Style Scenario: Contemporary Phil Connors in Groundhog Day
About the Author: Brandon D. is a trial attorney, Dad, and Lions fan living in Houston, Texas. His job may often require wearing a suit, but he’s not against standing in the street in his pajamas if required. (Photo by Pete Nuij on Unsplash.)
Groundhog Day is the greatest movie ever made. It’s a fact. It makes you laugh. It makes you cry. It makes you think. And not just about whether you should drive on the railroad tracks (spoiler: don’t!). But deep, meaning of life (or lives) kind of thoughts. And with a 141-minute runtime (approximately half of a Marvel movie), it gives you most of the rest of the day to think about the masterpiece you just saw.
Then there’s the cast. Bill Murray at the peak of his curmudgeonly powers. Andie MacDowell as his optimistic counterweight. Chris Elliot as the affable loser. Michael Shannon making his cinematic debut as a newlywed who’s very excited to get WrestleMania tickets. And if that’s not enough, the soundtrack features an earworm of a polka song written by (checks notes) “Weird” Al’s dad. Like I said, perfection.
Finally, there’s the genre. Groundhog Day has been redone as an action movie (twice), a horror movie, another comedy, and whatever term you’d use to define Russian Doll, just to name a few. It’s only fitting that a movie about endless repetition and eventual growth has been repeated and grown into just about every type of movie you can think of.
But the men’s style of Groundhog Day? It’s a tad dated. That’s where we come in. So whether you’re a celebrity, in an emergency, or a celebrity in an emergency, this style scenario uses a few updated fits and brands, while still staying true to Phil’s Pittsburgh weatherman style in the movie.
The Suit: Suitsupply Dark Grey Double Breasted Italian Wool Suit – $699. It takes a certain type of man to wear a double-breasted suit. He might be a pianist. He might have a keen interest in French poetry. Or he might be a god (but not the God, to be clear). Phil manages to be all of these things (he did, however, have quite a long time to develop these talents). And if Phil would have managed to get stuck in a time loop on this Groundhog Day, he’d be wearing this option from SuitSupply.
The Shirt: The Tie Bar Point Collar Pinpoint in Light Blue – $55. Reasonably priced with a classic point collar. No full spread collars for Phil. Sold in more precise neck and sleeve sizing, instead of ballpark S/M/L. And Phil has got to get his fit on point if he’s gonna knock out Ned Ryerson, or to catch that little brat who has NEVER THANKED HIM.
The Tie: The Tie Bar Cooper Paisley Chocolate Brown Tie – $28. That tie is… 90s. Perfect. At least it’s perfect for this particular style scenario.
The Overcoat: Spier & Mackay Green Herringbone Overcoat – $358.40 ($498). It gets awfully cold in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in early February. Even if you think that you make the weather. So you’re going to need an overcoat. It’s an investment, but he’s a weatherman. Can’t skimp on outerwear in that career.
The Dress Boots: Allen Edmonds Factory Hamilton Weatherproof Oxford Dress Boot – $495. Expensive, but a dress weatherproof boot is well worth it here… because that first step’s a doozy. Less expensive over at the Shoebank, but know that any returns on factory 2nds will set you back a $25 restocking fee. Limited sizes on sale there too. Full size run available at full price on their main site.
The Scarf: Hickey Freeman Patterned 100% Italian Cashmere Scarf – $49.95. A bit more subtle than the serape that Phil (or Bronco) wears, and much more versatile. Since just about all of Phil’s outfit is solid colors, this punch of plaid sets him apart as the best weatherman announcing a long and lustrous winter.
The Watch: Orient Bambino Small Seconds – $214. What is time in a time loop? A flat circle? Even so, Phil needs to tell the time during his one day, over. And over. And over again.
The Gloves: Spier & Mackay Deerskin Leather Gloves – $30.40 ($48). Even if you’re set to cover an event of 1,000 people freezing their butts off waiting to worship a rat, you need to keep your hands warm. But a pair of ski gloves won’t look right on TV, gripping the mic just under the Channel 9 logo. Gotta go with dress gloves.
The Pencil: Office Depot Presharpened #2 Pencils (12 pack) – $1.99. Does Phil need a lot of pencils to properly conduct the pencil test? No, just one, right? Well either way, the standard #2 has always be #1. And when he finally does get out of the loop, he’ll have a full twelve pack of pencils!
The Alarm Clock: TourKing Flip Clock Classic Retro Vintage Clock in White – $17.99. You’re going to see the clock strike 6AM a lot. Like “a lot” a lot. This one has some retro vibe and is on the cheaper side. So when you inevitably break this clock, at least you won’t be mad it was expensive.