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Issue 8
Gangster Fashion
Fashion can be influenced by a myriad of possibilities, from people to television, war and causes for charity. The impressions made on us and our clothing are innumerable, though you do not realize it, some of the clothes we wear now have been influenced by the worlds most notorious gangsters. A combination of publicity and a strong emphasis of social media would drive the iconic image of the American Gangster from the streets of Chicago to our newspapers and television sets, finally landing in our shopping malls and retail stores. The strength of media would assure that the image which these mobsters portrayed would come to affect our clothing and lifestyle to become a permanent influence in the clothes we wear today.
Al “Scarface” Capone, is without contest the most infamous gangster of all time, yet somehow, he would also become very influential in the fashion industry. Though he did not create the stylish “Criminal Businessman” look, he did help to popularize it. Al Capone loved publicity, and garnered media attention. Most mobsters hid from the public eye but Capone embraced it. He dressed to thrill and captivate his audience, and when the public saw the suits he wore, they started to dress like him. Before Scarface, suits had a structured look to them. They had a high narrow waist and one specific shape for various types of people. Since Capone would have all his clothing custom made, his tailor began to cut his suits with a more “natural” look, where the cut worked with the body type, not against it. People who saw this style of suit would come to like it and begin to ask their tailors to cut their suits in the same fashion. As a result, this natural look replaced the “old style” and is in fact the pattern which is used for the suits we wear today. When Capone added his classic tilted fedora, his appearance would become the guide from which every gangster film would follow as the wardrobe department stitched their costumes together. Now this is important because, his iconic presence in American gangster movies is what would influence mobsters and fashion around the world.
The Yakuza, were once just a small band of criminals and misfits in Japan, which grew into a large group of street hustlers who were involved in robbery and the black market. After World War II, the Yakuza took a particular interest in American Gangster films and became highly influenced by them. They began to wear black suits and white shirts, in order to replicate the style they had seen in the films, they also put down their swords and began caring firearms. Because a Yakuza gang member typically covers his entire torso in tattoos, the suits served a dual purpose in hiding the tattoos and displaying a prominent look of wealth and stature. The point is, they were influenced by the movies and the movies were influenced by Al Capone. Scarface has now become an inspiration to global fashion, however, he did not only influence mobsters he would also end up affecting the fashion of the music industry.
The Notorious B.I.G. did many things for rap, one of them, whether inadvertently or on purpose, was to help change the way rappers dressed at the time. Most hip hop artist wore their B-boy type of clothing during concerts and on their album covers. BIG developed an affinity for American Gangster films, in fact, his alias “Biggie Smalls,” actually comes from a fictional gangster in the 1975 film “Let’s Do It Again.” Like the Yakuza his style of clothing would imitate that of the gangster movies, which were ultimately influenced by Al Capone. Biggie, brought the sagging pants, big t-shirts, jersey wearing, kris kross rap fashion into pinstripes and fedoras. From there any rapper who wanted to floss their style would put on a three piece suit. Biggie helped open the door for street thugs to walk into the corporate world and helped rap music gain respect from hoodlums to business men. Sean Combs and Jay-Z moved from rags to Armani because of the style Biggie laid down. All this was possible because of the trendsetting, Al Capone. However, Scarface did not only influence just men, unintentionally Capone would influence women’s fashion as well.
Bonnie and Clyde stood out from the large amount of criminals during the roaring 20’s and 30’s because of Bonnie’s presence and style. Her quaint dress, bonnets and hairstyle started a fashion trend in the 1930s. The trend was revitalized when Faye Dunaway played her in the 1967 movie “Bonnie and Clyde.” Teenagers would actually dress like Bonnie and get their hair cut simply to look like her. But Bonnie was just a simple girl from a small town in Texas, it was Clyde’s desire to get her out of her plain summer dresses and waitress uniforms in order to move her into the classy and expensive dresses she is noted for wearing. Clyde’s desire to dress as a higher class of criminal would come as result of him mimicking the mobsters he would see in the newspaper, mobsters who dressed like Al Capone.
The argument is not that Capone directly influenced women, the rap industry and the world. The point is, a combination of media and journalism made Al Capone the poster child for danger, success and the criminal world. That influence would be copied by the common man and persists in the clothing we wear now. And if you still doubt whether Al Capone’s image has an influence on fashion today, tell me, the last time you put on a 3 piece suit and looked in the mirror did the words “I look so gangster” come out of your mouth? I thought so.
Michael January
