Everyone knows that dressing at this time of year can be tough. Personally, I seem to go brain-dead as soon as the temperature exceeds 20 degrees, typically resorting to a plain tee, shorts, and a cap – or a variation thereof. In fact, that’s exactly what I’m wearing as I write this post. I’m sick to my back teeth of it.
And that’s why, when I go home this evening, I’m going to inspire myself to dress better this summer in the only way I know how. By binge-watching The Sopranos.
Tony Soprano & his glorified crew are my out-and-out style inspirations as soon as my skin starts to peel. And I firmly believe there’s no better way to reshape your relationship with summer dressing than by watching balding Italian Americans sitting outside a sandwich shop. Whether it’s Paulie Gualtieri’s tucked tank and suspenders, or Tony’s pleated suit pants – there’s a summer style lesson to be learned in almost every scene of The Sopranos.
Anyone who has seen anything of the Emmy Award-winning show’s seven seasons will know that the characters have no time for the T-Shirt and shorts combo that I and so many others bitterly resort to at this time of year. Instead, they reach for items like linen pants, luxury sunglasses, gold jewellery and rayon bowling shirts that shimmer in the sunshine and ripple in the breeze. Unlike most of us, the characters on The Sopranos didn’t despise summer dressing; they embraced it.
And here’s how you can learn to do the same. I’ve noted, condensed and devised a list of all the summer-dressing lessons I’ve learnt from my more than ten, less than twenty rewatches of the greatest show of all time.
I’ve alluded to it in the introduction already, but the number one thing about summer dressing The Sopranos has taught me is to ditch the T-Shirt. Take it from these ageing mobsters: there’s a whole host of more interesting ways to cover your upper half than a cotton tee.
Look at Tony Soprano, the series’ main character, and boss of the New York family. I don’t think in the entire six seasons, Tony can be spotted wearing a T-Shirt once. Instead, he favours polos, button-ups, bowling shirts and tank tops – all of which can be styled much more interestingly than a plain tee when the sun starts to shine.
A favourite Tony look of mine – one that appears throughout the entire show, but becomes more prominent in the latter seasons – is the bowling shirt, tank top, and gold pendant combo. Typically, his bowling shirts will display some kind of pattern – asymmetrical swirls, Tabasco bottles – whatever, we’re already more exciting than a T-Shirt. Once decided on the pattern and fabric, Tony then strategically leaves a few buttons out. Typically two, sometimes more, but always enough to reveal the tank top and crisp gold pendant beneath.
Why this look works so well comes down to layers. Despite only having one outer garment on, the look has depth thanks to the low-cut tank top and the gold pendant sitting beneath. Effectively giving your eyes three separate layers to look at – infinitely better than a block of boring cotton.
Anyone who has seen The Sopranos will be familiar with the line ‘A don doesn’t wear shorts.’ Supposedly inspired by an anonymous call James Gandolfini received from real mobsters offering their ten cents on the show, these words hold true: Why wear shorts when you can wear pants?
I know what you’re going to say – ‘Oh, but it’s hot, and you can’t wear pants when it’s hot.’ Well, The Sopranos proves that statement wrong time and time again..
Tony Soprano is the only mob-affiliated character who wears shorts during the show. Every other wise guy reaches for legwear that stretches past the knee – my favourite of all being the double-pleated, high-waisted suit pant. A style of trouser that almost every main character on The Sopranos will sport at some point during the show.
Take a look at Paulie’s trousers above, and honestly tell me they’re warmer to wear than denim shorts – you can’t. The lightweight, most likely linen construction makes them super breathable. They’ve got a wide cut so they’re not glued to your ball sack, and they can drape over your footwear in a way that shorts simply can’t.
Pair a set of pleated suit pants with a leather belt and a set of well-shined loafers, and you’ve already got a solid base for summer dressing.
I’ve seen it time and time again. As soon as the sun comes out people go into a state of panic induced by the thought of their outfits becoming boring. And how do they quell this state of panic? By overloading their outfits with every accessory under the sun – bracelets, bags, bangles, bandanas. This mishmash of unnecessary trinkets only leads to one thing: looking like you care far too much.
The Sopranos has taught me that the key to accessorising is to never, ever go overboard – quality matters much more than quantity. And no character manages restrained accessorising better than Christopher Moltisanti.
Throughout the show’s six seasons, Chris develops a foolproof formula for accessorising. Always a gold pendant around the neck, sometimes two. Then, he matches the colour of his wristwatch to the pendants. To top everything off, he places a pack of cigarettes in his breast pocket. And if it’s really beating down – a pair of sunglasses in there too.
What I really admire about Chris’s approach to accessorising is his consistency. He always has a St Christopher medallion around his neck, which he uses as a base to layer other jewellery over. For watches, he’s always wearing a Cartier – switching from a Tank Française to a Pasha de Cartier Grille throughout the show’s progression. Even his cigarette brand is consistent; he only smokes Marlboro – with one eagle-eyed Redditor noticing that it’s Marlboro Lights when he’s sober, and Marlboro Reds when he’s using.
If there’s one lesson to learn from Chris’s accessorising, it’s that comfort matters. You want to look totally at home by wearing items you’ve built attachments with through daily use – not just like a mannequin that someone’s thrown accessories at.
I’d wager that no TV show has a higher volume of patterned garments in its scenes than The Sopranos has. Pattern and colour are central to the Italian American mob aesthetic; some might call it gaudy, but personally I love the show’s abundance of patterned garb, even if sometimes it can edge into tacky.
One character who functions as the perfect case study for good use of pattern is Furio Giunta.
It was a conscious effort from the directors to have Furio dress differently than the other mobsters, due to his all-Italian heritage, and the main way this appeared through his wardrobe was by an over-reliance on pattern. Your typical Furio outfit consisted of a patterned Versace shirt and little else.
And that right there is the summer dressing lesson to be learnt from Furio. If you’re going to incorporate patterns into your outfit, it should only be done through one garment that then becomes the focal point of the entire fit. Combining multiple patterned items during the summer months is a great way to invite ‘getting dressed in the dark’ accusations.
One thing we will say is that Furio’s patterned shirts are loud. Louder than most of us could ever pull off. But thanks to his dark features and long hair, they work. Remember, try not to breach your comfort zone too much when you’re incorporating patterns.
The final, but fundamental lesson The Sopranos has taught me about summer dressing is don’t get sloppy. When we start sweating, the temptation creeps in to just throw on whatever. We start to ignore creased trousers, become more comfortable in stained shirts, and chuck on whatever footwear is the most breathable, even if it doesn’t go with the rest of the outfit.
The Sopranos goes against all of that. Just because you’re hot, doesn’t mean it’s an excuse to start dressing like a bum.
Take Tony, a man whose preferred outfit of choice for waltzing around his multi-million dollar home is a white robe, boxer shorts and a tank top (an outfit worthy of investigating another time). Tony evidently loves being comfortable, but as soon as he leaves the house and steps onto the street, he sharpens up. His shirts are never creased, his pants are always belted, and you won’t catch him wearing flip-flops no matter how hot the temperature gets.
Just because it’s hot outside doesn’t mean you should care less about your clothing. If anything, you should wear less clothes, but take extra care with them. Allow that extra minute to steam your shirt and make sure your socks match, even if no one’s going to see them.
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