In my self-documented history of “Ethan Style” on this blog and podcast, I have always maintained that the true start to my menswear journey was a mixture of Tumblr, Dapper Day, and the release of The Great Gatsby and Gangster Squad. It was the perfect soup for a college kid who was just starting to figure out self-expression in a world without uniform (I had to wear a polo shirt and khakis from K-12). But now that I think about it, I seem to have missed one more formative piece of pop culture that came during a non-uniform period of my life. But it wasn’t during college– it was before I even started grade school.
I’m referring, of course, to Inspector Gadget (1999).
Even though Inspector Gadget has been around since the early 1980s, for me, the true Inspector will always be the live-action version, which featured Matthrew Broderick playing the titular cyborg.
Like most kids in the Y2K era, I was obsessed with this movie. Not only was it silly (the movie is basically a live-action cartoon), but my five-year-old brain was instantly enamored with the protagonist’s discerning look. He was a funny guy who stopped evil-doers in a big slouchy coat and a brown fedora; what’s not to love? It’s not as flashy as Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, but I knew that I liked the look.
I even recall that my infatuation with Gadget’s look even went down to the details. I could tell that movie-Gadget’s trench coat was brown and single breasted (with a hidden fly) compared to the grey belted DB variation worn in the 80s cartoon (of which I was only exposed to a tie-in VHS which only had three episodes). I also noticed that the movie-Gadget was more “formal” seeing that he wore black pants and black shoes compared to cartoon-Gadget’s blue trousers and white socks. It seems that my menswear-eye started earlier than I had thought!
Inspector Gadget ended up being one of the first characters I ever “cosplayed”, putting my pursuit of sartorial details to the test. My aunt actually sewed together a little khaki trench coat (single breasted, with three buttons as per the movie) so that I could be the Hardware Store for Halloween. I somehow was able to find a brown fedora, which my dad jerry-rigged into the Gadget-Copter out of cardboard and tape. How lucky was I to have such a loving family!
I actually wore that trench coat quite a bit, pairing it with whatever I happened to wear: fancy church clothes to jeans and polos. It made me feel great to walk around and send up my favorite character, even if the whole fit wasn’t exactly Gadget. And though my parents didn’t let me wear that floppy fedora out in public, they did get me a little Inspector Gadget branded bucket hat that got the job done. I even noticed that its floppy nature was reminiscent of the cartoon version, as movie-Gadget was more stiff.
I guess my enjoyment of clothes really does stem from a bit of cosplay.
Even though I hadn’t actually watched the movie in years, Gadget was always on my mind. This is mainly due to John Debney’s score, as it really functions as a great case study in Thematic Development. Of course, after writing that essay I found myself getting the inkling to rewatch the film in full.
So I did. And boy it is not good. But you know what? I enjoyed it! It’s fun and silly, things that we should always make time for. I actually found the film to have quite a few good jokes, a few of which are quite Ethan-coded: “I deserve a dashing appellation”. “Is that a hillbilly in a tuxedo”? Genius, though I doubt I caught it back when I was 5-6 years old.
I also noticed even more nuance with the costuming. Gadget not only had a single breasted, fly-front trench coat, but also wore quite a few 90s Armani-esque, geometric ties. They’re not amazing or Esquire Man-core, but they definitely add a bit of interest to his attire, making him come across even more formal than I realized. This is emphasized by his black trousers and black oxfords, which is also paired with deco-ish socks. Movie-Gadget was definitely a streamlined, 90s-yuppie version of the Closeu-esque original.
His fedora also caught my eye. With our vintage-Abed brain, Spencer and I now caught that his fedora had a lot in common with the rounded, pork-pie-ish styles that were common in the 1950s. This connection is deepened through the use of a tall ribbon! It’s certainly an intentional choice that contrasts the floppy, pinched crown of the cartoon (which plays more into the detective/PI vibe).
However, the true menswear star of the movie has to be Sanford Scolex, our postmodern Captain Hook (aka Claw) played by the dashing Rupert Everett. Claw, now portrayed as an evil businessman instead of a Cobra Commander/Blofeld type figure, is decked out in true yuppie core, with dark DB suits (rolled to the one), semi-spread collar shirts, and geometric ties. When he goes sans-jacket you can also see that he wears grosgrain suspenders and high waisted trousers! And quite amazingly, he gets to wear a cream, peak lapel dinner jacket and red carnation. Everything fits incredibly well.
Overall, Claw’s attire is fantastically done, especially in a time that was pre American Psycho (though clearly Wall Street had come out by the time of this movie). But even so, it feels natural to the film and the character without looking costume-y.
I just know that Claw is going to inspire some upcoming fits.
PODCAST
We discuss Inspector Gadget (1999) on the latest bonus episode of the podcast, getting into our childhoods and of course, my obsession with the film. A clip of the pod is available to listen to above, but if you want to hear the full thing (and join our Discord Community), you’ll have to subscribe on Patreon!
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Buh-bye!
Ethan M. Wong (follow me on IG)| StyleandDirection
The Podcast is produced by MJ.