“Everything goes past like a river and the changing taste and the various shapes of men make the whole game uncertain and delusive. Where do I find fixed points in nature, which can not be moved by man, and where I can indicate the markers by the shore to which he ought to adhere?” – Immanuel Kant
Kant’s remark was directed at a much deeper, more sublime understanding he was searching for than something as trivial as dress in comparison; however, in so many ways, the same sentiment of his remark applies to those trying to build a lasting wardrobe. Where are the fixed points along the shoreline one can heed in order to navigate a sea of chaos in men’s dress these days? I could offer a few, but for this post the flash of light emanating from the shore is in the form of a rather sartorial lumberjack from Oregon played by Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief.
Cary Grant was a character Archibald Leach spent decades creating and refining on the screen in everything from dramatic to comedic roles. No, Archi was not Cary’s manager or favorite director; Archibald Leach was Cary Grant’s real name. I’ve long thought that by creating this alter ego Archi gained the mental distance necessary to develop a style he may not have had the courage to create otherwise. Whether this hypothesis is true or not, I may never know, but for all of us concerned with classic style, thank God there was a Cary Grant.
As the legend goes, Cary’s journey in classic style began when, as a boy, his father pointed out to him, with much disdain, a passing man whose socks he found to be obnoxiously loud. Being British, this could mean the man was wearing anything from yellow to mid-grey socks with charcoal trousers. Nevertheless, this was a lesson Cary took to heart. His overall style developed into one of understatement dominated by greyscale with color introduced sparingly. His suits, if they carried any pattern at all, were always subtly patterned and usually appeared solid at a little distance. By the time To Catch a Thief was produced, Cary was so at ease with his style that he could wear his clothes any way he pleased and no one would dare say it was wrong or unstylish; he was the bellwether. Take note of all the different buttoning combinations he employs with his three button blazer for example. You be the bloke to tell him any of them were wrong. Cary was simply the master at understanding clothing proportions relative to his body and perfectly aligning his inward mental state with the clothes hanging on his frame. He made every look appear natural because he understood what did not look natural on him.
To Catch a Thief has to be one of the most attractive films ever made. Set on the French Rivera and starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant, it is a sensual delight. The banter these two stars engage in is delightfully droll. And that kiss Kelly lays out… If that doesn’t scatter your mind, there may not be any marbles left to scatter. If you can, however, hold onto your senses – and peel your eyes off the princess – take note of every nuance of Cary’s style in the film. It may be 65 years since its release, but like an Englishman in an American movie, Cary would still be the best dressed in the room wearing any of his looks in the film today.