"I'm a little screwed up but I'm beautiful.": From Caterpillar to Papillon (Pt. Deux)
Again, I DO NOT endorse any particular dealer or website, except for sites that sell genuine goods. Use these sites and dealers as an option but make you OWN choices.
You know a little about the man and think maybe, just maybe a bit of that style will bring you out of that larval stage and help you become a papillon. Probably not but we're all entitled to dream, aren't we?
Some of the clothes are inexpensive to buy (thanks in part to replicas) and the overall effect is easy to achieve. It seems a waste to wear a beautiful replica watch, puff off your faux Cohiba while sipping Jameson that was poured from a Glenfarclas bottle all while wearing a Bart Simpson t-shirt. I'm here to say you don't appear cool. You look like a tool. So if you want to be cool, just follow my rules!
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Since this is RepGeek, there's only one place to start: the two watches that McQueen wore and made popular worldwide. In the above photo he is wearing a watch, most likely the Monaco; you can see the reflection of it in the paint on the car.
GET THE WATCH
The watch worn in the movie Le Mans was the Heuer Monaco Chronograph. His production company and studio had a deal with the Heuer company and he was actually obligated to wear a watch from the brand in the movie, and not necessarily the Monaco. In reality, he would have worn it anyway because he loved the Monaco. McQueen favored this watch because he felt that the fingers could grasp it more easily with racing gloves on than a round watch; this actually makes perfect ergonomic sense.
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The watch, available from TrustyTime, is a quartz while the genuine watch is automatic. If you really like the watch but would forgo it because you prefer an automatic, I urge you to reconsider it. The watch is well made and it is spot on visually to the real Monaco. But for pure purists, the genuine watch is not too expensive and someone may be willing to part with theirs, though not a lot of people have them as it was a limited edition.
People think the Monaco, thanks to TAG's great advertising, was McQueen's preferred watch, which it was--AT THE TRACK. Everywhere else, he was mainly a Rolex man (although he owned watches from nearly every major brand at that time, including Patek Phillippe and Vacheron Constantine). The watch he wore most was the Rolex Explorer II, the 1665 model to be exact; a I stated in Part I, this watch is known officially as the McQueen Explorer II.
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This watch was also owned for a very practical purpose: as an actor, he often traveled and needed to know times in more than one (sometimes more than two) time zones. This watch, like nearly every single Rolex model, goes with anything you put on. That's saying a lot because no other brand can approach the versatility of Rolex. Good design is rewarded and luckily Rolex is one of a handful of Swiss watchmakers to remain profitable and retain their independence from conglomerates. Thanks to people buying all those gens, we can get the same watch for much less. It's a win win!
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For the collectors of genuine and replica vintage Rolexes, it is interesting to note that he wore a No Date Submariner in the movie The Hunter as well as privately, although he also owned one with a date. The watch was the reference 5512 and is sometimes called McQueen Submariner, though it is not officially known as that at Rolex.
GET THE SUIT
I really can't add anything to the cannon of suit knowledge already out there in the world but I can add this: men in well-fitting suits drive me absolutely wild. I am here to admit it. I'm Posh and I have a problem. Have you heard the traditional dive bar sl*ut saying "Cowboy butts drive me nuts?" Here's my new one: "Men in suits make me loose." And it isn't just any man in any suit. Here below, Steve McQueen dancing with Luci Baines Johnson (President Johnson's daughter) at a Young Republicans function.
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A man in a beautifully crafted suit, wearing tasteful jewelry, nice watch and great shoes is just f*cking magic. I'm not alone in thinking this either. I am giving you a tip, single gentlemen and married guys with revolving door marriages: if you don't know what to wear, put a on a suit and go wherever. If anyone asks you why you're wearing one, say you just got off work even if you haven't. Trust me, it'll dramatically improve your attractiveness quotient even if you're hard on the eyes. Ask Prince Charles about this. And speaking of Prince Charles, he's a double breasted suit guy all day long. I admit his face could stop a clock but his suits are always on the money. A suit really brings a lot of cohesion as most men have NO CLUE how to mix separates. Some men usually look haphazard these days, even in expensive clothes.
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But a suit is something very hard to go wrong with or look wrong in but I guess anything is possible. I never thought the presidential elections would get on my nerves. 8shrug* I am going to intersperse some pictures of Tom Cruise because he looks absolutely amazing in a suit. However, he is NOT a style beacon. Shock! Surprise!
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Tom Cruise simply looks great everywhere he goes, without question. The eyes, the beautiful teeth, the hair and everything underneath is just phenomenal. However, he's not leading stylistically; he's actually just following in the footsteps of McQueen. Cruise's personal life is more that strange but everything else about him (career, clothes, charity) is remarkably sound. Praise be unto Xenu. Actually, if it wasn't for him promoting War of the Worlds (great movie!), we'd all still think he basically had it together upstairs. The look he's sporting below is actual very casual. Wear a suit without a tie, as Tom and Steve below have done, and get in where you fit in.
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Whatever his mental state, Tom Cruise projects an air of confidence that is simply irresistible. He's an older man who, thanks to the pioneering efforts of Cher and Joan Rivers, doesn't look anywhere near his actual age. His wardrobe reflects his station in life: a wealthy, OBSCENELY attractive man with two wives under his belt, several children with a beautiful, brand new and much younger wife. Not an ideal station but it's damn compelling.
Select a lighter colored suit for functions that are primarily in the day. Tom looks very casual but very put together here:
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The suits at Italiancart.com (a Bangkok, Thailand-based tailor) appear to be based on the actual suits they are trying to replicate. If you'd like to see that for yourself, check out this Dior at Bluefly and compare it with the offering below. It seems so many places just slap a label on a suit to appease the label part of your brain but they do not take into account the way that brand constructs a suit. Once you know the difference between a Dolce & Gabbana suit you will NEVER confuse it or take it for a Hugo Boss suit. They are that different. Our dealers here sell suits as does Kenberg at RWG. Feel free to ask them about sourcing you a suit. These suits can be easily broken up into pieces, like I said in Part I.
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This gray suit also will make you look very dapper.
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GET THE REAL SUIT
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Brooks Brothers has enlisted the help of hot design geek Thom Browne in their new Black Fleece line. The whole idea behind the collaboration is to put a young, modern twist to the normally staid and traditional Brooks Brothers pieces. I like some of their women's pieces but I'm not really a Brooks Brothers girl; I do see the allure of the new line to the Charlotte York set though. I'm still in an Express/Miu Miu/Marc Jacobs stage of my life. For the young fellas and sexy men of a certain age, this new line gives you the Brooks Brother style without the ongoing commitment to shuffleboard and a chest X-ray.
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When you wear a suit like this, cut close with great fabrics, you feel like your whole life is ahead of you and regrets have disappeared. How can anyone be unhappy with suits like these? You can have the pants be a more Nebraska than high fashion length if the pants seem too short. But the key to style is doing it your way, within the reasons of acceptable good taste. Some personal styles are irresponsible.
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GET THE SHOES
A certain someone very near and dear to my heart is a fan of the British shoemaker, Barker Black. He looks quite stunning in them too when he gets a mind to dress up and put them on with a suit or slacks. The shoes are exquisitely made and have a lot of cheekiness to them while maintaining a proper British appearance. Derrick and Kirk Miller, the designers, have described the new Barker Black as “sophisticated, with a touch of f*ck you.” The amount of detail in the construction of these shoes is inspiring. McQueen was known to have several pairs of Barker Blacks, wearing at least one pair in The Thomas Crown Affair.
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See those tiny X's one the shoe? They are actually tiny crossed bones. Yeah, the devil is in the details. Barker Black has been making luxury shoes since 1880 and the skull and bones theme is actually very period appropriate; the Victorian era was enamored with these symbols.
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Even on the bottom of the shoe!
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GET THE MORE CASUAL
These jeans by Dsquared are actually sold out worldwide but for some reason come up on Ebay more often than they should. These are the Steve McQueen Heuer Jeans I mentioned in part I. The real jeans are about $1,500 but the replicas are well below $100. That's sinfully cheap! Larger guys, stick with Levis. These are NOT for you. Oh, and don't pair this patched up jeans with a suit jacket, you'll look retarded and instead of people admiring you they'll be looking for your caretaker, wondering why they let you pick out your own clothes and walk around with no helmet.
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This jacket has the flavor of McQueen's famous Le Mans racesuit but with Dsquared's version, Steve gets ALL the credit, with his name placed strategically on patches. The real version? $1,000. The replica? Less than $100. I have seen this jacket in person, the genuine version, and it is constructed magnificently and I have no idea of the details in the genuine article, from the stitching to the snaps to the very faint iridescence, is present in the replica. I imagine those certain details may be "lost in translation."
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The shoe he liked when he was dressing down was actually made by Clark's, a company founded in Somerset on idea of making shoes more comfortable (which they sumpremely are) in 1825. The shoes are very comfy but also fashionable in a way Birkenstocks are not. McQueen wore their England Desert Boot throughout The Great Escape because he did so much standing and walking in the film. He even was wearing them sometimes when he was doing the motorcycle stunt work. These shoes go with a lot of different pieces from jeans to casual suits, a versatility that for men is very appreciated, I'm sure.
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A "rich biker" company who's recent rebirth as an even further upmarket luxury brand which I admire is Belstaff. Starting with humble but still luxury beginnings as an outfitter for well-to-do motorists, Belstaff has been in the business for almost 100 years. Their history in making technical fabrics that will stand the test of time and the elements in motorsports is remarkable. Steve McQueen actually stayed home one night rather than go out with Ali MacGraw in order to wax his Belstaff Trialmaster jacket. She was not pleased.
They were purchased in 2005 by an Italian company that is taking them further upscale, in the same manner as Burberry. They are now making fantastic men's and women's clothes along with their core line of awesome motorcycling jackets for everyone. The prices have skyrocketed accordingly. They should be repped very soon. LOL A little tidbit of ironic industry gossip: the estate of Steve McQueen actually sued Belstaff for using his name and likeness in their campaigns and clothes. Apparently they didn't get the proper clearances but went ahead anyway. That's something I think McQueen would approve of, actually. They took the law into their own hands, just like Bandito would. He wouldn't approve at all though of them disenfranchising his children. The case continues.
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Belstaff jackets and clothes have been in all the movies lately. Will Smith, who wears all their clothes personally, wore one throughout I Am Legend. Harrison Ford, also a Belstaff devotee, wears one in his latest Indiana Jones installment film, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The leather motorcycle one wore by Christian Bale in the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, was made available in limited edition form worldwide from Belstaff, with all 6,000 sold out shortly after it premiered.
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I have a leather Belstaff jacket given to me by my parents. It's actually still at their house as I have yet to pick it up. The price for a Belstaff jacket just four years ago was significantly less than it is now and there's certainly been no change in the quality, just the marketing. It's one of the few clothing items i suggest you buy now in genuine form then sell for a profit. LOL Here's an inexpensive one.
If you were really liking the look of McQueen's Le Mans racesuit instead of the jacket he wore in The Great Escape, then this jacket by Dakota, below, is for you. This a perfect fall weight since fall is coming up or for use in any weather that may be considered brisk.
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GET THE BAG
This wouldn't be a Posh guide without mention of a bag, would it? If you like jacket above or you already have it, then maybe this bag by Dakota is also something you should race out to get. This bag is based on the Le Mans suit worn by McQueen and coordinates well with the jacket above or with anything casual really. This is not a man handbag, it is a travel bag. And on second thought, DO get this bag and that jacket but DON'T use them at the same time. I think it would be overkill. Carry on . . .
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The last thing needed is pair of really cool sunglasess as Steve McQueen had dozens. His preferred brand was Persol. In Part I, he's wearing different frames from them in all the shots he's wearing sunglasses. I suggest trying Sunglass Hut so you can see other styles as well.
Steve McQueen isn't a male fashion standout just because he was a movie star; he paid attention to details of everything from what he wore, what he drove and even who he loved because good style, taste and design is in those details. With most things being mass-produced, something as personal as what you use to cover a valuable asset like your body shouldn't be.
If you are further interested in get Steve's signature look and want information on other key pieces, to buy the gen or get a less expensive version, check out this magnificent pictorial and short write-up at Esquire.
I hope some of this helpful to you. If you have questions or comments, you know what to do so do what Bandito would do and do it!
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