Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Cinncinati Kid: Fall Color Schemes and Moleskin jackets



As I have mentioned somewhere before, I deeply, deeply enjoy the color schemes in Cincinnati Kid. They span several decades, with the best grays, blacks, and navies of the fifties, and the best earth colors of the sixties and seventies all in one place. Headlining the newer colors is McQueen, the young man, his colors reflected in those of the kid. One of the impressive things about these colors, too, is the ways they are subtle, truly earthy, rich. His sweater below, is like the the leaves in fall, and goes nicely with his reddish skin tones. The green cotton moleskin jacket, above, plays perfectly off the green behind him, is chock-full of wonderful details, including high lapel stance, and double flap pockets. And the sweater and jacket together are so good, so good.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

The Cincinnati Kid: The Kid



For me, one of the most enjoyable and well-put-together pieces of the Cincinnati Kid was the role of the young man hounding Steve McQueen for betting, acting as both a metaphor and a foil for his character and position. He's also stunningly well dressed, but in the a totally different way from anyone else in the film. This is especially fitting, as McQueen's well dressed is totally different from that of anyone else in the film as well. What's stunning about these clothes is the colors. That big plaid simultaneously makes the young man look bigger and smaller than he is, and way the browns blend with his skin tone, the reds bring out a deep amber in his eyes, and the hat entirely contrasts is, to me, in some way magical. The wooley nature of the coat, too, contrasts with the enviable shining ebony of his skin, bringing it more to the forefront. The fit isn't half bad either. And there's a half-belted back.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Back and more Cincinnati Kid

Sorry I was so long in getting back on here, vacation was far too relaxing for its own good. But now I'm good, and have plans, among them, after finishing Cincinatti Kid, I'll start in on a few comments on Dark Knight, as I reviewed that earlier here, and am interested in some of the clothing choices.

For now, however, let's go back to the Cincinnati Kid.


One of the things I find very interesting about this movie stylistically is McQueen's color scheme, because so much of it does seem vaguely seventies - lots of earth tones, but on him, and utilizing the particular shades and items he chooses, he elevates the color scheme to something classic.

As in the above: Browns, and orange-reds are softened by natural fibers and greyish and blackish mottling. Texture, too, plays a strong role, both in shirt, and, more obviously, in the rib of the sweater. These sort of details definitely elevate the outfit.

Speaking of details, please do note the lapels and ribbing on the sweater, along with cuffs. Lapels on cardigans are wonderful, smart things.