New York Times Article: Suits in Scorsese's "Wolf of Wall Street"

[Len]

M

Now I need to rent "The Good Shepherd".  Tell me at what point in the movie I need to really start paying attention.

Fairly early in the morning. As soon as you see Matt Damon walking across a bombed street in london, you will hear my verse

Logsdail

 

[Monkeyface]

Nowadays, fashion/style is a non-issue in the world of wall street.

Incorrect.

Care to expand? It might be incorrect in Phoenix, but it does seem to be the case in London and from what I've seen in New York. I'm only describing my personal experience, so mine could differ from yours.

Everyone understandably dresses as safe as possible in these unsafe times. You really don't want to stand out clothing wise when another round of budget cuts is coming.

Hence, everyone wears the same uniform, meaning there's no room for individual style. I really wouldn't hold up bankers as an example of style, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

 

[Tim Williamson]

I found this article on fact and fiction in The Wolf of Wall Street to be apropos to this discussion: http://entertainment.time.com/2013/12/26/wolf-wall-street-true-story/

 

[Cantabrigian]



The stylist suggested the mustache and took me to deniro to have it confirmed for the scene. So here's the hook. It was necessary for the stylist to comb the bloody thing between every take. I was there for 13 hours so she received quite some overtime pay!!
Logsdail

Sounds like great work if you can get it.

Please tell me she had the decency to be pretty.

 

[Len]

She was, quite pretty. And a knitter. I swear she knitted almost a complete sweater that day.

There are many stories appertaining to the movie world that I could tell. Not necessarily about the clothes - but certainly because of them. At some time, I will tell a few of them

Logsdail

 

[Len]

Style never goes out of fashion, but fashion goes out of style.

I've often said this, but found I had to use this with my son the day we prepared for the scene in Wolf of Wall Street.

When we arrived, because so many people knew me, we were ushered past all the long lines. One of these lines held about 40 men all waiting to have their hair cut in the style of the movie scene, which was 1988, I believe. We were sent to the front of the line to the head hairdresser. My son, Leonard, sat down first and the stylist looked at his hair and mentioned he would have to do quite some work in order to make his hair comply. When I sat down he promptly asked if I had seen another hairdresser that day as my hair was perfect for 1988. It just needed combing!!! Well, Leonard thought this was a hoot, which forced me to to remind him about style never going out of fashion.

I'm not sure he bought it. But it was a great moment

Logsdail

 

[emptym]

^Love it. And the rest of this thread. Thanks L and C.

 

[YRR92]

Working for the movies has been so much fun. It really has. It stretches me to the limits of ability, patience, psychology and time management. My first movie was The Good Shepherd set in WWII. Julie and Julia was Paris in the 1950's. Robocop 4 is the future. Winters Tale 1920's. Popper's Penguins, NYC 2012. And so on. That said, as financially satisfying and mentally stimulating as this arena is, it is also extremely unreliable and is, therefore, not the focus of my business. It's an add-on. I have turned movies down in order to complete suits for regular clients that I had in production with promised delivery dates.

The moral of the story is to look after the base of a business and not to be greedy when an opportunity in the movie's presents itself. Too many have chased glamour and fame at the expense of their real clients.

Logsdail

That's too funny -- I just caught the trailer for the new Robocop and was struck by a DB blazer on Samuel L. Jackson. One of yours? Looked like smoked MOP buttons and a ticket pocket, I think?

 

[in stitches]

great story.

 

[foodguy]



Working for the movies has been so much fun. It really has. It stretches me to the limits of ability, patience, psychology and time management. My first movie was The Good Shepherd set in WWII. Julie and Julia was Paris in the 1950's.

just catching up with this thread, and i agree that it is one of the best things on styfo. always nice to hear people who have done interesting things. and i wanted to say that i LOVED paul child's clothes in julie/julia. i knew him and he did not dress as well as you dressed him

 

[David Reeves]



Care to expand? It might be incorrect in Phoenix, but it does seem to be the case in London and from what I've seen in New York. I'm only describing my personal experience, so mine could differ from yours.

Everyone understandably dresses as safe as possible in these unsafe times. You really don't want to stand out clothing wise when another round of budget cuts is coming.

Hence, everyone wears the same uniform, meaning there's no room for individual style. I really wouldn't hold up bankers as an example of style, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.  

Im inclined to agree with this more and more. Ironically and contrary to the original piece I find my biggest growth in clients is from advertising and marketing fields.

The older guys in banking seem to still have a rather Gecko like ethos, which is at least ballsy and perhaps more human, they are still an important and interesting clientele. The analysts......forget it! its all about staring at 5 different navy solid cloths to figure out which is the most "safe", they also tend to buy made to measure

I must say I am loving the aristocrats and royals as clients, easy to work with and they tell there friends.

 

[Svenn]



Hence, everyone wears the same uniform, meaning there's no room for individual style.

Normally this would be true, but I think the modern suit, due to the sheer complexity of its fit, is almost limitlessly distinguishable even if the colors and general features are the same in a given sample. In other words, so few guys get their suits fitted right, that simply having it well-tailored, along with the shirt and tie, even if it's all plain navy, will make it stand above its peers considerably. This is where personal style can come in... little things like the lapel curve, buttoning point, knot size and drape, etc

I personally think that fitted menswear should always be plain solids, it's the most flattering and the most subtle. Contrast color ties are an especially ostentatious and unfortunate result of the 20th century.

 

[David Reeves]



Normally this would be true, but I think the modern suit, due to the sheer complexity of its fit, is almost limitlessly distinguishable even if the colors and general features are the same in a given sample. In other words, so few guys get their suits fitted right, that simply having it well-tailored, along with the shirt and tie, even if it's all plain navy, will make it stand above its peers considerably. This is where personal style can come in... little things like the lapel curve, buttoning point, knot size and drape, etc

I personally think that fitted menswear should always be plain solids, it's the most flattering and the most subtle. Contrast color ties are an especially ostentatious and unfortunate result of the 20th century.

I couldn't agree more and this is the ethos of what I make certainly in regard to fit. The neatness is its own signature not a contrasting machined buttonhole.That said though don't forget great cloths, and before anyone says "fit is paramount"..... well its all important and great cloth doesn't mean you cant have a garment that not only fits but does so with finesse. Without reinventing the wheel its all about the trinity of; great fit, cloth and construction, few makers get all three right, when you can get it right you get great suits.

 

[Monkeyface]



Normally this would be true, but I think the modern suit, due to the sheer complexity of its fit, is almost limitlessly distinguishable even if the colors and general features are the same in a given sample. In other words, so few guys get their suits fitted right, that simply having it well-tailored, along with the shirt and tie, even if it's all plain navy, will make it stand above its peers considerably. This is where personal style can come in... little things like the lapel curve, buttoning point, knot size and drape, etc

I personally think that fitted menswear should always be plain solids, it's the most flattering and the most subtle. Contrast color ties are an especially ostentatious and unfortunate result of the 20th century.

That's true, but guys don't wear their jackets in the office, and they hardly wear ties either. People stared at me when I wore a tie, and asked me why I was so dressed up, so I don't wear ties anymore in the office. The only distinguishing factors are shirt fit, shirt colour (white or light blue), cufflinks and trouser fit (side tabs or belt, cuffs, break, etc.)

Someone might have the nicest and most well fitting bespoke suit, but you'll hardly notice it when they're not wearing their jacket and are sitting down all day long.

I'm afraid suits are becoming somewhat obsolete in banking, because clients aren't wearing them anymore either. I guess it all depends on whether business casual will evolve towards the casual or the formal side.

 

[Len]



That's too funny -- I just caught the trailer for the new Robocop and was struck by a DB blazer on Samuel L. Jackson. One of yours? Looked like smoked MOP buttons and a ticket pocket, I think?

You're smack on target. He is wearing a double breasted doeskin cashmere from holland & sherry with smoke gray mother of pearl buttons.

The character Sam plays is a copy if a real life black news caster with a flamboyant dress style. Hence the color of this jacket is a deep purple and, if I remember correctly, he wore it with a pair of silver gray flannel Escorial trousers with fabric from Kemp & Hewitt. All the clothes I made for Sam had purple in them. I even found a purple herringbone tweed !! I had the cashmere jacket hanging in my store and sold 3 from it. It looked that rich and beautiful. The clients just gravitated towards it to touch the sleeve and then hooked themselves

An interesting little story.

Sam met the wig maker for the movie at my store and I watched her prepare his head. So interesting. She put a plain ole plastic bag on his head from his forehead to the nape of his neck. She then continually pulled off 1" to 2" pieces of scotch tape and flattened the bag to his head. Not just a few pieces of tape, though. Lots! By the time she had finished the bag had moulded itself to his head, but was firm enough for her to simply slide it off without the bag collapsing. This movie was made in Toronto and the wig maker and I flew their together for fittings. Her wig was just perfect. It was an interesting excercise and one I was glad to have witnessed. And Sam was a great guy, too. The costumes designer is April Ferry

Logsdail