“Joker”: Red suit, yellow vest and white socks – Reel

THE PITCH: A CLOWN, A CITY, AND THE REVOLT ROUMERS

In the fictional city of Gotham City, 1981. Fans of comics, Batman and Robin know this city by heart. But the subject here is much less heroic and spectacular. We indeed follow the journey of a man who lives alone with his mother, in a building and a city which are falling into ruins. This man's name is Arthur Fleck. He suffers from mental disorders and gets by as best he can from his job as a clown.

Life is hard in Gotham City: omnipresent violence, unemployment and social poverty. Revolt is never far away. It's not good to be different in this universe either. Short people get their due. The disabled too. This is precisely the case with Arthur Fleck and he will gradually fall to the dark side through humiliation and relentlessness to become the formidable Joker.

That's the short story, very fatalistic. If “Joker” has something a little surprising among Hollywood productions, it is partly linked to the career of its director and to the dark and psychological dimension of “Joker”. Take a look at his filmography: until now nothing seemed to indicate that he could one day produce such a film. It's a first surprise.

The second is that Todd Phillips is also particularly well surrounded. In the cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert de Niro and even Frances Conroy. Joaquin Phoenix's performance is absolutely stunning. But this is only one of the film's strengths.

Because you have to count on a cast in tune and a staging free of the tics of the modern era. The photography is entirely in the early eighties spirit and we can also note the music , superb and judiciously entrusted to the Icelandic Hildur Guðnadóttir.

As for the costumes, they are supervised by Mark Bridges, pictured above. He is a regular in the aesthetic cinema of Paul Thomas Anderson . Most movie buffs know: this information is already a clue in itself about the film's wardrobe. Remember for example “Phantom Thread” with Daniel Day-Lewis. In any case, you will find in “Joker” vintage, tailor-made and tailors accustomed to cinema costumes like Yvette Helin or Lawrence Bell.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SEE IN STYLE…

“Joker” is the story of a man who reveals himself. Clothing plays a crucial role in his journey. When the film was released, costume designer Mark Bridges spoke to the press about his desire to capture the character and his era - the end of the 70s, the beginning of the 80s.

From a stylistic point of view, “Joker” straddles two worlds: that of slightly retarded adolescence, synthetic clothing then very fashionable and that of adults in more formal outfits , with slightly more noble materials .

You will discover this passage from one world to another at the same time as the antihero played by Joaquin Phoenix. It is accompanied by violence of all kinds and fits of nervous laughter. “Everything must go,” starting with Arthur Fleck and his patched clown costume . “Take care of your look!” » passers-by say to him. This is precisely what he will do.

Since then, the Joker costume has traveled the world. We even made this character and his look an icon of social revolutions. At a time when brighter colors are coming back to the forefront here and there, would you be ready to don the red suit, the yellow vest and the green shirt ?

For those who are hesitant, here are still three good reasons to (re)watch the 2019 phenomenon film through clothing:

1. THE CARDIGAN IS YOUR FRIEND

Along with the trendy camel yellow hooded jacket, the cardigan is one of the strongest style markers of Joaquin Phoenix's character before he became the Joker. He has several. He most often wears them with shoes, pants and shirt.

It's classic, half dressy, half casual depending on whether you wear the cardigan open or closed . This is one of the advantages of this garment compared to the sweater: its adaptability. But it's not the only one. If this piece ever intrigues you, Jordan gives you some ideas and inspiration in Panache .

In the meantime, if Joaquin Phoenix's clothes do not specifically shine with the beauty of their material, it is possible that his wardrobe has at least contributed to bringing the cardigan back into fashion . Many brands are tackling it, in any case. Are you definitely not too keen on this item of clothing? Some alternatives here:

2. THE COSTUME AS A UNIFORM AND SYMBOL

We said it above: the Joker costume has traveled the world. It has even become a motif for cosplay. In detail: red pants and blazer, a yellow suit vest, a green shirt, brown shoes and white socks , always. Possible that the yellow suit vest is one of the detonators of his new stylistic identity.

Still, on the scale of Arthur Fleck's character, the costume symbolizes the completion of his stylistic revelation . When he sheds his cardigan and hooded jacket and embraces the red suit, he suddenly begins to fully exist. His body dances. His clothes give him a new confidence. How did he come up with this outfit? It is possible that it is a marriage between his profession as a clown and his fascination with the costumes of the TV presenter played by Robert de Niro.

Between the two: a sort of balance dedicated to spectacle and color in clothing . As for white socks, if they are a recurrence of style here, they still struggle to find echo in our formal outfits today. But wasn't the Joker born to break the rules? On this subject, Jordan gives you some indications here:

3. THE PATH TO STYLE IS LIBERATING

The Joker's example is certainly extreme. But because we are in contact with clothing all day long, we cannot deny that it plays an essential role in our lives. After all, finding your style also means finding yourself .

For the character of Joaquin Phoenix, his “liberation” comes both from an overflow and a form of minimalism . You won't see him try on a thousand clothes: in hindsight, the Joker's style is simply obvious . He tells what he was and what he wants to become.

Minimalism is not so much in the colors, cuts or materials as in the silhouette itself: if you think of Joaquin Phoenix's Joker, you probably only visualize the outfit of the film poster: a fanciful character , dressed up, costumed and ultra colorful who cheerfully descends these famous stairs located in the New York Bronx, between Shakespeare Avenue and West 167th Street.

It's a unique outfit. It is sufficient in itself and at the same time says a lot about the psychology of its wearer . Is this an original outfit? Nicolò tells you more about originality in clothing here:

… TO CREATE INSPIRING OUTFITS

1. FOR THE SPIRIT CHARLIE CHAPLIN

If you look closely, you will find all sorts of nods to cinema in “Joker”. In Joaquin Phoenix's character, there is sometimes a bit of Chaplin's wanderer Tramp. Look at this shot deliberately chosen in black and white so as not to be distracted by the excess of color:

The pants are loose and rather short. The suit vest is a little more fitted and buttoned well. Below you can see a patterned shirt and a tie. White socks and leather shoes to conclude. So yes, falling socks are not the height of elegance .

But what is interesting here is more in the management of volumes and silhouette . The cut of the pants in particular is intriguing. If the subject of trouser length is of particular interest to you, you can take a look here , among other things.

2. FOR THE MARRIAGE OF CAMEL AND ECRU

For those of you who are familiar with the Batman universe, you definitely know Bruce Wayne. He is played here by Dante Pereira-Olson. He is a minor character in “Joker” and you will only discover him as a child, in only a few scenes. So why focus on this character in particular?

Well quite simply because it demonstrates in one outfit everything that makes the charm of the ecru turtleneck sweater . Here it is combined with a camel coat and darker pants. It's not the most eccentric look in the film. But it will work perfectly on a daily basis.

This is also what makes “Joker” sartorially interesting: its secondary characters and their everyday clothes , far from excess. There is no doubt that you will find here and there something to inspire your own style.