In these endless days of widespread lockdown, as we scratch our heads looking for something to watch on Netflix and other streaming platforms, there is one film well worth revisiting. Rear Window, naturally.
Released in the autumn of 1954, the forty-sixth feature from legendary British director Alfred Hitchcock tells the story of a man with nothing to do but stay at home. Jeff Jeffries, played here by the handsome and equally legendary James Stewart, is an adventurous photographer who, with his leg in a cast and confined to a wheelchair, spends his days looking out of the window.
Rear Window is a film about solitude and despair, about time passing slowly, about anger and fleeting enthusiasm. Above all, it is a film about voyeurism as a default pastime, as poor Jeff Jeffries occupies himself by training the very lens that usually travels the world with him onto the small lives unfolding in the apartments across his courtyard.
For all these reasons, and viruses aside, Rear Window feels remarkably pertinent today. Without obsessively spying on the neighbours opposite, James Stewart offers plenty of inspiration to make our own lockdown a little more enjoyable: his chic. Despite being confined entirely indoors and unable even to stand, the character of Jeff Jeffries manages, with undeniable panache, to look impeccably stylish day after day. A clear sign that our man refuses to let his spirits drop. In Rear Window, Jeff Jeffries elevates wearing pyjamas to the ultimate in lockdown elegance.
James Stewart offers plenty of inspiration to make our own lockdown a little more enjoyable: his chic
Over the four days across which the film unfolds, our hero appears in four different outfits of the genre. There are khaki pyjamas, then a blue pair, another blue pair, and finally, when the tension peaks (this is Hitchcock, after all, and staying by a window hardly precludes suspense), a pink pair. They are crafted in poplin, the delicate, lightweight fabric found on many of Hast formal shirts. Mr Jeffries’ pyjamas feature a wide collar, known as an Ulster collar, closely resembling that of Cuban collar shirts. Lastly, they boast three patch pockets—one on the chest and two at the waist—strongly reminiscent of those on our work jackets.
Like an aside in the middle of a film scene, it is worth noting that the elegance, comfort, and practicality of the tops worn by Jeff Jeffries resonate closely with the Hast wardrobe. This connection reflects something essential: at Hast, our passion for timeless elegance guides our quest to craft pieces that endure across eras while embracing today’s spirit. Truly timeless. But let us return to Rear Window, which is what matters here.
As the weather in the film seems particularly warm, Jeff Jeffries never fastens all five large white buttons on his top, lending him a slightly relaxed air, though none the worse for it. As for the pyjama bottoms, they feature a drawstring waist and no side pockets at all—which would be utterly useless anyway, given that Jeff Jeffries spends his entire time seated.
To add an extra touch of elegance, the character wears on his right foot—the uninjured one—a handsome black leather opera slipper, a favourite style in the mid-20th century. Laceless and without heavy stitching, it resembles a ballet dancer’s slipper, made for gliding gracefully across the living room floor.
With hair impeccably slicked back, likely finished with a light touch of pomade, and a gold-handed Swiss watch on his wrist, Jeff Jeffries is practically ready for a stroll in the park or an evening soirée.
Well beyond periods of lockdown, and suitably accessorised, pyjamas might just become the new outdoor uniform. That said, even if one mastered wearing pyjamas like Jeff Jeffries, he holds an everlasting advantage over the rest of us: Grace Kelly. Playing Lisa Fremont, she is his daily visitor and the one who truly makes his heart race far more than anything happening across the courtyard. An elegant figure herself, and certainly not in pyjamas. Every time she appears on screen, her ensembles showcase striking colours, materials, and silhouettes. To the celebrated costume designer Edith Head, Alfred Hitchcock simply requested that Grace Kelly look “like a piece of Dresden china, nearly untouchable”.