I just bought the North by Northwest DVD and I have become obsessed with Cary Grant's grey suit. - partly because it looks so good on him and partly because it is so easily adaptable to a modern wardrobe.
I used the remote noted the exact scenes and times that reveal the little details that make such a big difference.
Notice how all the following elements help create the long, lean silhouette.
Chapter 2 02:17
The Jacket
- With one dramatic but subtle sartorial gesture CG set himself apart from all the other men in the scene. What is that important single element? look at that shirt cuffs/jacket sleeve proportion!
Not one other guy in that scene is showing ANY shirt cuff and Cary is showing ,like, 3/4 of an inch. So much white that I didn't even notice until half-way through the film that he was not even wearing a pocket square.
Chapter 7 21:28
The Socks/Shoe
- The most compelling argument I have seen yet that socks should match your pants. It creates such a long lean body line.
- Freeze the frame and look at the shoes - Not Black! but deep cognac brown and no chunky, thick sole clodhoppers here - long, lean and very English
Chapter 9 31:18
The Pants - These are key!
- Notice CG's pants are worn on the natural waist not the hips like jeans are.
- No belt - when coordinated with the tonal socks this gives his lower half a very long visual line and no belt removes the "matching shoes" problems obsolete
- Inverted pleats - gives fullness to the pant leg but keeps the hips looking narrow
- No sloppy big American break in his pant hem
Chapter 22 1:03:00
The Shirt
- Look at the large amount of shirring at the yoke of the shirtback. This shirt is actually quite full through the torso but because he wears his pants at his natural waist this de-emphasizes the fullness while still giving him plenty of room for movement. If he wore the same shirt with his pants at his hips his torso would look much wider and chunky.