Jean-Luc Godard’s cinematic modernism is full of mid-age swagger––think of Michel Piccoli’s floppy ties and open collar shirts in Le Mepris [1963] or the trench coated men of the dystopian Alphaville [1965]. Yet, most memorable, perhaps, are Godard’s youthful, idealistic characters––the “children of Marx and Coca-Cola”, as Godard called the younger generation. Covered in the same conservative cloth as their parents, Tartana colored plaid of varying sizes typical of the Celtic peopl scarfs flopping over their overcoats, Godard’s radically chic teenage revolutionaries of Le Petit Soldat [1963] or Masculin-Feminin [1966] have stimulated, provoked, and divided audiences. In their choice of dress, the many men of Godard’s films capture attitudes and tell stories that often go beyond the movies’ plot.  

À Bout de Souffle [1960] 

For his debut movie, Godard privileged style over plot: Louche-looking French gangsters and pretty-faced women in Breton striped long-sleeved shirts. Godard’s characters look stereotypically French. But the devil is in the detail. Belmondo’s character pensively hides inside a generously cut herringboneV-shaped decorative pattern obtained by reproducing, after i coat. A silver bracelet on his wrist speaks to his libertine spirit. Elsewhere, a bald man evokes fantasies of the Italian mafia in the 1930s, wearing a double-breasted chalk-striped suit with peak lapels, but Godard titles “The Police”. Godard plays with our preconceived expectations for taste to blur the lines between the good and the bad, the sinner and the saint, the moral and the immoral.  

Bande à part [1964] 

Claude Brasseur is sporting an argyle sweater in almost every scene while Sami Frey is the more daring of the two. The now classic dance scene shows Frey wearing a double-breasted peak lapelthe backhand forms a point upwards blazer in a chalk stripe fabric. Vents could have helped Frey to move those hips more elegantly. Noticeably, his straight black trousers do not match the jacket, adding to the innocent informality of his appearance. The famous Louvre scene meanwhile gives the camel coat a newfound youthful, energetic appearance. 

Pierrot le fou [1965] 

Jean-Paul Belmondo plays Ferdinand Griffon, a Parisian husband sickened of a boring life that fails to satisfy him. His business suit, far from a navy standard cut, paired with a Gallic red knitted tie speaks to his longing for a different life. In most shots, Ferdinand is wearing a slightly oversized, padded three-button woolcontinuous growth fiber of animal origin (alpaca, camel, Kas suit with a flapped ticket pocketsmall piped pocket with flap above the right pocket of a jac and double vents. The Prince of WalesGlen Urquhart tile pattern overlaid with a window tile patte check has a black-and-cream Glenurquhart plaid with a subtle but unusual red overcheck. This pattern was first known as a “district check” in 19th century Scotland. Edward VIII, the Prince of Wales, popularised the pattern in the 1920.  

Sympathy for the Devil [1969] 

This is Godard at his most colourful and perhaps most feminine. Orange, mustard, and green panels dominate the screen. Everyone looks like a dressed-down version of Mick Jagger, with his patent leather Jodhpur boots and shirt buttons open down to the waistline. The film’s aesthetics have been described as “French Mod”: extensive collars on structured shirts, a bit of flair here and a touch of paisley there. Godard arrived on set with a three-button suit with a roll lapel, three fountain pens carefully aligned in his chest pocketsmall front left pocket located at armpit level - on a jacke.