Working Titles – The Talented Mr. Ripley

Is it better to be a fake somebody or a real nobody? 

Brad Lanphear  |  May 11, 2023

It all started with a blazer, as good stories often do.We meet Mr. Ripley as he plays piano accompanying an opera singer at a rooftop party in New York City. Immediately, one of his many talents is on display. A Princeton University crest on his blazer pocket draws the attention of two guests. Mr. Greenleaf, an astoundingly wealthy shipping magnate, introduces himself and his wife as the parents of Dickie Greenleaf.As the crest indicates that our titular character must be acquainted with Dickie from their school days. Initial befuddlement is quickly displaced with charming small talk. “How is Dickie?” Tom Ripley inquires, as we first experience another, more nefarious talent. An adept talent for lying. 

A Humble Liar

Mr. Greenleaf approaches Tom about his Princeton blazer. Image via Paramount Pictures.Tom’s lie is quickly exposed to the audience as the open sequence plays out. First, we learn that the Princeton jacket was not his own, it was borrowed from an acquaintance for whom he was filling in on the piano.From there, Tom’s day job is shown to be a bathroom attendant at an opera house. A role that keeps him adjacent to the wealth and privilege he so dearly seeks while simultaneously humbling him as a mere servant to that wealth. After the show, we see Tom playing the concert piano on stage — to an empty theater. 

Obliging to Mr. Greenleaf’s request, Tom visits him at the Greenleaf shipyard.Tom wears a corduroy blazer that has clearly seen better days, with an oxford shirt and tie. His trousers are notably baggy which was a pre-war trend but by the late 1950s, when the film takes place, has been replaced by a slimmer cut.This subtle wardrobe choice indicates that Tom not only has a very limited wardrobe but the nicer items are probably second-hand. Mr. Greenleaf, by contrast, has a tailored shirt and tie that match the style of the period.  

Mr. Greenleaf at his shipyard.Mr. Greenleaf requests that Tom go to Italy and convince his son, Dickie, to come home. One thousand dollars is offered in compensation, far more money than Tom has probably ever possessed at one time, as well as taking care of all travel accommodations.Tom remarks that he would love to go to Europe, a comment that would seem out of place for most Princeton graduates at the time. This combined with Tom’s shabby attire should be a red flag that he is not a classmate of Dickie’s and certainly not someone his son would socialize with. Mr. Greenleaf either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care because Tom agrees to his offer. 

The opening sequence concludes with Tom preparing for the trip in his tiny basement apartment. We learn that the talented pianist knows nothing about jazz, Dickie’s preferred music and pastime according to his father.Here we get a glimpse into Tom’s talent for absorbing information remarkably quickly. As his social knowledge is polished, so to are his shoes and limited wardrobe. This scene sets the parallel between music and wardrobe as indicators of social status throughout the film.Tom enrobes himself in wealthy attire at every opportunity but he lets go of his passion for classical music. 

Bella Italia

Tom, Dickie, and Marge in 1950s sailing attire.

Tom steams off to Italy in pursuit of a man he has never met with his limited wardrobe and some jazz records in hand. When going through customs, he meets an heiress named Merideth who knows the Greenleafs.Taking advantage of the fact that she has never met Dickie, Tom impersonates his mark for the first time. Meredith buys it, and Tom is treated to the thrill of being one of the affluent gentlemen he has admired for so long. Meredith’s naivete is a quality Tom finds among the children of wealth who, like an animal with no natural predators, have never had cause to distrust others. 

Once he arrives in the small coastal village of Mongibello, Tom is sticking out like a schlubby American tourist. His poorly fitting navy suit, checkered short sleeve button down, and worn-out corduroy blazer are the remnants of the life he is running away from.Worst of all is the gauche neon yellow swim trunks that Tom wears to the beach when he finally tracks down Dickie. In this first meeting between the two main characters of the film, the contrast in personal style is glaring. Dickie is wearing a pair of cream-colored short swim trunks with a subtle black pattern, topped off with his signature emerald pinky ring. 

Dickie Greenleaf (left) and Freddie dancing to jazz in the streets of Rome.Dickie Greenleaf is the paradigm of late 1950s cool, draped in the hippest resort wear and suiting of the age. Though menswear has gone through many changes since then, a majority of his look has reemerged over the past decade.Stills of Dickie pop up on social media each summer to the point where he is practically an influencer. Flowy trousers, monotone linen and rayon short sleeve button-downs, and white slip-on shoes are all trending this summer. Even the boxy 1950s tailoring has a place in contemporary menswear. Shirt collars from the late 1950s were wide which complemented a fuller cut 0n both jackets and pants. Dickie tends to wear his resort shirts mostly unbuttoned which accentuates the flowy nature of the lightweight fabrics. The geometric detailing of the 1940s and early 1950s had given way to sleeker designs. 

A group of young men in Rome, displaying the full range of late 1950s Italian fashion.Men’s casual shirts were generally either solid colors with subtle textures or featured broad monotone vertical stripes. Dickie being dressed in the latest fashions (which would set the tone for the 1960s) speaks to his character’s hip mystique. A quality pulled off brilliantly by the film’s costume design. 

The Clothes Make the Man

Costume designers Gary Jones and Ann Roth earned an Academy Award nomination for The Talented Mr. Ripley. Sure, the entire cast is outfitted accurately for the period, but that isn’t very impressive. What has impressed audiences for over two decades now is the style demonstrated within that fashion which transcends time. The old saying goes something like “fashions come and go but style is eternal.”For a wardrobe set in the late 1950s and shot in the late 1990s to resonate today is a brilliant accomplishment. While Jones and Roth must have worked exhaustively to research the level of detail displayed in the film, they must have had fun putting together these fits. At the heart of the story, based on the Patricia Highsmith novel of the same name, is a man who so badly wants to be someone else — someone wealthier, cooler, more successful, accepted, and loved — that he will do anything to become that person. Tom’s transition is played out in part through his wardrobe.From the moment he meets Dickie, he wants to be with and really become Dickie. Tom is talented enough to emulate Dickie’s mannerisms, expressions, tone of voice, grooming, and even his signature. Yet it is the wardrobe that completes the transition because that takes the one thing Tom doesn’t have: money.  

Dickie making espresso in perfect shorts.In passing one day, Dickie permits Tom to borrow some of his clothes. This allowance gets carried away when Dickie walks in on Tom wearing his tuxedo, hat, and scarf while singing a show tune to himself. A line is crossed and Dickie sees Tom’s true goal for the first time. The comfort with which Tom is ingratiating himself becomes too much for Dickie.Even though Dickie has belittled Tom’s wardrobe and insisted that Tom dress better, even offering a new suit from his favorite tailor Battistoni — a real tailor that still exists in Rome. The gradual process of Tom becoming his doppelganger is off-putting, even enraging. Not long after, we see the threads of their relationship start to unravel onboard Dickie’s boat. The pair are joined by Marge and Freddie in a brilliantly laid out series of scenes that pit Dickie and Freddie against Marge and Tom. Dickie’s contrasting egotism and magnetism are laid bare as Marge admits that she knows Dickie is cheating on her despite her staying with him. She also reveals to Tom that Freddie is turning Dickie against him. Tom’s desire for Dickie and hatred for Freddie only grow deeper. 

Dickie catches Tom dancing in his clothes.Tom’s scheme appears to be thwarted soon after when Dickie receives a telegram from his father that Tom’s services will no longer be needed and no more money will be paid to him. This is clearly the out that Dickie was looking for to rid himself of this increasingly uncomfortable hanger-on.Tom implores Dickie to carry on as they have, but with Tom unable to afford la dolce vita, Dickie refuses. They’ve “had a good run”, he says, but the time has come to part ways. 

Dickie wearing the greatest outfit of the entire movie as he ends his friendship with Tom.One final adventure will be had as they visit a jazz club in San Remo. The most important part of this scene, however, is Dickie’s outfit. His navy blue wool suit – perfectly tailored in the boxy, yet sleek cut of that era – worn over a navy blue knit polo, accented with a brown Hermes belt and Dickie’s signature fedora hat. In a film laden with great fits, this one stands above the rest in terms of pizzazz.  

Dickie in a 1950s nautical coat, loose white chinos, and white deck sneakers.The train ride to San Remo reveals Tom’s true feelings to the audience. As he peers at his own reflection embracing that of a sleeping Dickie in the train window, it becomes clear that Tom is in love with Dickie. Considering the context of the 1950s, homosexual love is still repressed both socially and legally. Dickie is not gay and Tom cannot admit he is, perhaps not even to himself.In a turn that perhaps hasn't aged as well as the outfits, this repression fuels Tom’s sociopathic tendencies and contorts his romantic feelings into a need to become the object of his affection. Once they are seated at the jazz club in San Remo, Dickie reveals that he has been on to Tom’s rouse the entire time. He knows that Tom did not go to Princeton, that he doesn’t actually like jazz, and that the two men had never even met before. By this point, Tom has fully immersed himself in Dickie’s persona, the two men looking nearly identical sitting next to each other at the club in dark suits. The next day, Dickie takes Tom with him on a boat ride to scout out a new house. Once again, Tom has mirrored his outfit to Dickie. 

Tom and Dickie reach the climax of their relationship on a small boat.In the scene that turns the entire plot of the entire film, the uncomfortable acquaintances come clean with each other in no uncertain terms. Tom tells Dickie that he loves him, and that he wants to come back to Italy in a year to live with him in his new house. Dickie tells Tom that will never happen, he is going to marry Marge, and Tom will never see him again.As Dickie’s rage erupts, Tom strikes him with a boat oar in self-defense. Having killed the thing he loved the most in his otherwise loveless life, Tom is presented with the opportunity to become Dickie. Thus his metamorphosis is complete. 

Gatto e Topo

Tom and Marge scooting through Rome, with Tom in Gucci loafers.The second act of the film plays out in a pretty cliche cat-and-mouse game as Italian police close in on Tom. Having taken all of Dickie’s possessions, accessed his bank account through forged signatures, and checked into a hotel using a forged passport, Tom is now living as Dickie in Rome.To cover his tracks, he checks into another hotel as Tom and sends correspondence between the two men at each hotel. All is going well, Tom is living the life he always wanted, until Freddie comes looking for Dickie. 

Freddie in his club jacket and tartan scarf.When Freddie finds Dickie’s apartment in Rome and finds Tom there, all his old suspicions come back. The two verbally spar, while Freddie is decked out in timeless New England prep, highlighted by a tartan wool scarf draped over a gold button club jacket.Freddie’s inquisition is thwarted until he encounters the landlady on his way out. She calls to Dickie while looking at Tom. The camera cuts to Freddie’s facial expression revealing that the entire scheme has now come unraveled in his mind. Freddie returns to the apartment to confront Tom but is immediately bludgeoned to death with a marble bust. Tom has now killed once to secure the life he wanted and again to protect it. Freddie is dispatched but Tom remains tangled up in a social web of Dickie’s friends and acquaintances in Italy. As he interacts with all of them, playing both parts, and the police are closing in, he sees the only way out is to fake Dickie’s suicide. So Tom forges a suicide note and runs off to Venice. 

Mr. Ripley

Tom with Meredith in Rome.Once he is in Venice, in possession of Dickie’s money and finery but living as himself, Tom begins to revert back to pieces of his old wardrobe. The shoddy corduroy blazers come out and Tom goes back to parting his hair the way he did before becoming Dickie.Yet this is a much more refined Tom than the one that we met at the beginning of the film. He wears darker, better-fitting clothing. Access to the Greenleaf fortune has afforded him the style he gleaned from Dickie. The third act of the film displays Tom as himself in the way he always imagined he could be. Peter joins up with Tom in Venice and helps him clear his name with the police who still suspect Tom in the deaths of both Dickie and Freddie. All the affection that Tom placed on Dickie in the first act is now on Peter in the third. The difference now being that Peter views Tom as an equal. As it turns out, Peter also has feelings for Tom. Having spent some time as himself, Tom begins to take on the persona of Peter. 

Peter in a black turtleneck and navy peak lapel jacket.Mr. Greenleaf travels to Venice with a private detective in search of his son. Marge is with them and leads them to Tom. After finding Dickie’s belongings, including his signature pinky ring, she is convinced that Tom killed Dickie.Once again Tom is trapped.The climax of the film plays out with Tom using all the talents at his disposal and a bit of luck to extract a great sum of money from Mr. Greenleaf as well as an exoneration for both murders from everyone except Marge. He is now an independently wealthy man free to do as he pleases — and he is dressed the part.   

To be Dickie

Dickie in the perfect summer shirt.The timeless appeal of the style in The Talented Mr. Ripley all begins with Dickie. Sure, Freddie and Peter have excellent style but everyone who sees the film wants to dress like Dickie. Just as Tom becomes infatuated with Dickie’s style, so too does the audience.Jude Law is a handsome man to begin with, but baked in the Mediterranean sun and outfitted in the chicest 1950’s resort wear, he is irresistibly cool. Everything he wears looks comfortable because he looks so comfortable in it. Yet, it is all proper clothing like slacks and button-downs. The talent is how comfortable Jude, and therefore Dickie, is in his own skin. The clothing is just window dressing. It is deceptively easy to believe that one can simply put on Dickie’s clothes and inhabit Dickie’s vibe. When the reality is far from being that simple. Matt Damon’s Mr. Ripley is indeed talented because he pulls off Dickie’s vibe at face value. It is all an act though, when pushed at the end of the film, Tom is still Tom. You can wear Dickie’s nice things and emulate his grooming and mannerisms, even forge his signature, but that charisma is far more elusive.That said, the clothes and accessories are a good start. 

Steal the looks, just like Mr. Ripley

Brooklyn Tailors BKT14 Relaxed Shirt in Cotton Silk, $235 from Brooklyn Tailors.

The Real McCoy’s Skipper Shirt, available for $277 at Clutch Cafe.

Percival Adaman Breeze Shirt, available for $195 from Percival.

Grant Stone Traveler Penny in Black Calf, available for $312 from Grant Stone.

Todd Snyder Italian Linen Gurkha Trousers, available for $298 from Todd Snyder.

Brunello Cucinelli Slim-Fit Linen and Cotton-Blend Twill Suit Jacket, $3,395 from Mr. Porter.

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