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How to dress like a master gentleman thief.
The 1990s aren’t necessarily a time we look back on for true style inspiration. While, unfortunately for some of us who grew up then, fashion, like history, has an annoying habit of repeating itself. Trends of our youth are returning once more.
No matter the time or how old or young we are, we turn to film for style inspiration. Characters we see on screen take us to another world, yes. They are who we want to be. Who we don’t want to be. Sometimes, they’re reflections of ourselves. And like fashion, sometimes movies are remade for a new age and a new audience.
That’s the case with “The Thomas Crown Affair.”
The original was released in 1968 (an iconic year, don’t you think?). It starred Steve McQueen as a bored millionaire with a fantastic sense of style, and Faye Dunaway as equally chic insurance investigator.
The movie was remade in 1999 starring Pierce Brosnan as a debonair, if bored, finance king with a penchant for stealing paintings and Rene Russo as the insurance investigator determined to get her man.
Both men are somewhat antiheroes. But there’s a lot we can learn about style from Thomas Crown.
Steve McQueen, Style Icon
That Steve McQueen is a true god of menswear is well-documented. It’s been covered a number of times on this website, and I’ve written previously on one of his (and Crown’s, for that matter) on and off-screen jackets, the Harrington. But, I’d be remiss not to kiss the ring a little here.
McQueen’s Crown is a bit cold. Callous, even. He’s a bored rich dude, so he engineers the perfect crime and uses patsies to pull it off. Of course, I’m not suggesting you spend your weekends orchestrating heists, but work with me, here.
McQueen’s style as Crown is functional. His suits are comfortable. They’re not flamboyant, allowing him to run undetected. His weekend looks are much of the same. Versatile, easy-wearing pieces in an interchangeable color palette.
Indeed, that’s what McQueen teaches us about style in nearly all of his films. One of the unavoidable mistakes of guys getting “into style” for the first time is trying too hard. We’ve all been there. One day, it’s oversized jeans and floppy shirt tails. The next, it’s a bowler hat and mustache tie clip. That’s just screaming, “SEE?! LOOK HOW DAPPER I AM!!!” **It’s too much. Style should be easy. It’s best when it doesn’t shout.
Suited up or dressed down, McQueen’s wardrobe is borderline timeless. It’s one of the traits making him still so damn cool, even more than 40 years after his passing.
Such enduring style encourages homages. So how does the 1999 remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair” stack up? And, what can we learn from it?
5 Things the 1999 Thomas Crown Affair Can Teach You About Timeless Style
Keep a base of colors that work for you
In the opening scenes in both 1968 and 1999, Crown is seen in a patterned gray suit. That’s the loudest look in the film. It’s a power move, yes. And you can tell it’s a power suit when he sells a firm for $13M (back when we thought that was a ton of money for a company) more than others were offering.
Throughout the film, both Crown and insurance investigator/love interest Catherine Banning (portrayed by Rene Russo) rely on a neutral color palette. He favors blue, grey, brown, and black — a classic menswear palette. She is very much the same. Lots of black. Rich camel and brown tones. The only real color we see is Crown’s bright red tie as the physical incarnation of Magritte’s “Son of Man” in the movie’s climatic scene.
Otherwise, the navy suits he favors are timeless. If you’ve got a little bolder style, go, as he does, for the peaked lapel. If you want maximum versatility, a 3.5-inch notch lapel is just about right. Regardless of which you choose, a navy suit should probably be for your first suit. It goes with just about anything and it’s easy to dress up or down.
So many of his, and her, outfits hold their style even 25 years on. If I were to change anything from Crown’s navy suit looks, I’d put him in a pale blue shirt and navy grenadine tie for better contrast. But, I suspect this may been a subtle nod to Steve McQueen’s original outfits.
Play with Pattern and Texture
When you’re working with base of versatile neutrals, the outfit options are almost limitless. But, unless you’re living off a permanent capsule wardrobe, it can get a little boring. Crown breaks this mold in at least two places.
Let’s return to our Prince of Wales suit. At first glance, it’s a simple patterned suit and tie combo. Nothing wrong with that. But, look a little closer and you’ll catch a few things. First, this isn’t any old patterned suit. It’s a Prince of Wales check, layering a light blue windowpane on top of the black and white check. The shirt is also twill instead of standard poplin. It adds another visual element to the ensemble.
Crown also favors a suede jacket. It would be easy to throw on a simple brown jacket and call it good. But, not here. A nappy suede number adds fantastic texture to any casual outfit. The shade isn’t too dark, either. As nice as it is, a caramel color actually brings out a little more richness. It’s quiet luxury, 20 years before anyone had even heard the term. And, suede is soft and extremely comfortable to lay your head on during a walk in the park.
Wear a Watch, Even When You Don’t Have To
We’ve written a lot on this site about the value of a mechanical or automatic watch in a digital age. The original Crown wears what, at first glance, is a Cartier Tank Cintrée. But, upon closer inspection, it just might be a Tank Allongée. The OG Tommy also wears a Patek Philippe pocket watch and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox.
For many, JLC’s Reverso might just be the dress watch. The 1999 Crown favors the large model with the small seconds (h/t to From Tailors with Love for catching Brosnan’s contract with Omega meant they couldn’t show the JLC logo). That’ll work in many cases, especially if you’re a bigger guy. But, fellow contributor Johan Wikström (and Brian, who’s got it in gold) and I favor the more compact medium size model.
At the time, this watch was a huge middle finger to Hollywood. Watches were getting bigger already but the trend really accelerated after Panerai’s Luminor became available to the general public in 1993. Crown knows you don’t need a huge hubcap on your wrist to make a statement.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso minus the name of the maison due to Brosnan’s contract with Omega.
This is still true today. While, thankfully, watches have steadily shrunk back to proper proportion, so has the practical need for them. Why should you have a mechanical marvel on your wrist when you have a supercomputer in your pocket? When you’re Thomas Crown, you wear a watch because you want to, not because you have to. And, when you’re Thomas Crown, you have all the time in the world.
It’s the satisfaction of having something beautifully made. Smartphones are many things. A portal into the broader world. A means of communication faster and quicker than ever before. So quick, in fact, the sheer volume of information easily overwhelms the windmills of your mind.
A watch, for me, is a reminder to slow down. To appreciate the time it took to design and craft something something so intricate. And to appreciate the work to be in a position to purchase the piece. To recognize the sense of achievement I felt after first putting in on my wrist.
Go Custom, Whenever Possible
We also see Crown in a basted fitting for a bespoke suit. It appears to be navy (which, again, is an excellent choice for a first suit). Costume designer Kate Harrington could have draped Bronsan in designer suits and flashy patterns. Fast living. Fast cars. Fast fashion.
But instead, she chose to put him under the careful chalk marks of Milanese bespoke suit maker Gianni Campagna. Each piece is done explicitly for Brosnan, and the scene of his fitting is unscripted.
Brosnan in his basted fitting garment from Milanese bespoke suit maker Gianni Campagna.
The suit he wears is far different from the boxy, stiff shouldered ones of the time. The shoulder is proportional and follows the lines of his body. The waist is slightly suppressed, in distinct contrast to most at the time. The jacket length is a little longer than what we’d see today, but not by much.
A custom suit is, fortunately, much more attainable than it was in 1999. You can find, literally, what you want and have it pretty darn fast. But, just because you can find something quickly doesn’t mean you should. Take your time. Do your homework.
When you go in, you’ll be able to dial in not only your fit, but what you want the suit to look like. And, when you slide it over your shoulders, you’ll feel like a million bucks.
Style is more than the Clothes You Wear
“This guy? He’s a finance geek!” “No, he’s a thrill seeker.“
Rene Russo’s character quickly catches on Crown might be a little more than he appears.
Let’s expand on the finance geek line. On the surface, Crown appears to be some guy in high finance. A faceless corporate raider interested in little more than buying and selling companies, bowing down to the Almighty Dollar.
Money is a part of Crown, yes. He lives well. He bets $100K on a golf bunker shot because he can. He tips over a racing yacht because he can. He, in both 1968 and 1999, flies a glider at full speed because he can.
Cracks in the veneer of vapidity appear throughout the film. I think he appreciates art. His brownstone wouldn’t be filled with it if he didn’t. More, he values talent. He supports a young woman’s artistic dream, even if being the child of an imprisoned forger has slapped her with a scarlet letter.
There’s a little something we can learn from Crown. Dressing well is something, yes. A good suit can take you a long way. Looking the part can open some doors. Start some interesting conversations. But, clothing is one part of the style equation.
Style is also how you speak. It’s how you listen. What you read. How you treat those around you. Style and elegance are synonyms for what makes you, well, you.
The Bottom Line: How to Dress Like Thomas Crown
I’m not suggesting nicking priceless Impressionist art should be a hobby. Nor should being a borderline sociopath, like the original Crown.
Appreciate what you have and how hard you’ve worked to get it. Lean on a foundation of versatile pieces, made to the highest standards you can afford. Layer with subtle pattern and plenty of texture. It softens even the roughest exteriors. Wear a watch not because you have to, but because you want to.
And, go custom whenever you can. Understand, true style is more than the clothes you wear. It’s more than your job description. It’s how you live your life.
Thanks for reading.