Famous Trend-Setting Men’s Suits in the Movies

Can you imagine a suave spy in a t-shirt and jeans? Could you take a Mafiosi boss in a pair of cargo pants seriously? Well, actually I might in real life but when it comes to on-screen persona, there really is no denying the male suit when it comes to sartorial elegance.

It is said our teenage years are a period of trial and error. When we try out different styles and persona to find out our own signature strengths and develop our own individual sense of style. If you are like me, most of your earliest cues on dressing well came from the silver screen. On-screen suits tend to be remembered well after no one remembers the finer details of the plot. In a rare moment of inspiration, we decided to round up some of the best suits to grace a silver screen.

Spotting Well-Dressed Men in Suits Onscreen

007’s Dressed to kill suits: If you are a British Naval Officer and a super spy, your suits must be bespoke. For most of us the epitome of how to handle everything from moon rockets, missile-bound car chases and beautiful women with panache was the James Bond movie. Every Bond actor, be it Roger Moore, Sean Connery or even the lesser known George Lazenby, all look great. In an article in The Telegraph, costume designer for Daniel Craig as James Bond in the recent movie Skyfall states, “Fashion itself has nothing to do with Bond, nor his elegance. Bond is a man who has created his own style — one that’s outside fashion. This is why he always looks timeless.” For a suit-by-suit discussion, check out the overview of Bond’s style on the website, The Suits of James Bond.

Casablanca: To be a winner, you must look classic. Imagine the dark and brooding Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca wearing anything else and you suddenly start to notice the simple plot and the rather dated story and even wonder why in such a hot place the ceiling fans only turn at a snail’s pace. Bogart took the white double-breasted jacket to the top of every man’s wardrobe list besides the double-breasted checked suit he also sports.

The Matrix: No, we are not talking about the long black coat or angled shades worn by Keanu Reeves. We are talking about the impeccable Agent Smith. Agent Smiths crisp black suit is at once symbolic of the dapper villain as well as his multiple avatars underscore the anonymous and ubiquitous nature of this computer program in human form.

Men In Black: The black suit might be synonymous with government agents but who would suspect that the black suit is a quasi-uniform for secret agents who protect the earth from alien culture shock. As a black-tied and black-suited Will Smith quips in the movie while donning his shades, ‘The difference between you and me is that I make these look good.’

North by Northwest: Cary Grant never lets you down. In this Alfred Hitchcock thriller, his vent-less Glen plaid check grey suit with white shirt and gun-metal tie was hand-picked by the famous director to keep the movie from going out of date too quickly. According to The Telegraph, both Kilgour, French & Stanbury of Savile Row, and Quintino of Beverly Hills made the numerous versions of the suit worn by Cary Grant.

The Great Gatsby: Ralph Lauren was actively involved in the 1974 movie as a consultant. Predictably, costume designer Theoni V Aldredge won an Oscar for this movie that daringly showed Robert Redford in pink linen suits with straight-bottomed waistcoats and Oxford baggie pants for the 1920s look. The 2013 remake of this movie by Baz Luhrmann also had Leonardo DiCaprio in a pink suit but in a softer shade. The pink suit is making a comeback, according to experts at Regalia with even a National Pink Day declared on June 23.

The Tuxedo: With so much personality riding on the suit, it was inevitable that a movie would focus on just the suit. No wonder that a tuxedo takes top billing in this spy spoof starring Jackie Chan. In the movie, the tuxedo imparts the wearer with special abilities such as strength, speed and even the ability to dance.