The final season of Boardwalk Empire is underway. It is bittersweet for the fans who love the show and especially the fashion. The series began in 1920 and ended last season in 1924. Those four years set in motion a major change in men’s apparel from the gloomy Edwardian age to the vibrant mid-1920s. In addition to the fashions of Boardwalk Empire, The Great Gatsby and Downton Abbey are also set in the early to mid-1920s, causing a 1920s men’s fashion revival. Suddenly two tone shoes, striped suits, bow ties and hats have made it back into the mainstream. This makes it easier to find quality 1920s style men’s clothing than a few years ago.
I thought it would be helpful to put together a few Boardwalk Empire men’s clothing outfits.
Nucky Thompson is the head character and prominent, wealthy business man. Depending on what his character is going through in the season, it changes the way he dresses. At the beginning, he was all show and shine with large print suits and flashy accessories. By the fourth season, he is more subtle and business minded while flying under the radar of his enemies. In the 1920s, men’s business suits were usually grey, brown or blue with a definite stripe, plaid or check pattern. Nucky wears these colors and patterns well in a 3 piece wool or tweed suit. A matching vest is critical to his ensemble, as men’s suit would have been in the 1920s. What his fourth season suits lack in boldness, he makes up for with his accessorizes: two-tone wingtip shoes, made famous in the opening credits. A striped shirt with white collar (high club/round collar to be exact) and a bold tie in gold paisley or a geometric pattern completes his business look.
Read another article on dressing like Nucky Thompson from the first season.
Al Capone is not yet the world famous bootlegger and gangster that he will become soon. His personal style is never flashy, always the understated but menacing guy in the background. His suits tend to be dark grey, navy blue, hunter green or dark brown. His shirts are usually subtle blue striped shirts (hardly ever white collar) with a muted color tie, too. His signature style accessory is his hat — a center dent fedora with slightly turned down brim. While most men preferred the Homburg hat, Al Capone’s sense of European fashion favored the newer, trendier fedora. Al Capone’s look is one of the easier looks to pull off. Dark and dangerous!
Chalky White is a clothes hound and fashion rebel. His clothing is always colorful, bold and somewhat comical by today’s standards. In the 1920s, his style would be seen as fashion forward. Only the rich could afford the latest colors and patterns such as a big plaid rust colored suit or sport coat. Rust orange? Yes, its was a popular color in the 1920s along with pink, peach, red, and various shades of blue. Wearing these colors all at once wasn’t hideous; it was trendy. To complement Chalky’s jacket, he added a sherbet colored shirt with a white point collar. White French cuffs peeking out from under his suit is a plus. His fashion icon was his big, fluffy bow tie. They could be solid colors like the orange one above or prints of polka dots, geometric shapes and wide stripes. Bow ties rarely matched pocket squares. Chalky’s red pocket square is a hint to his deadly character!
There you have it. The best part about dressing 1920s Boardwalk Empire style is that there is a lot of freedom in the colors and patterns your personality desires. Be bold, be subtle or be menacing — they are all part of the series we love.
More help for your Boardwalk Empire look:
- 1920s Men’s Costume ideas – 10+ working class or formal men’s 1920s looks you can create. Shop gangster costumes here.
- 1920s Men’s Hairstyles – History and how to guide to styling men’s hair.
- Where to buy Men’s vintage and Vintage inspired clothing online – for a more authentic vintage look, try one of these 40 online shops.
- Great Gatsby in Fashion – Read The Great Gatsby again, this time with commentary and images of 1920s men’s and women’s fashion referenced in the novel.
Need help with your look? Just ask me.
Debbie Sessions has been teaching fashion history and helping people dress for vintage themed events since 2009. She has turned a hobby into VintageDancer.com with hundreds of well researched articles and hand picked links to vintage inspired clothing online. She aims to make dressing accurately (or not) an affordable option for all. Oh, and she dances too.
