If you have been reading for the last couple of months, you may have seen The Gentlemen pop up a few times. I used it to describe a dress code. I listed it out as a movie all men should watch. It is one of my all-time favorite movies. Guy Ritchie is a genius. But, outside of his dialogue, his storylines, his action scenes, one of the things I love about his work is his wardrobe choices. His movies are almost always dripping in style. Think of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Henry Cavill was as close to James Bond as he would ever get. And while The Gentlemen is one of the most stylish movies of the last twenty years, it is the prequel series on Netflix that I am talking about when I say that The Gentlemen puts British style at the forefront.
What makes the style of The Gentlemen so appealing? Well, let me tell you.
Class
Let’s start with the James Bond of it all. The main character, Eddie, a wayward son of a Duke, is played by Theo James. Why is this important? Well, because this entire series feels like an audition for 007. He is handsome, rugged, age-appropriate, has acting chops, and most importantly in this situation, can wear the Hell out of a suit.
In this series, James finds his tailoring in the perfect British fashion. Everything from 3-piece tweed to houndstooth. His suits are tailored in a relaxed way, with more room and less pristine. He isn’t someone who sits in boardrooms or negotiates million-dollar deals. He is an aristocrat who leads with his charm. He wears browns, tans, olives, and adopts more casual fabrics like tweed and wool. The details, like pleats and cuffs, are classic British style and fit perfectly on his giant estate.
He also stays away from white shirts most of the time. He wears a slew of blues and white bases with patterns. Leaning into the casual tailoring even harder. If you are looking for sport coats with elbow patches, he has a whole slew of them in his no doubt massive closet.
But the style of the series doesn’t stop with Eddie; other characters steal the show with their tailoring (not including the women, Joely Richardson and Kaya Scodelario never misstep in the wardrobe department). Giancarlo Esposito, with his city suits (more closely resembling the James Bond tailoring), stands out with a sweater draped over his shoulder. And Ray Winstone with his cravats and loafers is the picture of British gentleman style.
Country
Now for the part of this that makes the style different from other movies and series: the other side of it. Look, I love James Bond, but the truth is, he overwears the suit. You can only do so much action in the three-piece suit. It is constrictive, and it is delicate. Now, I will admit that this is something Daniel Craig got right. His James Bond leaned into the casual side better than any other Bond. But all of them fail to compare to Eddie. His casual style, the country of it, is impeccable.
Starting with his jackets, like all good Englishmen, Eddie has a fair amount of waxed Barbour jackets. It is always gray and raining in the English countryside, so there is no better way to be prepared. He wears a steady rotation of waxed jackets, and pairs them with turtlenecks, Fair Isle sweater vests, and Oxford shirts to class up his countryside image.
For the other people in the show, let’s look to Vinnie Jones. He is one of my favorite characters in the show for a few reasons. But for the sake of style, let’s focus on his Wellington boots, known as Wellies if you ever spend time in the English backcountry, and his flat caps. The Wellies are a staple of the English countryside because, as we said before, it is always gray and raining, which means you need to protect your pants from the mud and grossness that is almost certainly present. Vinnie Jones is always killing it in his Wellies. As for the flat cap, there is, perhaps, nothing in the entire show that is more English than his flat caps.
Elegant British style
Take a second and think about American style vs English style. You could argue that our tailored wear is of similar stature. American tailors such as Tom Ford, Alan Horowitz, and Michael Andrews can set you up in some of the best suits in the world. They will ensure you always look amazing. But the country is where it is different. In America, you have work boots, jeans, cutoffs, and trucker hats on one end of the country spectrum. And on the other end, you see cowboy boots, denim, pearl snap shirts, and cowboy hats. The western looks overtake the country looks. There is nothing inherently wrong with that look if that is what you are going for, but something is missing: elegance.
The country style in England (at least in the way it is presented in The Gentlemen) is elevated from our own western wear. Denim is swapped out for corduroy. Cowboy boots are swapped out for rubber Wellies. Pearl snaps are replaced with oxford shirts and sweaters. And the Carhart is traded out for the waxed canvas of the Barbour. There is a sophistication in the country wear of the aristocrats. Maybe it is because the western wear in America is built for the men and women who are actually in the fields working their fingers to the bone, while the country wear of the English gentleman is built for the man who owns and lives on the land, not the man who works it. In either case, there is an elegance missing from America’s workwear that The Gentlemen presents in droves.
Season 2 of the series is now streaming on Netflix. Oh, and a friendly piece of advice: if you don’t like the country wear worn by Eddie, or if you don’t think he works, don’t let him hear that; you may be his next job.
