Most Fashionable Men of the 60's

Michael Caine equally Charlie Croker in The Italian Chore (1969).

Vitals

Michael Caine as Charlie Croker, British career criminal and mob thief

Turin, Italy, Spring 1969

Picture:The Italian Job
Release Date: June two, 1969
Director: Peter Collinson
Wardrobe Supervisor: Dulcie Midwinter

Groundwork

Nearly fifty years after its initial release, The Italian Job is still considered to be one of the coolest classic caper flicks. With a very funny ensemble cast led by Michael Caine at the height of his cheekiness,The Italian Job is a slightly corny simply immensely entertaining film that perfectly captures an era and brings the hippest parts of 1969 alive with the help of Caine, Noël Coward, and Benny Hill.

I always viewedThe Italian Job in a similar vein as 1960's Rat Pack extravaganzaBounding main'south Eleven. Both films offered more mode than substance and gave audiences a fun excuse to scout a agglomeration of the day'due south elevation stars carrying out a simple and nearly perfect heist gone amiss. Also, both films were remade in the early 2000s due to the want of modern audiences to see good criminals get away with a criminal offence using plenty of technological glitz.

In 1969, much more than glitz went into costuming the criminals than into giving them gadgets. This is particularly true of Michael Caine inThe Italian Job, who was fitted with several beautiful bespoke suits created past legendary London tailor Doug Hayward.

What'd He Wear?

1 of the well-nigh iconic of Caine's suits created by Hayward is the timeless beige linen summer adjust worn when Caine'southward graphic symbol Charlie Croker is driving his girlfriend to the Turin airdrome then briefing his crew before the bodily heist. The suit is fresh and modern, without dating itself too heavily to the '60s. Some fashions take changed, but Charlie Croker could walk through any airport in the world with this conform and receive the envious attending of men and the lascivious attending of women.

Caine benefits from Hayward's power to make whatever suit expect flattering. Past this point, Caine had began packing a few actress pounds (best seen inGet Carter) and – while he wasn't fat – he began looking a little jolly. Hayward'due south tailoring fits the adjust perfectly on Caine, keeping him lean and slim without resorting to the tightness of the notableSkyfall suits (which would have the contrary effect.)

If y'all have a reason for non owning a tailored adapt, it's a stupid ane. Don't you want to await this cool when dropping your girlfriend off at the airport?
(Hint: If yous don't, she may never come dorsum.)

Also worth mentioning is the quality of the linen used. A linen suit, while comfy in the heat, often betrays its wearer with telltale wrinkles throughout the garment. Caine'south conform practically refuses to wrinkle, leading me to believe that information technology is either a linen-cotton fiber alloy or it was constantly being pressed during the filming of these scenes. The latter option seems impractical, but if I had a Douglas Hayward suit, I would take extreme measures to keep it in shape as well.

The adapt jacket is single-breasted with loftier notch lapels. It buttons with three brown horn buttons in the front, and Caine wears it with the center button attached throughout. The patch pockets on each hip are slanted and flapped, and the welted breast pocket is embellished with a burgundy patterned silk handkerchief with a unmarried point emerging from the meridian of the pocket.

A closer await at the adjust reveals heavy quarter-inch stitching on both the lapels and all pockets. There is a single functional push on each cuff, matching the dark-brown horn buttons on the front. The front of the jacket is darted, and there are two long double rear vents, both fashionable and functional in the warm climate.

The conform's flat front trousers have a low rise worn just below Caine's natural waist. At that place is definitely a jetted rear pocket on the right side, but we don't see much more than than that.

Heil Caine!

He wears a brownish leather chugalug with a large, rounded gilt squeeze. The trousers take straight and narrow legs downwards to the patently-hemmed bottoms, which fall with a short intermission over his shoes.

Caine wears a pair of dark brown leather loafers which appear to be very evidently with no toe decoration or perforation, no straps, no tassels, and no laces. This minimalist shoe style, found on both low shoes and talocrural joint boots, was very popular among mods at the time. His socks are appropriately biscuit silk, continuing the leg line from his beige suit into his shoes.

Also of annotation equally a sartorial highlight is Camp Freddie's pinkish adjust, serving as a reminder that while real men may habiliment pink, so do campy men.

Caine's sunglasses are his typical Yvan pair with imitation tortoiseshell frames and light brown tinted lenses. Caine had earlier worn a pair of Yvan spectacles with prescription lenses as Harry Palmer inThe Ipcress File,Funeral in Berlin, andBillion Dollar Brain, which Christie's auctioned in December 2006.

Enough of details are visible here, from his sunglasses to the jacket stitching to the tie details.

Croker's Turnbull & Asser shirt is white with bold light chocolate-brown stripes. The spread collar is very large, and – given the fashion-forrard nature of the suit and the grapheme – correctly predicts the big collar trend of the upcoming decade. Caine wears a set of large, round onyx cuff links with gilded trim through French cuffs.

A smart criminal tries to go along his dress relatively understated to avoid attention… unless getting attending for diversion is the point, of grade.

His necktie is wide with a cream silk ground and a repeating design of night brown squares with faded edges, almost resembling stamps.

Fifty-fifty if yous're only dropping someone off, there's no reason not to look stylish in an airdrome… especially when information technology's an Italian airport.

When planning the heist itself, Croker dons a pair of soft dark chocolate-brown nappa leather gloves.

He also wears a stainless-cased wristwatch on a black strap, sinfully worn over his left shirt gage.

Wearing a wristwatch over your shirt cuff might save you fourth dimension (pun grossly intended), simply information technology'due south typically a sartorial no-no. Michael Caine, considered to be i of the well-nigh stylish men of the '60s, gets a free pass here.

How to Go the Look

The beige linen suit tailored by Hayward for the film is nearly the perfect summer suit. Caine wears it coolly and fashionably, which is exactly how a summer suitshould be worn. While you lot may not have Doug Hayward at your disposal, yous tin certainly take direction fromThe Italian Job's suit to create your ain modernistic masterpiece.

• Beige linen suit, tailored by Douglas Hayward and consisting of:
  • Single-breasted jacket with notch lapels, 3-button front, welted breast pocket, slanted and flapped hip patch pockets, 1-button cuffs, and long double rear vents
  • Apartment front trousers with belt loops and short break plain-hemmed bottoms
• White Turnbull & Asser shirt with assuming light brown stripes, large spread collar, and double/French cuffs
• Cream silk necktie with a repeating dark brown "stamped" square pattern
• Onyx cuff links with round gold trim
• Dark-brown leather belt with rounded gold clasp
• Nighttime brown leather loafers
• Beige silk dress socks
• Yvan imitation tortoiseshell sunglasses with light brown lenses
• Dark dark-brown nappa leather gloves
• Stainless case wristwatch with black strap

Exercise Yourself a Favor and…

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The Quote

Hang on, lads. I've got a smashing idea…

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