Frank Patterson, known as “Ireland’s Golden Tenor” and described by Taoiseach John Bruton as having “the purest voice of his generation”, to deliver a stirring performance of that most Irish of ballads for the sequence. The Coens directed Patterson’s performance to be precisely timed with the events on screen, following Leo as his night rapidly shifts from relaxation, tension, action, and – finally – sweet victory.
As the screenplay reads: “A faint smile curls around the cigar. He drops the muzzle of the gun.”
Miller’s Crossing delivers one of the few cases in the post-political correctness world where smoking is actually seen to save someone’s life. If Dana Cudahy hadn’t been smoking his Fatima cigarettes downstairs when he was killed, the cigarette would’ve never lit up the newspaper; the newspaper smoke rising through the floorboards is what alerted Leo to potential danger. And, of course, if Leo hadn’t been awake smoking his pre-bed cigar, he wouldn’t have even seen the newspaper’s smoke in the first place.
How to Get the Look
Although typically a practical dresser for his everyday outfits, Leo allows his attire to reflect the hedonistic excesses of gangsterdom when relaxing around his home… and why shouldn’t he?
Red deco-printed silk robe/dressing gown with black satin-faced shawl lapels, patch breast pocket, slanted jetted hip pockets, and matching tie/belt
Pale blue cotton 4-button pajama top with white-edged collar and hip patch pockets
Pale blue cotton pajama pants with plain bottoms
Black velvet Prince Albert slippers with gold embroidered crown and brown leather strip on vamp
Gold-framed half-moon reading glasses
Gold ring with large black stone
The Gun(s)
The old man’s still an artist with a Thompson.
…as Terry McGill proudly tells Tom in the aftermath of the attempted hit. And while Leo does display a fine – if excessive – shooting technique when mowing down the mob hitmen with one of their own Thompson M1928 submachine guns, he must also be something of a magician to keep it firing that long without reloading.
Leo ain’t done yet…
An IMDb contributor did the math: “In the scene where Leo uses the Thompson sub-machine gun he should have had to reload at least 6 times. Assuming the gun is a 1928 model the rate of fire is 700 rounds per minute and has a 100 round can of ammunition. The gangster walks into the bedroom and fires for 5 seconds for a total of 58 shots fired, Leo takes his gun and fires at the window for 20 seconds for 233 shots fired, then Leo fires at the car for about 20 more seconds for another 233 shots fired. That is a total of 524 shots fired from one Thompson with no reload.”
Leo takes out two hitmen and a car full of backup assassins all with a single drum of ammunition.
While Miller’s Crossing certainly aims to explot the genre’s propensity for exaggeration (after all, do that many people ask “What’s the rumpus?” in real life?), it’s worth noting that even a 100-round drum of ammunition would have needed to be reloaded five more times after the first magazine was emptied. However, entertainment ought to trump realism for this scene, especially for the brief bit where Leo guns down a hitman from behind, causing the dead killer’s finger to pull the trigger on his own Chicago typewriter and fire wildly, even into his own feet.
Leo only gave himself a fighting chance by keeping his own firearm, a Colt New Service revolver, easily accessible on his nightstand. After the gunmen burst into his room, Leo grabs the New Service from his nightstand and dashes under the bed.
Leo eyes his Colt New Service moments before needing to grab it.
In a questionable maneuver that seals their fate, the gunmen synchronize firing up the sides of the bed, allowing Leo just enough time to fire a .45 round from his New Service into a hitman’s foot. When the hitman drops, Leo finishes him off with a second round to the head. Leo then picks up the dead man’s tommy gun and is better armed for the next stage of battle.
Miller’s Crossing never explicitly identifies the time or place of its setting, barely even implying that we’re seeing an eastern U.S. city sometime in the late 1920s. It was filmed in New Orleans mostly to take advantage of the city’s old-fashioned and unchanged architecture from the era; Ethan Coen even stated that “New Orleans is sort of a depressed city,” inspiring its use to set the tone of Miller’s Crossing… a “depression” that was used two decades later to convert the city into 2008 Boston for Killing Them Softly.
Context clues, however, tell us that it was likely meant to be upstate New York sometime in the fall of 1929. Although the town certainly evokes thoughts of Al Capone’s war-torn Cicero, a suburb of Chicago, Tom’s mentions of the Palisades and Niagara Falls as relatively nearby spots to quickly lam out imply a setting in New York state.
The experts at IMDb have tried to use Johnny Casper’s office calendar – which indicates a January where the 1st fell on a Saturday – to determine that the year is likely 1927. However, Johnny Casper doesn’t strike me as the type to update his calendar often, and the “Lars Thorvald” fight poster promotes a date in the fall of 1929. Casper even appears to date his check to Tom for December 2, 1929. The recording of “Decatur Street Tutti” by Jabbo Smith’s Rhythm Aces – which we hear in Verna’s apartment – was recorded on April 4, 1929… a recording that would’ve been released shortly after and thus, also available by the fall of 1929.
Finally, visible car model years range from a 1926 Oakland up to several 1930 Ford Model A sedans, further strengthening the 1929 theory as those are all cars that would’ve been available by that fall. (Despite this, the Coen brothers have been known to not dedicate too much detail into avoiding anachronisms.)
And – HREY! 🤔 – someone made a cool Pin that reflects this scene. If I had a Pinterest, I would re-pin it myself.
Emile Hirsch and Holliday Grainger wielding a BAR and a Tommy gun as Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in Bonnie and Clyde (2013).
Vitals
Emile Hirsch as Clyde Barrow, bank robber with “second sight”
Northeast Texas, Spring 1932
Series Title:Bonnie and Clyde Air Date: December 8, 2013 Director: Bruce Beresford Costume Designer: Marilyn Vance
Background
As an amateur criminal historian with a special interest in Depression-era desperadoes, I’d be remiss to let a year go by without commemorating the end of Bonnie and Clyde’s crime streak on May 23, 1934 when the now-famous duo was gunned down by a squad of expert lawmen on a rural road in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
Generations later years later, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker have been romanticized to a level of fame that they never deserved in life. These Texan small-timers who have more confirmed kills than bank robberies made headlines due to the novelty of a woman’s involvement in the crimes, stimulating the boredom of a Depression-tarnished populace. Unlike John Dillinger or “Pretty Boy” Floyd, the two didn’t use their wit and wiles to get out of sticky situations, they relied on Clyde’s quick trigger finger and heavy leadfoot.
When Clyde and Bonnie drove their stolen Ford V-8 down that dusty Louisiana road 82 years ago today, they had no idea that they were driving into a police trap that would immortalize them forever, cementing their names as international symbols of illicit romance – Romeo and Juliet in a getaway car as Chicago crime writer Joseph Geringer dubbed them. Just when their story was finally losing momentum more than 30 years after their deaths, David Newman and Robert Benton were intrigued by their tale in John Toland’s encyclopedic The Dillinger Days and penned the screenplay that would become Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty as the outlaw couple. The film’s style – of which I’ve written plenty (1234) – and the glamour of its stars revived and revised the tale to even further romanticize the sociopathic lovers as a beautiful, happy-go-lucky couple unfairly hounded by aggressive, fun-hating authoritarians.
In 2013, the legend was given a somewhat fact-based refresh with the two-part miniseries also named Bonnie and Clyde with Holliday Grainger and Emile Hirsch in the titular roles. More attention was paid to aesthetic detail with incidental names and details that had previously been ignored finally incorporated into the story and actual traits – like Clyde’s impulsiveness and Bonnie’s vulnerability – were reflected in the characterizations.
This sequence is set in the spring of 1932, early in Clyde Barrow’s criminal career after he was released from the Texas state prison. He returns to Bonnie, whom he’d met very shortly before his arrest two years earlier and assisted him during his first failed escape, and they kick off their two-year criminal streak. Clyde and Bonnie bring on the scrappy Ralph Fults for a nighttime jewelry store robbery, a reflection of an actual crime that involved Clyde and two other associates in late April 1932. The jeweler, John N. Bucher, obliged with the thieves and was withdrawing the contents from his safe when he was shot. Although Clyde likely wasn’t the triggerman, this was his first involvement in a killing outside of prison and one that he would continue to regret. In reality, Bonnie was not present during this crime.
What’d He Wear?
During both the aborted Hillsboro jewelry heist and a daytime bank robbery in Ponder, Texas, Clyde leads his gang while sporting this oversized navy blue three-piece suit with subtle light blue and tan hairline windowpane grid.
The suit has an almost comically large fit, reducing Clyde’s image to that of a little boy in his dad’s clothes. While also a slight reflection of the era’s style, this helps to make Clyde look smaller – both physically and metaphorically. At this point in his career, he was still a pipsqueak fresh out of jail and looking to get back at the world. He thought of himself as far bigger than he actually was and dressed the part.
Clyde lets his .45 do his talking for him during the Ponder State Bank robbery.
Clyde’s single-breasted 3-button suit coat has large notch lapels with a buttonhole stitched through the left lapel. The shoulders are padded with roped sleeveheads and two buttons at the end of each sleeve cuff. The ventless jacket has a welted breast pocket and jetted hip pockets. The light brown lining can be seen as he raises his .45 when escaping the Ponder bank robbery.
Clyde wears a matching single-breasted 6-button vest. The lowest button is left open over the notched bottom. Like his other vests, it likely has four welt pockets.
Clyde’s vest is best seen a few frames earlier as he leaves the bank with a sack of ill-gotten cash over his shoulder.
The flat front trousers have a low rise, held at the waist with a thick dark brown leather belt with a solid steel rectangular single-claw buckle that looks more modern than a genuine early ’30s belt.
Due to their size, the trousers have a very full, loose fit on Clyde’s lower half and the cuffed bottoms nearly drag on the ground; it’s surprising that Clyde doesn’t trip over them during his getaway! The real Clyde certainly wore fully-cut trousers as photos from the era show, but these look more like they’re a few sizes too large rather than merely being full cut.
Such voluminous trousers would be dangerous for hopping onto a running board for a quick getaway.
On his feet, Clyde wears a pair of black leather 4-eyelet cap-toe oxfords that are nearly engulfed by the trouser cuffs. Due to the full break of the pants, his socks remain unseen throughout this sequence.
During the crimes, Clyde’s dress shirt has thin, alternating stripes in navy and light blue. It has a spread collar and button cuffs. He wears two similar silk ties with a “brushstroke” motif on a dark navy ground. For the nighttime Bucher burglary in Hillsboro, Clyde’s tie has large gray strokes; for the daytime bank robbery, it has shorter, more staccato tan strokes.
Clyde wears one of his “brushstroke” ties during the Hillsboro burglary.
For one of the couple’s famous photo sessions, he wears the earlier-seen light blue and white striped shirt with a white detachable club collar and a bright red silk patterned necktie.
This publicity photo also shows off Clyde’s trousers and shoes.
Clyde’s wide-brimmed fedora is gray felt with a wide black grosgrain ribbon.
This post from the L.A. Daily Mirror uses the production’s released photo of Holliday Grainger holding a shotgun on Emile Hirsch to recreate the famous Bonnie vs. Clyde photo from 1933, comparing the detailed differences between the clothing on screen and the outlaws’ actual attire.
How to Get the Look
Clyde dresses for danger in a large blue suit that nearly engulfs him, signifying that his budding criminal is getting into a lifestyle way over his head (and shoulders!)
Navy blue blue-and-tan hairline-windowpane suit, including:
Single-breasted 2-button suit jacket with wide notch lapels, padded shoulders, welted breast pocket, jetted hip pockets, 2-button cuffs, and ventless back
Single-breasted vest with 6-button front, notched bottom, and 4 weltpockets
Flat front baggy-fit trousers with low rise, belt loops, side pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
Navy and light blue dress-striped shirt with spread collar and button cuffs
Dark navy silk necktie with light “brushstroke” motif
Dark brown thick leather belt with a steel rectangular single-claw buckle
Black leather 4-eyelet cap-toe oxfords
Dark dress socks
Light blue cotton undershorts with a 2-button waistband closure
Gray felt wide-brimmed fedora with wide black grosgrain ribbon
The Guns
Clyde’s preferred sidearm is accurately shown to be a .45-caliber M1911A1 semi-automatic pistol, just as he carried in real life; the miniseries uses the anachronistic and more modern Colt Mk IV Series 70. A number of other popular Barrow Gang firearms are also seen during the photo session.
The famous photo of Bonnie playfully holding a shotgun on Clyde as she reaches for a stag-gripped revolver in his trouser waistband is recreated with surprising detail. (The recreation appears to be a behind-the-scenes one, as the on-screen version shows Clyde wearing his charcoal chalkstripe suit.)
Bonnie Parker turns the tables on her criminal companion.
In real life, the shotgun was one of Bonnie’s “whipit” guns – a Remington Model 11 semi-automatic shotgun in the relatively low 20-gauge. The miniseries uses a sawed-off Stevens Model 620 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun, which Fults is seen using in an earlier scene to kill John Bucher. The revolver doesn’t receive much – if any – screentime in the miniseries, but it’s meant to be the Smith & Wesson .44 Special “Triple Lock” revolver that had been taken in January 1933 from Springfield, Missouri motorcycle policeman Tom Persell.
Of course, Clyde is also photographed holding a Browning Automatic Rifle as the formidable .30-06 BAR was arguably Clyde’s favorite weapon.
James Gandolfini on set in Bloomfield, NJ as Tony Soprano, filming “Made in America” (Episode 6.21), the series finale of The Sopranos. (Taken by Arnaldo Magnani for Getty Images, March 22, 2007.)
Vitals
James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, New Jersey mob boss
Bloomfield, NJ, Late Fall 2007
Series:The Sopranos Episode: “Made in America” (Episode 6.21) Air Date: June 10, 2007 Director: David Chase Creator: David Chase Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Nine years ago today, nearly 12 million viewers tuned into HBO to watch “Made in America”, the final installment in the epic and groundbreaking saga of The Sopranos. The episode’s controversial ending polarized some audiences who demanded more closure for the conflicted and complex mob boss and his biological and criminal families after 86 episodes. (For better or worse, the episode also revived Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” in the public consciousness.)
Although many disagreed with creator David Chase’s decision to (IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE EPISODE AND DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED EVEN THOUGH IT’S BECOME FAMOUS OVER THE LAST NINE YEARS STOP READING NOW) cut to several seconds of black before resuming the end credits*, “Made in America” as a whole has grown considerably popular after nearly a decade of revisits and analysis with more articles, columns, blog posts, and think pieces about that single episode than most TV shows get in their entirety. Its reputation has grown to the point where the Chase-penned and directed “Made in America” is now considered by many to be one of the best television finales in the medium’s history, and its unforgettable conclusion – and the reaction to it – has become an American pop culture phenomenon.
* Chase didn’t even want to include the end credits, but the Directors Guild of America wouldn’t allow it.
Up to the point where Tony Soprano looked up and our worlds went black, “Made in America” had deftly been wrapping up the show’s loose ends, both on the front of mob war and familial strife. As in real life, there were few ultimate conclusions, and the show’s narrative was winding down by the time Tony arranged to meet his wife and children at Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionary, an old-school ice cream parlor in Bloomfield. Tony is the first to arrive, ordering onion rings for the table. Eventually, the bell on the door rings to herald the entrance of the restaurant’s arrivals, including Tony’s wife Carmela (Edie Falco) and son A.J. (Robert Iler) arrive, as well as a man in a Members Only jacket that has become the object of much of the episode’s speculation. As the man walks past their table to ostensibly use the restroom, Bobby Bacala’s words (“You probably don’t even hear when it happens, right?”) may be echoing in Tony’s head… or he may just be heeding the advice he once gave A.J. to “remember the good times.” Outside, Tony’s daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) is running late and struggling to park her car. The door’s bell rings. Tony looks up and-
What’d He Wear?
Nothing – not even the ending – is black and white on the world of The Sopranos, despite what some of its more stubbornly old-fashioned characters may choose to believe. Tony’s shirt acknowledges these “shades of gray” with his tri-colored sport shirt worn for the final scene.
Tony steps into Holsten’s wearing a black lightweight silk short-sleeve bowling shirt with gray and cream front panels. The shirt has seven gray plastic buttons down the plain front, including the top button that he leaves undone under the notched camp collar.
Tony looks up to see who enters. CUT TO BLACK.
Most of the shirt – including the collar, the entire back, and the half sleeves – is black. The front of the shirt – from the shoulder seams down to the straight-cut bottom hem – is a gray silk panel with each side split by a wide cream “stripe” panel.
Many of Tony’s silk sport shirts were from Nat Nast, the luxury shirtmaker who earned a reputation in post-war America as “The King of Bowling Shirts”. The current brand, Nat Nast Luxury Originals, was relaunched by Nat’s daughters Patty and Barbara in 2000 with an aim to “recapture the era” and celebrate the mid-century American experience. While I haven’t seen a confirmed maker of this shirt, it’s certainly possible that it’s another garment from this venerable all-American brand.
The awesome James Gandolfini interacts with fans while filming in Bloomfield in March 2007. Though watermarked for Getty Images, I don’t know the name of this photographer, unless this was also taken by Arnaldo Magnani. (Bobby Bank is credited for a similar photo, so that may also be the photographer who captured this image.)
Tony Soprano wore several black leather jackets over the course of The Sopranos‘ eight year run from blazers to blousons. He wore two different zip-front black leather jackets in the finale episode alone, including one more frequently seen example by Remy that was auctioned by Live Auctioneers with another outfit from the episode.
With this outfit, Tony wears a slightly heavier lambskin black leather jacket, differentiated by a horizontal seam that runs across both chest panels. Like a bomber jacket and several others worn by Tony, it has a shirt-style collar and a zip front with a matching black leather tab on the metal pull. Other than the horizontal seam and the vertical welt hand pocket on each side, it has a very clean look with plain cuffs and no straps, buttons, or snaps on the waistband.
Tony talks with Paulie before the latter gets his triumphant final moment on the show, sunning himself despite the fact that it’s basically a winter day in New Jersey.
A watermarked image of James Gandolfini on set during the filming of “Made in America” (Taken by Arnaldo Magnani for Getty Images, March 22, 2007.)
Tony wears a pair of black wool trousers with double reverse pleats, slanted side pockets, and cuffed bottoms. Many of the trousers worn by James Gandolfini on the show were appropriated sourced from the Italian-tailored brand Zanella, and it’s very possible that these are no exception. His untucked shirt covers the trouser waistband, but he likely wears a black leather belt to match both his footwear and the general color scheme of his outfit.
Since the significant bulk of this scene is set while Tony is sitting at a restaurant table, most of the “below the waist” costuming info comes from Arnaldo Magnani’s on-set photos posted on Getty Images while the scene was being filmed in Bloomfield in late March 2007. In addition to other wardrobe points, the photos confirm that Tony is wearing a pair of black leather split-toe bluchers, likely with black dress socks.
Although most of his clothing is black, Tony’s accessories are always all gold (a winning color combination that appeals to the sports base in my hometown) with two gold pieces on each hand and one around his neck.
As always, he wears a gold open-link chain necklace with a pendant of St. Jerome that buries itself somewhere between his chest hair and his ubiquitous white ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt.
Tony’s left wrist holds his usual yellow gold Rolex President Day-Date, a luxury watch befitting the proud leader of a powerful organization like the DeMeo crime family. Tony honors his other family by proudly wearing a gold wedding band on the ring finger of his left hand.
The mobster’s mobster, Tony would never leave the house without his gold pinky ring, which flashes a ruby and diamond clustered together from his right pinky. On his right wrist, he wears a gold chain-link bracelet.
Tony’s rings and wrist accoutrement are on display as he checks out the jukebox selections.
(Another of Tony’s “Made in America” outfits that includes a black leather jacket sold on Live Auctioneers. Worn during later scenes of talking with Paulie and seeing Uncle Junior, this outfit consisted of a black leather Remy jacket, speckled Castagne dress shirt, and tan pleated Zanella trousers.)
Go Big or Go Home
…and go ahead and order some onion rings for the table*. I can only imagine that onion rings have shot up to a best-selling spot on the menu at Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionary, the eatery in Bloomfield, New Jersey where the Soprano family chose to dine during this iconic final scene. Although advertised as an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and candy store, Holsten’s boasts a wide menu of burgers, sandwiches, and breakfasts in addition to the $4.00 onion rings. The restaurant, which opened in 1939 as Strubbe’s Ice Cream parlor, is reasonably proud of its connection to The Sopranos‘ finale, even including a tab on its site and in-store merchandise that can be purchased. (Initially, the Bloomfield Township Council tried to block the show from filming in town but their authority was overruled.)
* I’ve seen it argued that Tony ordering “some for the table” is also a reference to the direction of his life leading up to his family being forced to witness his gruesome demise at the table. Maybe this is just people trying to add significance to the fact that this is the last line of the show, but…
Perhaps also somewhat significant is the fact that “Don’t Stop Believin'” was released in 1981, the year after Meadow was born and Tony “made his bones” in the mob with his first killing.
Another group that initially wasn’t crazy about giving permission to the show was Journey, whose 1981 single “Don’t Stop Believin'” received an incredible resurgence in popularity after “Made in America,” shooting up nearly 500% in iTunes sales to become the best selling digital song from a non-digital (pre-21st century) era on the site. Steve Perry’s reluctance mostly stemmed from a concern that it would be associated with Tony Soprano’s demise until David Chase was able to provide assurance that this would not [explicitly] be the case.
How to Get the Look
Although a Members Only jacket may be one of the more analyzed pieces of clothing in this scene, Tony dresses true to his Jersey mob boss self right up to the end with a leather jacket, silk sport shirt, and pounds of gold jewelry.
Black silk short-sleeve bowling shirt with camp collar, plain 7-button front, and gray/cream vertical front panels
Black lambskin leather zip-front jacket with shirt-style collar, horizontal chest seam, vertical welt side pockets, and plain cuffs
Black wool double reverse-pleated trousers with belt loops, slanted side pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
Black leather belt
Black leather split-toe bluchers
Black dress socks
White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
Rolex President Day-Date 118238 yellow gold wristwatch
Gold open-link chain bracelet
Gold pinky ring with ruby and diamond stones
Gold wedding band
Gold open-link chain necklace with round St. Jerome pendant
A.J.: Isn’t that what you said one time, “try to remember the times that were good”? Tony: I did? A.J.: Yeah. Tony: Well, it’s true, I guess.
Footnotes and Theories
Although David Chase has famously kept mum about the episode’s meaning – especially in response to the fan favorite question of “Was Tony killed at the end?” – he has admitted that there are many hints throughout the show, particularly the last season, that address his intent with the finale.
In the season premiere “Soprano Home Movies” (Ep. 6.13), Bobby Bacala (Steve Schirripa) and Tony are enjoying a relaxing afternoon on Bobby’s boat and discussing the bloody realities of their world. Bobby theorizes that when a hit comes, “You probably don’t even hear when it happens, right?” The next episode, “Stage 5” (Ep. 6.14) finds Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt) out to dinner with Gerry Torciano (John Bianco) when the latter is lit up as part of a New York Mafia power struggle. Sil is shocked to find himself witness to a mob hit as he isn’t even aware of the shooting until he realized that he’s been splashed with Gerry’s blood. This as close as The Sopranos had gotten to being inside the mind of a “victim” of one of the show’s many hits, and it’s worth recalling at Holsten’s.
Tony is granted one more “good time” to remember with his family before the end.
The Master of Sopranos blog has offered its thoughtful and “definitive” explanation of the finale, citing much evidence from throughout the show and cues within the scene that even the most eagle-eyed fan might miss. I always enjoy reading this set of posts, which addresses not only what may have happened in the ending but themes of death on The Sopranos as a whole. The blog theorizes that the scene does indeed signify Tony’s end with its own beautiful conclusion:
Those final 10 seconds of darkness illustrates Tony’s greatest fear: that when we die, it’s all over. We look for meaning in life and we fear an empty existence; this was often illustrated with Tony’s sessions with Dr. Melfi and the entire psychological aspect to the show. Death in popular fiction is usually glorified in some way. It’s usually about courage, sacrifice, and the tragedy of loss. There usually has to be some great “meaning” behind it. But for Chase, any “meaning” vanishes the second the bullet enters Tony’s brain. In the end, Tony (and us) are left with eternal nothingness, all we can really do when we are alive is “remember the good times.”
Master of Sopranos draws on plenty of source material and inter-show evidence to determine that Chase and cinematographer Alik Sakharov masterfully incorporated point-of-view (POV) shots to deliver an experiential ending worthy of the show, its creators, and its audience:
In achieving the ultimate vicarious experience of Tony’s death, Tony himself would never know who killed him or why, so the viewers should not know either.
Mike Cole also makes a careful analysis on his blog, breaking down the final moments of the season in forensic detail to draw his conclusion that Tony meets his death at the hands of a hitman hired by Patsy Parisi.
Vinnie Mancuso also wrote a great column, “Ten Seconds of Black: Revisiting the Life-Affirming Series Finale of ‘The Sopranos’,” published last summer after Game of Thrones was numbing HBO viewers to TV deaths. In it, Mancuso recalls the frustration of he and his father after the finale and how his eventual reflection made him appreciate the show’s life-affirming message:
I always think back to that reaction of my father. It wasn’t frustration at a bad ending — in that moment, he didn’t even know that was the ending. It was frustration that something he genuinely loved, something he had poured not only his time but emotions into, was taken away from him in that one second. But then he moved on.
That’s not TV. That’s life.
Many discussions of the scene also address the paranoia that would continue to define Tony’s mindset and how it may be reflected in this scene and decision. Not only does Tony suffer from depressive disorders, but his way of life means he can’t afford to let his guard down. He’s always on the lookout, surveying threats whether they’re wearing Members Only jackets or not. And if that Members Only man really was going to the bathroom, Tony may have been recalling his self-described favorite scene from the archetypal mob drama The Godfather when Michael Corleone returns from a fateful restroom visit with a gun in his hand to eliminate a target or two of his own.
The show makes a point of calling out the lyrics of “Don’t Stop Believin'” – a song that Chase adamantly pursued for this scene – so the audience is clearly being brought into this experience. We the viewers “should not stop believing,” as Chase often would tell interviewers, and we should continue to interpret Tony’s story for ourselves. The show’s message about life and death is what matters, more than whether or not it managed to up the body count in its final moments. Even Bobby’s words seem to address us: “You probably don’t even hear it when it happens.” If “it” happening is Tony’s death, then he was right on the money; we didn’t hear it or see it and it might even happen decades later, beyond the show’s narrative… we just have to keep believing for ourselves.
Michael Pitt as Jimmy Darmody on Boardwalk Empire (Episode 2.09: “Battle of the Century”).
Vitals
Michael Pitt as Jimmy Darmody, troubled Atlantic City bootlegger
Atlantic City, July 1921
Series:Boardwalk Empire Episodes:
– “Battle of the Century” (Episode 2.09, Director: Brad Anderson, Air Date: November 20, 2011)
– “Under God’s Power She Flourishes” (Episode 2.11, Director: Allen Coulter, Air Date: December 4, 2011) Creator: Terence Winter Costume Designer: John A. Dunn
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Although Game of Thrones currently enjoys its reputation as HBO’s “kill your darlings” archetype (and how!), Boardwalk Empire shocked and saddened many viewers with the murder of fan favorite Jimmy Darmody at the conclusion of the show’s second season.
Jimmy had a long, fascinating journey since the first minutes of the show with new layers of complexity added with each episode to prove that he was far more than just an overly ambitious lackey. The only ray of hope for Jimmy Darmody was his family, and even his steady rise through the ranks of gangsterdom in the show’s second season never brought him as much peace as a smile from his son Tommy or an embrace with his wife Angela (Aleksa Palladino).
Unfortunately, the latter is taken away from him in “Georgia Peaches” (Episode 2.10) thanks to the ineptitude of Mickey Doyle (Paul Sparks), and Jimmy is left in a state of anguish. “Under God’s Power She Flourishes” (Episode 2.11) gave viewers the Jimmy Darmody origin story flashback that was so desperately wanted, and Jimmy’s darkness is finally explained. We knew his service in the war was hell for him, but it was hardly the most traumatic event of his life as we finally learn just how deep his connection with his mother runs.
Tortured by the loss of his wife and the memories of his mother’s seduction, Jimmy is in a pretty dark place when his parents – Gillian (Gretchen Mol) and the Commodore (Dabney Coleman) – are calmly planning Angela’s funeral and their future as a family. He becomes furious at Gillian’s suggestion that Tommy is young enough that he’ll forget Angela, shouting “I’ll remember!” as he attacks her, referring both to his wife and the unspoken memories of their night together at Princeton five years earlier. The Commodore tries to step in with an antique spear, but Jimmy gains the upper hand and overpowers the Commodore. At his mother’s urging, Jimmy fatally stabs the Commodore and then collapses in the next room. (The fight is scored by Henry Burr and Albert Campbell’s “Feather Your Nest”, an appropriate song that juxtaposes the disturbing family “nest” on screen.)
The next morning, Jimmy wakes to find his loyal friend and comrade Richard Harrow (Jack Huston) cleaning up the evidence of the murder. Harrow himself had been enamored with Angela but conflicted by his loyalty to Jimmy, especially in the wake of Jimmy’s show of support while listening to the public radio broadcast of the Dempsey vs. Carpentier boxing match together with their dates earlier that month in “Battle of the Century” (Episode 2.09).
What’d He Wear?
Unlike his former mentor who seemed to have a bold suit for every occasion, Jimmy Darmody’s outfits are relatively conservative and functional. This suit, one of only about seven that he goes through during the series, is only seen in the few episodes of the second season that take place during July 1921, making it a “summer suit” by default if not by design.
Jimmy’s suiting appears to be a gray and black glen check flannel, likely in a lightweight plain weave with such a fine scale that it appears semi-solid from a distance. All of the suit’s edges – such as lapels and pockets – are slightly swelled about a millimeter or two from the edge. All visible buttons are a multi-tone tortoiseshell.
The fine glen check of Jimmy’s suits is most visible when he’s listening to the Dempsey match broadcast in “Battle of the Century” (Episode 2.09).
Though structurally and somewhat cosmetically similar to the “everyday” gray suit that he begins wearing at the time of his return to Atlantic City in late season 1, this is the only suit in Jimmy’s on-screen collection that has peak lapels on the jacket. These peak lapels have sharp points and a buttonhole through the left lapel. They break high on the chest for the high-fastening three-button front.
Jimmy and Richard enjoy the company of a few flappers during the Dempsey vs. Carpentier match.
This single-breasted suit jacket has a welted breast pocket and straight flapped hip pockets. The shoulders are lightly padded with roped sleeveheads and 4-button kissing cuffs. The back is split with a single vent.
Jimmy wears (and ruins) the vest and trousers without the jacket during his fight with the Commodore. The single-breasted waistcoat has notch lapels above the high-fastening 6-button front, which Jimmy wears totally fastened down to the notched bottom. The vest has four welt pockets – two upper, two lower – and an adjustable strap on the silky gray back.
A pensive Jimmy strips down to his waistcoat and trousers on a somber summer night in “Under God’s Power She Flourishes” (Episode 2.11).
The flat front suit trousers are styled the same as most of Jimmy’s suits with a high rise, straight fly, on-seam side pockets, and jetted back pockets that each close through a button. The bottoms are plain-hemmed without cuffs.
The bitch of it is that the whole suit is ruined after Jimmy gets his waistcoat bloody during a fight with his old man.
Jimmy’s trousers are meant to be worn with suspenders that attach to buttons on the inside of the waistband and onto a short rear strap on the outside of the back waistband. The suspenders are best seen in “Georgia Peaches” (Episode 2.10) when he relaxes shirtless in his beach house; they are navy with a tan and brown broken center stripe. They have gold adjusters and light brown leather tabs and ears.
For the suit’s first appearance in “Battle of the Century” (Episode 2.09) as Jimmy and Richard Harrow take their dates to the radio broadcast of the titular Dempsey vs. Carpentier boxing match, Jimmy wears a blue multi- and micro-striped shirt with single-button cuffs and a tab collar fastened by a gold bar.
Jimmy’s “Battle of the Century” silk tie is appropriately loud like his surroundings with a rich paisley teardrop motif in gold, maroon, and blue on a light gray ground.
Jimmy incorporates red, white, and blue into his tie, perhaps aware that the Dempsey vs. Carpentier fight is only two days before July 4th and wishing to subtly celebrate the country he served.
After he is devastated by Angela’s murder in “Georgia Peaches” (Episode 2.10) and “Under God’s Power She Flourishes” (Episode 2.11), Jimmy opts for a more monochromatic look with a two-tone gray-on-gray striped shirt that reflects his gray mood due to his sorrow and grief-induced heroin addiction. He wears the large collar unbuttoned. The shirt also has button cuffs and a front placket.
With this shirt, Jimmy wears a dark brown and navy woven silk tie that breaks up the monotony of the gray but is much more somber than the bolder tie he wore for the earlier fight broadcast.
Jimmy’s more solemn look in “Under God’s Power She Flourishes” reflects his attitude and mental state.
The eternal soldier Jimmy still wears the black leather combat boots he was issued in the army, laced up the throat. An ankle holster over his left boot houses the Mk I Trench Knife that he draws when he is attacked by the Commodore, a symbolic product of the military service that he felt compelled to enter after he was seduced by his mother, an act indicative of the disturbing sexual history of the Kaestner/Darmody clan.
Some intra-family fisticuffs in “Under God’s Power She Flourishes” (Episode 2.11) lead to Jimmy drawing that knife he so handily keeps strapped to his ankle.
Jimmy also wears his service wristwatch, comprised of a steel tonneau-shaped case, an off-white dial with round gold number indicators, and a brown leather strap. In the early 1920s, wristwatches were still primarily the domain of former servicemen who had adopted this more convenient timekeeping method during the war as opposed to the civilians who still preferred pocket watches.
Although the boots and watch may indicate military service, Jimmy still wears his steel dog tags around his neck on a brown cord as a direct remnant of his World War I service. His tags are typically tucked into his white ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt.
Jimmy in happier times (“Georgia Peaches”, Episode 2.10) and not-so-happy times (“Under God’s Power She Flourishes”, Episode 2.11).
A minimalist, especially when compared to Nucky Thompson, Jimmy’s only piece of jewelry is his plain gold wedding ring on the third finger of his left hand.
Despite the fact that “Battle of the Century” (Episode 2.09) is set in early July when Atlantic City temperatures tend to be in the mid-70s °F, Jimmy still wears his heavy coat and hat for a meeting. His double-breasted knee-length overcoat is gray herringbone tweed with a subtle blue overcheck. He leaves the 6-on-2 button front open. The coat has wide peak lapels with stitched buttonholes, flapped box-pleated chest pockets and patch hip pockets, and an “action-back” center in the back above the half-belt and long single vent.
Jimmy’s hat is the same black beaver felt fedora that he began wearing at the start of the season. According to the Screenbid.com auction from last year, this short-brimmed fedora was sourced from The Custom Hatter, possibly their “The Untouchable” model.
Jimmy’s hat, auctioned by Screenbid.com and manufactured by The Custom Hatter.
How to Get the Look
Jimmy is a much more practical and less showy dresser than many of the gangsters in his world, proving that one doesn’t always need bold checks and bright colors to look sharp in the Atlantic City of the Roaring Twenties.
Jimmy is slightly overdressed in his July outerwear of heavy coat and beaver hat.
Single-breasted 3-button jacket with peak lapels, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, and single rear vent
Single-breasted 6-button vest with notch lapels, 4 welted pockets, and adjustable rear strap on gray silk lining
Flat front high-rise trousers with straight on-seam side pockets, jetted button-through rear pockets, rear suspender strap, and turn-ups/cuffs
Blue multi-striped dress shirt with tab collar, front placket, and 1-button cuffs
Light gray silk necktie with maroon red, navy blue, and tan paisley teardrop motif
Gold collar pin
Black leather combat boots with black laces
Black dress socks
Black leather ankle holster for 1918 Mk I trench knife
Navy striped suspenders with broken two-tone brown stripe and gold hardware
Black beaver felt fedora with a thin black grosgrain band
Gray herringbone tweed double-breasted “action-back” overcoat with peak lapels, 6×2 button front, 2 flapped box-pleated chest patch pockets, 2 flapped patch hip pockets, cuffed sleeves, half-belted back, and long single vent
White cotton sleeveless undershirt
Off-white cotton boxer shorts
Steel tonneau-shaped wristwatch on a brown leather strap
Plain gold wedding band, worn on left ring finger
For more serious occasions like a physical brawl with your cantankerous bigoted father, drop the outerwear and swap in a more monochromatic gray shirt with a solid dark tie.
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Watch the entire series, although Jimmy Darmody’s story is mostly confined to the first and second seasons. This suit in particular is only featured in three episodes toward the end of season 2.
The Quote
Manny Horvitz: We got a deal, but just so we’re clear, my ice box is filled with pieces of fellas who tried to fuck me over. Jimmy Darmody: (nonplussed) I just got creamsicles in mine.
Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007).
Vitals
Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas, heroin kingpin
Harlem, January 1973
Film: American Gangster Release Date: November 2, 2007 Director: Ridley Scott Costume Designer: Janty Yates Tailor: Leonard Logsdail
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Frank Lucas takes pride in not looking too flashy like some of his contemporary gangster pals, but this suit is a considerable – though not unattractive – exception to his rule. However, it’s telling that this is one of the last outfits that Frank wears before his eventual arrest.
Frank’s tan striped three-piece suit recalls an admittedly gaudier look sported by NYPD Detective Trupo earlier in the film when local detective Richie Roberts encounters a white-suited Trupo and his corrupt cronies in Newark. Now, Trupo has broken into Frank’s home, stolen his cash, and – most unforgivably – kills his dog. In a rage, Frank arms himself and prepares to go after the crooked cop… but his mother stops him, threatening that both she and Frank’s wife Eva will leave him if he takes this drastic step.
Faced with these unintended consequences of his pursuits and the possibility that he is becoming the sort of criminal he hates, Frank takes a step back.
What’d He Wear?
Frank Lucas’s tan striped three-piece suit is one of the louder costume pieces that Leonard Logsdail tailored for Denzel Washington to wear in American Gangster. The tonal pinstripe reflects its surrounding light, appearing white in bright or natural lighting and brown under dark lighting. All of the buttons are tan and brown urea buttons.
The single-breasted suit jacket is tailored similarly to Frank’s other jackets with shoulders well-padded to create a strong look that slopes down from the neck to the roped sleeveheads.
Although it’s too late to suggest a change of occupation, Frank’s mother is able to lend him some sage wisdom that likely saves a few lives.
Many styling details are straight from the ’70s. The peak lapels are wide and sharp with a buttonhole through the left lapel. The front is darted, and the back is split by a very long single vent that extends more than a foot, up to just above the waistline. The rear-slanting hip pockets, including the ticket pocket, are widely flapped.
The jacket closes with two buttons in the front and 4-button “kissing” cuffs on the end of each sleeve.
My, how times have changed at the airport!
Frank wears a brown silk pocket square in his breast pocket that matches his tie. The outline of the entire kerchief in his pocket can be seen in some shots.
Note Frank’s brown silk pocket square.
The matching suit vest has six buttons down the front to the notched bottom. There are four welt pockets – two upper and two lower. The back of the vest is iridescent silk that reflects blue in certain light. A back strap fastens through a silver-toned buckle to adjust the fit.
A furious Frank moves through his house without his jacket on.
The flat front suit trousers have a straight fly and on-seam side pockets. His dark leather belt appears to be a dark brown, matching the rest of the outfit’s earth tones, with a squared steel single-claw buckle.
Frank Lucas with two different lethal weapons: a 9mm Browning Hi-Power and his own mother. (Hey now!)
We never see below Frank’s shins on screen, but the trousers bottoms are likely plain-hemmed like his others. He may be wearing the same brown medallion-toe balmorals as he did with his light brown suit earlier in the film.
In fact, this could be called a slightly flashier variation of that earlier outfit, as he also wears a yellow shirt and brown silk tie with this earth-toned suit. This yellow shirt is much more elaborate with white striping throughout and a white contrast collar and cuffs. It has a front placket and a very large collar as collar points had grown much longer by 1973. The squared double cuffs are fastened by a pair of gold rectangle links, which seem to be a Frank Lucas favorite.
Frank puts his jacket on to get ready for a confrontation and ends up in a much more dangerous one than he expected.
Frank wears the same gold wristwatch that he wears throughout the rest of American Gangster with a square white dial on a gold bracelet. He wears a gold wedding band on the symbolic third finger of his left hand.
How to Get the Look
Frank Lucas’s loudest outfit is one of the last ones he is seen wearing before his arrest, a none-too-insignificant observation.
Tan tonal-striped three-piece suit, consisting of:
Single-breasted 2-button jacket with wide peak lapels, welted breast pocket, flapped slanted hip pockets with right-side ticket pocket, 4-button “kissing” cuffs, padded sloping shoulders, and long single vent
Single-breasted 6-button vest with four welt pockets, notched bottom, and blue iridescent back with adjustable buckle strap
Flat front trousers with belt loops, straight on-seam side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
Yellow white-striped dress shirt with front placket and white contrast long-pointed collar and double/French cuffs
Brown silk tie
Gold rectangular cuff links
Dark brown leather belt with steel square single-claw buckle
Brown medallion-toe balmorals
Dark brown dress socks
Gold wristwatch with a white square dial on gold bracelet
On the total opposite end of the badassery spectrum, Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) also tried to pull off a tan striped suit in a second season episode of Friends, “The One Where Heckles Dies” (Episode 2.03).
This is likely the only appearance that David Schwimmer will ever make on this blog.
Al Pacino as Carlito Brigante in Carlito’s Way (1993).
Vitals
Al Pacino as Carlito “Charlie” Brigante, paroled nightclub owner and former heroin dealer
New York City, September 1975
Film:Carlito’s Way Release Date: November 3, 1993 Director: Brian De Palma Costume Designer: Aude Bronson-Howard
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Carlito’s Way is one of the most popular criminal roles of Al Pacino’s later career. Pacino stepped into the shoes (and vintage leather jackets) of Carlito Brigante, the anti-hero of Judge Edwin Torres’ novels Carlito’s Way and After Hours, which were both adapted by screenwriter David Koepp for the big screen.
Unlike the famous drug kingpin that Pacino had portrayed ten years earlier, Carlito is apologetic and remorseful when it comes to his criminal past, hoping to use his street smarts in legitimate business to set himself up for a future in paradise.
Unfortunately for him, times have changed just a little too much and there isn’t enough room in East Harlem for a former wiseguy looking to go straight.
What’d He Wear?
For a badass like Carlito Brigante, a long dark leather coat is essential for maintaining a post-parole reputation in your neighborhood. However, some endeavors – like a visit to your lawyer’s office, spying on your ex in the rain, or a nighttime jailbreak – call for a more practical outerwear garment that won’t get in the way when attempting to free an overweight mob boss off of Riker’s Island.
Carlito wears a hip-length brown leather jacket with a single-breasted 3-button front in a style that was very common during the 1970s. The collar is notched with edge stitching. The chest is split by a horizontal yoke on each side of the front, and the self-belted back is split with a single vent up the center. The plain cuffs are devoid of straps, buttons, or snaps.
Carlito enjoys a brief reunion with Gail.
In Donnie Brasco, Johnny Depp (as Pacino’s titular protégé) wears a similar brown leather jacket, albeit with flapped pockets instead of open ones; Carlito’s jacket has vertical hand pockets on the side.
Carlito wears the jacket over a shirt and tie during an early visit to his lawyer’s office. The shirt is a darker, cooler shade of mottled brown with a long-pointed collar, a breast pocket, and double cuffs that he fastens with flat silver oval links.
Carlito takes a slightly more informal approach to meetings than most people.
Carlito wears a wide brown silk tie with a series of tan ovals that alternate between vertical and horizontal orientations across.
When he reunites with Gail, Carlito wears a similar shirt in mottled dark red with no tie. This shirt has an appropriately large collar for the ’70s but the collar points are rounded for a somewhat softer appearance, perhaps an attempt to make the bearded man standing in the rain with a garbage can lid over his head look slightly less threatening. The shirt has dark gray buttons down the front placket and one on each rounded cuff. Like the other shirt, it has a breast pocket.
Our aspiring Romeo must be so relieved that his shirt dries so quickly after an evening in the rain!
For the aquatic Riker’s Island jailbreak, Carlito wears a plain black lightweight long-sleeve jumper, tucked into his black striped suit trousers under their matching suit vest. He buttons only the center three of the vest’s five buttons.
Carlito looks appropriately nervous, given the eventual outcome of the evening’s events.
The black tonal-striped wool suit trousers are the same ones that he wears with their matching vest and the long black leather coat for the finale. The high-rise trousers have a flat front, slanted side pockets, and flared plain-hemmed bottoms. Through the belt loops, Carlito wears a dark russet brown textured leather belt with a brass half-oval single-claw buckle.
Carlito’s trousers slowly begin overtaking his torso.
Despite the brown leather in the belt and jacket, Carlito wears his usual black leather Cuban-style ankle boots with high black socks.
He may not be consistent with the leather in his outfits, but Carlito shows a clear preference for gold jewelry and accessories. In Kleinfeld’s office, he wears a pair of gold-framed aviator sunglasses with brown rounded lenses and a brown decorative brow bar.
Gold drips from Carlito’s face and fingers while he talks to his attorney.
From Carlito’s right pinky, a large gold ring gleams with a black square stone bisected by a single gold line. On his right wrist, he wears a yellow gold chain-link identity bracelet. On the opposing wrist, Carlito wears his yellow gold wristwatch with its round dark blue dial and gold bracelet.
Not one of Carlito’s prouder moments, but at least you can see all of his jewelry.
How to Get the Look
Carlito’s outfit of leather, earth tones, and gold makes it quite clear why he was such a popular guy in the ’70s.
Brown leather single-breasted 3-button jacket with notched collar, vertical side pockets, plain cuffs, and single vent
Dark brown shirt with long-pointed collar, front placket, breast pocket, and double/French cuffs
Dark brown silk necktie with repeating tan oval motif
Silver oval cuff links
Black tonal-striped wool flat front trousers with belt loops, slanted side pockets, and flared plain-hemmed bottoms
Dark russet brown textured leather belt with brass half-oval single-claw buckle
Black leather Cuban-style ankle boots
Black socks
Gold-framed aviator sunglasses with brown curved lenses and brown brow bar
Gold chain-link ID bracelet
Gold wristwatch with dark blue dial on gold bracelet
You ain’t a lawyer no more, Dave. You a gangster now. On the other side. A whole new ball game. You can’t learn about it in school, and you can’t have a late start.
James Gandolfini lights a cigar as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos episode “Funhouse” (Episode 2.13).
Vitals
James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, Jersey mob boss and conflicted family man
New Jersey, Fall 2001
Series:The Sopranos Episodes: – “Toodle-Fucking-Oo” (Episode 2.03), dir. Lee Tamahori, aired January 30, 2000
– “Funhouse” (Episode 2.13), dir. John Patterson, aired April 9, 2000
– “Another Toothpick” (Episode 3.05), dir. Jack Bender, aired March 25, 2001
– “Second Opinion” (Episode 3.07), dir. Tim Van Patten, aired April 8, 2001
– “…To Save Us All from Satan’s Power” (Episode 3.10), dir. Jack Bender, aired April 29, 2001
– “Army of One” (Episode 3.13), dir. John Patterson, aired May 20, 2001
– “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Episode 4.08), dir. Dan Attias, aired November 3, 2002 Creator: David Chase Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa
Background
Labor Day marks the approach of colder weather. For Mafia Monday, Tony Soprano shows off how to dress for versatile situations in chillier fall and winter weather.
What’d He Wear?
A staple of Tony Soprano’s wardrobe is a number of boldly checked jackets and sport coats. On occasion during the second, third, and fourth seasons, he wears a sport coat with a large-scale Glen Urquhart check, consisting of a large brown houndstooth check against a smaller cream and brown woven check.
Tony takes advantage of a picture-perfect moment during his daughter’s high school graduation in “Funhouse” (Episode 2.13).
Tony’s brown Glen Urquhart check sport jacket is cut to be flattering for James Gandolfini’s larger size. It is single-breasted with notch lapels and a 3-roll-2 button stance. The light brown urea buttons match the four buttons on the cuff of each slightly-too-long sleeve. The wide shoulders are padded with sleevehead roping. The front is darted, and the back is ventless. The sportcoat has straight flapped hip pockets and a welted breast pocket where Tony often wears a display kerchief in its later appearances.
Tony makes the rounds during the post-graduation party in “Funhouse” (Episode 2.13).
In a September 2014 interview with The Independent, the show’s costumer Juliet Polcsa noted that, as he got heavier over the course of the show, James Gandolfini was less comfortable in closer-fitting knit polos and so he would be outfitted more frequently in button-up shirts. Although this was a practical decision informed by his size, it also had the benefit of reflecting greater prestige as Tony’s power grew in the underworld.
During both of the jacket’s second season appearances – which Tony wearing it to a therapy appointment, a strip club, and his daughter’s graduation – he wears it over a black softshort-sleeve polo shirt withthreelight brown urea buttons. The soft, comfortable fabric of the shirt may be cashmere.
Tony listens to some tough advice in “Funhouse” (Episode 2.13).
Tony wears his black polo tucked into black reverse-pleated trousers for these occasions as well. They have side pockets – and likely jetted back pockets – and bottom cuffs. He wears them with a black leather belt with a squared steel single-claw buckle. Due to the black in the rest of his outfit, Tony also wears a pair of black leather 5-eyelet split-toe bluchers and black ribbed wool dress socks.
Tony takes a relatively casual approach to therapy.
Beginning with the jacket’s third season appearances, Tony begins embracing the earth tone possibilities and incorporates more brown into the rest of his wardrobe. For a visit to his uncle’s oncologist in “Second Opinion” (Episode 3.07), Tony wears a white mock-neck silk knit shirt with a taupe pick-stripe texture across the chest.
Dr. Kennedy should think twice before giving the Soprano family another questionable opinion.
Two episodes earlier, in “Another Toothpick” (Episode 3.05), he wore a similar black mock-neck knit shirt during a dinner out to Vesuvio.
“Another Toothpick” (Episode 3.05)
For a dressier Vesuvio dinner with the guys in “…To Save Us All from Satan’s Power” (Episode 3.10), Tony wears this jacket with a shirt and tie. His plain white dress shirt has a spread collar, a front placket, a breast pocket, and French cuffs. His gold silk necktie is textured by a gold self-grid, and he further accents his outfit with a salmon-colored silk display kerchief in the jacket’s breast pocket. I believe that this is the sole time that Tony wears a tie with this jacket.
Tony takes notes during a “business dinner”.
Three episodes later, in “Army of One” (Episode 3.13), Tony returns to therapy in this plaid jacket with a dark gray ribbed knit long-sleeve polo shirt with three brown plastic buttons below the large, open collar. Worn with a pair of dark charcoal pleated trousers, it reflects the look of his earlier-mentioned therapy appointment in “Toodle-Fucking-Oo” (Episode 2.03). A light gray silk kerchief pokes out of the jacket’s breast pocket.
Another dark polo and trousers for therapy in “Army of One” (Episode 3.13).
This Glen Urquhart jacket makes its final appearance in “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Episode 4.08) when Tony wears it to therapy with a slightly wrinkled white herringbone-striped cotton dress shirt with a spread collar. The French cuffs are fastened by a pair of double-ridged gold cross cluster links.
Tony’s right cuff link as seen in “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Episode 4.08).
Unlike the earlier white dress shirt, it has a plain front and no breast pocket. He also wears it without a tie, although the brown silk display kerchief in his jacket’s breast pocket adds some flair.
In “Second Opinion”, “…To Save Us All from Satan’s Power”, and “Mergers and Acqusitions”, Tony nicely balances the light and dark browns in the plaid sportcoat with a pair of medium brown double reverse-pleated trousers, styled like most of his other pants with side pockets, button-through jetted back pockets, and cuffed bottoms. Through the belt loops, Tony wears a brown leather belt with a square gold-toned single-claw buckle. His shoes and socks go unseen, but they are likely also brown.
Before…
After the Vesuvio dinner in “…To Save Us All from Satan’s Power” (Episode 3.10), Tony undresses to get into bed with Carmela and shows off a pair of light gray cotton boxer shorts and a white ribbed cotton sleeveless A-shirt.
…and after.
The gold 18″-long open-link chain necklace he wears around his neck buries the St. Jerome pendant somewhere between his undershirt and chest hair.
Tony leaves his many gold accessories, including the St. Jerome pendant, on his bedside table with pocket must-haves like loose change and a cigar cutter.
The necklace isn’t Tony’s only gold accessory. He wears a gold chain-link bracelet around his right wrist, and the gold pinky ring with its ruby and diamond stones shines from his right pinky.
Tony flashes his gold jewelry at the strip club in “Toodle-Fucking-Oo” (Episode 2.03).
On his other hand, Tony proudly wears a gold wedding band on the third finger of his left hand. The 18-karat gold Rolex on his left wrist is also very appropriate for a mob boss as Rolex itself has designated it “the most prestigious Rolex model since 1956”.
Tony embraces Christopher during Meadow’s graduation in “Funhouse” (Episode 2.13).
This Rolex President Day-Date 18238 has a 36mm yellow gold case with a “champagne” dial and a heavy Oyster three-piece link bracelet with a concealed clasp.
How to Get the Look
Unlike his many tracksuited pals, Tony Soprano’s wardrobe often shows the intersection of comfort, class, and versatility, well exemplified by the many combos worn with his Glen Urquhart sport coat.
Tony’s Glen Urquhart jacket makes its last appearance during a therapy session in “Mergers and Acquisitions” (Episode 4.08).
Brown light- and dark-toned Glen Urquhart wool single-breasted 3-roll-2-button sportcoat with notch lapels, wide padded shoulders with roped sleeveheads, welted breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 4-button cuffs, and ventless back
Dark polo or mock-neck long-sleeve knit shirt
Dark wool double-reverse pleated trousers with belt loops, side pockets, button-through jetted back pockets, and bottom cuffs
Dark leather belt with squared single-claw buckle
Dark leather 5-eyelet split-toe bluchers
Dark dress socks
White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
Light gray cotton boxer shorts
Rolex President Day-Date 18238 yellow gold wristwatch
Gold open-link chain bracelet
Gold pinky ring with ruby and diamond stones
Plain gold wedding band
Gold open-link chain necklace with round St. Jerome pendant
For dressier occasions, Tony wears a white shirt with French cuffs. Naturally, his tie and cuff links are gold.
Is everything about everybody really about their mothers? All right, back to the other thing. For a guy like that, he’s going out with a woman he could technically not have penisary contact with her Volvo.
Michael Imperioli as Christopher Molitsanti on The Sopranos (Episode 4.05: “Pie-O-My”)
Vitals
Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti, drug-addled mob soldier
New Jersey, Fall 2002
Series:The Sopranos Episode: “Pie-O-My” (Episode 4.05) Air Date: October 13, 2002 Director: Henry J. Bronchtein Creator: David Chase Costume Designer: Juliet Polcsa
Background
There are two types of silk suits that mobsters seem to prefer: one can be worn with a tie, and the other is usually worn with sneakers. The latter, also known as a “Bensonhurst tuxedo”, will be featured in today’s Mafia Monday post using an example from – what else? – The Sopranos.
In the show’s fourth season, the ambitious Christopher Moltisanti is plagued with issues ranging from the stress of being a newly “made” man to his increasing reliance on drugs and alcohol. Even forces unknown to him, like his girlfriend Adriana’s forced defection to FBI informant, are bringing him down.
By “Pie-O-My” (Episode 4.05), Adriana’s guilt is physically manifesting itself to the point where she feels unable to join Christopher for a family dinner with Tony Soprano. She cites the flu, but he isn’t having it. “Couple of drinks, it’ll kill the germs,” suggests Dr. Moltisanti. Adriana remains steadfast, so a frustrated Christopher shoots up some heroin and leaves without her.
What’d He Wear?
Many equate the image of a successful mobster with pristine silk suits and shiny gold pinky rings. While the latter might hold true, Juliet Polcsa and her costume team on The Sopranos knew that many mobsters opted for a “Bensonhurst tuxedo” when it came to everyday dressing. Usually a zip-front tracksuit made from a luxurious fabric like velour, the Bensonhurst tuxedo is what made guys wear when loafing in front of a butcher shop or idling the day away at a no-show job site.
The actual screen-worn tracksuit. (Source: Christie’s)
Christopher Moltisanti was bred to be a mafioso from the day he was born, and he sports track suits in many of his early appearances, almost always in his favorite colors of black and red. By the fourth season, Chris has finally been inducted into the DeMeo crime family and is well on the rise as a made guy. He’s clearly upgraded too, opting for Genelli Silk Wear tracksuits rather than the cheaper but more athletically-oriented Nike and Fila shell suits of his younger days.
The Genelli tracksuit that Christopher wears in “Pie-O-My” (Episode 4.05) was sold for $2,375 by Christie’s in their June 2008 “Pop Culture” auction. The jacket is black and red, with an all-black collar, front panel on both sides of the zipper, and black “stripe” down the back. The elasticized straight hem is also all black, save for where the red border stripe extends all the way to the bottom to separate it from the front panel. Each red portion is a 90-degree angle that extends down the arm and torso with that thin red border stripe following it a few millimeters away.
The jacket zips all the way up the front with a black zipper on black tape. It has a flattened “shirt-style” collar that can still zip all the way to the edge, if necessary. Each raglan sleeve ends with an all-black elasticized cuff. There appears to be a slanted hand pocket on each side.
Christopher’s penchant for red and black tracksuits makes this Genelli piece very fitting.
The pants are all black with an elasticized waistband, plain bottoms, and side pockets.
Pretty much all of the info I can find online about Genelli relates to its popularity among The Sopranos characters, particularly Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri. Genelli seems to appeal more to the, uh, “less-than-active” gentleman who desires the intersection of luxury and comfort that only a silk tracksuit could provide. Christopher would later wear another Genelli tracksuit – this time in light brown – during the show’s sixth season.
Underneath the tracksuit, Christopher’s only shirt is his usual sleeveless white ribbed cotton undershirt, also known as an “A-shirt”. The gold St. Christopher medallion always worn around his neck hangs down just enough to hit the top of the shirt.
Chris wears a pair of white sneakers with white laces, white rubber soles, and a navy-accented tongue. Based on what looks like the British Union Flag flag on the sides, they may be a pair of Reebok running shoes, similar to the current Reebok Classic Leather 101. He wears them with a pair of white tube socks.
Chris falls back to a bad habit for support.
Mostly unseen here but certainly his watch of choice throughout the fourth season, Christopher wears a yellow gold Cartier Pasha Grid wristwatch, named for the gold grid that covers the round white dial.
How to Get the Look
Christopher grew up around mobsters, so he knows that a black and red silk tracksuit is the thing to wear when there’s no one you need to impress.
Black and red silk Genelli tracksuit, consisting of:
Black-and-red zip-front jacket with flattened “shirt-style” collar, side pockets, elasticized cuffs, and elasticized straight hem
Black pants with elasticized waistband and side pockets
White ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
White Reebok sneakers with white laces and white rubber soles
White cotton tube socks
Thin gold necklace with a round gold St. Christopher medallion
Cartier Pasha Grid yellow gold wristwatch with round case, white dial (under a gold grid), and gold bracelet
Angie Dickinson and Lee Marvin in Point Blank (1967).
Vitals
Lee Marvin as Walker, revenge-driven armed robber
San Francisco, Summer 1967
Film:Point Blank Release Date: August 30, 1967 Director: John Boorman Costume Designer: Margo Weintz
Background
Responding to another request from BAMF Style commenter Ryan Hall, this post looks at Lee Marvin’s wardrobe in 1967’s Point Blank, the first cinematic adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s crime novel The Hunter. The book became the first in the long-running Parker series penned by Westlake (as “Richard Stark”) that led to a total of 23 books before Westlake’s death in 2008.
At this point in the film, Walker (the film’s re-named version of Parker) is edging closer to getting his $93,000 back. Together with his sister-in-law Chris (Angie Dickinson), Walker heads to the home of syndicate boss Brewster (a pre-All in the Family Carroll O’Connor) to move the endgame into place.
What’d He Wear?
Although Point Blank is set in summertime, San Francisco’s year-round chilly weather means Walker’s warm, creative earth tones makes a great fall outfit.
Walker’s rust brown flannel sport jacket is single-breasted with distinctive notch lapels that roll down over the top of the three-button front. The left lapel has a buttonhole and a sporty throat-latch tab edging out into the notch. The shoulders are padded with roped sleeveheads.
Walker’s jacket has some sporty details like the throat latch lapel tab and the flapped breast pocket.
All three external pockets – the breast pocket and the straight hip pockets – are flapped. The jacket has a relatively short fit, both to stay in step with 1967 fashions and also because Lee Marvin is a tall man at 6’1″. Like Walker’s other sportcoats (but not his suit jackets), this jacket has double vents and 1-button cuffs.
Walker’s salmon orange poplin shirt appears to be a polyester/cotton blend. It has a slim spread collar, button cuffs, and a wide front placket with mother-of-pearl buttons. His patterned tie is three shades of brown that provide a cooler contrast against the warmer brown flannel jacket and clash with the bright orange shirt; a dark brown abstract grid on the tie connects a series of tan and brown dots and figures.
A jaded Walker reflects on the events that led him to Brewster’s apartment.
Like his other trousers in Point Blank, Walker’s dark brown flat front trousers in this scene are worn beltless with a fitted band that rises high on his waist. They taper down the leg to the plain-hemmed bottoms.
Walker kicks back.
Walker wears the same brown leather 4-eyelet longwing brogues by Bally throughout Point Blank, and they are especially fitting with the earth tone outfit in this scene. Due to their construction with wings extending the full length of the shoe, longwing brogues are always derbies (aka bluchers). These brogues, with their perforated wingtip, were made by Bally as proven by the British Film Institute site. He likely wears them with dark brown socks here.
How to Get the Look
A man of few words, Walker isn’t afraid to let loud clothing do his talking for him.
Rust brown flannel single-breasted 3-button sportcoat with notch lapels (with throat-latch tab), flapped breast pocket, straight flapped hip pockets, 1-button cuffs, and double vents
Salmon orange poplin dress shirt with slim spread collar, front placket, and button cuffs
Tri-tone brown patterned tie
Dark brown flat front trousers with fitted waistband, side pockets, and tapered plain-hemmed bottoms
Brown leather 4-eyelet longwing brogue bluchers with perforated wingtips
. If you want to see these episodes in particular, check out the 
and 
seasons. Just know that, like the fine bourbon sipped in the show, Justified gets even better with age.
. I also recommend reading Frank Ballinger’s page, 
with a very good friend of mine who has been interested in learning more about the outlaw duo, and I found myself very pleased to be able to watch it without having to interject with corrections or commentary of my own! (Also, I think she’s now seriously considering bank robbery as a vocation.)
if you want to see The Sopranos‘ take on the “getting made” ceremony.
offers a dual-pack with the original 1946 version starring Burt Lancaster as well as this 1964 update.
.
and 
seasons. This suit in particular is only featured in three episodes toward the end of season 2.
