Style Report | The Little Black Suit

David Beckham, Will Smith, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt all have one thing in common - they look their best while wearing a black suit, white shirt, and black tie. Its a timeless combo that is the closest relative you have to the incontestable, always in vogue LBDs that your mothers, sisters, and girlfriends have in their closet. Just think about it, would Men in Black had been such a smash hit if Will Smith had worn a navy jacket and khakis? And what about Jake and Elwood Blues, their whole livelihood was dedicated to the Little Black Suit, and their visual impact would fall flat without their uniform.
The glory and blame of the Little Black Suit goes to Quentin Tarantino - who, some 16 years ago, made violence stylish. His many films—Men in Black, The Trans­porter, The Day the Earth Stood Still—all reprised the look, and without surprise a crisp white shirt paired with a well-tailor black suit is still in the moment.
"A black suit gives a man strength and anonymity," says Betsy Heimann, the costume designer who worked with the casts of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. "At the same time, it also calls your attention to him, because it's so stark—you're only looking at him, his eyes and his face." And no need to fret over the 'cool characters' who once, and still, find the Little Black Suit their uniform of choice; to pull it off you don't need to be cool, the suit will take care of that for you.