The Thomas Crown Affair: The Wardrobe

A few weeks back, I covered the wardrobe from one of my favorite “awesome fashion” movies – A Perfect Murder. I’m so glad that so many of you liked the movie, and I’m going to be covering more in future posts, starting with today! I’ll be covering a film that was mentioned by several readers: The Thomas Crown Affair (199x edition, starring Rene Russo and Pierce Brosnan).

Now, I actually have quite a bit of experience in this movie. When I was a kid growing up, my parents would very rarely buy VHS (and later, DVD) movies. They were generally deemed a more extravagant purchase. However, one year during a Blockbuster sale, my mom ended up bringing up two movies that were close out inventory, 2 for $7.50. They were Congo, and The Thomas Crown Affair. Thus I’ve seen both endless times, though I don’t know when I’ll be asked to do a Congo wardrobe recap (though I’ll be ready!).

I hadn’t seen this movie in about a decade however, so it was fun to catch back up again while keeping an eye out for all of Rene’s great outfits. Let’s start the recap!

Our first glimpse of Rene – as you see her walk behind all the male cops and detectives in the museum, in her glasses and fur coat. Out of the way dudes, so we can see her coat!

Okay…we’ll settle for a view of the back at least.

Now back working in the police office, in a pinstriped suit.

The cool thing about this suit is, it’s not just your typical blazer + skirt combination. There’s actually multiple pieces, which you get a hint of here….

…and then see more of here, when she takes off her jacket. Wow!

Next, we see her, on a boat…checking out Thomas Crown, in a thick cashmere sweater and fur scarf.

Hanging out in a leather jacket and tee (she does casual well, too!).

Next – confronting Thomas Crown in my personal favorite dress from the movie, this sequined mandarin collar gown. Take a look at those earrings, by the way!

A quick bonus shot for you all, of Faye Dunaway in the film, playing Crown’s psychiatrist.

Comfortable and cozy in a coat and turtleneck.

Aviators!

And a full shot of the outfit.

Daytime meeting in the museum, wearing a little black dress…

…accessorized with a double strand of pearls.

Later the next day, in a black leather jacket…

…love how this movie is 15 years old, yet the biker jacket still looks like it came right from current day Balenciaga!

And a very famous scene in the movie, with Rene showing up in this sequined Michael Kors gown.

Another shot of the gown (via People Mag)…

The next morning, wearing pastels.

Hanging out in a men’s shirt.

And now, in another turtleneck, this one cream colored.

That night, at dinner, in a simple burgundy sweater and many strands of pearls.

Opening a gift (had to include this shot of the Bvlgari necklace!).

Bundled up in the car, in shearling.

Hanging out downtown, with a camel coat draped over her shoulders.

In a gorgeous turtleneck and blazer, both in shades of camel.

And a final look from the movie – a tan suede coat over black.

 Just like with A Perfect Murder, most of not all of the looks in The Thomas Crown Affair look relevant today, despite its 15 year age now. The wardrobe, which was mostly Michael Kors for Celine, was streamlined, well thought out, and of course classic. My wardrobe lessons learned from this movie?

 1. You don’t need lots of color to have a variety of looks. Rene’s character in this movie rarely wears the same thing twice, yet she wears a lot of the same colors – largely shades of creams, tans, browns, and black. But does she ever look boring, or repetitive? Of course not! Even though her character wears largely the same colors, she plays with textures (like sequins on her gowns), or material (cashmere, leather, suede). And when she does wear the occasional flash of color (a periwinkle coat), it stands out that much more. 

2. Classic cuts are never out of style. Even if they had been in fashion at the time, I could have never pictured Rene Russo’s character in say, harem pants or a midriff baring dress. All her clothes are in classic silhouettes in shapes – the notched blazer, the turtleneck, a mandarin collar on her gown, a biker cut jacket. These are cuts that come back, season after season – and because of that, her wardrobe still looks fresh today. However, she does take care to…

3. Never be too predictable. Rene’s character wears a lot of very classic clothing items, but there’s usually something a little bit “different” in each of her looks. She never looks like she came out of say, a Brooks Brothers catalog. There’s the cool aviator sunglasses with her conservative turtleneck and skirt, unexpected earrings with a traditional gown, a bustier underneath a traditional pin striped suit. These details add a youthful elements to her wardrobe (but Rene always looks age appropriate).

I hope you enjoyed this wardrobe recap! I’d love to hear more of your favorite “fashion eye candy” films, and I already have quite a few more movies lined up for posts. Thank you for reading!