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Three classic American films and how to dress like the characters
Escape the April weather and turn on a film. With a focus on the Ivy League and preppy style, we’ve selected three classic American films that are packed with style inspiration.
Photos: Alamy
Text: Martin Johansson
The cinema world is so full of inspiring style that it can be difficult at times to get a grip on it all. In an attempt to give you a clearer idea, we’ve picked out a specific style and will take a closer look at a few films in which the Ivy League and preppy style of the east coast of America is the focus.
Today, American director Wes Anderson’s film style is established and well-known. With symmetrically framed scenes, clear camera movements and parody characters, he has created his own niche in a world where other films look increasingly homogeneous. In Anderson’s second feature film, Rushmore, you get to see this distinctive style take its first cautious steps. The film follows 15-year-old Max Fischer, who is studying at the prestigious Rushmore Academy, where he spends most of his time neglecting his studies in favour of various student associations. After Max begins a friendship with a local industrialist while simultaneously falling in love with a clearly older elementary school teacher, everything is set up for a bizarre love triangle. Anderson’s eye for style also extends to his characters, and Max dresses throughout the film like a true preppy. If you want to copy his signature outfit, all you need to do is put on a pair of chinos, wear a striped tie around your neck and add a blazer.
It’s December in the late 1980s and debutante balls are being held in New York where society youth can show off, mingle and get drunk. At the after-parties, they gather in tuxedos and ball gowns to discuss literature, politics and philosophy. At the same time, some of them are dreading a future in which failure and the reverse of the American dream, “downward social mobility”, await them. The scenes play out in front of the viewer as if plucked from a play in which all the characters are constantly in a grey area between all-out snobbery and attempts at intellectuality. The style of dress is dominated by tuxedos and evening dress, but occasionally a more casual outfit is seen, consisting of knitted sweaters, chinos and worn jackets, as if taken from a handbook of preppy style. Mimicking the style simply requires a rented tuxedo and your best philosophical musings.
A Beautiful Mind is the true story of Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash. The film begins in 1947, when Nash arrives at Princeton University to study mathematics. The rest of the story takes place over several decades, taking the viewer to some of America’s most prestigious east-coast universities. There we follow Nash’s fight to be recognised as a mathematician as he struggles with his mental health. A beautiful and, in many ways, inspiring story that also features plenty of style inspiration for those who like flannel, tweed and the American East Coast style. The film showcases a diverse and realistic picture of the Ivy League style, from its heyday in the 1950s through to the 1970s. If you want to dress like a young John Nash, you’ll need to invest in a subdued grey-brown colour scheme, wear a lot of knitted vests, and have the courage to bring out your bow tie whenever the opportunity arises.
Rushmore
Today, American director Wes Anderson’s film style is established and well-known. With symmetrically framed scenes, clear camera movements and parody characters, he has created his own niche in a world where other films look increasingly homogeneous. In Anderson’s second feature film, Rushmore, you get to see this distinctive style take its first cautious steps. The film follows 15-year-old Max Fischer, who is studying at the prestigious Rushmore Academy, where he spends most of his time neglecting his studies in favour of various student associations. After Max begins a friendship with a local industrialist while simultaneously falling in love with a clearly older elementary school teacher, everything is set up for a bizarre love triangle. Anderson’s eye for style also extends to his characters, and Max dresses throughout the film like a true preppy. If you want to copy his signature outfit, all you need to do is put on a pair of chinos, wear a striped tie around your neck and add a blazer.
Metropolitan
It’s December in the late 1980s and debutante balls are being held in New York where society youth can show off, mingle and get drunk. At the after-parties, they gather in tuxedos and ball gowns to discuss literature, politics and philosophy. At the same time, some of them are dreading a future in which failure and the reverse of the American dream, “downward social mobility”, await them. The scenes play out in front of the viewer as if plucked from a play in which all the characters are constantly in a grey area between all-out snobbery and attempts at intellectuality. The style of dress is dominated by tuxedos and evening dress, but occasionally a more casual outfit is seen, consisting of knitted sweaters, chinos and worn jackets, as if taken from a handbook of preppy style. Mimicking the style simply requires a rented tuxedo and your best philosophical musings.
A Beautiful Mind
A Beautiful Mind is the true story of Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash. The film begins in 1947, when Nash arrives at Princeton University to study mathematics. The rest of the story takes place over several decades, taking the viewer to some of America’s most prestigious east-coast universities. There we follow Nash’s fight to be recognised as a mathematician as he struggles with his mental health. A beautiful and, in many ways, inspiring story that also features plenty of style inspiration for those who like flannel, tweed and the American East Coast style. The film showcases a diverse and realistic picture of the Ivy League style, from its heyday in the 1950s through to the 1970s. If you want to dress like a young John Nash, you’ll need to invest in a subdued grey-brown colour scheme, wear a lot of knitted vests, and have the courage to bring out your bow tie whenever the opportunity arises.
