Gangster Gravitas

It’s the 20’s again folks.

From flappers with feathers to suffrage and progress, prohibition and protests to bootlegging and speakeasy’s… The 1920’s, glamorized in countless media, is a decade that has rightfully earned its space in the culture of the American mind. Part of that space belongs to none other than the early 20th century gangster.

The iconic imagery of a well dressed crook persists today. Filmography such as Boardwalk Empire, Public Enemies, and the Great Gatsby provide us with criminal protagonists who otherwise appear as upstanding members of society. Peaky Blinders presents a similar view of a post war Britain; veterans turned criminal, building their enterprise all while dressed to the nines. It can often be challenging to separate the fact from fiction when it comes to media but on some things we can be certain: the gangsters of old may not have been the good guys, but they dressed to respect.

I had a deep desire to bring in this new decade with a particular outfit. One that helped capture the essence of that bygone era. Those gangsters styled themselves in a way that gave them an air of gravitas. They chose clothing that commanded respect and authority while emanating charisma. Not all suits are up to this task. In fact, most of them aren’t. So it didn’t take long to narrow down the proper cloth and cut for the job: a navy, double breasted, chalk stripe suit.

Navy: Black or charcoal would have worked wonderfully for this suit as well. But navy is sexier than both of those and more suited to the light haired, light eyed types such as myself. Dark navy can be professional, solemn, or alluring… all depending on the context in which you choose to wear it.

Double breasted jackets: They make a statement. In short, these jackets have overlapping front flaps that contain two symmetrical rows of buttons. They are more formal than single breasted jackets which are the more common jackets that button in the middle. The original gangsters of the 20’s and beyond can be seen sporting double breasted jackets in countless old photos. These jackets aren’t as popular as they used to be but they’ve never stopped looking good.

Chalk stripe: Chalk stripe suits appear as if the pattern were created by skimming the fabric vertically with chalk. These stripes are typically seen on a heavier flannel wool which looks a bit fuzzy up close. This makes chalk stripes a natural cold weather counterpart to its brother, the pinstripe. Both patterns are common on power suits worn by those with high levels of experience and/or authority in their respective fields.

I thoughtfully considered the secondary elements to my outfit as well.

Shirt with a bankers collar: Also known as a contrast collar, these shirts are characterized by collars (and often times, cuffs) that are not the same color as the rest of the shirt. In our modern time, these shirts bring forth images of the wealthy elite, but the history of these shirts is based in practicality. Back in the day, collars were made to be detachable. Men could swap them out once they became too yellowed from sweat build up (something that is inevitable). This was much cheaper than replacing the whole shirt, and making all collars white was the standard since it was difficult to replicate the color or patterns of an original collar. My shirt pictured is primarily light blue with subtle red stripes.

Grenadine tie in burgundy: Grenadine ties deserve a post all on their own so I’ll make this brief. The formal nature of silk plus the casual nature of a looser weave makes grenadine ties extremely versatile. Navy with burgundy is one of my favorite color combinations. ‘Nuff said.

Shoes: the definitive men’s formal shoe: black cap toe oxfords. These shoes are simple yet highly elegant. Keep them well shined to feel like you own the very ground beneath your feet.

• 

• 

Now for the accessories…

Cuff links: I’m sporting black jade cuff links I picked up while on a deployment in Central America. Just like today, accessories could help distinguish someone’s rank or level of authority. The more expensive or rare, the more power they likely had. These cuff links deserve their own article in the future as well.

Wristwatch: Black leather band, white face, silver case. Much of men’s classic style is based in military utility, and the wristwatch is no exception. During WWI, wristwatches became more preferable to pocket watches due to the necessity of synchronizing troop movements. It was far more advantageous to quickly tell the time by looking at your wrist than having to dig through your pocket. Due to the scale of the war, many gangsters were former soldiers and would understand the practicality of a wristwatch, though pocket watches at this time were still quite common.

Pocket square: white cotton square in a simple TV fold, or “presidential” fold.

This has been my take on the classic gangster suit. It certainly isn’t all inclusive and there are plenty of elements you could add, subtract, or change entirely. For instance, a rounded collar was popular at that time and could be worn instead of the pointed collar in my photos. Fedora hats were also prominently worn and could be integrated seamlessly with this outfit. Unfortunately I’ve never been much for hats so I’ll allow someone else to take the reins on that one. How would you compose your gangster suit?

*All pictures of myself were taken by Kaptured by Kassie. Some are cropped to better fit their respective part of the article.*