The Gentleman’s Guide to Knitwear

Our knitwear guide begins in the same way the film does, with a focus on Raymond Smith. Ray is the Gentleman’s right hand man who stays (mostly) calm, cool, and collected throughout the movie. Not to mention – comfortable. The latter is undoubtedly attributable to his excellent taste in knitwear. You see him pictured here in a rib knit shawl cardigan. It’s a great, versatile piece for the fall/winter season. Pair it with shirt and tie as seen here for a dress/casual Zoom look, or throw it on with jeans for outdoor dining.

To get this look we recommend our seven gauge cashmere in mace brown ($995), or in one of the other colors below.

“Coach” is a good guy who finds himself in a few not good situations. OK – so maybe Colin Farrel’s loud plaid track suits aren’t your thing, but maybe they are? After all, we’re all a bit more relaxed these days, and if there’s one thing we can say it’s that these guys sure look comfortable. Whether you’re into track suits or looking for your next go-to sport coat, comfort will be key in 2021, and Ariston’s jersey knits are some of the coziest cloths we’ve ever tailored. Unlike woven fabrics more commonly used for suits and dress shirts, these knitted materials are loose and stretchy like your favorite tee shirt or sweater, making them extremely comfortable. They work great in unstructured sports coats and yes – bespoke track suits.

Before we move on to the bad guys, let’s talk about “Fletch”. Fletcher, deftly depicted by Hugh Grant, is neither good nor bad. Actually, he’s kind of both… Anyways, we don’t want to spoil anything. While he may be wearing a burgundy turtleneck, he’s surely NOT drinking red wine. What is that he’s drinking? More on that to come. In the meantime, get the look simply by tapping Fletcher’s finger in the picture to the left.

It’s hard to think of Henry Golding as a villain after playing such ‘menacing’ roles as Nick Young in Crazy Rich Asians and Tom Webster in Last Christmas (both being the protagonist in their respective soft romantic features). Nevertheless, while our suspension of disbelief may not be well… suspended, his devilishly handsome wardrobe certainly does NOT disappoint. Golding’s Dry Eye is a mean, ambitious, and at times out of step antagonist, but he does make us want to pick up a few knit polos.

To get the look, we recommend having yours made from our extra fine 16 gauge merino wool in one of the following colors:

Dry Eye may be a menace, but he’s no match for Matthew – the film’s arch villain. Played by Jeremy Strong of Succession fame, Matthew is a calculating, conniving and cutthroat businessman set on taking what he wants no matter the cost. While he may be the cruelest of them all, he sure knows how to rock a crew neck sweater and we’re digging his neutral color palette.

Alas, we have arrived at the undeniably dapper and best dressed character in the entire film, our hero, Michael “Mickey” Pearson, played by the one and only Matthew McConaughey. Mickey Pearson is no slouch. He came up the hard way and now that he’s on top it should come as no surprise that he likes to enjoy the finer things in life like good whiskey, great cigars, and silk & cashmere polo shirts.

Throughout the film we see Mickey in these smooth knit polos under fine cashmere jackets (which McConaughey is rumored to have held onto after filming and we can’t say we blame him.) This is a GREAT way to put a look together. The fine knits are more refined than the pique or jersey materials of standard polos and less formal than your button-down dress shirts, making them the perfect choice for taking a tailored suit more casual or making your sport coat and jeans look more elevated.

And while he’s not always pointing a gun, it just so happens that these two images best illustrate his dapper and casually chic aesthetic. Like we said, Mickey came up the hard way…

When he does find time to relax and escape to the country he does so in style. Below we see him once again inside the comfortable confines of cashmere, only this time it’s been knit into a claret colored cardigan to compliment the windowpane check of his enviable sporting suit.

Admittedly it’s not knitwear, but we could NOT ignore Michelle Dockery as Rosalind in her broad-shouldered, double-breasted, and just all out bad-ass jump suit. Do you know anyone who would kill it in one of these?

In case you were wondering, this is the £1500 single malt that Fletcher “couldn’t resist”. It’s the sixth in a series, profiling six generations of members from the Grant family who have dedicated their careers to producing the Glenfarclas. This particular expression was bottled in honor of George S. Grant, their legendary Sales Director in order to commemorate his 40th birthday (hence the age expression). As it turns out, the movie’s director, Guy Ritchie, has a particular affinity for both Mr. Grant and the Glenfarclas, which is how it made it’s way into his movie.