As someone who enjoys watching movies, I actually haven’t seen many of them.  This is especially true of old movies, be they from the 70s or from the Golden Era. I have nothing against the oldies, it’s just that I don’t often have a lot of time. After all, I do spend much of my days writing dumb thoughts about clothing (and life) on this blog. But what’s funny is that this blog has been a great motivator to watch movies more regularly. Covering the Menswear in the Movies has been a fun pastime  ever since Spencer and I made the Patreon. I guess things are just better with friends! 

The other way I get to watch movies is when I’m on the plane. What else are you going to do? I’m not about to rawdog it. I even try to make sure it’s something I’ve never seen before (which helps pass time better). A plane was how I watched Jackie and fell in love with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (watched both on the way to Italy). In the case of the latter, it’s fun to watch something that echoes the mood of your trip (well Lake Como vs French Riviera). 

I planned to watch something Hawaii or tropical related for my recent family vacation to Oahu.  But alas, cheap-ass Southwest does not have in-flight entertainment. I mean you could watch stuff on your phone, but I didn’t want to hold anything! Essays by Charles Ives, Comedy Bang Bang hilarity, and good old-fashion sleep was what got me by.

Upon returning home, I felt the need to watch something in the vein of my vacation. Our monthly bonus pod recording was coming up and so Spencer, MJ, and I quickly discussed what we should cover. We almost did Gidget but eventually switched to a movie we referenced in our big Summer blog/pod: South Pacific.

Interestingly enough, none of us had ever seen this movie. I was mainly surprised that Spencer hadn’t, as he’s an “old movie” buff and considering the varied use of 40s milsurp in the film, this felt right up his alley. But nope, this was going to be new for all of us. 

And…I wasn’t a fan. The movie is incredibly long with a bit of a wacky plot that I wasn’t too invested in. It basically follows two white people, Lieutenant Joseph Cable and Ensign Nellie Forbush, stationed on an unnamed island in the South Pacific. They each fall in love with someone on their island: Cable falls for Liat, a local native girl and Forbush falls for Emile de Becque, a French plantation owner. Neither Cable or Forbush can bring themselves to commit because of their prejudices. In the case of the former, it is because de Becque has mixed-children from a previous marriage, which Forbush doesn’t want anything to do with. By the end of the movie, they each learn their lesson and have to get over it…to an extent. 

Despite the general anti-racist message of the film, there is still quite a lot of icky choices that can be found throughout, like the broken English,and the general implication of imperialism and colonization present in the film likede Becque making his riches as a plantation owner and the Americans literally planting their base on the island or Liat being offered to Cable. As a result, it was hard for me to feel a fondness for the romance that so many others have gotten from this movie. 

I also wasn’t a fan of the music. It all blurred together for me and wasn’t generally interesting— and I normally love old musicals! The only ones that were fun were the jaunty “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” as well as the truly epic “Bali Ha’i”, which was used as a leitmotif throughout the film. “Happy Talk” is cute but feels a little off to me (there’s something almost infantilizing for Liat).

There actually isn’t that much classic menswear in the film. After all, this is a military movie so uniforms what we see most often. But that being said, I found the attire to be pretty good and interesting, simply due to the ways the military guys (outside of the Officers and Cable) all add personal pizazz to their uniforms.

Luther Billis, the de facto leader of the Marines and Navy guys on the island, wears his chambray workshirt completely open (yet tucked in) with his dungarees rolled up to function as shorts; it makes for an interesting juxtaposition against his work boots. Luther also wears some native jewelry on his neck, wrist, and belt, making him look like an enviable attendee at Inspiration LA. 

There’s “Stewpot” who makes a great case for full flares and a crop top (is that Tiktok I hear?). We can’t forget the “The Professor” who isn’t in chambray and dungarees but rather olive HBT with his M-43 pants and M-42 over shirt (notable for its dual chest pockets).  Of course, there’s a whole slurry of other characters wearing khaki, chambray, and olive HBT in various shades of unkept and distress. It all looks so good. Just keep an eye out for all the distinct moves found on the side characters and extras. I guess when you’re just sitting on a beach waiting for action, you’d want to find some way to have fun. It’s certainly can serve as an inspiration not just for Summer Attire, but for finding ways to have fun with milsurp without looking like you’re an re-enactor (or worse, stolen valor).

In terms of classic menswear (aka not milsurp), we have our saving grace, the hero (of sorts) of the movie: Emile de Becque. This makes sense as he’s a well-to-do Frenchman who has a villa on the island and hosts parties (which is how he met Forbush). As a result, he looks quite stylish with his casually tailored summer menswear looks, even if they are just a few. His iconic look is a plaid sport shirt and taupe linen trousers, a truly fantastic combination that seems right out of Scott Fraser. We even see him do a white dinner jacket for evening wear as well as get to wear a big straw hat and workshirt when he gets recruited by the Americans for some reconnaissance. De Becque is quite a stylish (and handsome man). I can see why Forbush is into it! 

What’s interesting is that his clothes don’t look particularly 40s. South Pacific is set in WWII which means we’re firmly within 1943-1945; we should see bigger collars and wider pants. Instead, De Becque interesting is seen in a sportshirt with a smaller collar (common for the 50s variation), flat front and tapered trousers, and most jarringly, cuban heeled derbies.  His use of a thin and rectangular bow tie with a slimmer-lapeled dinner jacket is also quite mid to late 50s. It just goes to show that even in “old times”, period film costuming reflects the era in which it was made!

He still looks great though. I’d love to be a handsome, wealthy French man on an Island with a hot nurse and cute kids! 

However, I’d have to say that my favorite character with the best style is Bloody Mary. 

If we’re talking about truly mixing garments together, she’s the master of it. She wears what seems to be a silk mandarin collar tunic with frog closure, which to me sends up the types of tops I’ve seen my aunts wear. It’s vaguely “Asian” in the sense that various cultures in the Pacific have worn variations of that type of garment. The top is also paired with culottes or capris and canvas slip ons that almost evoke espadrilles. 

But what sets this off is her use of a USMC P-41 jacket (chore coat) as an outer layer. It really makes for a fun juxtaposition against her non-military garments. This is emphasized with her accessories such as a vibrant silk scarf, leis, and various pieces of jewelry. If you look up different adaptations of the stage musical version, you can see just how interesting Bloody Mary’s attire can get. It always has the mix of a beat-up military shirt/jacket and  a Polynesian/Asian base.  

It’s nice to see that milsurp can have more representation than just being paired with traditional Americana. I should really see how my milsurp works with a barong tagalog…

Now Spencer, MJ, and I did talk about South Pacific on the latest bonus episode of the pod. But there really wasn’t much to discuss. The bonus pod actually ended up being more about my Family Hawaii Trip. Yes, I know there was a blog post written, but that’s more of a photo recap than it was a story.  Hence why I gave it a deeper dive in the bonus pod!

If you want to know more about what it was like to visit Waikiki, you can subscribe on patreon for the full episode as well as access to our Discord! It’s still a very funny episode that sort of foreshadows what the pod will be like as we move away from  dedicated philosophical discussions on clothing. 

I guess it’ll just be about if a hot dog is a type of sandwich (its not).

Don’t forget to support us on Patreon to get some extra content and access to our exclusive Discord. Oh and don’t forget, we do a podcast every two weeks!

Buh-bye!

Ethan M. Wong (follow me on IG)| StyleandDirection

The Podcast is produced by MJ.

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