What we’ve learnt from 34 years of brilliant films.

Throughout their 34-year career, the Coen brothers have given us a coterie of heroes and anti-heroes, each with a unique sense of style. There’s Miles Massey, the slick LA divorce lawyer from 2003’s Intolerable Cruelty, who doesn’t believe in love (but does believe in teeth whitening and a sharp suit), the Lycra-obsessed dum-dum Chad in 2008’s Burn After Reading, played brilliantly by Mr Brad Pitt, and Anton Chigurh, the terrifying villain of No Country For Old Men, who arguably commits a crime worse than murder – the bowl cut. The wardrobes of the men who populate the Coen brothers’ films are as diverse as the country they live in – a place where Jewish folk tales, the glitz of Hollywood, the Wild West, and of course bowling, can all co-exist. To coincide with the release of their latest film The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs on Netflix, we look back at some of the Coen brother’s all-American heroes and the style lessons they can teach us.

For 2014’s Inside Llewyn Davis, a tragic tale of a 1960s beatnik who just can’t catch a break, the Coen brothers enlisted their go-to costume designer – the inimitable Ms Mary Zophres. Ms Zophres is a Hollywood legend, having flexed her sartorial muscles all over town, working with everyone from Mr Oliver Stone to Ms Nora Ephron, and even gifting us Mr Matt Dillon’s garish Hawaiian shirts in the Farrelly brothers’ There’s Something About Mary. The New York of this period was split between Uptown, with its cocktail parties and waspish conservatism, and Downtown, where folk music was snaking its way through Greenwich Village, women were popping the pill, and Mr Bob Dylan was singing about the government. Mr Oscar Isaac’s Llewyn is very much the latter camp, as he paces the frosty city streets in a mustard corduroy jacket and tan chukka boots, marmalade cat an optional but highly chic accessory.

Workwear is one thing, and it’s currently being done exceptionally well by the likes of Junya Watanabe, Arpenteur and Acne Studios, but prisoner-on-the-lam-in-1930s-rural-Mississippi workwear is next level. Especially when it’s being modelled by Mr George Clooney as Ulysses Everett McGill in Oh Brother Where Art Thou? from 2000. His wardrobe is a southern utility dream: high-waisted wool trousers with turn-ups and braces; dungarees in thick cotton; a soft flannel shirt… And, of course, penitential stripes. What’s particularly arresting about this ensemble, however, is how good it looks despite the visible effects of the fugitive lifestyle – that is, dirt. Thankfully, these days, you don’t need to get locked up to experience something similar, as vintage-minded Japanese brands such as Chimala and Remi Relief are on hand with pre-washed and faded garments that have been lovingly treated for an authentic (and yes, slightly more hygienic) aged effect.

The immaculate dance number from Mr Channing Tatum Hail, Caesar! dropped jaws worldwide in 2016, but let’s not allow it to overshadow his character’s fantastic get-up. In this love letter to the “fixers” of Hollywood’s golden age, Mr Tatum plays a studio star with a thick flick of shiny blond hair, who also happens to be a communist planning to defect to the Soviets. The inner conflict of his character is shown through his costume – crisp sailor whites as he tap dances on the bar – but when he stands on the submarine with his comrades he’s a shadow in head to toe black. Ribbed black rollneck, tailored wool and cashmere peacoat, and furry Russian hat. Both looks are outstanding.

Undoubtedly the most instantly recognisable Coen brothers character is The Dude from their most whimsical, witty and weed-filled offering, The Big Lebowski. At first glance it would be easy to dismiss El Duderino (if you’re not into that whole brevity thing) as a loser, a man whose greatest achievement is managing a dependency on white Russians. But that would be a mistake, for there is something magical about The Dude’s loucheness which is reflected in his incredible style. His collection of chunky Cowichan-style knits are so classic and timeless that Washington State-based woollen mill Pendleton has just brought them back, 20 years since the film’s cinema release. And underneath the wool The Dude always dons that most American of items – the perfect white T-shirt. He’s aspirationally lazy, in his sunglasses, leather slides, and floaty plaid trousers, and we’re here for it. All of it. We’re even here for that terry cloth robe, worn open, of course.

Winter is, of course, coming. So thank goodness we have Mr Steve Buscemi’s hopeless kidnapper Carl Showalter as our snowy style icon. In the Coen brothers’ classic Fargo, it’s 1987, but Carl is still wearing his distinctly 1970s brown shearling coat – aren’t we always saying this is an investment piece? – which provides a cosy barrier against the icy chill of a Minnesota winter. Underneath, Carl is all about colour blocking, and sticking to a uniform. If the slacks are tan, so is the rollneck. And when he really means business he busts out the red combo, a black leather belt with gold buckle to break up the scarlet and match his leather gloves. It’s an unusual choice, but so easy to emulate. Don’t emulate his life choices to the letter, though. Unless you want an axe through your skull.

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