Elegance and chic from the Peaky Blinders series

Who doesn’t love TV series with a background story? We certainly do! Especially those with fast-paced action, engaging storyline and stylish costumes. The TV series Peaky Blinders, set in Birmingham in the 1920s, meets those criteria. Over the course of several exciting seasons of the TV series, its characters impress, above all, with the carefully thought-out stylisations in line with the style of the era. What kind if style is that? You will find out from the article!

Meet the characters from the Peaky Blinder TV series and their historical counterparts!

Peaky Blinders is a British TV series that has won numerous awards – it is worth mentioning, for example, the Irish Film & Television Academy award in 2015 for best costumes and the BAFTA award for best music and cinematography. It is set in the 1920s, in Birmingham, and the main characters are members of the Peaky Blinders gang. Their leader, Thomas Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy), is a World War I veteran and charismatic leadman fighting to gain influence in the city. Among those who stand in

his way in the subsequent seasons of the TV series are: a police inspector – Chester Campbell, a priest – John Hughes, and a leader of the Italian mafia from New York – Luca Changretta. Few people know that the Peaky Blinders gang really existed and, similarly to the group in the TV series, operated in the area of Birmingham at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The name „Peaky Blinders” became popular on a wide scale in 1890. An interesting fact is that the gang owes its name to the characteristic headwear, in which the members of the gang kept their blades to use them during clashes with the mafia and in personal affairs.

The deadly elegance of gangster Birmingham

Peaky Blinders is not only a TV series with a historical background but also a great opportunity to get to know the masculine dressing style in the 1920s and the 1930s. Let’s take the gang leader, Thomas Shelby, as an example, who, in the first season of the TV series, impresses with his impeccable, bourgeois attire – double-breasted coats, three-piece suits, vests and, of course, tweed flat caps as the most characteristic elements of the outfits of the members of the group that spreads terror in Birmingham. In the TV series, one of the most interesting stylisations is the three-piece suit of the main character – the gangster look is completed with an elegant coat and ankle-high boots. Accessories play a key role – a tweed flat cap, leather gloves and a watch on a chain. A white shirt – always buttoned up to the neck – is an indispensable element of the gang leader’s outfit. The stylisations of the other members of the gang are not less stylish. Particular attention is drawn to such elements of the outfits as: wide-leg trousers with pleats at the waist, shirts with collars, narrow ties in unnoticeable colours and vests – always matching the colour of the rest of the outfit. As far as the colour

scheme is concerned, the men’s fashion of that period, which can be perfectly seen on the screen, was dominated by grey, white, black and shades of brown.

The Peaky Blinders’ style flat cap is a stylish accessory that would make Thomas Shelby proud.

One of the most characteristic elements of the Peaky Blinders’ style is certainly a single-coloured classic flat cap with a herringbone or tartan pattern. Models similar to those worn in the UK in the 1920s and 1930s, can be found in the Peaky Blinders collection by Sterkowski. Those are the highest quality headwear made with great care and attention to the smallest detail. They are made from such materials as high-quality wool and waxed cotton. With the most demanding persons in mind, there are also caps available made of original Scottish Harris Tweed – a unique material manufactured only in the Outer Hebrides. The offer includes models similar to those worn by the members of the Peaky Blinders gang – one of such proposals is a herringbone flat cap with the top part attached to the visor, with a cotton sweatband. Sterkowski also offers more contemporary models, such as the one made of waxed cotton in a solid, maroon colour.

Contemporary stylisations in the Peaky Blinders’ style

Do you think that the classic elegance in the Peaky Blinders’ style is a type of fashion the glory of which is long gone? Nothing further from the truth! Elegance is always in – and so are stylish and original flat caps that add a flirty touch to any outfit. How to create a casual outfit straight from contemporary Birmingham? It’s easy! Combine a classic herringbone flat cap with a pair of trousers with pleats, for example checked ones, a solid colour polo shirt and trouser braces. Trainers will add a youthful touch to the stylisation. Peaky Blinders’ style elegance is also perfect for more formal occasions and business meetings. This is where the immortal suit comes in – on colder days, choose a double-breasted coat, leather gloves and a flat cap made of Harris Tweed.