This is a blog post that goes along with the most recent bonus pod! You can listen to the first 15 minutes of the bonus pod below, but you’ll have to subscribe on Patreon to get the RSS feed of the full episode (as well as access to our Discord). 

As you all know, I’m not really one to watch old movies, especially melodramas. I always feel like they try a bit too hard (rich coming from me, I know) with the drama and exaggerated emotions; I’m sure that’s entirely their charm. However, I will always appreciate a recommendation, as well as an External Reason, and so when Spencer suggested All That Heaven Allows to cover on the blog/pod, I was all for it.  I guess I could finally pop my Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman cherry! 

Spencer told me that this film is a bit special to him, as it was one of the first movies he saw with his girlfriend (aw). He told me that it made for an interesting double feature with Magnificent Obsession (which also stars Hudson and Wyman) and has a rather insane plot that features a selfish playboy, blindness, and brain surgery. Thankfully, the movie we are covering today, All That Heaven Allows, is much more grounded, being a small-scale romance-drama set in a cozy East Coast town. 

Jane Wyman stars as Cary Scott, a rich widow who has been feeling a bit stuck and lonely in her current life. She has friends, family (college-age kids who visit on weekends), and a semblance of a love life (she’s currently dating a similarly rich but older and rather boring man), but nothing has been exciting her. But one day, her young and handsome arborist, Ron Kirby, played by Rock Hudson, asks her out to see his nursery. And after a few dates where Cary sees just how intelligent and passionate Ron is, as well as his wholesome and friendly social circle,  the pair fall in love and plan to be married— much to the ire of her friends and children, who scold her for seeing someone who is so much younger than her…and who is “much poorer”. 

Melodrama ensues, which was unexpectedly edgy, at least from a modern viewing. The party scenes clearly display the hypocrisy of Cary’s friends, most of whom are in age-gap relationships (old man, young woman). It was clear that her high society pals were just elitist, dismissing Ron as just a gardener or even a goldigger; the man is a small business owner who not just handles all properties in the town, but owns a nursery and a greenhouse! Hell, he even is restoring an old mill to turn into a house for him and Cary. Unfortunately, the country club doesn’t care. Neither do Cary’s children, who feel entitled to their childhood home by leveraging their late father’s memory; they even suggest this as a reason for Cary to date someone who was closer to their dad’s status. 

Ron is definitely a cool and good guy, who is certainly a better class of people compared to the elitist country club people. I felt that the film holds no bars in showing just how wrong everyone is while simultaneously giving empathy to Cary’s predicament.  She certainly struggles between choosing her happiness and maintaining the status quo, for her own social circle and her family. Of course, in the end, after a merry-go-round of emotion and indecision (as well as a dramatic medical emergency), Cary and Ron find happiness.

I was surprised to see how much I enjoyed All That Heaven Allows. I’m sure most of it is likely to do with the social commentary on status and love. Why shouldn’t the older woman get the younger man? Also, Rock Hudson is only seven years younger than Jane Wyman, but based on the reactions of the country club, they make it out to be ten or twenty years! But apart from the drama and spice, it also feels like such a cozy movie. Spencer was absolutely right in that it feels very fall, showcasing beautiful East Coast houses, orange leaves on the trees, warm fires, wooden interiors, and a hearty helping of plaids and boots. Being shot with Technicolor really makes everything pop, especially with the remarkable cinematography during the dramatic dialogues. I could definitely see this being a fall tradition to watch on a date, while sipping something hot.

Apart from the cozy vibes, I obviously found the style in the movie quite astonishing. With the mix of characters, All That Heaven Allows serves as a great case study for comparing various styles of menswear and how they communicate status. Not only do we get workshirts and chinos, but we get cocktail suits, pinned collars, and smart tuxedos. These distinct expressions are likely lost today, considering that simply wearing a button-up shirt and non-jean pants is seen as “dressed up”. What a different world it was!

Let’s get into the menswear now. 

Ron Kirby is definitely not like the other men in Cary’s. But he’s definitely a man. This is communicated not just through his strong features and gentle voice, but also through Ron’s simple yet stylish attire. Ron certainly has a look, which is damn good and certainly a source of inspo for any menswear guy…or regular guy just wanting to look good. 

In almost every scene, Ron has on some sort of workshirt, like khaki cotton or a plaid flannel, which has the back of the collar turned up, likely to shield his neck from the sun or the cold; it also makes him look a bit more dynamic. This is played up with his choice of jackets, which are a black wool short jacket (with dual chest pockets) and a wonderful Mackinaw that he wears to sell Christmas trees as well as hunt. Along with a fun blue scarf, Ron also wears a trapper cap in a few scenes, playing up the East Coast fall vibe. He really has a classic, Fall Americana style! 

Surprisingly, Ron never wears jeans, which one would typically think of as the pants of the everyman. But remember, this is the 50s, and jeans may have still been a bit too casual, being the look for true workwear, delinquents (like The Wild One), and youth. Ron may be a bit younger than Cary, but he’s not a kid.   Instead, he wears something a bit more “professional” with a bit more gravitas, opting for khakis and caramel corduroys, both cut high in the waist and straight in the leg, with a bit of a crop for his boots. Obviously, he looks damn good, both in the past and today, but I have a feeling modern audiences might feel like he’s still too “dressed up”, at least here in California. Even if the TikTok guys enjoy workshirts and cropped work jackets, they likely would still opt for denim over trousers. That is probably why Ron’s looks stood out to me when watching it– and perhaps will get me to wear some fun Fall looks that don’t default to denim (or simply go for the Apparel Arts semi-sports look). I am all for casual brown pants! 

Ron’s friends all match his casual, Americana vibe. His best pal, Mick, rocks a casual suede car coat and makes good use of a turtleneck base layer under a lovely plaid seafoam green shirt. Mick hosts a fun party that calls to mind the scenes in Titanic where Jack and Rose have more fun with the lower decks than the frou-frou upper-class dining area. There’s also a lot more fun with the attire here, as we see a flecked tweed jacket (from the 40s, judging from the lapel) and a chambray shirt and even a caramel canvas workvest worn over a grey workshirt. The party felt like what Spencer and I would wear to Jay’s annual Friendsgiving! 

On the subject of parties, the most interesting costuming choice was Ron’s attire for a cocktail party with Cary’s friends. 

In most films where the “lower-class guy” needs to go formal, you would expect him to wear more casual-coded pieces, such as a tweed or corduroy jacket paired with chinos or jeans; maybe a woolen tie or workshirt-as-a-dress shirt for good measure. Those moves tend to communicate that such guys are out of their element and that he’s doing the best he can. However, Ron exceeds expectations.

To the party, Ron wears a navy 3PC suit, with an OCBD and striped tie, a nice look that is perfect for cocktails, especially in 1955. He is no hick– Ron clearly knows how to dress for the occasion and does so with aplomb, looking delightfully trad. You would think Ron would fit right in with the highfalutin partygoers. Unfortunately, they don’t see it that way and continue to make snide comments about his age and his status (maybe Kirby should have worn a point or spread collar instead of the much more casual OCBD). It shows that even if Ron could dress the part (and he did), he would never fit in with this shallow crowd.

Unfortunately, Cary’s stuck-up social circle (save for her doctor and her friend Sarah-ish) is the source of most of the tailored menswear in this film. That being said, it’s also a great way to evaluate the fashion moods of the era… and serve as proof that being well-dressed and having manners do not go hand-in-hand. 

Shortly after we see Ron’s initial look, we are treated to a full-on black tie worn by Cary’s date, Harvey, and her “friends” at the country club. Harvey wears an SB peak lapel tux (an underrated look today) while others wear DBs, all with wide lapels,  likely showing that they have owned their tuxedos for a few years; they are rich and old, after all. I do like that we see some fun moves like the use of a light blue pocket square or a matching burgundy bowtie-pocket square set. These things can feel a bit too “prom”, but for some reason they work here; perhaps it’s because the tuxes themselves look good and aren’t made of polyester or are ill-fitting (be it exceedingly baggy or skinny). 

In the other party scene, the same gentlemen forgo their tuxes for regular suits, which again, isn’t far off from what Ron wears. You might even argue that Ron is more formal than they are, as he goes for a 3PC. What’s cool about this scene is that you can see the hallmarks of conservative 50s menswear right here:  TV-fold-pocket squares, narrower-than-40s lapels, the use of striped ties instead of foulards (complete with a tie clip), and a helping of point and semi-spread collars, all with shorter lengths than the spearpoints of the decade prior. It’s not quite full ivy just yet, but you can see a bit of a similar attitude here. 

That brings me to Ned, Cary’s son, who is currently an undergraduate student. His attire is a bit fashion-forward, as most rich kids are, with his jackets being boldly structured (with a low buttoning point) and his trousers having a light taper. He even wears a short club collar, which he pins sharply, framing his narrow knit tie, its width closely matching his slimmer lapels. The first suit he wears is a traditional charcoal grey, but later gets to don a light grey fleck; that suit even has patch pockets. In true young adult fashion, Ned even gets to wear a Tyrolean hat and a belted, knee-length coat that calls to mind Vadas’s look in The Shop Around The Corner, which came out 15 years prior. Old menswear loved that Alpine vibe as it always feels sporty and youthful. But as stylish as he is, he’s not much of a decent person. Unlike his sister, he doesn’t apologize for the role he played in delaying his mother’s happiness! 

However, we do get some decent people wearing good outfits, all of which come from those who actually care about Cary and Ron’s happiness. One in particular is the doctor, who gives Cary the advice to not give a damn what people think and simply marry Ron. He delivers this simple advice in a soft, 3PC tweed suit, subtly striped shirt, and a burgundy tie– the color of love and passion. I like that the look feels warmer than “stiff” black tie or austere cocktail attire, making the doc feel closer in attitude to Ron’s friends instead of the rest of the high society folk in Stoningham. 

Again, this short, 50s melodrama wasn’t exactly something I was expecting to watch, let alone cover for the blog, but I’m glad that Spencer suggested it! Leave it to our resident cinephile to have an actually good movie recommendation. It’s perfectly cozy, certainly romantic, and is full of such great style. What other movie has an equal amount of non-denim workwear and clean tailoring? 

I’m just glad that we live in a world that lets us wear both sides with ease. I guess in that way, we should strive our best to be Ron Kirby, a caring, passionate, and open-minded guy who is a good friend and a good partner. Maybe someday soon, I’ll wear my own red plaid shirt and chinos. I just need SoCal to actually cool down. 

Now enjoy some screencaps from the film!  Don’t blame us if you end up trawling eBay for a red plaid workshirt (if you don’t have one already). 

– end of blog post –

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Always a pleasure,

Ethan

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