1.Prologue: Reflections on My Interview
Over the past year I’ve gotten the opportunity to interview many Hollywood stars and directors for the show Sekai e Hasshin! SNS Eigojutsu on NHK E-Tele. Each interview room I’ve walked into has been a surreal experience, with something in the air—whether it’s nervousness, nervous excitement, or jubilation, I’m not entirely sure. The only reason I’m able to stay calm and focused is because I have on an ensemble (or as I like to think of it, armor) that has been carefully considered and put together with my stylist Scarlet. When choosing items our first priority, of course, is to show respect to my interviewee. But a secondary consideration is to choose something that can make me feel like I belong in that interview room.
This time I was even more nervous than usual, as I was interviewing the Colin Farrell. Irish men can be intimidating, in a barroom brawl sense, and Farrell was certainly no exception. Plus, he had a reputation as a Hollywood bad boy.
But the moment I shook his hand, he struck me as very friendly, and my nerves dissipated. After I explained what our show was about, he looked at me and said, “Nice suit. Very sharp." It’s not every day that a man compliments another man on his attire—and this wasn’t just any man, it was a major Hollywood talent and one of 2003’s Sexiest Men Alive, according to People. The compliment took me aback and made me feel great about myself.
For my last interview question I asked Farrell if he had any favorite English expressions or motto, and he answered, “Fortune favours the bold." It’s a great aphorism that I hope to heed myself, especially for the show, for interviews, and for my wardrobe. When it comes to respect between men, it all comes down to a desire to keep being bold.
2.Selected Colin Farrell Filmography
Miami Vice (2006)
This is crime-thriller director Michael Mann’s film adaptation of the massively popular 80s cop show of the same name. Although the film was not particularly successful at the box office and was not particularly well reviewed, the casting of Farrell is an inspired choice. The moody, gloomy, abstract visuals offer a view of the underbelly of sunny Miami.
In Bruges (2008)
This black comedy is about a rookie hitman who becomes guilt-stricken after his first job, and travels with his veteran partner to Bruges in northwestern Belgium to lay low for two weeks. This is a melancholic film that explores the beauty of the titular European city as well as the principles of the hitman profession.
The Lobster (2015)
This absurdist black comedy is set in a society where single people have 45 days to find a suitable new partner, or be transformed into an animal. Farrell plays a man whose wife has just left him for another, and scrambles to find a new mate. The film satirizes social order and social rules.
Dumbo (2019)
Set in post World War I America, this film is about a circus owner who stakes the future of his struggling business on a soon-to-be-born elephant. However, the elephant is born with oversized ears and is soon nicknamed “Dumbo” by audiences. Farrell plays the former star of the circus who is tasked with looking after Dumbo.
3.Blue contrast collar shirt by Azabu Tailor
This is one of the two shirts I purchased from Azabu Tailor for their January pattern order shirt fair (16,000 yen plus tax for two shirts). This one is light blue with a white contrast collar (semi-wide) and French cuffs. It has a front placket and 4 mm-thick buttons.
4.Black necktie by Ralph Lauren
BigBrother lent me this vintage Ralph Lauren necktie, which has a subtle checkered pattern with white hexagonal shapes on top of it.
5.Square wooden cufflinks by MFYS
I got this pair of cufflinks (510 yen plus shipping) from MFYS, a cufflinks vendor on Amazon. The soft, rounded wood design creates an interesting contrast with the sharp double-breasted suit I paired it with.
6.Gray double breasted suit by Universal Language
For more about this item, see FASHION & SHOPPING #010.
7.Gray socks by Brooks Brothers
For more about this item, see FASHION & SHOPPING #008.
8.“Poe" Double monk shoes by Paraboot
For more about this item, see FASHION & SHOPPING #008.
9.“M-27" glasses by 999.9
For more about this item, see CINEMA & THEATRE #005.
10.Epilogue: Notes From My Stylist Scarlet on This Ensemble
KAZOO’s interviewee for this episode was the Irish actor Colin Farrell, so we put together an ensemble that evokes the British aristocracy.
For the suit we went with a gray double-breasted one—like the ones Prince Charles wears. This one is light gray with white checkered pattern.
For the shirt I chose a blue shirt with white collar and French cuffs—something a proper British gentleman would wear.
For the necktie I chose a relatively narrow vintage Ralph Lauren tie, because the double-breasted suit results in a narrow open area around the chest.
For the shoes, I again pictured a British gentleman and chose double monk strap shoes—in a brown to compliment the gray suit.
The most important consideration of this ensemble is the fact that I chose socks that were a similar color to the trousers.
In Japan, it’s common to choose socks that match up with your shoes, but British style dictates that socks should be matched up with the trousers.
KAZOO has been lucky throughout 2018—on a number of occasions, his interviewees had complimented him on his attire. This time, Colin Farrell was kind enough to compliment KAZOO’s wardrobe, and the producers of the show were kind enough to air that part of the interview. Thank you.
It almost feels like people are starting to take notice of the work I’ve been doing over the past year as KAZOO’s stylist.
