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Oct 2 - Serpico Working Titles - Revolvr

Oct 2 - Serpico Working Titles - Revolvr

David Shuck
October 02, 2024

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Working Titles - Serpico

Be inspired by Al Pacino's portrayal of Frank Serpico, an NYPD cop who defied the system to expose institutional police corruption.

William Reynolds

“The family crest is a sheepdog pissing into a gondola.”

I had no idea how to open this piece, so I thought to myself, why not kick it off with my favourite line from the movie? Honestly, I think it sets the tone just right.

Serpico was in fact my first Al Pacino movie. Yes, I have been living under a rock. And yes, if you put two and two together, that means I haven’t seen Scarface or The Godfather. But, for now, let’s focus on the gritty, intense police thriller that is Serpico.

Set in the heart of New York in the 60s, Frank (or Paco) Serpico – played by the prodigious Al Pacino – is a dewy-eyed, idealistic cop hoping to rid NY’s streets of crime, one criminal at a time. His intentions are cut short when he realizes that almost the entire force, aka his colleagues, are corrupt; willing to take bribes to look the other way. After blowing the whistle and having to deal with the real possibility of being whacked at any second, Serpico has to figure out how to bring justice to a very unjust situation.

Pacino’s performance is phenomenal, but we’re here to talk about the style. Typically I like to try and tie styles to a particular theme, whether it’s Americana, Ivy, whatever, but Frank Serpico’s wardrobe is impossible to put into a box. From cowboy-inspired vests and bucket hats to traditional African dress-inspired shirts and military wear, this film’s got it all. Let’s try to unpick it a little bit.

Rookie Serpico

Skipping over the first scene which features bellowing police sirens and an injured Serpico in the backseat of a cop car, we kick off with a fresh-faced Paco graduating from the police academy.

You know when you go to a new school or a new job and you rock up with every single piece of uniform and a polished name badge? That’s the vibe here. Trust up trench coats, shirts tucked into pants, polished shoes, no facial hair, the works. Pristine and green, just like a new graduate’s supposed to be. I’m not bashing the style, it’s just not for me. If I’m wearing a trench, I like it a little more relaxed. I guess Serpico was under the impression he’d be joining a clean force. So, so wrong.

Evolution Begins

As he gets to know the ropes, Serpico starts to cotton on that something’s not quite right with the force. And I’m not talking about Star Wars here; I’m talking about bribery. With this realization, Serpico’s style starts to evolve slightly; for the better, may I add — we start to see some personality.

First up – a killer chambray. The uneven, ripped sleeves add a sense of nonchalance to the entire look. Hard to pull off but it looks great when done correctly.

The funny thing about this movie is that you can judge how far in time the film has jumped in the narrative by the state of Serpico’s facial hair. Relatively soon into his policing career, Paco gets a transfer to the plainclothes division of the NYPD, and with that, grows one hell of a ‘stache. This is where it starts to get interesting and where Serpico’s costume designer, the late Anna Hill Johnstone, starts to get a bit spicy with the fits.

There’s a pretty classic scene that involves Serpico, his first love interest, and a now-vintage motorcycle. Serpico is wearing what looks to be a navy mac, red polo, brown bootcut trousers, and some engineer boots. Man, what a fit.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, when pulling off a fit like this, a lot of it comes down to the attitude that accompanies it. In my opinion, anyone can pull off a fit if they have the attitude to match. Serpico is a little more jaded, here, having realized what he’s got himself into with all the corruption and bribery, so naturally, the shirt is untucked, the mac is a little tatty, and the boots are dusty. But it works.

Kicking it up a notch is an undercover arrest scene that sees Serpico wearing a Lee chore jacket and hickory-stripe dungarees with a collared denim or chambray shirt layered underneath. Now, I struggle with layering. I don’t get much farther than a jacket over a plain tee. But to mix denim with denim and then slap some hickory-stripe dungarees on topic? Goodness gracious me.

An explosive scene that perfectly captures the mood, narrative, and attitude of the film is embedded below. Turns out I chose a pretty good film to see my first Pacino meltdown.

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Final Form

We get to a point in the movie where Serpico just isn’t getting anywhere with reporting the bribery and corruption to his superiors. In fact, most of his higher-ups are in on it. Everything is getting out of control: his superiors, his love interests, and his damn facial hair. We’re in full beard mode, people, and with that comes even wilder garm choices.

Here, Serpico reaches his final form – over 9,000 and then some. If this movie was shot today, he’d be dressed head to toe in Kapital; I guarantee it. It’s bucket hats, tie-dyed tees, loose pants, pirate-esque earrings-galore.

There’s one particular item of clothing that Serpico rocks like no man I’ve ever seen, and it’s the vest. There’s a bunch of them throughout, so perhaps it was fashionable to wear a vest at that particular point in time, but the variation in fabric and detailing is outrageous. From Western-style leather vests that wouldn’t look out of place in classics like Cool Hand Luke to jacquard woven waistcoats; Serpico wears it all. Amazingly, it all looks good, too.

From there on out, his style changes drastically on the daily. Some days he looks like he should be on the New York streets with a peacoat and watch cap, other times he should be in Alaska hunting deer with a buffalo plaid Filson cap and a flannel shirt.

Military and Naval Jacket Perfection

In the final scenes of the movie, we see Paco rockin’ two of the most iconic military jackets around – the M65 field jacket and the USN-style peacoat. Now, the M65 — a jacket that has been re-produced numerous times by Japanese brands like Buzz Rickson’s and The Real MCoy’s —was first issued in 1965 during the Vietnam War. Given Serpico came out in the early 70s, and the war ended in 1975, it’s likely that Serpico is wearing an original M65 issued by the US military. His field jacket is perfectly softened and worn-in, with the big, bellowing sleeves matching his equally sizeable hair and beard.

Now, onto the peacoat. The peacoat is actually one of my favorite coats ever. There’s something about the slightly longer silhouette, melton wool construction, and large lapels that give it such an edgy yet formal look. The way Serpico rocks it with a chambray shirt underneath and a watch cap just reeks of rugged refinement, all informed by staple USN garments that work so well in the civilian wardrobe.

Get the Serpico look

I think sometimes I try too hard to stick to a single style. Problem is, I love aspects of every style. I like workwear pants paired with an Ivy shirt and an Americana jacket thrown on top. Serpico mixes a bunch of styles in this movie, and I didn’t once think it looked remotely out of place. I need to take a leaf out of his book the next time I’m thinking about stepping outside the lines of a particular style convention. Way to go, Paco.

If you haven’t seen the film, get to watchin’ because there are levels of style, inspiration, and nuance that are difficult to put into words.