True Believer
80s style had it all.
While True Believer is the name of a movie, it does make me a true believer that 80s style had it all. The era had retained the Ivy style of the 60s, incorporated the countercultural trends of the 70s, and enhanced them with the new volumes. Style-wise, there isn’t much left to add, if you ask me.
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
The movie begins slightly off track—or more specifically, in prison. I’m not a fan of romanticizing such things, and honestly, looking for style inspiration in law offenders sounds wild. But in the 80s, the uniform was basically workwear, exclusively in shades of indigo. It might be counterintuitive, but the results you can get from a humble combination of jeans, T-shirts, chambray shirts, and chore jackets are virtually infinite. That’s why I love denim so much. In fact, many brands, including Engineered Garments, Post O’Alls, ts(s), and Sassafras, often build significant parts of their collections around this very style.
But prison only takes up a tiny bit of screen time. It’s New York City where the 80s style truly unfolds.
Let’s start with the one item I’ve been on the lookout for quite some time — a voluminous raincoat. This movie might have the highest concentration of this garment per scene in the history of cinematography. Trench coats, mac coats, rider’s coats, storm coats—you name it. Besides showcasing various styles, the movie does a brilliant job of demonstrating different ways to wear them: over a formal suit, over an odd jacket and trousers combo, with cords, flared pants, jeans, and even sneakers. It all works, as long as it’s a long, full, A-line silhouette. No wonder that from all the options I’ve tried so far, my favorite turned out to be a vintage Burberry’s mac coat.
Moving on to the supporting actor, we have Robert Downey Jr. as a young Michigan law school graduate who moves to New York to work alongside his idol lawyer. He brings quite a wardrobe with him: three packed garment bags, a duffel bag, and a check-in suitcase. I counted at least five grey jackets, including my favorite— a grey herringbone tweed sportcoat — two pairs of loafers (one penny, and another a rare combination of moc toe and tassels), a classic long, relaxed grey overcoat, a barn coat, a casual sweater, a cardigan (also grey), and a bunch of formal shirts with ties. Curiously, most of his shirts seem to feature a short tab collar, an uncommon style I’ve only seen in Kamakura’s Vintage Ivy collection.
Despite owning numerous pieces, Robert Downey Jr. actually wears them repeatedly throughout the movie. Moreover, he manages to mix them in different combinations, not only showcasing the versatility of the styles but also making the film feel much more grounded in reality.
The lawyer, played by James Woods, is quite different from his young assistant. Having actively participated in the civil rights and countercultural movements of the previous decades, his style clearly reflects that. He owns far fewer garments, and even though his job involves speaking in front of judges and juries, his style is rustic rather than formal.
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He rarely wears a suit, opting instead for textured sport coats. His shirts are khakis and chambrays. He belts his pants and trousers with the same Native American turquoise buckle. His casual jacket is a beautifully aged A-2. Yet, his four-in-hand ties always have a small dimple and are perfectly offset from the center.
But the star of his wardrobe is the long, voluminous, thick, textured light-brown overcoat with leather buckle buttons. Pure perfection.
Lastly, it’s worth paying attention to what’s happening in the background. It should come as no surprise, but all the best things happening in fashion right now have already been done before.
Oh, and one more thing: it’s actually a really good movie.
I hope you enjoyed this hidden gem from the 80s! For more unlikely style inspiration, feel free to check out my real-life shots from the streets of London, Madrid, Sofia, Naples, and more.
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