Fitzgerald in Brooks Brothers
While Baz Luhrman's take on The Great Gatsby may be worlds away from F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, the movie will have a small nod to the author. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Brooks Brothers worked with costume designer Catherine Martin to create the 1920s wardrobe worn by the male leads—from formal tuxes to three-piece check suits, bow ties, and oxford shoes. Turns out Fitzgerald was a fan of the clothier, which is now headquartered on Madison Avenue (their first store opened in 1818, on the northeast corner of Catherine and Cherry streets).
Martin says, "Fitzgerald was a Brooks Brothers customer. Brooks Brothers is mentioned numerous times in Fitzgerald's writings as a representation of the ultimate gentleman's purveyor of fine clothing." Off The Cuff has some more history on the author's devotion to the brand:
"Though previously worn for sporting purposes, the soft collared button-down shirt was resurgent in the ‘20s, now paired with more formal dress. One of the first celebrities to regularly sport this subversively stylish garment was no less than legendary Jazz Age writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Already a devotee of the brand, Fitzgerald was in fact wearing his Brooks Brothers dress uniform when he met Zelda, his future wife, at a military dance. 'He smelled like new goods,' she later recalled. One only needs to read the heady, detailed and lovingly crafted descriptions of the character’s wardrobes in The Great Gatsby to grasp Brook’s influence on American style and lifestyle."
So... look forward to the inevitable Gatsby line at Brooks Brothers around the time the movie comes out (there's already a Fitzgerald line).
