Style in Film | The Holdovers (2023)
"Your uniform, festive as it is, is historically inaccurate. Saint Nicholas of Myra was actually a 4th-century Greek Bishop [...] so, uh, a robe and sandals would be closer to the mark"
Well, Christmas is here, and by now you’ve probably (re)watched all the classics. My list consists of all the usual suspects: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), Home Alone (1990), The Holiday (2006), and Klaus (2019). The newest, and dare I say my favourite, addition to the annual holiday movie watchlist is Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers (2023). Set in 1970 New England, The Holdovers is about a crotchety classics teacher who is forced to stay on campus over Christmas break to look after several students who couldn’t go home for the holidays.
As the film opens, you hear the Barton Academy choir singing “O Little Town of Bethlahem” while you peer through the snow that is floating within a New England town. The Holdovers is showing you the warmth of Christmas time. Whether it’s Damien Jurado’s soft acoustics on “Silver Joy”, Paul Giamatti’s worn-in brown corduroy suit, or the copius amount of Jim Beam, Payne wraps you in a blanket of comfort, leaving you with that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. If you’re like me, you wouldn’t have been around in 1970’s Massachusetts; lucky for us, this film can act as our gateway. The best way to understand the style in The Holdovers is to examine the holdovers themselves.
The Holdovers Vestimenta Sua (that means clothes in Latin)
Crammed full of corduroy and Oxford cloth, The Holdovers sees costume designer Wendy Chuck* recreate the American Ivy League style of the 1970s. Ivy League (or prep) style was popularized in the 1950s, taking elements from traditonal British menswear, and combining them with the American silhouette. Ivy League replaces the crisp white poplin shirt and structured grey flannel suit with a more textured Oxford button-down and sport coat (typically corduroy or tweed). These fabrics were more appropriate for everyday attire and, in typical Ivy League fashion, took over the aesthetic of golf and tennis clubs across the country. Purveyors of this style include Brooks Brothers, and J S Press, and while they still exist today, brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Gant, and even Drakes, are pushing the boundaries of what traditional Ivy League style can be.
A quick walk through the campuses of Ivy League schools would give you all the inspiration needed to create the film’s wardrobe. But given that this film was released in 2023, and not 1970, costumer designer Wendy Chuck had to get creative. Using yearbooks from the time period as her reference point, every character in the film has a unique identity that can be told through their clothing. In an interview with Focus Features, Chuck talks about texture and fabric being the focal point of the preppy style she was after. Tweed. Felted wool. Corduroy. These fabrics are staples in any preppy winter wardrobe, but in The Holdovers they are so much more. They represent warmth - an idea this film returns to time and time again.
Inspired by Chuck’s reference of yearbooks, I have created a Barton Academy yearbook to explore the style of the era, and the distinct identity of each character.
Barton Academy Yearbook
Name: Paul Hunham
Job: Teacher
Age: Early to Mid 50s
Favorite Subject: Ancient History
Favorite Outfit: Gun Club Check Trilby Hat, Charcoal Grey Duffle Coat, Brown Corduroy Suit with a Green Sweater Vest and Bow Tie
Quote: “Without sufficient exercise, the body devours itself!”
Name: Angus Tully
Year: Junior
Age: 17
Favorite Subject: Ancient History
Favorite Outfit: Brown and White Chevron Quilted Puffer Jacket with Corduroy Collar, Light Blue Oxford Button Down, Flared Stonewash Jeans, Brown Leather Clark Wallabees
Quote: “Yeah, well, friends are overrated.”
Name: Teddy Kountze
Year: Junior
Age: 17
Favorite Subject: None
Favorite Outfit: Green Thigh Length Puffer Jacket, Brown Corduroy Sport Coat, White Oxford Button Down, Red and Green Striped Tie
Quote: “I’m supposed to go to Cornell.”
Name: Jason Smith
Year: Senior
Age: 18
Favorite Subject: PE
Favorite Outfit: Navy and Gold ‘Barton Academy’ Varsity Jacket, Light Blue Oxford Button Down, Straight Leg Khaki Chinos, Black Beanie
Quote: “The powder up at Haystack is so sweet right now.”
Name: Ye-Joon Park
Year: Freshman
Age: 15
Favorite Subject: Hasn’t decided
Favorite Outfit: Charcoal Wool Sport Coat, Grey Ribbed Varsity Sweater Vest, Light Blue Oxford Button Down, Multicolour Striped Tie
Quote: “I know it’s an excellent school, and my brothers went here. But I miss my family, and I have no friends!”
Name: Alex Ollerman
Year: Freshman
Age: 14
Favorite Subject: Religion
Favorite Outfit: White Oxford Button Down Shirt, Striped Tie, Brown Leather Mittens
Quote: “I’m here because my parents are on mission in Paraguay. We’re LDS.”
The Holdovers (2023) is not the first film to centre Ivy League style, and it definitely won’t be the last. But if you’re looking for an entryway into the aesthetic through the lens of a Christmas classic, then this is the place to start. Thank you for reading this issue of Style in Film - to learn more about The Holdovers (2023), I have linked some interviews with costumer designer Wendy Chuck below.
Merry Christmas everyone *
* Wendy Chuck is an American costume designer who has worked on films such as Spotlight (2015), Election (1999), Sideways (2004), and Twilight (2008). Please visit her website to discover her work.
* Click here to read an interview between Another Magazine and Wendy Chuck about the costumes in The Holdovers (2023)
* Click here for a interview with Wendy Chuck and Focus Features about the costumes in The Holdovers (2023)