“I live in the American Gardens Building on West 81st Street on the 11th floor. My name is Patrick Bateman. I'm 27 years old. I believe in taking care of myself, and a balanced diet and a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the ice pack I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial masque which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion. There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman. Some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me. Only an entity. Something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours, and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable, I simply am not there.”

 

Ah... Lines beautiful enough to bring tears of joy to the eyes of all narcissistic nihilists. Patrick Bateman’s opening monologue in the film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's classic American Psycho(2000) not only offers insight into his state of mind, but also contains genuinely helpful hygiene advice. Thanks, Bret! (McDermott gives me high-five! [If you have to ask, you’ll never know]) Today’s article will ignore Bateman’s analysis of various musical acts (Genesis, Huey Lewis & The News, and Witney Houston), his obsession with the increasingly surreal Patty Winters Show, his twenty litres of Evian water a day, and even Bryce’s / Price’s (or is it Halberstram’s...? No, it’s definitely McDermott's…) eternal bum counting, and focus on the film’s costumes. Welcome to a new series here at Maximilian Mogg, Silver Screen Revisited. In this series, we aim to analyse the costumes of particularly stylish film classics, all while trying not to spoil the ending! (‘Rosebud’ is a sled, for anyone wondering.)

 

Bateman in the film

 With any cinematic adaptation, we must recognise and acknowledge the differences between the original text and its cinematic offspring. Therefore, let us clarify right now that our subject is the cinematic Bateman. He is a textbook narcissist with a penchant for sadism to the nth degree. He is handsome, although this doesn’t prevent him from being mistaken for other bankers on Wall Street in the 1980s by various characters throughout the film (this is probably related to the fact that almost everyone went to the same school, goes to the same barber, and wears redwood-framed glasses by Oliver Peoples, although Bateman's are non-subscription, of course). A typical day for Bateman consists of very little work (his father basically owns the bank), the occasional crossword puzzle, lots of shiatsu massage, visits to tanning salons, manicures and pedicures, trips to the barber’s, absurd amounts of working out, the occasional crossword puzzle, lunches, dinners, listening to music, renting videotapes, having drinks, going to parties and taking coke, and contacting various escort services (“And I cannot stress this too often: Blonde!"). Am I forgetting anything? Oh, yes... he is also a brutal serial killer. However, thankfully for those of us who abhor violence, he balances out the evil of his murderous tendencies by wearing timeless menswear throughout the film. However, while admiring his clothing, don’t give in to the temptation to touch it. “Your compliment was sufficient!”.

Bateman’s new clothes

 In short, Bateman is a slightly over-groomed, sadistic yuppie. However, what does a banker / murderer wear? "I work in Murders & Executions." The costume designer, Isis Mussenden, dressed him excellently, there is no doubt.  However, Bret Easton Ellis must take a lot of credit for his detailed descriptions of clothing (as well as slightly less credit for ruining my piece of mind with his detailed descriptions of gruesome, often sexual, violence) throughout the novel. Ellis has Bateman wear (amongst others) Brooks Brothers, Valentino, Armani, Agnes B., Paul Stuart, Allan Flusser, Hugo Boss and none other than Edward Sexton. The costumes for the film, however, were made by Cerruti and they really grasp the spirit of clothing in New York in the 1980s. Cerruti was able to fall back on an extraordinary archive of cuts, styles, and making techniques to achieve this look. There is actually a nod to Cerruti’s involvement in the costumes in the final product; Bateman’s blood-smeared bed sheets are named as being by Cerruti. Now that we’ve analysed who dressed Bateman, we’re going to take a closer look at just what he actually wears and why. Bateman is almost wildly insecure and uses his flawless appearance to hide the darkness in his mind. As such, Bateman’s clothing must fulfil three key tasks. Firstly, it should help him achieve his ultimate goal of being accepted. "I want to fit in!". Secondly, it should show his status and his family heritage. Finally, it should immediately communicate power and aloofness. To point 1: Suit fabrics and colours are consistently ultra-conservative. The only splashes of colour are provided by the occasional striped shirt (with white collar and cuffs), multicoloured tie, or flashy braces. In the office, Bateman wears grey and blue suits. He is even seen wearing a dinner suit in the evening.To point 2: Styling is conservative and not overly fashionable (although undeniably products of the 1980s, more on this in point 3). This transmits the idea of established money and also of the young professional.To point 3: Suits in the 1980s were characterised by an extremely low button stance, trousers cut wide through the leg, and hard (almost exaggerated) shoulder pads (at the time, with regards to shoulders, it was hip to be square). While this admittedly looks somewhat cartoonish by modern standards, when skilfully done, it achieves a hyper-masculine silhouette (by traditional definition). The low button stance elongates the lapels. Match this with strong shoulder pads, and one will achieve an extreme V-shape through the front of the body. Trousers must be cut wide to balance the look and avoid making one look top-heavy. Finally, note the characteristically lower gorge height, placing the notch in the middle of the chest, accentuating the illusion of strength. It’s not difficult to see why all of this would appeal to Bateman. 

Bateman in 2018

 If Bateman were transposed into 2018, he would certainly not wear the same clothing as he did in the 1980s. The menswear landscape is very different nowadays. Big clothing companies simply do not provide the type of quality to satisfy the Patrick Batemans of the world anymore. Furthermore, their value as status symbols has almost entirely melted away (much like our cares melt away when we listen to Whitney Houston performing The Greatest Love of All). Today’s status symbols are no longer defined by their exclusivity or exorbitant prices, but rather by the involvement with fine craftsmen (be they shoemakers, tailors, or accessory makers) in the final product. The level of knowledge required to find the best craftsmen, beyond being a reward in itself, is a form of modern status symbol. If we had the dubious honour of dressing Patrick Bateman at our shop here in Berlin, we would suggest a light blue shirt with a contrasting collar (perhaps even a collar pin) and French cuffs. A 6X2 double-breasted suit with wide lapels cut from a mid to light-grey flannel (most likely from Fox Brothers, knowing Bateman) would do the trick nicely. His trousers should sit high at the waist, be cut wide through the leg, and feature no back pockets, side adjusters, or belt loops. Bateman, despite being a nitwit, has the good taste to choose OTC socks half a shade lighter than the suit fabric. He would likely insist upon wearing one of his Harvard ties, while his braces are always loud. As we agree that tassel loafers are not too casual to be matched with a suit, we would invite him to Mr Leonard Kahlcke’s trunk show in Berlin on 3th and 4th August 2018, so that he can commission a pair. Now, please do excuse me. I have to return some videotapes. MM