I watched To Catch a Thief again the other night and, obsessed as I am with summer odd jackets these days, paid particular attention to the metal buttoned gray version worn by Cary Grant for his afternoon with Grace Kelly. Like most of Grant's clothes it is not particularly outstanding but it is quietly appropriate and of course it fits him well.
My obsession with summer jackets stems from the simple fact that I cannot find much of anything that I like other than the usual navy blazers and a few linen solids - and there are not many of those in the weight that I prefer. I am not a fan of faux tweed patterns, which rules out Glorious Twelfth and its competitors, and though Harrisons of Edinburgh has some nice looking semi-solids in its Sunbeam book, they all have silk in the weave (the sheen of the silk is nice for evening but it does not work for me for day wear). So whenever a new possibility like Mr. Grant's coat arises I am all over it.
Of course, I have been thinking about a gray gabardine jacket for a year or two but have not found a suitable cloth. I don't like Dormeuil's offering. John Hardy does not have a gray. Scabal's 13 ounce/400 gram does not come in a light enough shade, and the light shade they do offer is a 150s in 9 ounces/270 gram so that is two strikes against. Grant's coat of course does not appear to be gabardine, or cotton, or linen, so it is probably some nondescript worsted. Maybe there is something in Finmeresco.
All of this would be considerably simpler if I could bring myself to step out in some lime green or raspberry stunner of a coat like Nick Foulkes wears whenever the possibility of being photographed rears its head. But that is not me, for better or worse, and I will continue trying to catch a new jacket that is neither blue nor tan.
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10 comments:
Count the ways Grant buttons this coat next time you watch this film. Not all are the "Approved" ways.
What's with him buttoning the bottom two buttons of that coat?
Lovely photo. But how strange that Mr. Grant's bottom button is fastened!
Grant buttons this coat every way imaginable. Sometimes within the same scene.
I was going to comment on Cary's bottom button too. 3 button jackets/blazers sometimes button too high, and I think this alternative is neater than only buttoning the middle button. The only practical reason for loosening the bottom button is for sitting down, although I do adhere to the convention of keeping it open at all times. Mr Grant has inspired me though that it's ok to break this rule in some cases, as he is the picture of elegance and symmetry here.
Clearly for Grant the coat is operating more as a two-button, since the top button is well hidden in the low lapels and the jacket is pretty short.. And leaving the bottom button undone on a two-button suit is faddish IMO. In Connery's Bond films he regularly fastened both buttons.
Will, I believe it was actually a spring flannel. It can be often chilly in Spring on the coast.
I, too, have obsessed about this rarely seen combination of light gray coat with tan slacks. And worsted material just lacks something in that shade of gray when worn as an odd jacket. Grant's patch pockets and metal buttons kept it from looking like part of a suit.
The flannel's texture works very nicely with the smooth material of the slacks. And that creates a pleasing casual look.
David V - If you want to see bad continuity in a film - see 'Casablanca' and the scene where Ricks gets totalled with Sam and DOESN'T give us THE line "Play it again, Sam" - look at the cuff buttons - at least one change of costume, without leaving the table! Different numbers - 3 and 4, and one set comprises self buttons and the other shell:
"Take 5 and freshen up!"
"OK! Take 5!"
It is very hard to find anything but the flimsiest cloth in lighter shades. My favorite 14-15 oz fresco only comes in dark grey, black, and navy--such a shame, because they're made into the coolest-wearing things I own.
Sharing your interest for this combination, I've spent quite some time browsing for images of that jacket on the internet until I realized that the jacket itself still exists and has apparently been auctionned last year : http://www.icollector.com/Cary-Grant-John-Robie-gray-wool-sport-coat-from-the-scenic-drive-in-To-Catch-a-Thief_i10658183
There's a close up picture on the auction site on which it appears simply gray and not even a little blueish as it looks in the movie. To me it really looks like flannel but that would hardly be appropriate for a summer on the riviera. Maybe the whole thing is a fake... Anyway, I finally opted for my first impression over reality and chose a blue gray Smith's Finmeresco paired with stone slacks (from Smith's Formal Wear book). I will have very nice brushed brass buttons on it. The result will be very very far from its inspiration but hopefully will be nice on its own.
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