By Robbie Colin.
It’s the formative stage of every man’s sartorial journey. The pinnacle of good taste means trying to dress like a spy in the movies. Of course, there is also James Bond. And I know the world has plenty of advice for anyone who wants an ivory dinner jacket and/or a blue terrycloth playsuit.
Then there are more sophisticated and thoughtful secret agents, like Michael Caine’s Harry Palmer in England. Or in the US, CIA analyst Joe Turner. Three Days of the Condor Played by Robert Redford.
This outfit reads as espionage through academia, with rumpled dashes that feel almost haphazard. If you have a gray herringbone blazer at home – and I bet you do because this is a permanent style – then you will know what I mean.
But there is another group of movie spies whose sense of style and what it can bring to their civilian wardrobe is greatly underrated. Then again, that’s the point.
I’m talking about Thomas Alfredson’s Secret Intelligence Service officer. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: A terrifyingly bleak 2011 adaptation of John Le Carré’s groundbreaking espionage novel. From Gary Oldman’s George Smiley to Guess What? Finding themselves arrayed before them with potential double agents, these men cultivated appearances that to the average audience would not be considered appearances at all.
Isn’t this just a room for men in suits? Well, yes. Because in these men’s rooms – in their world – even the smallest details of tailoring and accessories carry meaning.
We often talk about dress codes, but we rarely consider the term appropriate.
The film’s costume designer was Jaqueline Durran, who was also responsible for Joe Wright’s peacock extravaganza. Anna Karenina And Margot Robbie’s cellophane negligee. Wuthering Heights. It’s fair to say so. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy The reverberations between the character’s outer layers and inner state are just as powerful, but unravel in this more subtle register.
Oldman, who plays Smiley, wears a three-piece charcoal suit (in an unflappable mid-century style that would make Timothy Everest relatable), a white shirt and dark tie, and a double-faced mac (below) that Durran saw in a 1960s photograph by author Graham Greene.
None of this fits too starkly into the early 1970s setting, nor is it intended to. The suit has 20 years of mileage on it, as do the men who live in it.
Durran spoke in an interview about how he curated the look, which takes in everything from Savile Row, Jermyn Street and Burlington Arcade, all within a half-mile radius of Piccadilly Circus. But not recently.
The style is reminiscent of civil service as well as private members’ clubs in Mayfair and St James’s. It’s overwhelmingly grey. In many ways, it’s perfect for men who operate in a gray area.
However, in film, gray color serves as a canvas to express psychological content that is almost subconscious. Just as Oldman’s Smiley often scrutinizes his colleagues behind the thick frames of the character’s signature glasses, viewers interested in menswear will sift through any gear that deviates from the template and wonder what it means.
What is the meaning of the puffy edges of John Hurt’s jacket or the pointed lapels on Toby Jones’ jacket? How should we read the slight flare in Benedict Cumberbatch’s trousers? And why does Colin Firth wear desert boots instead of oxfords, derbies and brogues? (These are the last two shown above.)
Surprisingly, all these details reflect aspects of the wearer’s character. In what must be one of the most niche menswear moments in film over the past 20 years, the moral immorality of a certain character is foreshadowed by the sight of him wearing some rather jaunty socks.
The costumes are very specific and central to the plot. And inevitably they invite us to consider what aspects our own foundation reveals about our characters.
The importance of the costumes is further evidenced by contrast with the more working class ‘scalp hunter’ segment of the SIS, which includes Mark Strong’s Jim Prideaux and Tom Hardy’s Ricki Tarr (both above).
Comfortable and durable gear is perfect for men on the go. Prideaux dresses up like a substitute teacher and actually works like an enchanted teacher. Hardy’s clothes are closer to the movies. Tailored Belstaff shearling coat, Barracuda G9, corded chambray work shirt in olive or powder blue.
Durran said Hardy’s costumes were influenced by photos of Steve McQueen from the 1960s. Again, the dates don’t match up neatly, and that’s exactly the idea.
clothes Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Worn, scratched, and worn, but God willing, it is still fit for purpose, such as the state order that its wearers (or at least most of them) ascetically seek to enforce.
The lesson the outside gives us is simple. The subtlety of your attire can say a lot. No matter what you wear, your clothes contain clues about your personality and intentions. Above all, choose your socks carefully.
Robbie is The Telegraph’s chief film critic, PS reader and menswear enthusiast.
