There are few film characters as well-dressed as Thomas Crown, the
dandy tycoon who crafts an intricate bank robbery, brought to life by Steve
McQueen in the 1968 retro classic, The Thomas Crown Affair. McQueen, was
dressed for the film by Manhattan fashion retailer, Danny Zarem.
Not the most prolific Hollywood costume designer, Zarem was
credited with establishing the casual look for men in America in the1960s. As
vice president of Bonwit Teller, he
introduced the men’s fashion department to the handmade suede clothing of
Pierre Cardin. All of a sudden Wall
Street and other men about town began to wear casual jackets to work and the
places to be seen around the city.
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| Pierre Cardin |
When Cardin’s longtime partner, Andre Oliver opened up a boutique
on East 57th street, Zarem left Bonwits to move in and make Oliver’s “Le Sweater” a must-have
for upper east siders such as Lauren Bacall, Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis. The cable-knit, baby-wool sweater was originally crafted for
men, but quickly became unisex and available in a multitude of bright colors.
Shortly after being voted to Vanity Fair’s International Best
Dressed Men’s List in 1978, Andy Warhol photographed Zarem and Cardin for a
famous 1980 picture.
Danny Zarem died in New York in 2013 at the age of 86. His unique and strategic influence on men's fashion via Hollywood and Manhattan in the 1960s and 1970s makes him a quintessential gentleman.
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