Knives Out: The Quirky Style of Benoit Blanc
New article on The Kavalier about Daniel Craig's unique look in "Knives Out". The quirky style of Benoit Blanc is just as essential to his character as his exaggerated accent.
I'm pretty proud of this one and would love any feedback you can give me. Comments are not available at The Kavalier, so feel free to leave them here!
Here's a taste of what I cover in the article.
That's a great topcoat he wears in the movie. Do you think it's a good outerwear to get if you're starting out wearing formalwear?
ReplyDeleteIf you mean as a first or only outer coat, I would say no. It goes well with casual suits, sports coats, and sweaters due to the design, fabric, and colour. Blanc is wearing a casual tweed suit with patch pockets, so it works. I think a navy or charcoal overcoat with three buttons and notch lapels would be the best way to go. Look for one with flapped pockets and a fly front, it will look pretty stylish over most anything.
DeleteIsn't he wearing what's called a balmacaan coat? Where can you find something like it?
DeleteI would call it a modern take. Balmacaan coats traditionally have a fly front (covered buttons), a Prussian (shirt style) collar, and slanted welt pockets. This coat has none of those features, plus it's unlined. The coat has narrow lapels and a larger collar that recalls the look of a Prussian collar, but I don't think you can close it to the top. The coat was from Brooks Brothers, as stated in the article linked.
DeleteBalmacaans, and coats with raglan sleeves, are harder to come by new these days. I think their popularity has waned and they're seen as old-fashioned now. It looks like Banana Republic sells one, but it's a shorter modern length. Uniqlo's looks like garbage, and probably is at that price point, plus it's not even real wool. I think you'd be better off looking for vintage examples on eBay and Etsy.