The British series Peaky Blinders has been known for years for outfits that radiate leadership, masculinity, and style. Do you also want to create this look? It’s easier than you think! GENTS explains in this blog how you can achieve a Peaky Blinders touch with a few essential items. So are you going for the Peaky Blinders look too? Then read on quickly and discover how you can wear the same outfits as the Shelby brothers!
Peaky Blinders is a British crime drama series set in Birmingham, England in the 20th century shortly after the end of the First World War. The series was released in 2013 and by now we are all eagerly waiting for the 6th season. Peaky Blinders is now known not only for the good plot, excellent acting, and impressive scenes. Thanks to this British series, vintage men's outfits are currently extremely popular. Do you also want to dress like the Shelby brothers? GENTS has done research and mapped out how you too can easily create the real Peaky Blinders look.
Classy with a rugged twist
As soon as the winter temperatures and rain grip our country, we look for stylish outfits that protect us from these external influences. The Peaky Blinders look is excellent for this kind of outfit. This look of the Shelby brothers can be described as a stylish translation of British style in the 1920s. For this classy style with a rugged twist, you need a few items. Without a flat cap, 3-piece suit, overcoat, worker boots, and the right accessories, you will never manage to achieve the Peaky Blinders look.
The flat cap
The first iconic item of the Shelby brothers is undoubtedly the hat they wear: the flat cap. Do not confuse this with a Newsboy cap. The front of the Newsboy cap is the same as a flat cap, but the shape of this hat is rounder and fuller than the flat cap. For an authentic Peaky Blinders look, only a flat cap made of 100% wool is good enough. Do you already have such a flat cap at home? Then you own an all-time classic to dress like the Shelby brothers.
A 3-piece suit
Besides the flat cap, you also need a specific suit for the Peaky Blinders look, namely a 3-piece suit. By a 3-piece suit, we mean a trousers, jacket and waistcoat that are coordinated. In the British series, the men of the Shelby family only appear in 3-piece suits made of tweed. Tweed was, after all, a coarse wool fabric very popular in the 1920s and ’30s.
The modern version of a 3-piece suit in Peaky Blinders style is a wool suit in gray, blue, or a color with a light check. If you are going to try on a new suit and want to dress like the Shelby brothers, make sure the trousers fit loosely and the pant legs end just above the ankles.
Shirt with round collar
In combination with a 3-piece suit, you can’t just wear any shirt to achieve the Peaky Blinders look. In the series, the Shelby men always wear a shirt with a round collar or round neck. This type of collar is also called a “club collar.” The reason for this special collar can be explained by the fashion of the 1920s and ’30s. Just after World War I, detachable collars were widely used by many gentlemen. These were collars that you could simply button onto a shirt to make the shirt look fresher. That saved a wash!
An overcoat
When you want to create the Peaky Blinders look, a solid overcoat cannot be missing from your wardrobe. This is the item that completes this classy look with a rugged twist. If you are a fan of the series, you know that the Shelby brothers appear in a long overcoat, also known as a greatcoat. coat, made of wool. Don’t have an overcoat yet? Then choose one in a dark color.
Tip from GENTS: adjust the rest of your Peaky Blinders outfit to the overcoat and not the other way around. This way it becomes easier to create the right look.
Accessories for the Peaky Blinders look
An outfit is of course only really complete with the right accessories. It's all in the details. If you want to dress like the Shelby brothers, there are a number of items that must not be missing. Of course, we at GENTS have listed these for you!
Worker boots
Under a 3-piece suit in Peaky Blinders style, absolutely no patent leather men's shoes belong. The appropriate footwear is rather worker boots. These are stylish yet functional boots that (as the name suggests) were usually worn by workers in the 1920s and '30s.
Pocket watch
Although thanks to smartphones we actually no longer need watches to tell the time, these accessories have gained a new function. A pocket watch is, for example, an excellent detail to complete your Peaky Blinders look. The chain is a stylish eye-catcher. If you look closely, you will also regularly see the Shelby brothers walking around with such a pocket watch in the waistcoat pocket.
Tie or bow tie
Although the round collar lends itself well to being worn without an accessory, for the authentic Peaky Blinders look you really need a tie or bow tie. For example, choose a crocheted tie or a bow tie with a subtle print in warm colors. Whatever you choose, make sure that the tie or bow tie matches well with the colors of the rest of your outfit.
Tip from GENTS: have you chosen a tie to complete your Peaky Blinders look? Then combine it not with a tie pin. Although in the series you occasionally see the Shelby brothers walking around with a tie pin, it actually doesn't belong. According to the etiquette the waistcoat is actually an accessory that keeps the tie in place. This makes a tie pin unnecessary.
