A couple days ago, my wife, a film aficionado, opened up her Alfred Hitchcock box set she received for Christmas and decided to start with the classic North by Northwest. This film centers around the themes of deception and mistaken identity and stars Cary Grant as the poor advertising executive mistaken for a government agent.
After watching just a short piece of the movie, she tells me that she loved being reminded about the stylistically classic and timeless Cary Grant. And just as she loved being reminded, and, in turn, reminding me, I feel it my duty to spread the word about this leading man and the role he still plays in style.
Grant in North by Northwest
A quick, off-the-cuff way to determine classic style is to always try and pull your subject off the page or out of the movie and place them walking down a busy street in the current year. Do they blend in? Is anyone staring at them because of their odd fashion choices? Is it obvious they do not belong in 2009? Frankly, I think you would be hard-pressed to say “no” to any of these about Grant. Another picture from the movie as an example:
Looking stylish while having a drink
A British-born actor (originally Archibald Alec Leach before taking up his stage name), Grant was in movies for more than three decades, earning himself an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1970 after he was shut out of winning the award when he was nominated twice in the 1940′s.
But even long before his death in 1986, Grant was being idolized and immortalized by countless books, articles, biographies and other mediums. Today, you can find literally tens of thousands of hits when typing “cary grant style” into a search engine. Personally, I read at least a couple dozen articles, blogs and reviews of Cary Grant before writing this piece.
Still, as accessible a man as he may be, one does not become so revered just for being a great actor (voted second-best all-time behind Bogart) or by dressing impeccably (GQ voted Grant’s suit worn in North by Northwest the best suit in film history) or by being charming (he is thought to have popularized the idea that a leading lady could be a partner to the man in creative conversation, witty banter and physical expression). It has to be all of those things, or maybe it has to be so much more than those things. It must be about gravitas; about panache; about….true style.
From all that I read, I think I can sum up what developed Grant’s style in a few key ideas; ideas that any man could benefit from adopting:
Simplicity - perhaps the most underrated quality of a man’s wardrobe, Grant personified not making things too difficult. Many of his suits were shades of gray and blue, with a few black thrown in. He wore dark in the winter and light in the summer and rarely ventured into complex patterns or combination. His everyday look would be solid-color suit, solid shirt, solid tie, solid pocket square. Easy to do and easy to replicate. You can literally find dozens of sites that will teach you how to “dress like Cary Grant,” a feat that can not easily be copied using various other celebrity figures throughout the past century.
Confidence - with a difficult childhood in his past, and facing his awkward twenties as a street performer, juggler and dancer, fine-tuning his craft and being himself in real-life or someone else on screen never came difficult for Grant. There are countless quotes out there about Grant and the way he carried himself in private and around others. The old Connery line, “men want to be him, women want to meet him,” line certainly applies as well. Grant was so confident in fact, that he became the first actor to break away from the standard motion picture studio contract game and freelance himself to studios for his services; leading him to star in some of the best movies of the past 100 years as well as earn boatloads of money.
Grant’s attention to stylistic detail helped him to know, not think, that he was the best-looking in the room. No matter the occasion, Grant was prepared.
Dedication - Grant is famous for once saying, “do your job and demand your compensation – but in that order.” A man passionate in his dedication to his job, friends and family, Grant desired to always be the best.
Dedication to work, to play and to style led Grant to become the most sought-after man in Hollywood and influenced Hitchcock to say that Grant was the only actor he ever loved.
In style, dedication can be difficult – it seems like things are always changing. But using a combination of simplicity and confidence, the craft becomes easier. I have been a student of style for nine years, since the spring semester of 2000 that I spent in Florence. For every one thing I think I know, there are 1,000 things I have not yet discovered. But just as I admire Grant for his dedication, I stay committed to it, trying to learn a new thing every day.
Charm - I think we all could come to some sort of consensus as to what charm can mean when we contextualize it as in the presence of a lady. That goes along with a discussion on etiquette and is way out of the realm of this discourse.
Charm, in the world of style, however, can have multiple alluring descriptions. Grant exemplified these with class and ease. It might best be seen in his always-present pocket square, perfectly placed. It might be the fact that he was photographed multiple times sitting Indian-style, yet his clothes still looked as comfortable on him as they would if he were standing. It might be the ascot he loved to wear, including in his role alongside Grace Kelly in Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief. It might be the perfect tie dimple – I challenge you to do an image search and find a tie of his without one.
Charm in style means subtleties, it means details, it means taking a second look. No one did this better than Grant.
For other great reads on Grant, I recommend you go three places.
Check out Richard Torregrossa’s book, Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style, which can be found on Amazon or st any bookstore.
Torregrossa also gives a very descriptive interview about the book and Cary Grant at carygrant.net.
Also check out the review of this book which contains a fabulously-written narrative and biography of Grant the man by Benjamin Schwarz of The Atlantic.
