The Style of Sydney Poitier

A riff on fashion

The Style of Sydney Poitier

If you’ve seen my twitter, you’ve probably noticed I’m interested in men’s fashion from the 1920’s to 1960’s.

I love kicking back in a tracksuit as much as the next guy but I also do like to dress up for work or hanging out. Especially in a time when folks can be seen wearing their pajamas at the supermarket.

I’m a big fan of Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack, however I think Sidney Poitier was one cool cat. Here’s an article I wrote about his style.

Very different to my usual riffs, so please enjoy.

The Style of Sydney Poitier

With a legendary acting career spanning over half a century and such films as Deadly Pursuit, In the Heat of the Night and The Defiant Ones underneath his belt, Sydney Poitier is without a doubt one of the most important leading men to ever grace the silver screen.

At a time when the United States of America was still struggling with racial tension and inequality, Sydney Poitier elegantly fought to bring down racial segregation in Hollywood, whilst also setting cinema screens alight with his subtle and powerful performances.

The first African American to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, Sydney Poitier was of course known for his important social activism, just as much as his acting ability, but today I’m going to be discussing one of the lesser highlighted aspects of the great man: His style.

From an overall overview of Poitier’s style, the foundations of which were set in an unpretentious, simple and low-key chic that won the hearts of the movie-going public and caught the attention of the style conscious gentleman everywhere, simplicity was key. Rather than wearing vogue and haute couture fashions, Poitier constructed a style completely based on earthy colors and a subtle Everyday Gent look which he accentuated with certain flourishes and modes of pattern and prints, the main ones we’re going to be running down today. Laura Jacobs of Vanity Fair was quoted as saying “Poitier ‘wears a gray flannel suit as if it were a form of lightweight knight’s armor.”

So, lets talk a little about how Poitier achieved that knight in shining armor look.

First let's take a look at Poitier’s use of laying his outfits.

Layering

One of the key aspects to Poitier’s individual style was in his layering. Whatever the season, be it the cooler months of Spring, the hotter months of Summer, or the bitterly cold months of winter, Poitier layered his outfits in a way which caught the eye and always impressed.

Whether it was a cotton undershirt underneath a casual, unbuttoned linen shirt, a cashmere knit cardigan over an unbuttoned dress shirt, or a woolen shawl-neck sweater worn over a dress shirt and underneath a heavy tweed and fur-lined Chester Coat, Poitier always layered his outfits in an unsubtle, sedate yet masterful way. Utilizing the positive aspects of each garment’s fabric, color and weight to create an overall look and aesthetic that was pleasing to the eye and worked harmoniously in ensemble.  Another interesting aspect to Poitier’s layering technique was his use of a single item in the ensemble that worked as an anchor to the entire outfit. For example, using the pre mentioned cashmere sweater to make a point, we can see Poitier has chosen a color of a rich, darker baby blue that frames the entire outfit of the light blue dress shirt and grey wool slacks.

Bold Patterns

Poitier famously said, “Every new fashion is a form of rebellion.” And While being known for his more classical understated styling conventions, he also knew how to use bold patterns and prints in a way that rebelled whilst remaining conventional. A great example of this styling technique can be seen in one of his most famous movies — Lilies of the Field.

Here Poitier don’s a lightweight, shortsleeved cotton camp shirt adorned in a Hawaiiesque leafy green print over a simple white crew-neck undershirt that is made all the bolder by his choice of a more subdued pair of brown wool slacks and chocolate colored penny loafers.

Poitier really mastered the technique of pairing bolder prints and patterns with more subdued colors and crisp lines to highlight and frame the strengths of both.

Another great example of this pairing technique of the bold and the subdued can be seen in the movie A Warm December. Here Poitier wears a single-breasted camel jacket with wide notched lapels and a wide collared shirt with an autumn leaf pattern. Instead of this contrast of styles clashing, the earthy colors of the jacket frame and accentuate the shirt’s Autumn leave tones of red, gold and green in a way that integrates the entire outfit harmoniously while strongly keeping its more bold, more defiant overall statement.

Although Poitier tended towards the more established and traditional fashions of the day such as an array of blue blazers, grey flannel suits, button down shirts, knit ties and other more ubiquitous outfits, the most important style technique that Poitier can teach us is this: whatever you wear, make it your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment with contrasting prints and earthy tones or conflicting styles that can be merged with the correct choice of a base color. After all its you who is wearing the suit, it isn’t the suit that is wearing you, so make sure your personality can shine through whatever outfit you choose to wear. This can be easily achieved by laying, choosing colors that work well together of accentuated your outfit with an eye-catching necktie, or pocket square.

These are some reasons why I believe Sydney Poitier is one of the best style icons of the twentieth century.