Have you ever been laughed at for doing the Vice look?

[Titus]

On 3/23/2020 at 1:28 AM, mxlplk said:

Now let me say an insincere "sorry" to you as a preamble, pmconroy, and say that you don't know me so don't troll your psychoanalytic profiles about me.   First of all, why don't you read my entire post instead of just reading the first line and getting all upset and taking it personally?  If you read the entirety (I know it's long), I actually provide tips on modernizing the Miami Vice look without looking like you're going to an 80's tribute party.

But I still contend as a reply to the original poster's question in the most honest way possible:  Yes, you will be laughed at for dressing like Sonny Crockett today.  I'm sorry if you don't like that frank and honest answer.  It has nothing to do with who has confidence and who does not.  It's the facts of a judgemental world.

You don't want to hear it from me?  How about from Don Johnson, himself?  He poked fun at people copying him even back then on the June, 11, 1985 David Letterman show.  Listen at the 2:30 mark as a response to when David Letterman mentions how people are now dressing like him.

A 1986 GQ article, January 1986 with Cary Grant on the cover to be exact, said that copying someone else does not give you style.  It just makes you a sad copycat.

Unless you're cosplaying Sonny Crockett for fun, perhaps that is the person who is actually lacking confidence and trying to project themselves into a fictitious character.  Hmm?

True style is original.  True style is an expression.  I don't have to justify myself to you except to say that I actually happen to have over a dozen sport coats in my collection of modern vintage of all different styles which is probably more than the average male today: tailored, traditional cut, modern slim cut, unconstructed, lined, etc.    But I wear them for me and in my own style.  Not to cosplay Sonny Crockett.  

Yes, I love Miami Vice.  I grew up with it.  I saw the original broadcasts and even dressed in t-shirts and unconstructed sport coats when I was young and while it was still fresh and cool for about 16 months before it became hackneyed by late 1986.  It is no longer cool.  That was a point in time.   Dressing like Sonny Crockett is a painful 80's cliche and I contend, whether you like it or not, people will laugh at you and think you're a clown if you wear a white suit and pink t-shirt.  If you're comfortable with that then good on you.  Go ahead and dress like Sonny Crockett -- it's a free country.  You can dress like a 70's Vegas Elvis if you want.  Neither makes you original nor have style, however.  SORRY.

 

mxlplk, it all comes down to one question...

Who gives a sh**?

I don't. Laugh at me. Mock me. Say I'm not cool. Shout to the world how much style I lack. Call me a clown. Go ahead. Somehow... brace yourself, take a deep breath... shockingly... surprisingly... I don't give a sh**.

Which begs another question... why do you?

[timm525]

I got it at ten.

 

 

[Mr. Vigilante]

I've been laughed at or ridiculed my whole life for how I dressed, or how my hair was styled.  Family...friends...acquaintances.  I gave up caring about midway thru high school.  This was when all the guys had Eminem hair, except me.  I bought some cheap white slip-ons from Walmart years ago, mainly to wear around the house.  The few times I did wear them out I did get some Vice/Crockett comments.  I'm more of a dark colors type of guy, so pastels aren't really in my closet.  The craziest I get is my black suit with faint light blue pinstripe.  I wear a greyish blue shirt underneath.  I'd like to think it's my Season 3 look .  I'm also a metal head, so jeans and band shirts are what I'm usually in.  My Megadeth biker jacket gets a lot of wear in winter months.

[Mr. Vigilante]

14 minutes ago, timm525 said:

I got it at ten.

 

 

Awesome!!  Timmy Montana!

[timm525]

 You like my Lincoln I got from the mob back then? 

[Mr. Calderon]

I avoid to say how ridiculous a person is with a dj look. I know many ppl look ridiculous. I even dont dare to wear myself as crockett.

Its not any ppl that can wear a crockett look. Sometimes i think even dj on the pilot its kinda tacky with that white suit. But HE CAN.

 

But its okay, go ahead, be happy. I wont complain.

[Dadrian]

We may all be sporting the Darth Vader look soon the way things are going. 

[summer84]

Almost there.  Well, gloves and scarf. 

I personally think everyone, I've seen here on the site with the "Sonny Crockett look" suited them well. It didn't look outdated. 

 

[Dadrian]

1 hour ago, summer84 said:

Almost there.  Well, gloves and scarf. 

I personally think everyone, I've seen here on the site with the "Sonny Crockett look" suited them well. It didn't look outdated. 

 

Thanks Summer. I was pretty full-on in my newest video.  

 

 

Edited March 25, 2020 by Dadrian

[ame99]

On 9/9/2019 at 12:37 AM, mxlplk said:

If you have ever gotten laughed or snickered at for dressing like Sonny Crockett then, I hate to say this but, you probably deserved it!  

Now let me explain as someone who grew up in the 80's and was in the middle of the fashion frenzy back in that era.  I was there when Miami Vice fever hit in 84/85 and how you dressed defined who you were, or at least how you wanted to be perceived, more than any era before and since that time.  Not only did I watch Miami Vice obsessively but recorded it on VHS so I could re-watch what Don Johnson was wearing from week to week.  I would read GQ voraciously to see what was popular, including the ads.

If you want to collect 80's era Miami Vice suits and sport coats to feel more emotionally attached to the series you love (like how Star Trek and Star Wars fanatics collect props), or wear a white suit and a pink three button T-shirt to your fave 80's party then that's fine.  It's harmless fun.

However, to dress like Sonny Crockett as part of your daily wardrobe is just asking to be laughed at and here's why...

1. The look is too iconic.  Don Johnson cemented the sportcoat or suit with a T-shirt look to the point that it can't be worn by anyone else.  Even though 30 somewhat years has passed that look is still associated to Miami Vice.  Particularly, the unconstructed white linen sportcoat/suit.  It's associated to Sonny Crockett and Don Johnson as much as the three piece white suit is associated to John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, or the red windbreaker and white-T is to James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause.  To wear those items as the characters is inviting ridicule.  To paraphrase a quote I remember from American GQ magazine on style: Imitating someone else is not style; it's being a copycat.

2. It's anachronistic.  Nothing screams 80's then wearing an unconstructed sportcoat with a T-shirt but here's the irony: the Miami Vice look was neither invented by Miami Vice, nor was it a popular fashion trend in the 80's.  I roll my eyes everytime I see an article about fashion from the 80's from some young writer who was not even born back in the day.  One online article stated that Miami Vice popularized if not invented the look.  This is so incorrect.  The Sonny Crockett look was based upon what many rockers and pop artists were wearing back in the 80's hence "MTV cops".  Huey Lewis, Hall and Oates, Gino Vanelli, Duran Duran, and even Eddie Van Halen (red and black blazer over his famous "No Bozos' t-shirt) all wore suits and blazers over a T-shirt far before Miami Vice.  In fact, Tom Cruise wore a sport coat over a T-shirt in 1983's Risky Business along with Wayfarers.  Walter Matthau wore a sport coat and T-shirt in the 1968 film, The Odd Couple, so perhaps he should be credited with pairing the two?  Regardless, the Miami Vice style has become strongly associated with the 80's.

Moreover, not many guys wore the Miami Vice look even back in the mid-80's.  Even back then it was too much on the fringe, and too associated with Don Johnson who once made fun of people who dressed like him in an interview with David Letterman.  Most young males dressed more like the characters from John Hughes movies which more accurately depicts the fashion of the day.  Yes, I did wear the Miami Vice look briefly in 1985, complete with a three button T-shirt, but the look was considered quite hackneyed by 1986.  Young males were dressed more like how Kirk Cameron dressed in Growing Pains.  Loud, oversized shirts, oversized bomber jackets, acid washed jeans.  Or many dressed preppy in Lacoste or Polo shirts and pleated cotton pants and Sperry Topsider shoes.   Older males in the 80's gravitated more towards how Tubbs dressed with power suits. 

The exception was the oversized, unconstructed, sport coat.  Yes, they were popular during the mid 80's and beyond but not in pastel colors, nor with a T-shirt as that was, again, considered too hackneyed after it became associated with Miami Vice.  

The 80's was a fickle time.  It was full of fads and not a lot of trends lasted more than one or two years.  By 1986, Top Gun had guys dumping their Wayfarers for Ray-Ban aviators and flight jackets.

Also regarding anachronisms, the jackets worn during the mid-80's are far different from the the jackets worn today.  Wearing an old Gianni Versace sport coat bought off eBay looks as dated as wearing a leisure suit.  The sport coat and suits from the 80's, especially by Armani, and Boss, had huge shoulder pads, and large lapels, no vents, and often large arm holes which gave it a very boxy look.  The colors and patterns of many 80's sport coats are also quite dated as bold patterns are no longer popular.  Yes, you will look a bit silly going out to a bar or dinner wearing a loud, Gianni Versace sport coat from the 80's.  Sorry.

 

MIAMI VICE FASHION TODAY...

Even though Miami Vice did not invent the t-shirt and suit look, contrary to what revisionist historians think, its impact and influence is still present where men no longer restrict their wardrobe to grey, black, and blue outfits. 

My advice for anyone trying to look Miami Vice without actually looking too Miami Vice is to take one or two styling cues from Miami Vice without looking like you are copying it.

Do's.

1. Wear a modern cut sport coat to avoid looking dated.  You can find unlined, unconstructed ones that look more modern than wearing a vintage one from the 80's that look dated.  I see some posts from people asking where they could acquire loose fitting blazers and sport coats made out of shirt material like the green plaid one that the Sonny Crockett character wore in the episodes, Bought and Paid for, and Definitely Miami.  A few years ago, the Kenneth Cole Reaction line released summer blazers and jackets that were eerily similar to the that style of jacket.  They were made of very thin shirt like materials, unlined, had no padding and felt like a shirt.  You still might be able to find them on eBay.

 2. Wear a polo shirt, mock turtleneck, or a pullover sweater rather than a T-shirt.   Or, wear a tweed sport coat or blue blazer over a black t-shirt and jeans.  This way you will still look casual cool but without looking like you are copying Sonny Crockett.

 3. Choose anything other than white.  Yes, I know: you really want to emulate Sonny Crockett.  But, again, this is asking for ridicule.  Choose an off-white sport coat instead, or better yet take another color like blue (e.g. Smuggler's Blues).  It's less chiche yet still an homage to Miami Vice. 

 Don'ts.

1. Avoid wearing that 80's era Gianni Versace sport coat with bold patterns.  It may have been cool in the 80's but that's where it belongs.  Times have changed.

2. Don't do the white suit.  Again, that just screams "I'm trying to be Sonny Crockett".  No one is going to think it's cool.

3. No pastels for obvious reasons.

4. No oversized clothes.  Yes, I get it, anyone over 35 hates the new slim fit clothes including suits where the pants look like they are two sizes too small.  But oversized anything screams mid 80's.  Will oversized clothing make a comeback?  Possibly since the Nino Cerruti 1881 line recently did an homage to the 80's.  However, I would wait until it becomes more mainstream before hauling out that circa Miami Vice Hugo Boss jacket where the shoulder seam drops past your tricep!  

I find your post quite sincere and I agree the 80s DJ style cannot be perfectly replicated nowadays. Since I started watching Miami Vice I have always been amazed by DJ's  style and I consider Miami Vice, along with American Gigolo movie, what made famous Italian fashion in US. I got inspiration from the Crokett’s style  (especially season 1 and 2) to ‘build up’ some of my summer clothing having in mind that fashion has dramatically changed since the 80s.

Today people dress more casual and relaxed than in the past. From my experience in Italy (I am italian) in the right locations (e.g. Milan, Portofino, etc...) there are still people who enjoy to dress up and spend lots of money on smart clothing. I think  If you want to put on something ’wearable’ today but still MV inspired, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1) Standard jacket label shape has changed, big shoulders with lots of padding are outdated, and suits and trousers are much more slim fit nowadays

2) Pastel colours are not very popular nowadays - I could not find most of the items I wanted in the ready to wear market and surprisingly even on the bespoke side pastel hue fabrics are pretty rare. I believe it looks ridiculous to wear pastels all year round but these are still stylish in summer on a high-end seaside location.  

I found pretty difficult to get my Miami Vice inspired clothes given the current market and fashion trends. In particular I struggled to find blazers and trousers pastel coloured and with  a style close enough to my target. Therefore I decided to go bespoke where required as I had a much wider choice of material and colour.

Also, in terms of sunglasses wayfarer are still in fashion after 35 years and wearing them would not make you look like someone living in another era.

I attached a picture of myself that I took when I was in Miami this year.

 

Edited March 26, 2020 by ame99

[mxlplk]

On 3/24/2020 at 3:21 PM, Titus said:

mxlplk, it all comes down to one question...

Who gives a sh**?

I don't. Laugh at me. Mock me. Say I'm not cool. Shout to the world how much style I lack. Call me a clown. Go ahead. Somehow... brace yourself, take a deep breath... shockingly... surprisingly... I don't give a sh**.

Which begs another question... why do you?

Titus, what is the original title of this post?

Is it, "Should I Give a Sh** What Other People Wear?"  No.

The poster specifically asks, "Have you ever been laughed at for doing the vice look."

I answered specifically, frankly and honestly and by backing up my reasons but obviously a few people, including yourself, are getting defensive because I did not reply in the manner you were expecting or wanted. 

If you or others think it was a personal attack I'm sorry it was not meant in that way.  It was more as an essay or editorial about 80's fashion and general guidelines for menswear.  I don't claim to be a fashion or menswear expert but I think I know more than the average fellow on the street.  I was trying to be honest and share my knowledge of the history of menswear and having been there and maybe give advice on how to modernize the look for an homage to MV.  At least one person appreciated my response. 

Now to answer your specific question:  I don't give a sh** what you wear.  Like I said to the other person who got all upset: You can dress however you want -- It is a free country.   Nor should you give a sh** what I think if you so strongly believe that you have the confidence to wear what you want to wear.  Yet you obviously do give a sh** if it's prompting you to respond so strongly with thinly veiled expletives thrown in. 

Oh and if you are asking me if why I give a sh**  about what I wear and what other people think then the answer is YES.  I do, in fact, give a sh** what I wear and what others think because dressing appropriately - neatly and appropriately for the occassion - is part of a thing that is lacking today called etiquette and manners. 

Dressing appropriately, neatly, and not drawing attention to yourself (not underdressed, not overdressed, not outlandishly), is not just about dressing for myself but for those around me in order to be respectful.   And, like I said before, this is a judgemental world - like it or not - and we are judged by first impressions as studies say whether it is meeting someone on a first date, or for a job interview.  So, yeah, I do give a sh** what other people think if that was your question to me.  If you don't then, congratulations, I guess you are much higher in Maslow's hierarchy than I will ever be.

In summary, I apologize if feelings were hurt as that was not my intention.  However, I will not apologize for, nor retract, my original statement to the original forum post because I was answering that question specifically in the most honest and frank way possible while trying to be helpful to that poster.

Edited March 26, 2020 by mxlplk

[Jeff_Cooper]

14 hours ago, ame99 said:

I find your post quite sincere and I agree the 80s DJ style cannot be perfectly replicated nowadays. Since I started watching Miami Vice I have always been amazed by DJ's  style and I consider Miami Vice, along with American Gigolo movie, what made famous Italian fashion in US. I got inspiration from the Crokett’s style  (especially season 1 and 2) to ‘build up’ some of my summer clothing having in mind that fashion has dramatically changed since the 80s.

Today people dress more casual and relaxed than in the past. From my experience in Italy (I am italian) in the right locations (e.g. Milan, Portofino, etc...) there are still people who enjoy to dress up and spend lots of money on smart clothing. I think  If you want to put on something ’wearable’ today but still MV inspired, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1) Standard jacket label shape has changed, big shoulders with lots of padding are outdated, and suits and trousers are much more slim fit nowadays

2) Pastel colours are not very popular nowadays - I could not find most of the items I wanted in the ready to wear market and surprisingly even on the bespoke side pastel hue fabrics are pretty rare. I believe it looks ridiculous to wear pastels all year round but these are still stylish in summer on a high-end seaside location.  

I found pretty difficult to get my Miami Vice inspired clothes given the current market and fashion trends. In particular I struggled to find blazers and trousers pastel coloured and with  a style close enough to my target. Therefore I decided to go bespoke where required as I had a much wider choice of material and colour.

Also, in terms of sunglasses wayfarer are still in fashion after 35 years and wearing them would not make you look like someone living in another era.

I attached a picture of myself that I took when I was in Miami this year.

 

looking good methinks

-J

[daytona365]

On 9/9/2019 at 1:37 AM, mxlplk said:

If you have ever gotten laughed or snickered at for dressing like Sonny Crockett then, I hate to say this but, you probably deserved it!  

Now let me explain as someone who grew up in the 80's and was in the middle of the fashion frenzy back in that era.  I was there when Miami Vice fever hit in 84/85 and how you dressed defined who you were, or at least how you wanted to be perceived, more than any era before and since that time.  Not only did I watch Miami Vice obsessively but recorded it on VHS so I could re-watch what Don Johnson was wearing from week to week.  I would read GQ voraciously to see what was popular, including the ads.

If you want to collect 80's era Miami Vice suits and sport coats to feel more emotionally attached to the series you love (like how Star Trek and Star Wars fanatics collect props), or wear a white suit and a pink three button T-shirt to your fave 80's party then that's fine.  It's harmless fun.

However, to dress like Sonny Crockett as part of your daily wardrobe is just asking to be laughed at and here's why...

1. The look is too iconic.  Don Johnson cemented the sportcoat or suit with a T-shirt look to the point that it can't be worn by anyone else.  Even though 30 somewhat years has passed that look is still associated to Miami Vice.  Particularly, the unconstructed white linen sportcoat/suit.  It's associated to Sonny Crockett and Don Johnson as much as the three piece white suit is associated to John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, or the red windbreaker and white-T is to James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause.  To wear those items as the characters is inviting ridicule.  To paraphrase a quote I remember from American GQ magazine on style: Imitating someone else is not style; it's being a copycat.

2. It's anachronistic.  Nothing screams 80's then wearing an unconstructed sportcoat with a T-shirt but here's the irony: the Miami Vice look was neither invented by Miami Vice, nor was it a popular fashion trend in the 80's.  I roll my eyes everytime I see an article about fashion from the 80's from some young writer who was not even born back in the day.  One online article stated that Miami Vice popularized if not invented the look.  This is so incorrect.  The Sonny Crockett look was based upon what many rockers and pop artists were wearing back in the 80's hence "MTV cops".  Huey Lewis, Hall and Oates, Gino Vanelli, Duran Duran, and even Eddie Van Halen (red and black blazer over his famous "No Bozos' t-shirt) all wore suits and blazers over a T-shirt far before Miami Vice.  In fact, Tom Cruise wore a sport coat over a T-shirt in 1983's Risky Business along with Wayfarers.  Walter Matthau wore a sport coat and T-shirt in the 1968 film, The Odd Couple, so perhaps he should be credited with pairing the two?  Regardless, the Miami Vice style has become strongly associated with the 80's.

Moreover, not many guys wore the Miami Vice look even back in the mid-80's.  Even back then it was too much on the fringe, and too associated with Don Johnson who once made fun of people who dressed like him in an interview with David Letterman.  Most young males dressed more like the characters from John Hughes movies which more accurately depicts the fashion of the day.  Yes, I did wear the Miami Vice look briefly in 1985, complete with a three button T-shirt, but the look was considered quite hackneyed by 1986.  Young males were dressed more like how Kirk Cameron dressed in Growing Pains.  Loud, oversized shirts, oversized bomber jackets, acid washed jeans.  Or many dressed preppy in Lacoste or Polo shirts and pleated cotton pants and Sperry Topsider shoes.   Older males in the 80's gravitated more towards how Tubbs dressed with power suits. 

The exception was the oversized, unconstructed, sport coat.  Yes, they were popular during the mid 80's and beyond but not in pastel colors, nor with a T-shirt as that was, again, considered too hackneyed after it became associated with Miami Vice.  

The 80's was a fickle time.  It was full of fads and not a lot of trends lasted more than one or two years.  By 1986, Top Gun had guys dumping their Wayfarers for Ray-Ban aviators and flight jackets.

Also regarding anachronisms, the jackets worn during the mid-80's are far different from the the jackets worn today.  Wearing an old Gianni Versace sport coat bought off eBay looks as dated as wearing a leisure suit.  The sport coat and suits from the 80's, especially by Armani, and Boss, had huge shoulder pads, and large lapels, no vents, and often large arm holes which gave it a very boxy look.  The colors and patterns of many 80's sport coats are also quite dated as bold patterns are no longer popular.  Yes, you will look a bit silly going out to a bar or dinner wearing a loud, Gianni Versace sport coat from the 80's.  Sorry.

 

MIAMI VICE FASHION TODAY...

Even though Miami Vice did not invent the t-shirt and suit look, contrary to what revisionist historians think, its impact and influence is still present where men no longer restrict their wardrobe to grey, black, and blue outfits. 

My advice for anyone trying to look Miami Vice without actually looking too Miami Vice is to take one or two styling cues from Miami Vice without looking like you are copying it.

Do's.

1. Wear a modern cut sport coat to avoid looking dated.  You can find unlined, unconstructed ones that look more modern than wearing a vintage one from the 80's that look dated.  I see some posts from people asking where they could acquire loose fitting blazers and sport coats made out of shirt material like the green plaid one that the Sonny Crockett character wore in the episodes, Bought and Paid for, and Definitely Miami.  A few years ago, the Kenneth Cole Reaction line released summer blazers and jackets that were eerily similar to the that style of jacket.  They were made of very thin shirt like materials, unlined, had no padding and felt like a shirt.  You still might be able to find them on eBay.

 2. Wear a polo shirt, mock turtleneck, or a pullover sweater rather than a T-shirt.   Or, wear a tweed sport coat or blue blazer over a black t-shirt and jeans.  This way you will still look casual cool but without looking like you are copying Sonny Crockett.

 3. Choose anything other than white.  Yes, I know: you really want to emulate Sonny Crockett.  But, again, this is asking for ridicule.  Choose an off-white sport coat instead, or better yet take another color like blue (e.g. Smuggler's Blues).  It's less chiche yet still an homage to Miami Vice. 

 Don'ts.

1. Avoid wearing that 80's era Gianni Versace sport coat with bold patterns.  It may have been cool in the 80's but that's where it belongs.  Times have changed.

2. Don't do the white suit.  Again, that just screams "I'm trying to be Sonny Crockett".  No one is going to think it's cool.

3. No pastels for obvious reasons.

4. No oversized clothes.  Yes, I get it, anyone over 35 hates the new slim fit clothes including suits where the pants look like they are two sizes too small.  But oversized anything screams mid 80's.  Will oversized clothing make a comeback?  Possibly since the Nino Cerruti 1881 line recently did an homage to the 80's.  However, I would wait until it becomes more mainstream before hauling out that circa Miami Vice Hugo Boss jacket where the shoulder seam drops past your tricep!  

I agree that completely copying or wearing vintage oversized clothes from the era is dangerous grounds. Maybe with the exception of a few S3 looks that may have held up better over time. I remember someone posting a pic of a very nice gray patterned suit here that did not look outdated at all. And there are many other examples on this site who showed they can pull it off.

Actually, if someone manages to smartly migrate the style into todays fashion, it can work very well. There are still a lot of cues in today's fashion that scream Miami Vice and over the last few years I was able to buy a couple of pieces that have undoubtedly been inspired by the Sonny Crockett look and can happily be worn nowadays without drawing ridicule. And this picture from a 2019 fashion brochure will instantly remind you of Crockett and Tubbs if you grew up with the series but I don't think anyone would accuse these guys of being copycats:

Edited March 27, 2020 by daytona365

[Titus]

22 hours ago, ame99 said:

I find your post quite sincere and I agree the 80s DJ style cannot be perfectly replicated nowadays. Since I started watching Miami Vice I have always been amazed by DJ's  style and I consider Miami Vice, along with American Gigolo movie, what made famous Italian fashion in US. I got inspiration from the Crokett’s style  (especially season 1 and 2) to ‘build up’ some of my summer clothing having in mind that fashion has dramatically changed since the 80s.

Today people dress more casual and relaxed than in the past. From my experience in Italy (I am italian) in the right locations (e.g. Milan, Portofino, etc...) there are still people who enjoy to dress up and spend lots of money on smart clothing. I think  If you want to put on something ’wearable’ today but still MV inspired, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1) Standard jacket label shape has changed, big shoulders with lots of padding are outdated, and suits and trousers are much more slim fit nowadays

2) Pastel colours are not very popular nowadays - I could not find most of the items I wanted in the ready to wear market and surprisingly even on the bespoke side pastel hue fabrics are pretty rare. I believe it looks ridiculous to wear pastels all year round but these are still stylish in summer on a high-end seaside location.  

I found pretty difficult to get my Miami Vice inspired clothes given the current market and fashion trends. In particular I struggled to find blazers and trousers pastel coloured and with  a style close enough to my target. Therefore I decided to go bespoke where required as I had a much wider choice of material and colour.

Also, in terms of sunglasses wayfarer are still in fashion after 35 years and wearing them would not make you look like someone living in another era.

I attached a picture of myself that I took when I was in Miami this year.

 

Well done, @ame99!

[mxlplk]

6 hours ago, daytona365 said:

I agree that completely copying or wearing vintage oversized clothes from the era is dangerous grounds. Maybe with the exception of a few S3 looks that may have held up better over time. I remember someone posting a pic of a very nice gray patterned suit here that did not look outdated at all. And there are many other examples on this site who showed they can pull it off.

Actually, if someone manages to smartly migrate the style into todays fashion, it can work very well. There are still a lot of cues in today's fashion that scream Miami Vice and over the last few years I was able to buy a couple of pieces that have undoubtedly been inspired by the Sonny Crockett look and can happily be worn nowadays without drawing ridicule. And this picture from a 2019 fashion brochure will instantly remind you of Crockett and Tubbs if you grew up with the series but I don't think anyone would accuse these guys of being copycats:

I thank those of you who actually understood the intention of my original post and appreciated my candidness.

For you guys, I will share some other information.  

- One for the archives: By pure accident, I actually had a couple of the same pieces Don Johnson wore in Miami Vice.  One of them is the blue jacket he greeted Stone (Todd Balaban) at the airpot in the 3rd season, "Stone's War".   That jacket I can properly identify (since I owned one) as a Campagna Delle Pelli (sp?) made in Italy.  It was made of a light, crinkly cotton with a striped lining.  Oversized styling, with metal buttons including waist cinchers.  The sizing was in Italian/European so a size 52 was equivalent to a size 42 US.  Sorry, I don't have it anymore.  I gave it for charitable clothing donations long ago.  As I said, I once dressed in that style while it was popular for that time and do have nostalgic memories.

- For menswear novices wondering about the epitomized MV look of a light sportcoat, this was popularized by Giorgio Armani in the late 70's; predating Miami Vice.  If you watch the 1979 movie, American Gigolo, which catapulted Armani's reputation, you will see the Richard Gere character, "Julian" in a scene wearing an oversized, unlined/unconstructed, billowy, linen jacket years before Don Johnson would make it popular. 

[/img]  

 

3. Aside from the aforementioned Kenneth Cole Reaction line put out several years ago, one can find other modern versions of the unlined/unconstructed sport coat.  Macy's online always has them around Spring/Summer from different labels.  The difference is that today's versions are not oversized where the shoulder seam drops past the shoulder.  You may also want to look for modern keywords like "soft sportcoat", or "soft blazer", and consider ones made by brands like Five Four and other independent brands who are making sport coats out of hoodie material.  This gives a very relaxed and casual look.  Larry David wears many soft blazers on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and is an example of someone who has modernized the MV look more for today.   He looks Miami Vice without looking too Miami Vice by substituting sweatshirts.

This is exactly what I meant in my original post about how to pay an homage to Miami Vice without ripping it off wholesale and looking cliche.

 

 

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by mxlplk

[Dadrian]

I have a shiny Hugo Boss suit like the one Crockett wears in many season 3 episodes. It’s really timeless if you wear it right, and to the right place(s). 

 

Appropriately, I’m wearing it here :

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by Dadrian

[mxlplk]

And here are some examples of celebs who wore the T-shirt under a sport coat which predates Miami Vice thereby disqualifying the oft used quote, "[Miami Vice] popularized, if not invented, the "T-shirt under Armani jacket"–style ".

Duran Duran circa 1983

 

Huey Lewis's "I Want a New Drug" circa 1983

 

Tom Cruise in a publicity still and in the costume worn in "Risky Business" released 1983 (likely filmed in 1982).  T-shirt under a sport coat, cigarette, AND Ray-Ban Wayfarers before Miami Vice was even in production!

 

Even hard rocker, and legendary axeslinger, Eddie Van Halen wore unconstructed jackets over a T in his own style of course, before Don Johnson.  Kramer Guitar ad circa 1983/84.

 

And last but not least, Walter Matthau, wearing a T under a sport coat, in Neil Simon's 1968 film production of "The Odd Couple".  Yes - 1968! 

Of course, Oscar Madison's relaxed style was just a bit too ahead of its time.  Back then every dapper guy wanted to dress like Steve McQueen (Bullitt 1968) and the tweed jacket and turtleneck was a bit more fashion forward than than Oscar's T-shirt!

 

Although, Miami Vice did not invent this look, they certainly get credit for popularizing it.  Miami Vice stylists (like Jody Tillen and Bambi Breakstone) had men run out and add pink and pastels to their wardrobe among all the black, grey, and navy.

Edited March 28, 2020 by mxlplk

[Robbie C.]

Personally I always thought Vice's biggest contribution was the addition of pastels to mainstream men's fashion.

Edited March 28, 2020 by Robbie C.

[Matt5]

9 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

Personally I always through Vice's biggest contribution was the addition of pastels to mainstream men's fashion.

And what a contribution it was Robbie.

 

 

[RedDragon86]

The show certainly perfected the pastel look.The show was at least was the first to allow a guy wear t-shirt under the sports jacket, such a cool look. Even in Scarface I don't think they quite got it right, dark red shirts don't look so good with white.

 

[mxlplk]

Now might be the time to reboot the Miami Vice look.

Indications are that after many years of the fitted and slim-fit clothes trend in menswear that the industry is going towards looser fitting, oversized clothing like from the mid 80's to early 90's including suits.

https://www.apetogentleman.com/best-suit-styles-trends/

"Today – at least at the more high fashion end of the market – a suit might quite deliberately play with proportions to create a garment that’s oversized..."

[Detective_Crockett]

On 3/28/2020 at 4:09 PM, RedDragon86 said:

The show certainly perfected the pastel look.The show was at least was the first to allow a guy wear t-shirt under the sports jacket, such a cool look. Even in Scarface I don't think they quite got it right, dark red shirts don't look so good with white.

 

I always thought that  jacket was horrible. 

[Dadrian]

Sonny does wear some doozies on “Little Prince”.  

Edited March 31, 2020 by Dadrian

[RedDragon86]

I quiet like it in "Little Prince" I mean its just a simple cream colored sports jacket with light stripes. Its hardly strikingly bad to be fair.

This one is a real doozie 

 

 

[Mr. Vigilante]

Is that black pinstripe from "Lost Madonna"??  Either way, it looks like Sonny was running late that morning and grabbed the first thing he found.