Sartorial heros

[storeynicholas]

English and American tie stripes, I believe, slant in opposite directions. I am not sure which is right or wrong as they are both fairly recent inventions.
NJS
PS - And - YES!! we get to page 5.
NJS

[angelo]

storeynicholas wrote:
English and American tie stripes, I believe, slant in opposite directions. I am not sure which is right or wrong as they are both fairly recent inventions.

Storeynicholas,
it is not completely right the opinion that the stripes of British regimental ties are exclusively directed from the upper left to the lower right as opposed to the USA manufactured ties whose stripes go from the upper right to the lower left , according to the original "diagonal repp ties”introduced during the '20 of the last century by Brooks Brothers. Indeed there are in the British tradition some regimental ties ,distinctive of Regiments (Cavalry and others ) such as for example the 1st Royal Dragoons and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoons Guards that have stripes going from upper right to lower left. These latter ties, although representing a minority , must be considered as representative as the most known other ones.
In the Post "A question of vents (" Section: Dressing Room) I have already written a very similar post reply ,including also an image showing some briyish regimental ties with the above features.

Angelo

[storeynicholas]

Quite right: my heedless generalization could have been avoided by the insertion of the word 'often' before 'slant'. Many thanks for the correction. returning to the main theme - George Peppard and James Coburn are missing.
NJS

[Guille]

I have come across another sartorial hero whiles doing a project for history: Joseph Chamberlain. No he is not the stupid one that signed with Hitler, but his father. Just search his name in google images if you want to judge him.

[RWS]

Isn't "stupid" a little harsh? "Heedless", certainly, "thoughtless", perhaps, maybe even "foolish". But not stupid.

[storeynicholas]

Joseph Chamberlain was the father of, amongst others, Neville and Austen. Joseph was one of the few politicians ever to split both the Liberal and the Tory parties (over tariff reform). He held a series of high offices, beginning his career as a fantastically successful screw manufacturer and popular and civically improving mayor of Birmingham. He was returned unopposed as the MP for Birmingham (I am sure that no one wants full dates do they?) and held various high offices in several administrations on both sides of the floor. His son Austen won the Nobel Prize for Peace, in securing the Locarno Pact in 1922 and a then continuing peace in Europe and he was also made a Knight of the Garter. His brother, Neville, realized too late that Hitler could not be trusted and failed to keep the nation's forces up to strength in the 1930s, leading up to Hitler's invasion of Poland and the British ultimatum to Germany leading, in turn, to the famous wireless broadcast ending "and consequently, this country is at war with Germany" . A remarkable family, Joe was an undoubted sartorial hero. The Spy cartoons of him (the very last was of him), don't do him justice and the best portrait is in the Carlton Club. He was a great orchid fan and always wore a spectacular orchid buttonhole; the plants for these his great wealth enabled him to employ a full-time botanist to tend in vast orchid houses. He also wore an eyeglass. Austen was also well turned-out (again sporting an eyeglass). Neville was neat but not really a sartorial hero; moreover, hoping, diplomatically for the best., as many did, and exerting every effort to avoid a repetition of the carnage of WWI. His reasoning was well-intentioned even if his trust was misplaced. At least his failure to avoid war, gave rise to the opportunity for Britain's last lion, a hero of every kind, including sartorial , to come forth from his den and contribute more than any other to the saving of the world from (in a paraphrase of his own words), the stain of Hitler's corrupting fingers.
NJS

[storeynicholas]

Did we forget Frank Sinatra and Anthony Eden?
NJS

[charle22]

Tiny Rowland was a pretty dapper guy.

[lordofpi]

Gentlemen,
In my younger years, I seem to always remember admiring Bruce Gordon's attire in his role as Frank NItti on The Untouchables. Come to think of it, Robert Stack also fit the bill there, as well as throughout much of his life. It is possible, however, that my fond memories of the show are clouding my sartorial memory.
By the way, this is my first post here. I'd like to thank Mr. Alden for granting my membership and look forward to interesting discussion with all of you. Cheers.

[storeynicholas]

Gentlemen,
In my younger years, I seem to always remember admiring Bruce Gordon's attire in his role as Frank NItti on The Untouchables. Come to think of it, Robert Stack also fit the bill there, as well as throughout much of his life. It is possible, however, that my fond memories of the show are clouding my sartorial memory.
By the way, this is my first post here. I'd like to thank Mr. Alden for granting my membership and look forward to interesting discussion with all of you. Cheers.

Welcome aboard! - do you have any photos of these people?
NJS

[lordofpi]

Thank you. I did not have any images that I found to be really exemplary, but I have searched to find some basic images to indentify these gentlemen. First, Robert Stack (also of the long-running series Unsolved Mysteries which ran in the Nineties):





As great as Bruce Gordon was, I could only find one good image of him as Frank Nitti:

[OldBill]

May I add a vote for Denzel Wahington in American Gangster. Aside from being an excellent film on more than one occiasion I was moved to remark on how well the man wore a suit. I suspect that was partly as they were extremely well made.

[pvpatty]

May I add a vote for Denzel Wahington in American Gangster. Aside from being an excellent film on more than one occiasion I was moved to remark on how well the man wore a suit. I suspect that was partly as they were extremely well made.

If only his morality was up to the standard of his clothes!

[OldBill]

Interesting reply! Clearly the man had a mightily warped moraility, (witness the way he dealt with a rival!) however i got the feeling that he was not evil just an arch capitalist. He realised people wanted a commodity, he could import it cheaper than the opposition and supply it at greater quality. Don't get me wrong I am in no way condoning what he did but he was a fascinating character that went way beyond the 'Blacksploitaion' figures such as Superfly (now I am showing my age).

That said for all the good suits and jackets there was that fur coat and hat that his wife bought him!!!

It is interesting that many top crime figures have taken great pride in their appearance in an attempt to align themselves with the 'straight' world.

You can bet that the suits The Krays were wearing in that famous picture were not RTW!

[storeynicholas]

It is interesting that many top crime figures have taken great pride in their appearance in an attempt to align themselves with the 'straight' world.

You can bet that the suits The Krays were wearing in that famous picture were not RTW!

Do you think that this adoption of fine clothes by gangsters is just an attempt to align with the straight world? I mean, is it wolf in sheep's clothing, to facilitate the central 'business'; is it just a craving for 'respectability' (hints of this in Micheal Corleone's attitude in The Godfather II and III) - or is it, even maybe, a demonstration that, in their 'field' they are first class?

The Kray twins did have bespoke clothing didn't they - but they still lived in a council flat in Bunhill Row. I wonder whether Jack 'The Hat' Macvitie's hat came from Lock's? The Brian Dobbs' book on John Lobb recounts that they have had orders from customers in Pentonville Prison and traitor Guy Burgess tried to order a pair of shoes from Mother USSR, after he fled. I don't think that he got them...
NJS