“The Stunt Dinner”: how to dress if you’re invited? - Coil

His name is François Pignon, he works in the tax office and has an unusual passion for models of monuments made of matchsticks. The meeting promises to be more than promising...

Adapted from the successful play by Francis Veber, "Le Dîner de cons" brings together Thierry Lhermitte, Jacques Villeret, Francis Huster, Daniel Prévost, Alexandra Vandernoot and Catherine Frot. It was a popular success upon its release, the film ranking just behind James Cameron's "Titanic" in the 1998 box office.

Francis Veber is a regular in film comedy. Among his best moments, we can cite for example the tandem Pierre Richard / Gérard Depardieu developed from 1981 to 1986 in the films "La Chèvre", "Les Compères" and "Les Fugitifs".

What can we remember from "Dîner de cons" almost 25 years later? That it is a rather irresistible comedy, giving pride of place to acting and dialogue . Jacques Villeret is excellent, as is often the case . And if you ever doubt the actor's stylistic potential, watch for example here:

WHAT TO SEE IN STYLE…

The concept imagined by the character of Thierry Lhermitte and his friends is of an uncommon cruelty: inviting someone you consider stupid to make fun of him - and this without him realizing it. If this exercise is a game for them, it is not the same for those first concerned. It is serious. They are even honored that someone could be interested in them.

For each of the guests, dinners are also a question of style . The question then arises: how to dress to make a good impression? Unsurprisingly, it is the formal, the suit and tie, which take center stage .

But the particularity of the wardrobe of "The Dinner Party" is that it tells the story of an aborted dinner - in any case, it will take place without Thierry Lhermitte and Jacques Villeret. We therefore do not really know how Thierry Lhermitte's character had planned to dress. Instead, we discover in his home and that of his friend Francis Huster a more casual register than expected . The other characters have their own little specificities: the film indeed has copious fun with preconceived ideas, particularly through clothing .

The costumes are by Jacqueline Bouchard, a regular at Claude Miller's films. While there's nothing that will really make the most experienced among you thrill, we do learn a few interesting things about social style here. Three good reasons to rewatch "Le Dîner de cons" through clothing?

1. THE TIE, THE KEY ACCESSORY FOR A “DIDN’T-KIND DINNER”

You may remember Lino Ventura 's little phrase in Georges Lautner's "Les Tontons Flingueurs": "Idiots dare anything and that's even how we recognize them." In a way, the characters in "Le Dîner de cons" apply the message to the letter. The four specimens that we furtively discover lined up on the sofa during dinner have all opted for a suit and tie .

The first is light gray, the second dark, the last two mismatched with blazers respectively red and sand. So far so good. Except that each of them wears a very wide and totally out of touch, if not downright tacky, tie .

The contrast is striking when we look at the men opposite them, with their more sober and more thoughtful outfits. So, is it by the tie that we would recognize a world champion ?

Without knowing it, the character of Jacques Villeret is announced as a contender for the title. But before going to the home of his playing partner Thierry Lhermitte, he hesitates over the choice of tie. This passage is particularly interesting because it confirms the presumed taste of a world champion for the fanciful tie .

If François Pignon's two ties are the same burgundy color, his response is in line with the above: " That one is redder, come on I'll wear it, it looks more fancy!"

White shirt, red suspenders, dark grey or blue suit depending on the picture, black shoes . A little peculiarity: he never leaves his brown leather briefcase . The whole thing is pretty good, not very original certainly, but it is not comparable to the style of his "competitors".

It is precisely this outfit that betrays the true nature of Jacques Villeret's character . So now you know: if strangers mysteriously invite you to dinner, remember to take care of your suit and especially choose your tie carefully .

For our advice on ties, it's here:

2. THE LONG-SLEEVED POLO SHIRT AND THE SUEDE LEATHER JACKET, TWO STYLISH ASSETS

As mentioned above: For Jacques Villeret and Thierry Lhermitte, the dinner will ultimately not take place. While the former dressed well for the occasion, the latter stuck to his golf outfit from the afternoon.

In detail: a navy blue long-sleeved polo shirt , green plaid pants and a pair of brown shoes. It's a rather casual outfit, nothing fundamentally extraordinary except that wearing patterned pants has become a rare thing . Beyond the trends, it's also more complicated to wear.

The characters who subsequently parade through the apartment also move in a more casual register. Francis Huster's wears rather loose light gray pants, a white shirt pulled out of his pants and a suede leather jacket , Daniel Prévost's a dark suit hastily put on with what could well be a long-sleeved polo shirt. A few minutes before, he was still in his Adidas sportswear in front of his television.

As you can see, "The Dinner Game" is not a flamboyant film. However, here and there you can find a few things to take, starting with the long-sleeved polo shirt of course - always a good idea, especially with a suit , and already brilliantly experimented in the cinema by Paul Newman in "The Color of Money" by Martin Scorsese, with Tom Cruise:

Another option is Francis Huster's suede jacket with its interesting combination of grey, white and tan camel - more on that below. In the meantime, for more inspiration:

3. DRESS STEREOTYPES THAT RAISES QUESTION

The principle of "The Dinner Game" is of course the hasty judgment of others. Jacques Villeret's character is the first victim of this. But in reality, he is far from being the worst dressed in the film. Certain stereotypes die hard here . It is often an effective means of identification for the viewer. But it is also sometimes very reductive.

So the doctor dresses strictly but comfortably in a suit and tie, the tax inspector is inevitably in black , etc. The women in the film are not immune to this phenomenon either.

The film plays on these preconceived ideas about people's personalities and styles according to their socio-professional category . But are the clothes worn by the characters in "The Dinner Game" really close to their personalities?

Like Jacques Villeret who reveals himself at the very end of the film, people are fortunately much more than their style and their clothes. Sometimes, what they wear doesn't even quite resemble them. How can we find the path to an authentic style? The reflection continues here:

…TO CREATE INSPIRING OUTFITS

Getting inspired by a movie that makes judging others a cruel game is not an easy thing. Beyond personality, it is also sometimes style that is targeted . But if you look more closely, there is still one outfit in particular that may interest you.

One of the most iconic sequences of "The Dinner Game" can be summed up in two words: Just Leblanc. Here's a short excerpt for you to discover, just in case:

Juste Leblanc is played here by Francis Huster. His career has mainly been in the theater, but you can also find him in a real cinema curiosity like "Equateur" by Serge Gainsbourg in 1983. We briefly mentioned this film here .

In any case, in “Dîner de cons”, Francis Huster wears a piece that will perhaps remind you, from afar, of one of the BonneGueule releases of this year:

If you own it and were lacking inspiration, you can now revisit THE now cult outfit from Juste Leblanc .

To do this, no need to overdo it: a suede leather jacket, a white shirt worn casually, light gray pants. And to conclude: a pair of sneakers will do the trick very well. You can slip a photo in the comments, if ever the result is conclusive.