Typically when one thinks of old Hollywood fashion the classics come up. The Ivy League style popularized by Paul Newman and James Caan and Clint Eastwood (yeah, seriously) — the sack suits, Bass loafers, oxford shirts. Maybe you travel back a little further and take a look at Bogie’s perfectly cut suits and trenches, the look completed with a seemingly never-ending cigarette. Maybe Errol Flynn’s perfectly slicked back hair and a proper trench coat. Or Brando and the… plain white tee.
All of them fashion icons to this day.
One maybe stands out just a neck above some of his contemporaries though. The man was able to blend between the perfect suits of Cary Grant and the relaxed OCBD’s of Paul Newman into a juggernaut of style. So much so, even, that his signature look is being replicated and popularized once again.
Gregory Peck’s acting career is nearly unmatched. His style game is similarly in the upper echelons and some of that has to do with the fact that he wore glasses. The iconic portrayal of Atticus Finch sees Peck in a pair of timeless spectacles. When worn correctly, the Peck-type of frames have never really gone out of style. But with the re-emergence of the Ivy League style and a focus on hipper eyewear, the Peck frames are huge.
So huge, in fact, that boutique eyewear company Oliver Peoples worked in collaboration with Peck’s estate to re-create that signature style from To Kill A Mockingbird. They’re tough to find, but there’s one location in Illinois that’s not in Chicago that you can pick them up — Kessler Optical.
