Singin' in the Rain (1952)

For all the ballyhoos and well-deserved praise it’s received, it’s easy to forget that Singin’ in the Rain was a genuine surprise when it hit theaters. The Band Wagon (1953), a wonderful Fred Astaire vehicle, was the most anticipated musical at the time. But there was just something in the look, feel and joy of this period piece. It even works for cynical viewers who roll their eyes at Hollywood’s affection for movies about making movies.

Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and LaMont (someone) are an institution in the silent era. There’s just one problem: talkies are about to become a thing and LaMont has a terrible voice. That’s it for synopsis. You’ll just have to see Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald J. O’Connor’s incredible performances for yourself. This blog is about their sartorial style.

Donald J. O'Connor (Left): navy cashmere topcoat, white ascot. Gene Kelly: white topcoat, tuxedo with white vest, white fedora, white bow tie.

Even though none of us lived during the 20s, we have a vague notion of what it looked like. Flapper dresses, vests, bow ties and handlebar mustaches are pretty much expected at any of Prohibition-themed juke joints that populate the trendier neighborhoods these days. But is this tattooed steampunk aesthetic true to the era? Singin’ in the Rain offers a different, better look on the style of the Roaring Twenties.

Donald J. O'Connor: gray three-piece suit with tonal herringbone, bold striped light blue shirt, brown tie. Gene Kelly (center): heather gray flannel slacks, red sweater, white dress shirt. Director (right): ivory sport coat, blue shirt, poofy director pants.

Three-piece suits, flannel slacks and sweaters—lots of sweaters—abound. You get the feeling that Los Angeles was some kind of frozen tundra in 1927. The suits are lightly padded in the shoulders and refreshingly loose around the legs. (Part of this may be a result from the style of the early 50s.) Every single one of Gene Kelly’s outfits looks warm and comfortable as all get out.

Luckily for those of us in the modern age, the 20s revival means that it’s not hard to recreate some of these looks. Contrast-collar shirts are back in, albeit not in their original form as collars wears had to physically attach to their shirts. Bold plaid sport coats are a dime a dozen. All it takes is a little chat with your tailor to get it all to come together right.

Gene Kelly: off-white windowpane suit, ugly blue sweater—complete with matching socks— and white ascot.

Matching your hat to your suit went out of style around the same time fedoras did. (And with men’s rights activists proudly donning fedoras and trilbies, you might want to leave hats in the past.) Ascots are also an old fashion that hasn’t quite come back in style...yet. [The author has made many failed attempts at making ascots cool again—Ed.]

While you may never be able to dance like Gene Kelly or smoke two packs a day and run up walls like Donald J. O'Connor, the look itself is achievable—and that's half the battle. Or at least like a quarter of it.

Gene Kelly: blue blazer with brass buttons and a mock neck sweater.