The John Wick suit style is one of the most impeccable pieces of tailoring to grace our screens in the era of modern cinema. Despite the explosions, shootouts, and hand-to-hand brawls, the retired assassin always manages to look like a true gentleman, with not so much as a tie clip out of place in his outfit. Thanks to lead costume designer, Luca Mosca, the ‘John Wick black suit‘ has become a fashion icon for men all over the world.
An all-black suit is hardly a novel idea by any means. Pre-20th-century, you would receive inquisitive looks if you were to wear any other color. That all changed around the end of WWI when black was increasingly seen as a stuffy and overly formal color for a suit. Over the years it was increasingly resigned to this category until it was only acceptable in mourning and the most formal occasions.
What a miscarriage of male fashion. In Luca Mosca’s own words, the John Wick outfit is: “Simplicity. It is a lack of entertainment, a lack of embellishment, a lack of pattern and color.”
John Wick’s suit needs no ostentatious flourishes. No ‘fashionable’ modern tailoring. No splashes of color. It makes a statement by the very fact it doesn’t try to. When Mosca was brought on to design John Wick he was tasked with designing something that “conveyed extreme elegance”, with the sleekest lines and coolest minimalism. To say Luca was successful, would be an understatement.
What is the ‘John Wick suit’?
John Wick’s go-to suit style is a tailored three-piece in black featuring classically notched lapels, flap pockets, four-button cuffs, and a double-buttoned front. While the suit itself has been refined over each successive movie, the core principle remains the same. John Wick’s suit is dark, understated, and exquisitely tailored. As Luca Mosca was designing each of the suits just for Keanu Reaves, he says “I obsessed more on the tailoring than many specific labels and designers would when creating a line — it had to fit to perfection!”
Mosca’s plans were eventually brought to fruition by Italian fashion, Brioni. Like Mosca himself, Brioni is one of the biggest names in men’s fashion, particularly when it comes to tailoring some of the highest-quality tailored suits to be found anywhere in the world. Brioni was founded in Rome in 1945 and made their mark on history seven years later when they hosted the first-ever menswear fashion runway of the modern age at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. They have operated at the forefront of the male tailoring scene ever since.
Where can I buy John Wick’s outfit?
The genuine suit has never been made publicly available. Each suit is a one-of-a-kind custom design and tailored exclusively for Keanu Reeves. While that may feel like a bit of a blow for anyone looking to dress like the sharpest gentleman of modern cinema, let us explain why that is not quite the bad news it may first seem to be.
The reason John Wick’s suit style has become such an icon of men’s fashion is its simplicity. Luca Mosca is a designer who knows that when you get the finer details of a suit right – clean lines, premium fabric, the right fit – less is more. As we mentioned in the introduction, the black suit is not a novel idea popularised by John Wick. The all-black suit has always been with us. John Wick’s impeccable costume design simply saved it from obscurity.
While you may not be able to pick up John Wick’s (Keanu Reeves) exact movie costume suit, achieving his sleek style is very much a possibility for any discerning gentleman. Now, why would you want to do that? Sure, John Wick’s outfit is a suave choice for a Halloween or fancy dress party, particularly for any man who truly wants to impress. However, we want to go even further. The time is right to see clean, minimalist, sharp suits back in the limelight.
With dark suits poised to back in a big way, there is no better time to dress like John Wick. We show you how with some of our favorite all-black suits and essential accessories.
How do I dress like John Wick?
The Black Suit
The John Wick suit is classically tailored with notch lapels, flap pockets, and a two-button closure. More pragmatic than showy, Wick’s understated style is a reflection of his need to be practical. When you’re an international spy there is little room for non-pragmatic touches. However, he does also wear a matching waistcoat. Because sheer class is still important.
Interestingly, Keanu Reeves has only ever sported an all-black suit in John Wick 2. The remainder of his suits have been particularly dark tones of grey.
Original costume designer Mosca explained this decision was dictated more by the constraints of filming rather than a reflection of the character itself. Grey simply shows up better on screen, particularly during nighttime scenes. Fortunately, that is not an issue for most of us.
John Wick’s suit is purportedly bulletproof, with kevlar woven into the fabric, similar to modern bulletproof vests. However, how effective this would prove in reality is questionable. Given how clean the lines of John Wick’s suit are, it is unlikely that there is enough Kevlar to actually stop a bullet.
John Wick’s shirt
In John Wick 4, Keanu Reeves wears a gloss-finish dark blue collared shirt throughout much of the movie. This is the only real splash of color to his outfit and it really does wonders to make the tailoring of his suit pop.
John Wick’s Shoes
While the costume department has not given any explicit details on the brand or style of John Wick’s shoes he is often seen wearing plain black dress shoes, potentially from premium shoemaker Johnston & Murphy. A similar style has been spotted in multiple films in the series including the first movie..
Either way, you can’t go wrong with a pair of leather black Johnston & Murphy shoes in your arsenal. After many hours of scouring film footage, we feel confident that John Wick would be more than happy with these. Plus, with anti-slip rubberized soles, they’re practical too.
John Wick Suit Accessories
As any stylish gentleman knows, it is the final touches that really take a sharp tailored look to the next level. Overall, Wick is light on the accessories, favoring maneuverability and more room for his weapons over stylistic flourishes. Nevertheless, the couple of items he does wear make a significant impact.
Here’s how to take your John Wick costume up a notch (excuse the pun) with some stylish accessories, taken from the man himself.
Tie
John Wick’s sharp tailoring is complemented by all-black accessories, including his silk tie. The tie is a standard length likely measuring between 3″ and -3.5″. A great option that treads the line between traditional ‘surfboards’ and the overly skinny width that has dominated tailored looks for far too long.
Collar bar
In the latest movie, John Wick’s suit features a tailoring accessory that we really don’t see enough of these days: a collar bar. Not to be confused with the more popular and commonly seen tie pin, the collar bar threads through the top two buttons of the shirt and under the tie.
This elevates the tie above the chest creating an arc where traditionally the tie would fall flat on the chest. Collar bars in general are used to create a stronger and more masculine look by accentuating the size of the upper chest. A simple touch that gives John Wick’s suit style an even more intimidating look.
Belt
Rounding off his all-black accessories, John Wick wears a black leather belt with a traditional silver buckle. While your belt rig is likely to be lighter on the spare ammunition and knives, that’s no excuse not to round off your sharp aesthetic with a quality belt of your own.
Wristwatch
John Wick wears his wristwatch on the inside of his wrist, quite possibly to protect it from damage. That would be a wise decision given that the watch in question is a Carl F. Bucherer Manero AutoDate, worth over $2000. The good news is, for hardcore John Wick fans and luxury timepiece fans, you can procure this exact watch for yourself. See the exact wristwatch with a leather black strap from the official Carl F. Bucherer store.
John Wick’s style is without question one of the sharpest out there right now. Since the first film, Keanu Reeves, along with acclaimed Hollywood costume designers has set a benchmark for fine tailoring to rival 007 himself. Jonh Wicke’s suit, alongside carefully selected accessories, is defined by its dark colors and practical tailoring.
The exact custom-made suit may be out of reach for us mortals. However, it is entirely possible for us to recreate this undeniably badass aesthetic for ourselves. Just don’t tell Mr. Wick we said so…
