The popularity of the Peaky Blinders television series has inspired a massive resurgence in 1920s and ’30s menswear. In this article, you’ll learn how to adapt the gang’s iconic look within the confines of the Classic Style so that you don’t look dated or like a Tommy Shelby cosplayer.
Table of Contents
- How Peaky Blinders Style Sparked a Classic Menswear Renaissance You Can Join In
- The Historical Peaky Blinders
- Historical Fashion Trends When Peaky Blinders is Set
- How Characters Dress on the Peaky Blinders Television Series
- How to Dress like the Characters from The Peaky Blinders
- How to Dress Like Tommy Shelby
- How to Dress Like Luca Changretta
- How to Dress Like Michael Gray
- Conclusion
How Peaky Blinders Style Sparked a Classic Menswear Renaissance You Can Join In
Peaky Blinders Style Spans the Early 20th Century
Over its six seasons, fans of Peaky Blinders have been taken on a sartorial journey that stretches from the fashions of the Roaring Twenties, through the Great Depression, to the eve of World War II. As the series has progressed, lapels have gotten wider, suit patterns have gotten bolder, and most of the characters have finally transitioned from avoiding neckwear to regularly wearing ties.
While the show has been running, it has inspired many fashion trends that harken back to the early 20th century. These include the Prohibition high & tight hairstyle, dress boots, and even newsboy and flat caps, the signature feature of the Peaky Blinders gang.
Why the Peaky Blinders Look Still Works Today
The Peaky Blinders are particularly suited for inspiring contemporary styling because their style avoids many of the flashier and more ostentatious elements of early 20th century fashion as is indicative of the Classic Style. Their understated monochromatic color palette, judicious use of subtle textures, and utility-focused accessories are distinctly appealing to gentlemen today because the look is so timeless.
So let’s take a deeper look at the history behind the gang, menswear developments during this time, the style of the Peaky Blinders, and how you can replicate their look.
The Historical Peaky Blinders
How Street Gangs like the Peaky Blinders Used Menswear
Throughout history, street gangs have required subtle ways to distinguish themselves from friends and foes without obviously indicating their criminal inclinations to the authorities. Subtle variations in clothing were, and remain, a common identification tactic for street gangs.
The historical Peaky Blinders, operating in Birmingham, England from the late 1880s to the early late 1910s, were known for their style, which included expensive ties, prominent brass buttons on their jackets, bell-bottoms, and their eponymous peaked caps, from which they derived their name. Thanks to these markers, the Peaky Blinders became identifiable for their style in the slums of Birmingham.
How the Peaky Blinders Got Their Name: Myths and Reality
In the fictional world of the television series, the Peaky Blinders derived their name from the practice of sewing disposable razor blades into the peaks of their caps. During a brawl, gang members could wield their hats like weapons, or head-butt opponents to cut their faces, causing their own blood to blind them.
It’s true, the real Peaky Blinders were distinguished by their peaked caps, but disposable razor blades weren’t even marketed until 1903, and so they could not have played a role in the naming of the real Peaky Blinder gang.
In reality, while the term “Peaky” clearly refers to the gang’s headgear, the term “Blinders” likely refers to a slang term for someone who dressed in such a brilliant and ostentatious way that he appeared to be blinding. Thus, “Peaky Blinders” means, effectively “Peaked Cap Wearing Flashy Dressers,” which seems like a very fitting name for this gang.
How Gangsters in the 1920s and ’30s Really Dressed
Historical resources like archival records and period photographs allow us to see how criminals in the early 20th century actually dressed. The increasing use of photographs at this time, especially for mug shots, offers an unprecedented glimpse into the clothing men really wore.
Sydney Living Museums has made available a remarkable collection of mug shots culled from the archives of Australian police agents. These images document exactly what men who encountered law enforcement were wearing after being arrested, before attending court, and while being sent to prison.
While you may not want to take life lessons from these men, there is no reason you cannot employ some of their style cues.
Historical Gang Style
Five Points Gang
The Five Points Gang operated in New York City during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were known for their expensive suits, cut looser to hide weapons, and their broad-brimmed hats. Members of the gang can be seen here in this photograph from the early 20th century. Image via Wikimedia
Learn more about the style of real-life gangster Al Capone!
Historical Fashion Trends When Peaky Blinders is Set
The Style of the 1920s: Classic Menswear is Born
In retrospect, the style of the 1920s was special because it represents an important inflection point in men’s fashion history. By the time the decade was running out, fashion had nearly completely transitioned away from stiff, Victorian styles and into the modern era.
Looser Cuts, Tailored Drapes, and More Variety as the Modern Suit Takes Shape
By the middle of the 1920s the tailcoat had all but disappeared for everyday wear, and suits were tailored with a loose, draped cut that elongated the legs, compressed the waist and emphasized the shoulders. With a more pronounced fit in the body, suits emphasized an inverted v silhouette that would dominate menswear for most of the 20th century.
Waistcoats remained popular, and pointed tips were coming into style for single-breasted models. The three piece suit was no longer effectively mandatory, however, and suits could generally be found in a great variety of colors, patterns, and textures than in previous decades.
Capture the timeless whimsy of the 1920s with a boutonniere that won’t wilt
The Style of the 1930s: Classic Menswear is Perfected
When the Peaky Blinders series enters the 1930s, it enters fully into the Golden Age of Menswear, a seminal and definitive moment in the development of modern Classic menswear.
Big and Bolder: ’20s Suits Evolve into ’30s Suits
In general, Twenties and Thirties suits are distinguished primarily by their breadth. Lapels are wide, cuts are fuller, and there is generally more padding. Fabric choices were also more plush, giving clothing a fuller look, and there was less waist suppression, although the inverted v silhouette remained very popular.
The Thirties also saw a rise in bold garment patterns, such as checks and plaid, and this reality is reflected in the slow introduction of more varied patterns into the wardrobes of Peaky Blinders characters as the series progresses.
The Coming Ascendancy of Breadth in Menswear: Double-Breasted Suits and Pleated Trousers
As one might expect, the greater emphasis placed on fullness led to the primacy of double-breasted garments, both waistcoats and jackets. Pleated trousers were also extremely common. Both of these trends would persist through the Thirties, although waistcoats, while still seen, were not as ubiquitous as they had been in the Twenties, and detachable collars and day boots were also falling out of favor.
Add vibrant color and plush textures with 1930s-inspired pocket squares
Olive Green Egyptian Art Deco Pocket Square
Reversible Yellow Madder Silk Pocket Square with Pheasants
Wine Red Silk Wool Pocket Square with Rabbits
Wearing the Peaky Blinders Style Today
Even though nearly 100 years have passed, almost every element of the typical 1920’s and 30’s (and the Blinder’s) wardrobe is wearable today – save for the starched, detachable shirt collars, and the Albert watch chains.
How Characters Dress on the Peaky Blinders Television Series
The Basic Uniform: A Study in Working-Class Exceptionalism
Tommy Shelby, his brothers, and his crew all wear a uniform based on a three-piece suit, oxford laced boots, a newsboy cap, a detachable collar shirt, and a heavy overcoat. This look is explicitly drawn from what working-class Englishmen wore at the time.
Fabrics and Materials: Muted Colors, Heavy Cloth
For most of the early seasons, the members of the Peaky Blinders limited themselves to dark-colored, relatively plain garments, although their suits and coats occasionally have unusual textures or unique weaves.
As the seasons progress, the Peaky Blinders evolve past solids and into the prints and stripes that will dominate the 1930s. Suit material, however, remains functional, heavy-weight wool, an ideal fabric for the regular wear-and-tear of early 20th century life and to handle the especially rough lives of the Peaky Blinders.
You should note that a variety of subtle texture and weave variations can imbue considerable visual interest into muted-tone fabrics, so do not feel that imitating the more suppressed wardrobes of the Peaky Blinders will consign you to dull outfits.
The Peaky Blinders Namesake: The Peaked Cap
Newsboy caps are the symbol of their gang, so even when the Peaky Blinders can afford to buy expensive fur felt hats that the rich wear, they choose to keep their caps. By intentionally preferring this working-class headgear over more respectable hats, like the bowler or, later in the series, the fedora, the Peaky Blinders incorporate a signature style of the ’20s and ’30s directly into their gang’s identity. Keep individual identity and expression in mind if you would like to make headgear a signature component of your personal style.
Detachable Collars and Neckwear: Practical Dressing and Class Considerations
Because of heavy air pollution and sometimes irregular bathing schedules, shirt collars and cuffs, which were very easy to soil, were detachable for most of menswear history, so that they could be easily washed or replaced.
Detachable collars were also expensive, however, so the secondary characters of lower means in Peaky Blinders often wear shirts without the collar. Conversely, many characters wear collars, but no neckwear, either symbolically or due to financial necessity.
This neckwear-less look, with a prominent brass or gold collar stud visible, became a hallmark of the style of the Peaky Blinders series, but as we will discuss below, we do not recommend imitating this exact look today. Even in the series, more characters eventually start wearing neckwear regularly.
Accessories: Accenting Excess
Early in the series, the Peaky Blinders primarily wear gold pocket watches with single Albert chains, tie bars, and rings. Tie bars remain a popular accessory to this day that add vintage flair, but unless you favor a more antique appearance, pocket watches and chains are best reserved for only the most formal day wear.
As the seasons, and fashion, progress, the Peaky Blinders add more jewelry to their ensembles, especially in the form of collar jewelry. Collar pins and bars are especially prominent. Accessories like these are a subtle way to reflect the Peaky Blinders style without appearing dated.
These jewelry accessories are often made from gold and serve as noticeable counterpoints to the more somber pieces which constitute the majority of the Peaky Blinders ensembles.
Blending in While Standing Out: The Peaky Blinders and Formal Wear
Primarily in later episodes, Tommy and his family members can often be glimpsed in Black Tie under very specific circ*mstances. But just as often, Tommy and the Peaky Blinders make choices that openly flout class conventions of the time, such as wearing black gloves, rather than the more popular lighter colored gloves, as a personal style choice.
Similarly, for his daytime wedding, a man of Tommy Shelby’s status would be expected to wear a morning ensemble, but he instead opts for a “Sunday best” approach, reflecting his working class origins on one of the most important days of his life.
Now, as a general rule, we encourage you to follow understood dress codes, but in all but the most formal situations, there is usually some room for creativity and personal expression.
How to Dress like the Characters from The Peaky Blinders
Dressing like Shelby or any other member of his faction is far easier than some of the bolder suits and outfits worn by other Gentlemen of Style we’ve covered like Harvey Specter, Hannibal, and even the cast of Downton Abbey. Though the look is suit-heavy in it’s original form, the individual elements can be paired with more modern garments for a more wearable and versatile look.
Pair Neutral Tweed or Flannel with Faint Patterns
Forget having to coordinate colors, the Peaky Blinders are all about monochrome attire. Pair gray, navy and brown three-piece suits with vintage stripes, houndstooth, faint windowpanes, and thick glen checks.
Make his style work for you
Ben Younger
As an army intelligence officer and veteran of the cavalry, Ben Younger appreciates the utility of new ways of thinking and new technologies. Perhaps that is why he is one of the first characters in Peaky Blinders to start wearing a wrist watch, a relatively new way to keep time in the early 20th century. If the pocket watches favored by the Peaky Blinders are not your style, consider a classic dress watch with a leather band. Image credit: BBC.
Add a Heavy Overcoat
Tommy Shelby loves to wear a black single breasted overcoat made of heavy wool cloth, a black velvet half collar, and peaked lapels. It’s similar to a chesterfield, but it lacks the notched lapels. Stylistically, this city overcoat does not work at all with a tweed suit, but Shelby is a villain who intentionally ignores the finer conventions of personal style, and his combinations are a reflection of that.
Assuming that you want to emulate his look while working within the confines of Classic Style, however, we suggest choosing gray, brown or navy rather than somber black. We have also found that a covert coat will also be a more unique choice that also proves to be more versatile.
Accessorize with a Tweed Cap
The Shelbys prefer a newsboy and flat caps that were known as a working man’s hat. Today, these hats remain quite stylish and are worn year round in various colors, styles and materials. Hence, the first hallmark of a Shelby is the tweed cap either in herringbone Harris tweed or a grey Donegal tweed.
This style of hat is perfect for fall, winter and spring, especially as an althernative to the hair-crushing, boringly ubiquitous beanie.
Opt for Winchester or Solid White Shirts
As far as shirts go, you sometimes see a white dress shirt with single cuffs for cufflinks and a stiff, starched, white detachable collar. However, you can see the Shelbys more often in all sorts of striped shirts. Although difficult to find these days, British legal outfitters still carry these fancy striped shirts for detachable collars, and since it is such a unique item, you definitely have to get one of those. A shirt with an attached collar simply has a very different look and won’t suffice.
Make his style work for you
Charles Sabini
Oozing Mediterranean style, Italian mobster Charles Sabini rivals the Peaky Blinders in the streets of London and in dress, adopting a flashy, colorful look that is almost the antithesis of the Peaky Blinders uniform. That being said, he understands the utility of a boutonniere when adding color and texture to an outfit. To keep within the Classic style, however, you’ll want to avoid the oversized flowers favored by Sabini. You will also need to do decide whether a real or fake flower is best for you. Image credit: BBC.
Add Black, Laced Boots
A pair of black above-ankle length captoe oxford style boots in black with leather soles are an absolute must for a Peaky Blinders outfit. Make sure they are not spit polished but rugged with some patina and a bit of dirt if you want to recreate the authentic look.
Accessorize with Ties & Bow Ties
Arthur Shelby sometimes wears finely printed bow ties made of English silk. Throughout the series, Tommy regularly wears a tie. In the early seasons, he wears solid grenadine ties, knit ties, and solid silks. In later seasons, he started wearing the large neats that became popular in the 1930s. Even though it is Peaky Blinders style to wear three-piece suit without neckwear, it will often make you look too unusual or like a Tommy Shelby cosplayer nowadays, so we instead recommend you wear neckwear that harkens back to the classic style of the early 20th century.
Make his style work for you
Arthur Shelby
While he may be prone to tantrums and childish rage, we do have to commend Arthur Shelby for being the only Shelby brother to regularly wear neckwear, especially in the show’s early seasons. His bow ties are a signature feature of his look, although he does not always wear them with grace and style. To ensure that you look your best in a bow tie, take advantage of our Definitive Guide to Bow Ties. Image credit: BBC.
Consider the Peaky Blinders haircut
Many people assume that the undercut haircuts sported by the members of the Peaky Blinders are historically inaccurate. But in fact, as illustrated by the images above, this haircut was relatively common during the early 20th century and was likely favored because it was relatively easy to cut as well as to style. If you think that this hair cut might work for you, see our video on how best to style it.
How to Dress Like Tommy Shelby
Tommy Shelby, played brilliantly by Cillian Murphy, is the stylish, yet muted kingpin of Birmingham. Even though he sticks with the Peaky Blinders uniform, his look is differentiated in several ways. He is typically the only male character who wears an overcoat with a black velvet half collar. His high-and-tight is swept forward over his forehead, rather than back like the rest of his gang.
“Oh, I don’t pay for suits. My suits are on the house or the house burns down.”
Tommy Shelby
Tommy occasionally wears pinstripes or formal ensembles, but in general he doesn’t need to use his clothes to project authority when his actions do it so clearly. In the early seasons, Tommy’s most typical look includes the detachable collar, three-piece tweed, and no neckwear. Tommy eventually evolves to wear more neckwear, most notably knit ties, tone-on-tone ties, and eventually the stripes and neats that would become popular in the ’30s.
Quick Tips for Tommy Shelby’s Style
- Focus on dark and earth-tones that complement your natural coloring.
- Derive visual interest through textures.
- Invest in simple garments made from exceptional materials.
- Wear tone-on-tone neckwear.
- Rely on jewelry to add color and unique texture to your ensembles.
- Ensure that you wear your clothes with confidence by finding the perfect fit.
- Consider breaking a few style rules to set yourself apart, like mixing unusual textures.
Accessorize like Tommy Shelby
Add character to boots with muted but vibrant socks
Rose-gold cufflinks give an antique luster to jewelry
A navy knit tie requires no pretension to make a statement
How to Dress Like Luca Changretta
Italian-American mafioso Luca Changretta, portrayed by Adrien Brody, comes to England seeking revenge, and brings with him a healthy dose of trendy American styles and flashy gangster bravado. Changretta embraces the new turndown collar, the Fedora hat, bold pinstriped double-breasted suits, brighter colors such as blue and red, and jewelry such as cuff links and multiple rings on each hand.
“I have a tailor in New York City. Look: Fenacci. Italian. He’s my uncle. He makes suits in a basem*nt in Mott Street. He is my uncle, so every stitch is stitched with blood. I heard you dress well, Mr. Shelby. But now I see, not so well as me.”
Lucca Changretta
In many ways, Changretta is the sartorial opposite of the Peaky Blinders, but his look is still indicative of Classic menswear, although some aspects of his dress are not as timeless. Overall, his look will serve you well if you enjoy mixing dandy flair with vintage flash. if you’d like to employ his style, consider and Of course, Changretta’s propensity for is a style cue you can easily employ today, as well as his double-breasted jackets and pleated trousers. Other aspects of Changretta’s outfits, like his spear collars, may have been trendy in the 1930s, but nowadays they will add a distinctly vintage feel to your ensemble. Likewise, his taste in is exuberant, even by modern standards.
Quick Tips for Luca Changretta’s Style
- Plan outfits with more than three colors to really stand out in a crowd.
- Favor ties with unique or unusual patterns and color combinations.
- Add a fedora to your ensemble and a luxurious overcoat.
- Experiment with double-breasted suits and waistcoats.
- Consider overt vintage touches like spear collars.
- Determine if jewelry like rings or cufflinks will suit your personal style.
Accessorize like Luca Changretta
A boutonniere is a timeless source of class and color
Avoid the Black Hand with burgundy gloves
Keep out the chill with a classically inspired timeless scarf
How to Dress Like Michael Gray
Michael Gray, played by Finn Cole, is a cousin of the Shelbys whose ambition is matched only by his expensive taste in clothes. Early in the seasons, Michael follows the lead of his cousins with his dress, although he always favored more luxurious fabrics, more colorful designs, and more unusual patterns.
“I’m gonna get better slowly. But you need to get better fast.”
Michael Gray
After spending time in America during the height of the Roaring Twenties, and with likely input from his wife, Gina, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, Michael adopts more fashion-forward dress. He was clearly influenced by the trends hitting the United States and continuing to innovate menswear despite the crushing weight of the Great Depression. His outfits in this period often feature exuberant silk ties, luxurious materials like camel hair, and brighter colors, as well as interesting shades of earth tones. Finally, Michael doesn’t shy away from Black Tie like some of his fellows, and always executes it with verve and panache.
Quick Tips for Michael Gray’s Style
- Consider fabrics with heavier drapes and padding to build out your silhouette.
- Also favor fabrics that are soft and luxurious.
- Dress in multiple shades of one color, like tans or blues.
- Add unexpected color with gloves and socks.
- Invest in quality Black Tie accessories that make it clear you know the dress code well.
Accessorize like Michael Gray
Master the intricacies of Black Tie with the perfect black tie
Capture the decadence of the 1930s with a plush pocket square
Get all of the details right with a grosgrain cumme*rbund
Conclusion
The Peaky Blinders and their leader Tommy Shelby are not the kind of men worth idolizing; they were the opposite of gentlemen. They are, however, icons of British gangster style on the small screen, and they certainly are much better dressed than the average man on the street today. They remind of us of the visual power and influence of the styles of the 20’s and early 30’s, which are the basis of most modern men’s fashions. Even if you have no intent of replicating the Blinder’s style, there is no denying they are an incredible source of vintage-cool inspiration.
If you enjoyed this piece, make sure to check out our other TV-series and movie clothes reviews.
