The Hail Mary Project: The Curious Curling Sweater.
For the film, the costume team took the original Mary Maxim pattern from the Canadian mail-order knitting giant that’s been going since 1956, but swapped the original wolf print for foxes, at Gosling’s request. It’s the kind of tiny, oddly specific detail that tells you everything about the curious, particular character he plays.
Amongst Gosling’s undone-genius wardrobe is an eclectic collection of science-pun tees, most of them sourced vintage. The kind of shirts usually destined for the ‘doomed for landfill’ section of the charity shop, but Gosling somehow gives them a whole new persona: nonchalant, a little weird, completely unbothered and, confusingly, very cool.
Then there’s the double-denim combo, sans belt, the epitome of science-teacher dressing. If it were a deliberate menswear choice, there’d be a leather belt, a more refined blue up top, perhaps a little more consideration involved. Not for Gosling. It’s what he knows, what he trusts, layered with his comfort knit: as synonymous with his character as the science itself.
So what can we learn from this science teachers wardrobe? Well, in the age of mass advertising and constant new product and brand, sometimes it’s easiest to cut out the noise by thinking ‘what would my character wear?’. Being informed by your own interests and comfort is always the easiest route to 1. Looking like you and 2. Defining your own taste and style.
