10 Most Stylish Movies & Shows Streaming Right Now
Written by Guest Author: Peter Brooker
I've been invited to write an article on the top ten most stylish films available to stream currently. I currently have two paid subscription streaming services with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. I suppose 3 if you count the BBC iPlayer. I've done some full write ups for each film, over on my blog From Tailors With Love.Com which is an online magazine, podcast and vlog dedicated to men's cinematic style and costumes. Where I can I've got some first-hand quotes from the costume departments or brands with regards to their involvement with the film.
One Night in Miami
With costumes designed by Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, this period picture set in 1964 is a mosaic of beautiful 60s suit styling. The gorgeous red-wine, green and silver sharkskin suits worn by Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cook during the performance pieces are perfect in framing Odom Jr's portrayal as a flamboyant yet contractually obligated frontman. The pleated frilly dress shirt for Eli Goree as Cassius Clay in the bar-room celebrations and the retro-vintage tattersall trousers worn by Odom Jr. at the Fontainebleau Hotel, are also nice touches and a great homage.
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
For me Ghost Protocol is the most stylish of the Mission Impossible franchise, but it's sequel Rogue Nation offers some of the better casual elements in the franchise. That is prevalent throughout, from the crumpled John Varvatos jacket seen on Ethan Hunt played by Tom Cruise for the Kings Cross St Pancras scenes to the Oliver Spencer red fisher cotton bomber jacket seen worn by Benji played by our own Simon Pegg during the final act. The costume designer Joanna Johnston really gets to have some fun with further casual garments such as the red, orange and white circle patterned silk shirt worn by Hunt in the thrilling motorbike chase sequence in Morocco.
Gentlemen (The)
Guy Ritchie doing what he does best, slick British comedy gangster movies. The Gentlemen, a film rich with colourful suits, costumes and language! Ritchie enlists costume designer Michael Wilkinson for this one, and he also recalls one of his go-to British brands dunhill for supplying some of the smart casual items for his characters. One of the most sought after pieces is the camel cardigan that Charlie Hunnam wears as Ray.
Jack Reacher
Don't you wish life could be that easy, just walking into a thrift store and finding items that not only look cool, but perfectly tailored to your frame. That's what Tom Cruise does at the start of Jack Reacher. The iconic rustic brown jacket is unidentified, although I have it on good authority that the film’s costume designer Susan Matheson made the jacket herself.
The look is timeless, effortless. The key is the fit. Each garment won't turn heads on the street, but the composition of each garment and the tailored fit is what makes this ensemble work.
Inception
The most stylish movie of the past ten years? Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland ensured that the suits of the movie wouldn't be cryogenically preserved to this period, and only the chunk 'pizza slice' tie knots are a tell of the time this movie was filmed (2010).
Of course it helps that each of the actors are crushingly good looking when buttoned-up. But they also need to be distinguished, they need their own tailored identity to shine through with their individual personalities and varying degrees of affluence. For example the Tom Hardy character Eames is afforded some tasteful flair with his pink camp collar shirts to reflect his laid back unflappable approach, whilst Ken Watanabe who plays Saito looks more refined and regal in his three piece chalk stripe suits to distinguish his character as a man of great wealth.
Serpent (The)
If you're a fan of the 70s baby this is all for you! From the wide lapelled 70s Original DAKS Powder Blue Suit that Charles Sobhraj played by Tahar Rahim wears in the opening scene and all the promo shots, to the oversized retro glasses, it's got you covered. What's more certain accessories are very accessible. The glasses were sourced through a boutique on Columbia Road called Bridges and Brows.
A lot of the costumes were sourced on location in Thailand through markets and the ties, oh man the ties! Some gorgeous 70’s Gucci vintage and up-cycled fabric sourced in Bangkok. Currently on iPlayer.
To Catch a Thief
Easily one of the most, if not the most stylish film of the 1950s. Cary Grant is still influencing our style even today, and the great debate on whether pleated high waisted trousers are making a comeback are ever more propelled through the beauty of the tailoring in this film. I mean the first 30 minutes of this film are entirely dedicated to those trousers!
Cary Grant was also a progenitor on being in the middle of fashion trends of his time. Not being a go-getter trend-setting dandy, nor too classical to seem outdated. I think that philosophy for curating one's own wardrobe is a great lesson for anyone today looking to up their style game.
Limitless
Limitless features one of my favourite tailoring scenes of any movie. When Bradley Cooper who plays Eddie Mora gets tailored for his Tom Ford Regency Suit, he asks for a bespoke detail: a discreet inner stash pocket to house his NZT drugs.
It's a great scene, there are many sartorial levels that Eddie graduates to as he becomes smarter and wealthier. The costumes by Jenny Gering carefully delineate Eddie's journey and his jousting back and forth as he flexes with his 'mentor' Carl Van Loon played by Robert De Niro.
Margin Call
To the untrained eye you'd think everyone is just wearing suits to the office, what's the big deal. On closer inspection you'll see that costume has a great part to play in distinguishing each of the characters in the cut-throat world of corporate finance. From the entry level players to the chairman, there are some key lessons on not only how to dress for the office, but the importance of dressing well and the respect it commands.
My favourite look and suit is the tailored blue suits and light blue ties worn by Jared Cohen played by Simon Baker. The suit is reflective of the importance of Cohen's place on the board. It's exudes calm, it works perfectly with Baker's eye colour and it sets him apart from anyone else at the table.
Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga
This is a fun addition. Lots of fair isle patterned knits, some whacky performance costumes. I haven't gone into great details on the blog describing the garments, but I've put together numerous screen grabs and 'funnies' that I submitted to VIZ magazine.
I hope you've enjoyed this piece. If you're interested in dissecting more costumes seen on screen I've put a list together of all the films and shows I've covered on the blog here. Every Sunday I host the Sunday Best show on the podcast where I invite friends to talk about their favourite stylish movie. We also have weekly interviews with costume designers and tailors that I publish every Wednesday on our YouTube channel.
