“If I drive for you, you get your money. You tell me where we start, where we’re going, where we’re going afterwards. I give you five minutes when we get there. Anything happens in that five minutes and I’m yours. No matter what. Anything a minute on either side of that and you’re on your own. I don’t sit in while you’re running it down. I don’t carry a gun. I drive.” – The Driver
2011’s Drive is, perhaps, one of my all time favourite films. The soundtrack, the story, the effortless cool, and – as ever – the clothes all make this one of the most thrilling, engaging, and memorable films for years.
Ryan Gosling’s nameless protagonist cut such a swathe on film that he was instantly catapulted to icon status; the sort of plateau only occupied by the likes of Marlon Brando’s Johnny Strabler or James Dean’s Jim Stark.
Dressed in classic Americana, Gosling looks every bit the leading man. His look consists of an quilted satin souvenir jacket, worn denim jacket, slim fit jeans, off-white boots, a tight fitted henley, and a pair of brown driving gloves.
The pared down, yet high-quality outfit sported by the Driver has spawned literally hundreds of imitators yet it’s important to remember that the detail of the look can change around, yet the silhouette and texture is perhaps more important than the overall style.
The look I’ve assembled here is, essentially, very similar to the screen worn style while making the style less costumey.
Perhaps the most important detail of the look is the satin bomber from Topman. Topman has a range of similarly styled bombers, and more and more high street retailers are stocking jackets clearly inspired by Gosling’s. Naturally, there are dozens of replicas of the original jacket available anywhere from £30 to hundreds – all of varying degrees of quality. Of course, the ever impressive Magnoli Clothiers offers a really beautiful imitation of the jacket.
That said, I wouldn’t recommend wearing the scorpion embroidered replica for anything other than cosplay as the style has become so synonymous with the film that it might look a little silly wearing for day to day use.
The denim jacket sported by Gosling in the film was a Levi’s trucker jacket, but the one presented here is a Pretty Green offering which features a modern, slim styling paired with vintage inspired details.
The Driver’s favoured jeans were by Acne – these however run to quite a high cost (due in part to the connection with Drive) but these grey selvage Lee 101s in slim fit would work just as well too. The grey denim is really beautiful and I have the 101 rider jacket in the exact same fabric – I really can’t describe how great it is!
Once again, the henley has been replicated in stunning detail by Magnoli Clothiers (and one day I intend to buy one!) but for now I have a pretty decent cheap and cheerful alternative that I found on eBay. A word to the wise though, these run small, so bear that in mind!
Gosling’s screen used boots were by Stacey Adams and are now really difficult to find in the off-white seen in the film. Personally, I have a really great pair of Sanders naval officer’s dress shoes which I deliberately let get grubby and worn in to capture the same spirit as the screen used boots. Alternatively, these canvas Doc Marten’s would do a similar job, stylistically speaking while allowing a greater deal of comfort and sturdiness. The canvas construction makes for a lightweight and breathable pair of shoes while also allowing them to get good a grubby, just like the screen used boots.
The belt chosen for this look is a simple, yet distressed offering from Superdry – however, any black belt would work just as well for this look.
The Driver’s watch is a rather pricey Patek Phillipe. Though simply styled, this watch is undoubtedly beautifully made. Most people will never own such a decadent time piece so it’s perfectly wise to purchase a decent watch at a much lower price point. The one I’ve chosen for this look book, while not entirely like the screen used watch, captures the essence of the Driver’s pared down and simple style. It’s by Kapten & Son and comes with a worn brown leather band a stylish rose gold case. It also comes in two sizes in order to better suit your wrist.
Last we have the driving gloves – these are entirely optional and, personally, I’d choose to forgo them as I find them a fussy affectation that you really need to be Ryan Gosling in order to get away with. That said, if you feel confident enough to wear driving gloves, then these Dent’s gloves will work really well. It’d be a good idea to size down slightly in order to get the skin tight style that Gosling’s have!
There we have it – what do you think to this look book? Would you ever wear something inspired by Drive? Let us know in the comments and be sure to follow us on Twitter!
An Adventure With Ties In Space 