There are few modern film directors whose vision is so singular that you could boil it down not just to a mood board, but to a colour palette and even a typeface (Futura). Veterans such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee have their signatures and are associated with particular themes or genres, but each has switched codes and has outliers within their oeuvre. With Wes Anderson, though, you could pull out any frame from any of his films (post-Rushmore) and you would know that it was his work.

The same could be said of every item of clothing that has appeared in one of his films. True, The Royal Tenenbaums isn’t the only place you’ll see an adidas Originals tracksuit, Steve Zissou’s red beanie was a nod to another filmmaker, Jacques Cousteau, and the Khaki Scouts uniform of Moonrise Kingdom was an oversaturated spin on the actual thing. But the relationship between the real world and the Anderson cinematic universe is blurred at best and each look feeds into the director’s aesthetic as a whole.

“The more I work for him, the more I see he is crystallising his cinematic style to go with it,” said Milena Canonero, the costume designer who first worked with Stanley Kubrick on A Clockwork Orange and won an Oscar for The Grand Budapest Hotel with Anderson. “One has to immerse oneself into it, his world, which at first seems so light, but has many layers. Some people may not get his movies, but I do and I love them.”

As the first major retrospective of Wes Anderson’s work opens this week at the Design Museum in London, we delve into the sartorial decisions of the filmmaker.

If 2007’s The Darjeeling Limited was a journey – both literal and metaphorical – for its characters, it also saw a shift in the thought process of its director. His films since have drawn heavily on vivid colours, perhaps borrowing the visual language of Bollywood, suggesting something must have soaked in while in India. Yet, while the saturation and often hue are stretched to their limits, the actual range of colours themselves in each scene tend to be limited, adding a hyper-real dimension.

“What makes Wes Anderson’s colour palette so successful is this use of soft tones in all aspects of the films, from set to fashion,” says Kit Swann, Fashion Editor at MR PORTER. “I really like how he injects flashes of brighter, bolder colours to lift an outfit. An easy way to approach colour is to start off with tones, whether it’s browns, greens or greys, and think about how they pair together tonally. Then you can push it further by either adding a brighter shade of that colour, or a brighter but still complimentary colour.”

“Anderson uses colour to make a scene feel warm or dramatic and make a character feel comfortable or out of place,” says the menswear blogger Henry Duffield. “If you can bring colour together like Wes, you can create an outfit that resonates emotionally.”

A hallmark of Anderson’s visual style is the Planimetric staging he employs. Placing the camera at a 90º angle to the foreground has the effect of flattening the backdrop. Which isn’t to say that his films ever feel flat. Quite the contrary, it draws the viewer in and allows the actors – and what they wear – to almost jump off the screen.

“Anderson’s most visually striking scenes create a depth where all the layers are in focus, but don’t distract from the subject,” Duffield says. “This makes you feel more like you’re sitting front row at a play than watching a movie. Textured clothing extends this immersion, where you can imagine how the scene feels.”

Corduroy, in particular, is a material that the filmmaker returns to again and again (and is often seen wearing himself). Velvet, too, has found a place in the Wes Anderson wardrobe. Even in real life, both with help you stand out – a trick worth remembering the next time you have to dress for a photo op.

“Interesting textures are a great way to add a sense of richness,” Swann says. “I think that a lot of [Anderson’s] characters’ best outfits are the simplest. It comes across as low-effort in some cases, but when he adds texture, it makes for a high-impact and elevated look.”

“Over time, corduroy has become associated with academics and artists, a shift that mirrors its dual personality: practical yet intellectual, which really resonates with Anderson’s filmmaking,” says Jemima Farrow, Junior Fashion Assistant at MR PORTER. “Corduroy keeps coming back every decade because it bridges eras – it feels both vintage and modern.”

From vaguely set in the 1970s to definitively mid-century, each entry in the Wes Anderson universe can be hard to plot on a shared chronology. Equally, the tailoring seems to sit outside of time, too.

“Wes Anderson’s suiting always feels larger than life, not modern or vintage,” Farrow says. “High-waisted trousers, tucked in shirt and a shorter jacket length – mid-century tailoring. His characters are never in rigid fabrics. He goes for soft flannel, corduroy or linen, making them seen human and relatable. He uses earthy tones like olive, tobacco or dusty blue. His characters never dress up – it’s simply their uniform.”

“I would pay close attention to the style of suit you are after,” Swann says of sourcing your own Anderson-style period suit. “If it’s single-breasted, keep it open and relaxed. Look for a slim lapel also. For a double-breasted suit, I think it would be best paired with a tie. If worn closed and if worn open, be sure to have a waistcoat on underneath.”

“Strong shoulder padding and wide lapels give off an air of pride, while Mr Fox’s corduroy double-breasted suit makes him seem way cooler than any fox has the right to be,” Duffield says.

The Royal Tenenbaums didn’t invent the idea of sportswear in a more formal setting. The 2001 film might have turbocharged it, though.

In the couple of decades since – and more so since whenever it is set – we’ve become better skilled at juggling athletic kit with our everyday outfits. However, a rewatch of the film is a good refresher.

“For me the best place to start is with layering,” Swann says of bringing sportswear into the mix. “Think also about what the outer layer of your look will be. If it’s a blazer, then look to polos and sports shirts to wear underneath. This is a great way of also bringing in a brighter colour, too. If your outer layer is going to be sportier, say a track jacket, then do the reverse – pair it with a shirt and keep the tracksuit top zipped up. Adding a tie here is also a great way of making it feel more formal while also bringing in a flash of colour.”

“It helps if there’s some physical separation between your sportswear and formal pieces,” Duffield says. “Your trousers break above your sneakers, your sweatband sits away from your jacket.”

As for Chas Tenenbaum’s (Ben Stiller) controversial mourning attire: “If you’re wearing an adidas tracksuit to a funeral, you either hated them – or really, really loved them,” Duffield says. “If you have the thought to do so, you can trust your instinct.”

“We’ll eat tonight, and we’ll eat together. And even in this not particularly flattering light, you are without a doubt the five-and-a-half most wonderful wild animals I’ve ever met in my life,” as Mr Fox puts it at the end of Fantastic Mr Fox. Likewise, the family that plays together – and eats together – stays together seems to be a guiding principle behind the making of Wes Anderson’s films.

“I like it to be fun,” the director has said. “I need it to be fun. I like to work with people where there’s a chemistry in the group that makes something positive.”

While filming The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson’s cast and crew “took over this small hotel in the town of Görlitz, Germany, and we all lived in the place together, we had dinner together every night,” Anderson continued. “It’s a group of friends gathering together at the end of work. I’m looking forward to dinner in the middle of the day when the tension is higher. Somehow that’s valuable to me.”

Aside the challenge or the change of pace Anderson’s productions no doubt offer actors, it’s undoubtedly this that keeps bringing them back into his orbit. So, while it might not be sartorial advice, as a style of living, being nice clearly works.