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FX’s The Bear gets a lot of things right. The high-octane tension of a professional kitchen, the complex pressures surrounding death and addiction, the inherent sexiness of line cooks. But the biggest win (besides a soundtrack featuring Wilco, R.E.M. and multiple plays of Refused’s “New Noise”) for the sandwich-forward drama is undoubtedly Jeremy Allen White’s portrayal of Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a tortured, tatted-up, low-key jacked, cig-blasting hunk who, on top of having an immense head of hair, happens to be the best chef in the country.
Carmy is truly the man of the moment (in clogs, no less) with appeal as instant as it is deep, a shoo-in for Twitter’s collective internet boyfriend. His do-the-right-thing attitude, coupled with acres of familial and professional trauma to work through and a lifestyle that would scare even the groddiest of college frat bros are all relatable and intriguing.
But it’s not just his story (nor his dashing dirtbag looks) that arrested viewers’ attention. The show of the summer’s costume design is notably excellent, a surprising feat considering the nature of the undertaking (i.e. the number of aprons). Under the watchful gaze of Christina Spiridakis (episode 1) and Courtney Wheeler (episodes 2-8) the garb of FX’s The Bear shines, operating as not only a prop but a tangible contribution to character development and general vibe of the Chicago-based show.
Allen White’s Bourdainian wardrobe, in particular, has drawn admiration from his adoring public and the fashion community alike. Predominantly composed of hot-debated white tees and dark work pants that look an awful lot like Dickies — probably because they are, as confirmed by Spiridakis — this calculated wardrobe is deceptively nuanced. Menswear dweebs tagged Carmy’s tight-fitting tops to the German Merz b. Schwanen and Japanese Whitesville, two relatively deep-cut labels for a cotton-spun fanatic, let alone your everyday chef.
And that’s the beauty of it all; this uniform compliments both the unfussy and often extreme demands of his profession and the abject leanings of someone intertwined with socialite scenes of San Francisco and New York. Carmy would surely have the connections, funds and wherewithal to lockdown his elite taste in tee shirts, just as he would be well versed of the ins and outs of vintage denim storage (and the going market price as converted to black market beef), such is hot coastal dirtbag chef canon.
But perhaps the best example of the CDC’s complex relationship with clothing, and also, oddly, virtually non-existent within the online menswear chatter surrounding The Bear, is the burnished checked-wool stadium jacket we see the new-found owner of “The Beef” rocking throughout the season. This jacket may look low-key, but much like the quiet competence that Carmy so expertly portrays in both his cooking and his clothing, we instantly clocked the oversized collar and perfectly cropped cut as something so much more than your ordinary off-the-rack coat.
Of course, we couldn’t live with just admiring the coat, so we decided to track it down ourselves, seasonality be damned. After some serious scouring, various timed-out sessions on foreign high-end websites and a Reddit thread confirming our suspicions, we’ve concluded that the jacket must be from Copenhagen-based label NN07, a perennial favorite of IH that dabbles in elevated basics and even know their way around an oxford shirt. Dubbed the Gael 8267 Jacket, the wool-blend layer features a yarn-dyed checkered pattern and stadium styling deserving of a James Beard, with a boxy, cropped fit that looks great on anyone, regardless of muscle definition or number of Parliament’s consumed.
Of course, not everyone can afford the Noma equivalent outwear, so we’ve identified a few substitutes that should do the trick nicely. While these alternate styles don’t crop up on the show, they certainly wouldn’t look out of place in a grimy kitchen (or chic downtown party), and while they won’t imbue you with sushi-grade knife skills, they will definitely transfer head chef levels of swag.
NN07 Gael 8267 Men’s Jacket
The Bear has been renewed for a second season, so we’re sure to get more massive menswear looks from the critically acclaimed drama. In the meantime, we’ll have to settle for “yes, chef” and “corner!” Instagram captions — oh, and a couple of new jackets — to satiate our predator-sized appetites for the menswear of FX’s The Bear.
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