8 of the Most Stylish Tweed Suits Across Film & TV

September 15, 2021

Tweed suits are a timeless choice for the well-dressed gent. Ever since the 1820s, this luxurious material has been lauded for its sartorial style.

These days, whether it’s part of a three piece suit or just a jacket over jeans, tweed is still an essential part of the modern gentleman’s wardrobe – a fact that is reflected on both the big and small screens.  

Here we take an inspirational dive into tweed suits on screen, and the characters who’ve worn them so well.

TV's best dressed

Luther

As brilliant but troubled detective, DCI John Luther, Idris Elba navigates moral grey areas and some of London’s grittier streets, all whilst wearing his herringbone tweed trench coat.

Thrown on over a standard suit and tie get-up, Luther’s tweed coat helps to mark him out from other TV detectives – this guy takes chances with both his work and his wardrobe.

Doctor Who

Matt Smith became the 11th Doctor Who in 2008. The youngest ever actor to play the role, his ubiquitous tweed jacket brought him a professorial gravitas he might otherwise have lacked.  

Along with a shirt and what would become a signature bow tie, Smith donned a vintage dogtooth Harris Tweed jacket with elbow patches for the majority of his time as Doctor Who.

Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders has to be credited with an explosion in tweed take-up. Many a non-tweed wearer has been inspired to embrace a woven wool wardrobe after watching the show.

Whether courting high society or committing egregious underworld crimes, the Shelby family love nothing more than a tweed three piece suit and their own highly sinister version of the newsboy cap.

Tweed suit with newsboy cap

Downton Abbey

From the cobbled streets of 1920s Birmingham to an altogether more refined setting – tweed makes many an appearance in period drama, Downton Abbey.

When they’re out for a day’s hunting, tweed is an obvious choice for the Crawley family and their upper class associates. But it doesn’t stop there.

For casual, daytime wear these vintage gents look every inch the modern gent in superbly stylish tweed suits.

Tweed at the movies

Goldfinger

It makes perfect sense that a classically British film franchise would choose to showcase classically British fashion.

We first get a glimpse of 007 donning tweed suits in 1964’s Goldfinger. Sean Connery’s barleycorn tweed jacket – the one he wears whilst driving an Aston Martin through the Swiss Alps – quickly became as iconic as the movie itself.

Knives Out

Unlike other 007s, Daniel Craig has rarely worn tweed during his time as Bond. However, he more than made up for this oversight when he played detective Benoit Blanc in the 2019 film, Knives Out.

Whilst the woollen suits he wears throughout the film aren’t technically tweed, his brown and beige herringbone overcoat most certainly is. We think it’s an ever so appropriate garment for “The Last of the Gentleman Sleuths”.

Bullitt

Steve McQueen, the “King of Cool”, sported tweed when he starred as the eponymous hero of 1968 film Bullitt.

Bullitt walks the streets of San Francisco wearing a brown herringbone tweed jacket with elbow patches. He pairs this tweed attire with a relaxed navy blue roll neck and mismatched charcoal trousers.

This look cemented McQueen’s status as a 1960s style icon.

Tweed suit with hat

Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie’s film version of Sherlock Holmes brought a steampunk twist to the story and the sartorial style of its characters.

Robert Downey Jr, as a dishevelled Sherlock, wears tweed suits and waistcoats that look casual and rumpled.

Jude Law, as Watson, is a completely different kettle of fish. His pristine three piece tweed ensembles are a lesson in tweed style not to be ignored!

Look every inch the leading man with TweedMaker tweed suits

Tweed isn’t just for stars of the screen. Tweed suits make an exceptional sartorial choice for both special occasions and everyday wear.

Here at TweedMaker it’s easy to find tweed suits and accessories to suit your own unique sense of style

Browse our collection to find your ideal tweed suit today.