I always have a love/hate relationship with July. It’s my birthday month (I’m turning the big 2-9), but unlike years prior, a majority of my friends are out of town during it, making me unable to celebrate with them until mid August. This was always the case when I was younger, especially during college, where I was cursed to spend a birthday alone (I once simply went to my retail job so I could be around people lol). If my big return to Anime Expo is anything to go by, its that this year is characterized by repeats, both in the positives and the negatives.
However, July 2024 was still kind enough to make up for my delayed celebration by giving me a few birthday presents: two 60s movies with pretty good menswear!
Let’s start with the good one: The Bikeriders. This film went under my radar (I barely got marketing for it) and none of my friends were really excited about it (Butler fatigue mayhaps?), but I was intrigued. So on a random Monday evening, I decided to watch it by myself. And I was blown away.
Jeff Nichols’s film follows members of the fictional Vandals Motorcycle club, showing their lives and how the club changes from the mid 60s to the early 70. It’s presented almost faux-documentary style but instead of talking heads interviews, it’s done through retellings of Kathy, who dates and marries one of the Vandals, as well as the experiences of photographer Danny Lyon (played by Mike Faist) imbedding himself into the group. The film is actually based on a photo-book by the Danny Lyon, which documents the time he spent with Outlaws, a real biker club.
I remember coming across the photo-book back on Tumblr, where photography and vintage accounts I followed would reblog various photos. While the biker look wasn’t exactly my thing (I preferred suit and earlier decades), I thought everyone looked cool as hell. Guys in leather jackets hanging out and having fun– nothing gets better than that. The film does a really good job of capturing that photo-book feel with its cinematography as well as its collection of various stories of what the group went through. Documenting a subculture is something I’ve always been fascinated with; I’m sure you can tell that based on the photos I share on this blog.
Anyway, The Bikeriders certainly does the Vandals, and by extension the biker subculture’s style justice, though I am no expert. iI the various articles on the film’s attire is anything to go on, costume designer Erin Benachs and her team did a painstaking job to get it just right. I think they succeeded, because each Vandal feels so real, which is no doubt due to the costuming (as well as the acting obv),all adding to the documentary vibe of the film. In any case, the Vandals certainly look better than “Mutt” Williams, who just feels like a “The Wild One” cosplay. Though this is funny after watching the movie, as it makes it seem like the Vandals themselves were directly inspired by that movie!
As you could expect, the Vandals have a uniform (the “biker look” is indeed an iconic thing) but I loved that each character has their own distinct style. There are a variety of leather jackets and denim vests, all chosen depending on which “character” from the photo-book each actor is portraying. Blue jeans were the most common, being selvedge and cut a little slim as per the era. However, you’ll also note that some members wear black jeans or even khaki. Vandals can be seen in sport shirts, western shirts, or even tees; they also accessorize with different sunglasses, jewelry, bandanas, and patches. Not only that, but everything is distressed and aged to show just how often the Vandals wear their clothes! All of this plays into how the club evolves and grows during the decade– as we get later into the 60s, we see sartorial cues from hippie and gang culture creep into the Vandals makeup.
Johnny, the Vandal founder/leader, played by Tom Hardy is noteworthy in that he’s one of the few if not only guys who doesn’t wear a leather jacket the whole time. Instead he wears a type two denim jacket and a sport shirt, making him come across more 50s and as a result, from an earlier generation. His style seems to be as steadfast as his command over the Vandals, at least for as long he tried. In some scenes, he even wears a black western shirt which as you could expect, looks fuckin’ awesome and adds to his older Americana attitude. It’s no surprise that Johnny is my (and Spencer’s) favorite character in the film.
The movie itself is a bit too long and feels slightly anticlimactic, but I still had a good time watching it. It even got me to wear my jeans and boots for a few days, though my boots are all cowboy boots rather than engineer boots (I don’t own them). This is probably a good thing as I would hate to be accused of “biker stolen valor”. That being said, the film did make me miss my old 1950s black double rider, which was made of hearty horsehide and had red quilted lining. The former was why I could not hold on to it as my body got bigger; there was simply no give. I have other leather jackets (namely my brown double rider and A-2) but those obviously give off a different vibe. I did enjoy wearing my black one when I could, so we’ll see if I get even more inspired to replace it.
I hope MJ has been enjoying it. :’)
Fly Me To The Moon was not nearly as good. It’s a completely fictional story that follows the romance and workplace struggles of Cole Davis (launch director of the Apollo missions) and Kelly Jones (the newly appointed PR Director of Nasa) as they prepare to land on the moon. It’s basically half rom-com and half drama-comedy and no, it can’t decide which one it wants to be (and the film certainly suffers for it). However, I did find the film charming! It has nice production value, good acting, and feels like an old school rom-com (which I feel like we’ve been lacking lately). It even feels like it could be a vintage movie!
That being said, I found the film nicely costumed! Set in 1969, Mary Zophres’s costuming is vibrant and diverse, showcasing a variety of late 60s looks that feels authentic and fun for this honestly charming (but long and unfocused) flick. It’s no Mad Men, but it has that snappy feel to it, especially since the main characters all have their dedicated choices.
Cole Davis (played by Channing Tatum) gets to rock colorful knit tees, all of which are long sleeved and feature a short mockneck. His trousers are all slim and relatively high waisted and their pairing with the knit tees feels very mid to late 60s, though I do question if a NASA employee (let alone a director) would have been able to wear that attire IRL. Eugene Kranz, the real Apollo launch director, did not wear such things. However, it makes Cole look cool, sharp, certainly helps him stand out among his NASA colleagues. He also gets to wear an A-2 flight jacket as an allusion to his past as a pilot as well as a few 60s suits (complete with trim lapels and a thin tie) when doing interviews.
Other characters definitely play the 60s clothing trope straight. Almost every engineer and analyst gets the 60s NASA special: a short sleeve shirt, browline glasses, and a slim tie. However, I did notice that they at least get some variety in the shirts and ties instead of just being black and white. Politicians gets the same treatment, just with full suits. That being said, one fictional Southern senator is seen in a delightfully rumply seersucker suit, madras bowtie, and straw fedora.
Woody Harrelson portrays Moe Berkus who is a shadowy government agent who orders everyone around. As such, he is almost always seen in a conservative 60s suit but adds in a balmacaan and short brimmed/crowned fedora making him the most “Mad Men” of the bunch. This is quite accurate but it still reminded me of the bad guys Adjustment Bureau.
However, the star of the film is Jim Rash’s Lance Vespertine, the director that Kelly hires to produce the fake moon landing. Vespertine is the creative prima donna and his costuming reflects that. Bold striped DB jackets, flared trousers, heeled boots, and a gaggle of jaunty neck scarves help portray his flamboyant and explosive personality. I really enjoyed this vibe as it’s a bit of a contrast to both the toned down looks from Husbands as well as the overly rugged and overtly sexy stuff we see on Tiktok. The late 60s and 70s can be more than just Robert Redford!
I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the outfits. In my theater (which was pretty crowded for a Thursday night), I heard people positively comment on the costuming throughout the film (I did the same thing to MJ). While I don’t think this will spur a movement like Mad Men did, I will say that the film has softly encouraged me to dust off my old browline frames and go a little minimal.
Though let me be clear, you will not find me in a polyester knit shirt or slim pants.
All this to say that I really liked the costuming of these films.They’re honestly nicely done! It’s a little funny that both cover the late 60s but in very different ways. I guess we’re all still mining that Nostalgia!
The boys and I discuss The Bikeriders and Fly Me To The Moon on the latest bonus episode of the pod (as well as a few other things). You can listen to a clip above (which will most likely be some dumb anecdote unrelated to the movies), but if you want the full thing, you can subscribe on Patreon!
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Buh-bye!
Ethan M. Wong (follow me on IG)| StyleandDirection
The Podcast is produced by MJ.