Men's Style Expert Reacts to "The Godfather" - Menswear Review of the Classic Coppola Film

About this video

The Gazette team provides a detailed analysis of the costumes worn in the 1972 film The Godfather, examining the accuracy of the 1940s styling choices made by costume designer Anna Hill Johnstone. They break down the outfits of major characters including Don Vito, Michael, Sonny, Fredo, and Tom Hagen, identifying both period-appropriate elements and anachronistic details influenced by 1960s-70s fashion trends. The team concludes that while the film captures the spirit of classic 1940s menswear, it contains numerous inaccuracies and shows clear influence from the era in which it was filmed.

Key takeaways

• The Gazette team identifies numerous costume inaccuracies in The Godfather, including pre-tied bow ties (not hand-tied as would be period-correct), pinned boutonnieres instead of buttonhole-worn ones, and notch lapel tuxedos that were typically associated with rental or lower-quality formal wear in the 1940s
• The team argues that costume choices reflect character personalities and status—Don Vito’s earth-tone preference and refusal to wear conventional business dress signals his power, while Sonny’s flamboyant, unfinished outfits and spectator shoes underscore his impulsive nature
• The Gazette team notes the film blends 1940s aesthetics with 1960s-70s influences visible in wider lapels, longer ties, disco collars on Fredo’s Vegas outfit, and machine-stitched hems, as contemporary styling trends inevitably influenced the costume design
• The team praises Tom Hagen’s lawyer styling as the most consistently professional and accurate to 1940s standards, contrasting him with more flamboyant characters, and critiques collar gaps and fit issues throughout the film as oversights a proper tailor would never allow

Episode details: published January 4, 2021 · 126K views · 33:57 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. The style guidance summarized here is the Gentleman’s Gazette team’s own teaching and opinion, presented for education; product recommendations are theirs, not ours. Summaries are written by Self Growth Videos from each video itself.

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