Gatsby vs. Gatsby

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Whether or not you got a passing grade on that 9th grade paper, now's the time to pay attention. The Great Gatsby is an incredibly stylish story. Rich people in the 1920's dressed pretty well if you needed a reminder. Assuming your imagination needs a little exercise, the best visual representation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece surrounding the lives of the wealthy and morally questionable is the 1974 film version featuring Robert Redford in the titular role of Jay Gatsby. While the film's reception was decidedly negative, it featured one of, if not, the best wardrobes ever to grace the silver screen. Despite being set in the 1920's everything feels very current - club collars, collar pins and waistcoats haven't really gone out of style for those of us interested in classic menswear. Credit goes to Theoni E. Aldredge, who won an Academy Award for her wardrobe work on the flick and whose creations could pass pretty seamlessly into a Ralph Lauren collection. There is no denying that the bar's been set quite high on this one.

Enter Baz Luhrmann, the guy best known for making big budget movies you've gone to with your girlfriend out of fear of withheld sexual favors. We agree, it was a low blow on her part. His Gatsby remake comes out later this year, with Leonardo DiCaprio occupying the spectators once belonging to Redford. If the trailer tells us anything about the wardrobe choices this time around it's that so far, so good. The immaculate tuxedos and peak lapels all seem to be accounted for based on 2 minutes and 27 seconds of footage that for some reason required "No Church In The Wild" as part of the pitch. It's hard to say whether Luhrmann's film will actually be any good or not, but it is comforting to know that he and his costume designer, Catherine Martin, were up to the challenge of not only matching Theoni E. Aldredge, but potentially besting her. Regardless of how this all pans out, one things for damn sure - Daisy Buchanan will, once again, lose her goddamn mind over some shirts.

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