The popularity of the Peaky Blinders show has inspired fashion followers immensely through its revival of menswear from the 1920s and 1930s. All those who have come across these characters and their chic outfits vouch for the peaky blinders style and wish to replicate it.
In this article, you’ll learn how to dress like a character from Peaky Blinders while looking contemporary and classic.
Mimic The Peaky Blinders Style With Authenticity
Before we get into the what’s and how’s of mimicking this perfectly chic look, we must point out a commonly overlooked but crucial element of matching the Shelby brothers. If you wish to pull off the look and have it fit perfectly with your personality, you must strive for authenticity.
However, making the outfit authentic won’t require you to snatch the clothes from the Peaky Blinders set. On the contrary, it’s about keeping an eye out for the details to master the perfect Shelby look.
The 10-Point Manual to Dress Like the Peaky Blinders
Since attention to detail is integral to dressing like a Peaky Blinder character, this article breaks down the entire look into 10 distinct steps. Keep your style diary ready as we walk you through the art of styling vintage clothing:
Get that Snazzy Hat!
All those who have closely observed the Peaky Blinders gang recognize that this is one of the most iconic aspects of these characters. This attractive headgear is one of the signature elements of the overall peaky blinder look.
The Peaky Blinders uniform hat is commonly referred to as a Newsboy Cap. However, these hats have various names depending on your location and the retailer that handles you. We’d recommend keeping an eye out for the following:
- Gatsby cap
- Bakerboy cap
- Eight-piece cap
- Eight-panel cap
These newsboy caps are made by stitching together eight triangular woolen panels with an individual front peak and a button adorning the top. If you want to replicate the peaky blinders outfit accurately, we recommend purchasing an oversized Newsboy cap.
The Peaky Blinders style contains smaller peaks hidden under the top fabric, while modernized caps tend to have slightly bigger peaks. Therefore, getting bigger newsboy caps will be your best bet.
The Iconic Peaky Blinders Tweed Suits, Of Course!
The period and the series consisted of some iconic pinstripe suits, traditionally made from heavy wool cloth and thick yarns. As a downside to technological advancement, suits now come in different styles because they are lighter than they were over a century ago. This can be difficult when you’re looking to dress like Thomas Shelby.
The City Overcoat
The Peaky Blinders suit has fairly basic jackets of traditional British tailoring. They have two vents at the back along with two buttons. Simultaneously, they have rather wide notch lapels. Characters also rarely wear three-button jackets with high-lapel.
These jackets resemble a heavy overcoat and are traditionally longer than the average suit. Therefore, make sure you get the right length and the right style!
The Waistcoat
Tommy Shelby wore a double breasted waistcoat with peaked lapels across, particularly in the earlier seasons. However, the seasons leading up to the final season featured the Tommy Shelby family going without the waistcoat. This matching waistcoat is color-coordinated with the trousers, pulling the look together.
The Trouser
Lastly, the trousers tend to settle on the waist rather than the hips. The front of these trousers is plain, and although the fitting is fairly generous, it’s not as baggy as those present in the three piece suits in working class origins from the era.
The Peaky Blinders Style Shirt!
The penny collar shirts observed in the series are particularly unique. Although they are mainly hidden behind the suit, the crisp white detachable collar shirt tends to stand out. If you look closely into the characters, you’ll see collarless shirts attached to detachable collars! This was common during the first world war era.
Therefore, when you hunt for these detachable collars, look for ones that are half an inch larger than your traditional shirt collar sizes. This is particularly because these are wrapped around the collarless shirts and require more space to fit perfectly.
The Tie Knot!
While discussing these extravagant and vintage three piece suits, we can’t miss out on the tie. Although this seems like an optional addition because the first few seasons didn’t feature many ties, here’s what you can do when you’re hoping to complete the look.
Look for a thin tie; these are typically ideal for stiff collars. We’d recommend making a simple knot, tightening it, and aiming for the shape of a trapezium. The Tie Bar has quite a few options, ensuring that your look seems historically accurate.
The Sturdy Boots!
While a small detail because the series doesn’t feature any close-ups of the oxford laced boots, it is crucial to the overall look. The Derby shoes were common terminology for the kind of sturdy boots we saw. These butcher-style shoes are fairly easy to find. We’d recommend finding a black or dark brown version to abide by the dress code perfectly.
The Exceptional Pocket Watch!
We can’t miss out on the key ingredient for the perfect peaky blinders look, i.e., the iconic Albert chain hanging over the waistcoat connected to a pocket watch. We’d recommend going for a vintage mechanical watch to perfect the look. For these pocket watches, flea markets may be the ideal place to go.
If you wear it without a fob, we recommend hiding the fastener within the waistcoat to avoid looking untidy. Also, if you fail to find an Albert chain, a plain thick gold or silver necklace may get the job done!
The Cigars!
The peaky blinders characters become frequent cigar smokers in the later seasons. Therefore, for accuracy, we’d recommend grabbing one just for the sake of the look. These thick brown cigars should be placed between your index and middle finger with ultimate ease.
Get the Whole Peaky Blinder Look Together!
We’d also recommend grabbing a hold of some razor blades and going for the perfect clean-shaven look to ace the overall look. Although gathering the accessories for the outfit may take quite a while, many of these options may already exist in your everyday wardrobe.
Therefore, replicate Arthur Shelby and pull off the chic peaky blinders look with confidence, grace, and utter charm. If you need complete accuracy in your replication, garrison tailors make the authentic Peaky Blinders three piece suit!
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