The Talented Mr. Ripley, and what Steve McQueen wore in just about everything. Fred Astaire is eternally divine in black tie while Sean Connery’s James Bond remains preternaturally put together. These criminally charismatic actors inspired generations of men, their sartorial savvy etched into our minds via the big screen and heavy rotation on cable and Tumblr.
But what classic movies are secretly stylish? That have unforgettable leading men not dressed by Wes Anderson or Tom Ford or lingering close-ups of tie knots and cocktail cuffs? Sartorial movies tend to be period pieces, either because they began life as such (Out of Africa) or aged into the role (Wall Street), but these six titles represent more unexpected—dare we say dangerously intriguing—contenders.
1. ‘Barcelona’ (1994)
Photo: Mary Evans/Everett Collection
In Whit Stillman’s world, it’s simply a given that you go out in a coat and tie. His characters share the references and attitudes of their class, and these are un-reconstructed preps we’re talking about—they’re not looking to reinvent anything, let alone bring a “modern twist to the classics.” The button-down oxford-cloth shirt is their native tongue; the yellow dress tie, their inheritance. “Very New Wave,” one woman remarks when Ted, our forlorn hero played by Taylor Nichols, unexpectedly finds himself at a costume party. She thinks he’s being ironic. (He’s not.)
2. ‘The Servant’ (1964)
Photo: Everett Collection
In his dark and brilliant film, Dirk Bogarde plays Hugo Barret, the gentleman’s gentleman to Tony, the dissolute aristo portrayed by James Fox. Both remain impeccably dressed even when behaving appallingly. The mood is set early on—when we first meet Fox, he’s passed out: “Too many beers at lunch,” he groans—and while these men are undeniably tasteful, Harold Pinter’s acidic script makes it clear they’re not to be trusted. Bogarde commands equally in a belted overcoat or shirtsleeves and a tie, while Fox looks terrific in everything from evening dress to a shearling coat to a light knit tie (which, for the record, is never wrong). The film also showcases a murderer’s row of covetable knitwear, including shawl-collared cardigans, sailor sweaters, and Fair Isle vests.
3. ‘Miller’s Crossing’ (1990)
Photo: Photo 12/Alamy
This 1990 Coen Brothers’ gangster film focuses on Gabriel Byrne’s Tom Reagan, forced to negotiate some Irish Italian friction (to say the least) without losing his hat. That piece of headwear, a proper dark-brown fedora—not the smaller sibling favored by boy bands—takes on heightened significance when Reagan declares, “There’s nothing more pathetic than a man chasing after his hat.”We’re here for the tailoring, which is discreet and tasteful—neither Tom nor Albert Finney’s Leo puts a well-shod foot wrong—and we can all learn from both their tonal approach and their double-breasted overcoats. This is surely the only film where a character wields a tommy gun while wearing a silk dressing gown and velvet slippers as “Danny Boy” plays on the gramophone. Firearms optional; the look remains exquisite.
4. ‘The Long Goodbye’ (1973)
Robert Altman’s beloved whodunit has aged wonderfully. Elliot Gould plays Philip Marlowe with a low voice and on a sardonic high—nobody has ever cared less about his effect on people. What’s striking is that his dark suit, which he wears in nearly every scene, is close-fitting, perfectly modern, and utterly correct. His dress shirt features long collar points (a smart idea) and stands up on its own even when it’s not buttoned all the way up—an example for any man going sans tie. Marlowe reminds us that, should we commit to a good suit, one that comes to resemble us rather than the tailor who made it, our character will carry the day.
5. ‘Miami Vice’ (2006)
On Michael Mann’s iconic 1980s TV show Miami Vice, detective Sonny Crockett inspired a wave of pastel T-shirts under oversize blazers. Fast-forward to 2006, when Mann released the trailer for his film adaptation and people lost their minds. Sure, it was partly excitement that the maestro was back on hallowed, neon-soaked ground. But the sugar high was offset by the alarming sight of Colin Farrell’s monstrous mullet-and-moustache combo, which became known in some circles as the Full Crockett.
The film itself is a slow burn. Viewers needed closed captions to decipher the mumbled dialogue and an advanced degree in double crosses to unwind the plot. But when they finally gave in to the gorgeous cinematography, the cult grew. Farrell is aggressively louche, veering so far beyond good taste that he almost circles = around again. The facial hair is tough to stomach, as are the sunglasses, but something about it just works.
6. ‘After Hours’ (1985)
Photo: Warner Bros/Everett Collection
This Martin Scorsese “picture” (as the director would say) is finding a new audience on streaming services. It’s easy to see why. The film depicts one madcap night in 1980s New York for Griffin Dunne’s Paul Hackett, capturing the era’s art world, lofts, clubs, and dive bars (remember those?), not to mention angry mobs and a bloodthirsty ice-cream truck. Any modern indie rocker, art dealer, or magazine editor can take a cue from Hackett’s gray suit, which he pairs with a daring (for him) dark shirt to head downtown after swapping out his work-appropriate checked shirt and tie. A few things have changed over the years—you’re probably not picking up a performance artist in an Upper East Side diner these days—but the look remains timeless.
Ready-to-wear tailoring has never been better, and it offers even the most particular dressers a fast, easy platform for experimenting with their look.
Ready-to-wear tailoring has never been better, and it offers even the most particular dressers a fast, easy platform for experimenting with their look.
The world moves fast—and for once, tailoring is moving a little bit faster.
Guys around the globe are rediscovering their love of suits, but many have determined that they can’t stomach the monthslong wait for bespoke. The good news? Ready-to-wear tailoring has never been better.
That’s in part because bespoke makers are beefing up their off-the-rack offerings. Anderson & Sheppard’s shop-in-store at N.Y.C.’s Bergdorf Goodman—the first outpost beyond its London flagship— opened in December with, among other things, a sharp wool-and-cashmere jacket in a delightful shade of teal. Huntsman’s recent fall-winter collection, billed as its most comprehensive assortment yet, offered everything from tuxedos to shooting breeches. Even Leonard Logsdail, Hollywood’s highly esteemed bespoke purveyor, is experimenting with hem-and-go models.
But non-custom tailors are upping the ante, too. Some of the best ready-to-wear suits on the market come from such brands, whose wholly distinctive points of view provide a welcome departure from the rigidity of many bespoke tailors’ house styles. The preponderance and diversity of such high-quality, easy-to-access threads has recast off-the-rack suits as the ultimate way to experiment with your look, not just a way for some to get dressed on the cheap. What’s more, it reflects the new reality that even people who suit up regularly might want to show up looking different on Thursday night than they did on Tuesday morning.
“Life nowadays is much more fluid,” says Chris Modoo, a London-based stylist who once worked as a tailor on Savile Row. “Things happen, invitations appear. You might get an invite for a black-tie party in the South of France for next Saturday.” Ready-to-wear is the obvious solution when you’re in a last-minute menswear quandary, but “it also means you can try new things.”
One maker worth a test-drive is Husbands Paris, founded by Nicolas Gabard, who sees his role as an “archivist of the past.” His look, inspired by stylish men such as Yves Saint Laurent, David Hemmings, and Gary Cooper, is unabashedly striking—think long, fully canvased jackets, broad lapels, structured shoulders, and wide-leg, high-waisted trousers. These wares are made in small workshops in Italy and Portugal, where craftspeople infuse them with high-end details such as hand-sewn buttonholes and silk bar tacks, a form of stitching that reinforces seams and pockets.
Thom Sweeney L.A. store Brett Wood
They’re the kind of touches any menswear enthusiast can appreciate—even if they’re the trees to Gabard’s style forest. Clothes like this are designed as a form of wearable self-assurance, enhancing what Gabard calls a “classically masculine” silhouette: broad shoulders, slim waist, narrow hips.
“Of course, tailoring has to fit well, but it also has to bring something else,” he says. “More and more [Husbands] customers want to be confident, powerful, and sexy in their outfit.”
When you want to look more suave than soigné, turn to the indie Milanese brand Massimo Alba, which is known for its chic casualwear but made its name with easygoing tailoring. “A great suit is not just about the way it fits but about the way it makes you feel,” says the eponymous label’s founder of his relaxed approach. “For me, the essence lies in balance, between structure and softness, elegance and ease. In my opinion, a suit should adapt to the wearer, not the other way around.”
Alba’s creations are cut from plush materials such as corduroy and flannel, featuring natural shoulders and only the lightest of canvasing in the chest, which results in a less-formal look. Which is not to say they aren’t workhorses: Daniel Craig wore one of Alba’s Sloop suits to dodge bullets in 2021’s James Bond film No Time to Die. “I always focus on fabrics that move with the body, details that whisper rather than shout, and cuts that allow for freedom,” Alba adds.
And freedom is precisely what this newfound inventory of great ready-to-wear tailoring provides. Modoo advises some clients to look to bespoke tailors for investment-level garments, such as morning suits, tuxedos, or the dark, serious stuff you might need for a funeral or odd courtroom appearance. “You know you’re going to wear these for 10 or 15 years,” he says. Let the new class of distinctive ready-to-wear step in when you want to try something that just wouldn’t make sense as a bespoke order. “Your pink-velvet blazer for the Christmas party? How well does that need to fit?”
London bespoke tailor Caroline Andrew is one of many who admits ready-to-wear has its place. Courtesy of Caroline Andrew
Fortunately, with so many options available, the fit is easier to dial in. You can expect most high-end operations to make a long list of changes, from ensuring that the seat of the trousers drapes appropriately to cutting working buttonholes on the jacket. For a peerless experience, you can always reach for garments from one of the many talented bespoke tailors offering ready-to-wear. At Thom Sweeney, such clothes are “all influenced by our bespoke cut,” says Thom Whiddett, who cofounded the brand with Luke Sweeney in 2007. “You try on [our ready-to-wear] jacket, and you immediately get a sense of the proportions and shapes that we put into a bespoke garment.”
That alluring sense of near-instant gratification is the point. For some, nothing will ever replace the distinguished feeling of slipping into a bench-made suit—and plenty are willing to wait for it.
“You have to mentally buy into the process and enjoy it,” says Caroline Andrew, a London bespoke specialist. “The journey is just as important as the finished product.” But ready-to-wear sets the time-strapped tailoring enthusiast down a different path: discovering new facets of your personal style at a record pace.
The $740,000 Caviar Tourbillon was an opulent choice for the former NFL star.
By 17/02/2025
Tom Brady was on the field tonight at the 59th annual Super Bowl game, and while the retired NFL hero—a seven-time Super Bowl winner (the most of any footballer in history)—wasn’t playing, he came dressed to impress with a $116,400 Jacob & Co. watch on his wrist.
Brady, who is a notable watch collector, recently sold off several of his timepieces at a Sotheby’s auction called “The GOAT Collection: Watches and Treasures from Tom Brady” this past December. Those timepieces ran the gamut from a Rolex Daytona Ref. 6241 to a unique Audemars Piguet Royal Oak with his name spelled out in diamonds across the salmon-colored tapisserie dial. His Rolex Daytona sold for over $1.5 million, and, in total, his auction raked in around $7 million. So, he’s well-equipped for a new watch purchase.
Whether or not he owns the six-figure sapphire stunner or it was a paid spot, the watch certainly stood out against his conservative but immaculately fit gray suit. “Tom Brady is the epitome of excellence, both on and off the field,” said Benjamin Arabov, CEO of Jacob & Co, in a press release sent out by the company shortly after Brady’s appearance. “We’re thrilled to see him wearing two of our most prestigious timepieces on the biggest stage in sports. The Billionaire Mini Ashoka and Caviar Tourbillon embody the precision, luxury, and innovation that define Jacob & Co. We’re honored to have him represent the artistry and craftsmanship behind every piece we create.”
Like much of Brady’s wrist candy, his 44 by 15.8 mm Caviar Tourbillon is not easy to come by. It is limited to just 18 pieces. It features hours, minutes, and a one-minute flying tourbillon in the JCAA43 movement with 216 components and 72 hours of power reserve. The movement itself is set with 338 brilliant-cut diamonds, while a total of 337 yellow sapphires adorn the case and dial. The clasp is decorated with another 18 baguette-cut yellow sapphires, and the crown comes with 14 baguette-cut yellow sapphires and one rose-cut yellow sapphire. As far as gem setting goes, this is one extraordinary piece, but it certainly seemed like a surprising choice for Brady, who was otherwise dressed like he just stepped out of a boardroom or a Ralph Lauren catalog.
Benjamin Arabov, son of Jacob & Co. founder Jacob Arabov, is now the CEO of the company. The 32-year-old recently took to Instagram to post that he was looking for a rebranding agency with experience in visual identity and packaging. As far as marketing goes, however, with Tom Brady, he’s golden.
Over the last four years there has been a resurgence in interest for 18-karat yellow gold watches. Much of that is due to fatigue over the long-running craze for steel tool watches, but it is also in part due to the rising value of gold (which shows no sign of slowing), rendering these once undesirable pieces increasingly worth collecting. Add to that the fact that, in some niche and stylish circles, unusual bracelet treatments, gem-setting, and interesting dials are becoming increasingly appealing and you have a new wave of watch collecting emerging. Steel sports watches are still the bread and butter for most dealers, but as pockets of interest in more unusual timekeepers, often from younger and fashion-forward collectors, continue to rise we’re seeing some really fun pieces pop up on the market. Case in point: This 1980s Rolex Day-Date in 18-karat yellow gold with a sapphire and diamond dial from Wind Vintage currently available exclusively on The Vault.
It wasn’t that long ago that dealers had a hard time unloading an all-gold gem-set piece. Eric Wind, the notable dealer and founder of Wind Vintage, says five years ago he would have sold this piece for around $23,000 to $28,000. The asking price today? $45,000. “It is very rare,” he tells Robb Report. “I think that was all clearly hand-done. Funnily enough, bark watches were not very desirable in the past. You know, even five to 10 years ago, they were very, very hard to sell. But, over the last three to five years, there’s been such an emergence and interest in jewellery and watches and work like that engraving and other kind of artistic forms that the watches took.” The style of engraving he is referring to on this watch can be seen on the bezel and middle links of the bracelet that is referred to as “bark” for its rough tree-like appearance.
“Bark” engraving on the bezel and bracelet of the Wind Vintage 1980s Rolex Day-Date Courtesy of Wind Vintage
And while the bracelet is certainly a notable feature that will stand out in a sea of Submariners and Daytonas, the dial is also worth bragging about. Its diamond minutes track and sapphire hour markers are executed in what is known as a “string dial” because it looks like a string of pearls. “They’ve become very popular,” says Wind. “They were very expensive back in the 80s, just because of the cost of the stones, and there are just not many that exist on the planet.” Likewise, Wind says the canary yellow matte dial is not something he comes across often, having only seen a couple of others.
An up-close look at the patina and “bark” engraving on this 1980s Day-Date from Wind Vintage. Courtesy of Wind Vintage
Part of what makes this watch so hard to find on the market is that pieces like this often didn’t survive past their ’80s heyday. “A lot of times these watches were so undesirable that dealers would replace the bezel inserts and put on fluted inserts, or smooth bezels or fluted bezels and melt down the bracelets or polish the center link so they looked like a standard Day-Date. Those dealers should have learned that what goes around, always comes around. Now with these interesting Rolex watches on the rise, they’ll become even harder to find.
A Wind Vintage 1980s Day-Date with “bark” engraving and a gem-set “string dial” Courtesy of Wind Vintage
If you’re interested in the piece and want to speak to Wind about it IRL, he will be at Robb Report’s House of Robb event in San Francsico today during the NBA All-Star weekend.
Kylian Mbappé just went from brand ambassador to investor.
The celebrated French footballer, who currently plays for Real Madrid, has taken a stake in luxury watch trading platform Wristcheck, Hypebeast reported lat week.
Off the filed, the 26-year-old soccer star is a known timepiece collector and has served as an ambassador for Swiss marque Hublot since 2018. With this new partnership, the forward joins a growing group of influential backers, including Jay-Z. The rapper and business mogul took an equity stake in the Hong Kong-based company last summer as part of a recent funding round of $7.9 million.
“I’m thrilled to join Wristcheck as an investor through Coalition Capital,” Mbappé said in a press statement. “As a Hublot ambassador and someone passionate about watches and innovation, I see Wristcheck as a platform that truly understands the next generation of collectors. They’re reshaping the watch industry with a forward-thinking approach that blends technology, transparency, and creativity.” Mbappé did not immediately respond to Robb Report‘s request for comment on his new business endeavor.
Kylian Mbappé is an investor in online watch shop Wristcheck. Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Launched in 2020 by renowned horophile and Instagram personality Austen Chu, Wristcheck offers a platform for collectors to buy and sell pre-owned watches that have been authenticated by Swiss-trained watchmakers. Since it was founded, the company has raised more than $21.6 million in funding from investors including the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Gobi Partners GBA, and K3 Ventures.
Mbappé, meanwhile, has achieved remarkable success in his soccer career. He won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France, becoming the youngest player to score in a final since Pelé. At PSG, he has secured multiple Ligue 1 titles and domestic cups. Individually, Mbappé has earned the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award and regularly features in top European scoring charts. And in 2020, he was ranked the world’s highest-paid player, surpassing rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Interest in Breguet has experienced a quiet resurgence among savvy collectors who appreciate the brand’s deep-rooted watchmaking heritage. This growing enthusiasm will soon take center stage with an upcoming auction that shines a significant spotlight on the storied Maison.
Founded in Paris 250 years ago, Abraham-Louis Breguet was one of the most influential watchmakers in history, best known for inventing the tourbillon and the automatic winding system—along with many other groundbreaking innovations. His legacy continues to inspire modern masters such as F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour. You can see Breguet’s influence pointedly in pieces like F.P. Journe’s famous Chronomètre à Résonance timepiece, voted one of Robb Report‘s 50 Greatest Watches of All Time.
Now, Sotheby’s has announced “the largest sale of Breguet timepieces in three decades.” Though the auction won’t take place until November, the auction house is already working to build anticipation. In the meantime, it might be wise to brush up on the most coveted Breguet references.
Breguet 1827 Perpétuelle à Tact watch made for King George IV Breguet
What may pique collectors’ interest is the sale is being curated in conjunction with Breguet and Emmanuel Breguet, the vice president and head of patrimony, who happens to be a descendant of the original Monsieur Breguet. So far, the only timekeeper publicly associated (at least visually) with the auction is the 1827 Perpétuelle à Tact watch made for King George IV. Still, it hints at the historic level of pocket watches, wristwatches, and clocks that will be on offer. Abraham-Louis Breguet was a frequent supplier of high-end and state-of-the-art timepieces for royalty, including Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, and King George III.
Other highlights include an open-faced montre à tact (a watch that replicates the internal hour hand on the cover of the pocket watch via an arrow so that time could be read via touch) with a calendar and moonphase indications that was the inspiration for the Ref. 3330. A pendulette with alarm, perpetual calendar and repeater, and a two-color gold open-faced tourbillon watch is said to be a part of the sale, although no images were provided as of press time. More info on what will be in the sale will come this spring.