Wake Up Dead Man: My Initial Thoughts

Filming on Wake Up Dead Man wrapped earlier this year. We were able to see a few photos from the set along with an official production photo of Daniel Craig, returning for his third outing as Southern US American "gentleman detective" Benoit Blanc. Jenny Eagan has taken Benny-boy from slightly scruffy but well dressed in Knives Out to Hollywood dandy in Glass Onion. She apparently is furthering the caricature of an old-fashioned private detective even more in the upcoming film, complete with a full-length trench coat, three piece suit, and fedora.

Production photo of Daniel Craig, Netflix

The suit looks to be an olive-taupe colour with a large blue windowpane, perhaps a wool flannel suiting based on how matte it appears in the light. His shirt is solid light blue, the tie is medium blue with a small repeating pattern of navy bordered gold diamonds, and the shoes are black. His fedora hat is brown, which could conjure to mind Indiana Jones... that is, if the shape were not completely different from Harrison Ford's most famous bit of headwear. The trench coat is a warm, rosy tan that compliments his complexion along with the suit, while the shirt and tie bring out his blue eyes.

Photo of Daniel Craig taken on set, SplashNews

In close ups, we can see that his tie is held in place by a silver tie tack, perhaps the type that attaches to a chain and a shirt button. This is unnecessary since he is wearing a waistcoat, and wouldn't function too well without one given how high up it is, but perhaps it is simply meant as a decorative bit of foppery.

Photo of Daniel Craig and two crew members taken on set, SplashNews

In an interesting departure for the character, Benoit wears shirts with high semi-spread collars now, contrasting with the vintage-style point collars of the previous two films. It frames the large half-Windsor knot of the tie well. The points are quite long, which is not a problem in itself, but the height almost overwhelms his neck. Normal height collars tend to work better for him. Some people believe men of a certain age should always wear neckerchiefs with an open collar, such as the ones he did in the last movie, or a tie in order to disguise their aging necks. While I don't personally subscribe to this view, completely covering the neck is unnecessary regardless of how one feels about the subject. Balance and proportion are always key. It's unclear what cuff style the shirt has, but I'm guessing they are button cuffs of some type based on what can be glimpsed peeking out of his jacket sleeve in the monochromatic production photo. They look a bit thin and flat to be double cuffs. I would very much like to see the folded back cocktail cuffs of the last film return if possible.

Photo of Daniel Craig taken on set, SplashNews

The addition of a full length trench coat to his wardrobe is a welcome one to me. It recalls the fabled gentlemen detectives he is said to be the last of. The slow return of full length coats to fashion is a pleasant sight in general. There are only a couple downsides to the design. The most obvious to me is that the collar makes the coat look like it has ordinary notch lapels, something that doesn't look very balanced on anything double breasted. It can cheapen the look of an otherwise well-made coat — this one is traditional in almost every other respect, complete with raglan shoulders and and a self-belted waist. A downward-pointing collar, with hook and eye closure at the stand, also functions better when closing the coat all the way up against rain. The other, more minor negative is that it appears to have ordinary slash pockets like on a pea coat. This also doesn't function very well in keeping the contents dry as opposed to a traditional buttoned flap, though it appears in these scenes that he is merely using the coat to stay a bit warmer than his suit would provide.

Photo of Daniel Craig taken on set, SplashNews

The suit has a two button front, horizontal flap pockets, and wide notch lapels on the jacket. His waistcoat has five buttons with two lower jetted pockets. It's generally advised that men under a certain height wear five button waistcoats rather than six, at 5'10 Daniel Craig is right on the edge. Most waistcoats have welt pockets on the front, same as on a suit jacket's left breast, so the jetted pockets add a bit of distinction. The trousers have a flat front and no cuffs. It is unclear how the trousers are held up, though braces are the preferred method under a waistcoat. I also cannot tell from these images what type of vent the jacket has, though a long single or double vent would be equally at home with the aesthetic. The cut is wildly different from previous suits the character has worn, with a longer jacket skirt and flared trouser legs. I had initially thought he was wearing wide legs as in Glass Onion, but the fit of the thighs in the production photo suggests it flares out from the knee. Overall, the suit has a more 1970s look, standing apart from the modern American cut of Knives Out and the combination of 1920s jacket and 1940s trousers in Glass Onion. The wide tie and higher collar add to this perception.

Photo of Daniel Craig taken on set, SplashNews

Another set photo shows him wearing almost exactly the same outfit, but the tie appears burgundy with gold diamonds instead. The suit may be a warmer colour, but it could also be different lighting.

The only other miss to this outfit besides the collar of the trench coat are the shoes. Judging from the photo, they could be black calf leather oxfords without any wingtip or brogue details. Unlike with his dark grey tweed suit in the first movie, black doesn't go especially well with the warm tones of his outfit, particularly the olive-taupe suiting and his brown fedora. Medium brown would be a better choice. It would also help him look at home in the surroundings of the English countryside.

This is an interesting direction for Benoit Blanc. I very much enjoyed how Eagan dressed him in the first two movies, with the second developing his dandyish tendencies a bit more. Here, the result is simultaneously more reserved but also more adventurous. I'm curious to see the outfit in context with the rest of the movie. The elegant and colourful resort wear in the previous movie had a mixed response when first glimpsed by fans in production photos, but gained a warmer reception in the context of the film's plot. Whatever the case may be, I eagerly await the next film.

Set photos from SplashNews. Utilized under fair use doctrine for education purposes.