Psychological fact: if we watch a TV series for long enough, the characters can become as known to us as own real life friends. And if the actor plays that character long enough it can bleed into their own persona, blur into the edges of their personal style. John Hamm to us is Don Draper, Hugh Laurie is Dr Gregory House, and so on – unless they go to lengths to get into our heads as otherwise. In the gritty crime-laced world beneath the picturesque boardwalks of Atlantic City, Michael Pitt is Jimmy Darmody just as truly as Steve Buscemi’s Nucky is the city’s undisputed ruler.
That’s why Prada’s spring 2012 men’s campaign, starring the Boardwalk Empire actor, works so well. With his slicked back undercut and Prada’s vintage styling, our relationship isn’t with Pitt, it’s with Darmody. Pitt – the fighting stance and Gangster expressions will attest – has never left character.
Psychology aside, the styling lessons from the campaign can be summed up thus: cutesy summer prints and bright colours can be manly, too. You just need to add the right hair, the right basics, and the right frame of mind.
For more of Michael Pitt‘s campaign for Prada, click on the thumbnails above.
