Summary
The Sopranos .”Over six seasons, the series tells the troubled daily life of the Soprano family in Newark, New Jersey. It will most likely make you want Italian dishes, shirts and moccasins . And of course watching old gangster films with James Cagney or Humphrey Bogart - the genesis or almost.
In terms of style, what we see in this very large series is a trend started, among other things, by the cinema and the gangsters of Martin Scorsese: a 50s inspiration, loose, high-waisted pants, moccasins obviously, but also tank tops, shirts, shirts and quite unique knitted polo shirts .
For these characters, the collars of shirts or polo shirts are regularly thrown over the jacket when it comes to composing with the costume. In summer, this can now seem counterintuitive to wear together. But there are little tips, notably by choosing materials adapted to summer temperatures . Our advice here, if necessary:
Beyond the anecdote of the collar, we notice here and there a return to certain silhouettes inspired by the past. As Derek Guy of the Put This On site puts it very well, there's definitely something going on these days with this retro aesthetic :
This style universe, which is inspired by film noir, the Riviera style and more generally by the fashion of the 40s and 50s, has indeed found an echo for some time among certain fashion brands, who are inspired by it while at the same time revisiting through work on materials .
David had already wondered about a piece that fits perfectly into this universe: “the short-sleeved sweater”. You will also find it frequently in films from the 50s, especially among women:
Ray Liotta is a big fan of stylish striped pieces in the film, especially tops. But unlike Jude Law in “The Talented Mr Ripley”, the chromatic palette explored is partly oriented towards less immediately summery colors such as gray or black .
Only partly because there are also pieces with blue, red and white like the one below. It also inspired a merino wool shirt from the Scott Fraser Collection brand:
Similar style and clothing can be found in others, for example in the most recent " Many Saints Of Newark " by Alan Taylor in 2021. It is a prequel to the television series "The Sopranos".
It is therefore a question, as with some Scorsese, of gangsters and more dressy outfits sometimes characterized by a touch of casualness - often shirts or polo shirts . We often use the term knitted shirt or knitted polo to designate these unique pieces.
The action of the film takes place at the end of the 60s. “The Sopranos” was set in a more contemporary time. That is to say, this style continues. We can also speak here of a clothing tradition, which is passed down from father to son.
2. “ THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY ” BY ANTHONY MINGHELLA (1999)
When it comes to summer style, Anthony Minghella's film has a consensus: it is an essential reference for fashion in cinema , even though it is overall less captivating than its
As we will see later, the film has influenced style and clothing lovers since its release but also fashion designers, and even certain brands labeled fast fashion like Zara for example.
There is a certain ease in clothing and especially very stylish knitted polo shirts or shirts. It’s even the style marker of the film. But the particularity of “Talented Mr Ripley” is also that the clothing is mainly luminous: white, sky blue, pale yellow . This echoes one of the basic rules of summer style:
We will find another form of retro style in Steven Spielberg, in the excellent “Catch Me If You Can” from 2002, with Tom Hanks and Leonardo Di Caprio. The costumes for this very 60s film are by Mary Zophres, a regular in the cinema of brothers Joel and Ethan Coen.
At Leonardo Di Caprio, one outfit in particular resonates with the style of Jude Law's character mentioned above: an ecru and orange knitted top, light pants, moccasins . Generally speaking, this film is particularly inspiring in terms of clothing and we have already talked about it here:
4. “ ELVIS ” BY BAZ LURHMANN (2022)
This retro trend somehow culminates in 2022 with the highly anticipated release of Baz Luhrmann's film "Elvis." For example, there are outfits like below, with both volume and very distinctive silhouettes - high-waisted dress pants, thin belts, patterned shirt with rolled up sleeves and probably moccasins on the feet. Let it be said, the moccasin is much more rock'n'roll than we imagine :
Catherine Martin's costumes are, as is often the case with Baz Luhrmann, completely incredible. “Elvis”, the film, is of course inspired by the rock'n'roll legend Elvis Presley: a true style icon in the 50s whose influence is still felt in certain fashion brands and influencers. At his place, you will find a good number of outfits in what we now call a retro style. Look for example here:
Be careful though: retro does not mean old-fashioned or out of date . This style even retains a powerful charm, which can occasionally be combined with more contemporary things. At least that’s the path I seem to follow with my MOGAMBO ” BY JOHN FORD (1953)
In a completely different genre, I cannot resist the temptation to invite you to take a look at the very inspiring style of the film “Mogambo” by John Ford in 1953. Watching it today, we can only be seduced by his wardrobe and his sense of color. Firstly because Clark Gable wears Bermuda shorts and a safari shirt like no other , but also loose pants, a polo shirt and a bandana :
What is interesting here is, among other things, the high fit and the ease of the pants. But among the women in the film, Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner, we also find a number of wonderful outfits, often consisting of culottes and shirts with chest pockets . In case you doubted it, the retro style is to be rediscovered for both men and women:
If ever, some ideas for summer outfits for women in this article:
2. SOME INSPIRING BRANDS AND PIECES
Through this little
We talk about it regularly in our columns. Like Husbands or Ardentes Clipei , it is also a real cinephile brand , which as you can imagine does not displease me: the name of certain pieces openly refers to films like “Le Talentueux Mr Ripley” or “Goodfellas”.
The collections are resolutely retro, it's very stylized and rather expensive . But it's also relatively unique, if you ever want to venture into that side of style. For my part, I admit: I have already taken the plunge with a thin belt that goes with me everywhere and soon a cotton/linen shirt with yellow and stripes. Yes, yellow ! To know more :
Scott Fraser Collection is not the only one to take inspiration from retro . We also find traces of it in certain Italian brands or English brands such as Thomas Farthing , Oldfield Clothing, Cathcart London or Cousin Jack.
You can also find knitted pieces with a little retro twist, to name just this type of clothing, from brands like Percival Clothing . It may just be the tree that hides a larger forest . There remains the silhouette in general, which I love, like here for example:
One might believe that all this is only an English specificity. But in France, you can for example look at Brut Clothing to find some nicely revisited retro looks. Loose pants in particular are very interesting, as is the way to wear them:
At BonneGueule, we also have some beautiful pieces that fit into this style. Coincidence or coincidence, they come from our 2022 editorial collection. These clothes have a certain retro feel. They would certainly find resonance in the style of certain old school films with Robert Redford or Frank Sinatra.
I already have two of the models presented below. We can also add our Leonor straight chinos, whose cut and small details can work wonders in this style. I'll let you imagine the range of possibilities :
At the moment, for example, it's the overshirt created by David that I most often slip into my outfits when I want a little retro twist. Trousers worn a little high, a thin belt, a white t-shirt, the overshirt worn shirt-style and suddenly I am thrown elsewhere . It is
3. MAGNITUDE, NOT EVEN AFRAID
The retro style as revealed in the examples above necessarily induces some changes compared to the way we think about clothing today. First the silhouette: a little more fullness, pants worn a little higher, cuts at the top sometimes shorter , more boxy. It can be scary if you're not particularly a fan of fullness or a slightly high waist.
For my part, I grew up in the 80s and 90s and my reference in terms of pants remains the 501 model from Levi's . That is to say a straight cut. It was the trend at the time. To see what it looks like today, Jordan makes some suggestions here:
I was only slightly influenced by the following decades and cuts: slim, semi-slim. But depending on the pieces, I sometimes wear different cuts: I am not sectarian, I let the body choose what is best depending on the materials, the cuts and the desired style .
It turns out that as with shoes, he now invites me to take ease and comfort into consideration . So I listen to it. My tip is ultimately always the same: turn a constraint (physical or otherwise) into an opportunity . This is why the resurgence of retro style among certain fashion brands corresponds to both a personal desire for “newness” and a certain form of necessity.
Then, another thing important to me: the cultural connection , particularly with some of the characters mentioned above. This is why this style has something reassuring for me: it is familiar to me because I am used to seeing it on screen. For 50s style models, we could also cite many other figures, starting with Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole:
What I mean by that is that I welcome this interest from clothing brands in retro style and cinema style in particular with great enthusiasm. If fullness has partly become my style ally, I have only discovered the high waist since I became interested in dress pants .
All this is also a question of circumstance : the fact of having invested in a beautiful belt to go with our EdWood pants in a way pushed me to explore this retro path.
There remains one piece to which I have not yet succumbed and which nevertheless has its place in this universe of style: the tank top . My colleague Jordan may have already inspired you to try it your way. For my part, the adventure continues.
For Jordan's adventures with the tank top, it's here:
