‘Shop the look’ blogs aren't something we'd normally go in for, but when it comes to big coats, the plethora of material committed to celluloid actually warrants it. With that in mind, here are five iconic movie looks, with accompanying suggestions as to how you can carry off a similarly suave ensemble using some of our favourite contemporary brands.
The Deerhunter
Starting with the most obvious, this iconic movie features a veritable feast of American workwear and heritage steez, all perfectly in context. The film is set initially in Pennsylvania and follows four friends as they cope with the horrors of Vietnam. While the story culminates in tragedy, the high point for those with a penchant for the rare sport of coat spotting takes place around the 62 minute mark as Robert De Niro dons a neat navy watch cap and Holubar 60/40 parka.
The Eiger Sanction
Clint Eastwood is still going strong, confidently approaching a century on earth. Better known for asking people how fortunate they feel or pretending to be a really mean cowboy, in the Eiger Sanction he stars alongside George Kennedy, playing a government agent forced into one last job. This undercelebrated movie has an air of James Bond about it, but with less chauvinism and crappy puns. And better coats.
Heroes of Telemark
Based on the true story of wartime sabotage, this classic 1965 movie starred Richard Harris and Kirk Douglas, both huge stars at the time. As you'd expect with it being set in Norway during winter, there is a lot of very attractive outerwear. So much so, the film has served as direct inspiration for brands in the recent past. An overhead smock and thick Knitted jumper combo will never not be cool in our book.
Fargo
The reboot with Martin Freeman was decent, but as with most things the original movie by the Coen brothers was better. It follows two main characters, one a hapless Jerry Lundegaard, whose financial troubles lead him down a path where he encounters Marge Gunderson, a pregnant local sheriff. Set in Minnesota, an area with widespread Scandinavian immigration and the weather to match, the coatspotting in this is naturally quite strong Lundegaard’s down jacket stands out.
An American Werewolf in London
David and Jack are two young Americans on a walking tour of England. Finding themselves in the moors of Yorkshire, out of their comfort zone, they’re made to feel unwelcome at a pub called the Slaughtered Lamb before things really start to go wrong. Despite fetching fits with smart down jackets and walking boots, they both eventually become something far less aesthetically appealing.
