Ryan Gosling’s Best Co-stars Are His Jackets
Sorry, Emma Stone.
Ryan Gosling’s career is filled with recurring collaborators. He’s worked twice each with directors Nicolas Winding Refn, Damien Chazelle, and Derek Cianfrance. Three-peat honors go to Emma Stone, with whom Gosling has feigned falling in love across multiple genres. And Gosling and Eva Mendes fell for each other playing doomed lovers in The Place Beyond the Pines; worked together again on his directorial debut, Lost River; and are now life partners with two kids. There’s a pattern here: When Gosling finds a creative vibe he clicks with, he keeps that bond going. Our guy knows what he likes! But Gosling’s best, most consistent, and aesthetically pleasing acting partners, the ones to which he’s been most loyal and devoted over the course of his career? Those are his jackets.
Being impeccably cloaked has become a core aspect of Gosling’s onscreen appeal — he’s the cool guy with the great clothes that look ruggedly lived-in. Some of the pieces he’s worn over his 27 film roles are beautifully constructed but aren’t necessarily important to his character or to the larger film he’s in: the overcoats he wears in The Ides of March and Gangster Squad; his fitted-but-not-flashy suits in La La Land and The Big Short; his white leather jacket in Crazy, Stupid, Love. (Yes, he takes off that jacket to be shirtlessly gawked at by Stone, but the focus of that whole scene was his abs, not his clothes.) Others, however, serve as exemplary scene partners, complementing Gosling’s performances and clarifying his characters. The Miami Vice Stunt Team jacket he wears in The Fall Guy, his most recent role, is a perfect example. So let’s take this moment to celebrate the ten jackets that have done the most for Gosling’s actorly persona, the ones that have opened their well-designed arms and cradled him in a lovingly theatrical embrace. Thank you to these costume designers for their genius.
Miami Vice Stunt Team jacket from The Fall Guy
Who designed it? Costume designer Sarah Evelyn
Does it have plot significance? Gosling’s Colt loves this jacket as a reminder of a beloved, long-running job with the Miami Vice Stunt Team as part of the series’ themed show at Universal Studios, and it’s his primary piece of outerwear throughout the film. When he leaves it behind at an enemy’s apartment and then retrieves it, he hugs it to his chest. In the movie’s climactic finale, he leaves the jacket floating in Sydney Cove to fake his own death, and that’s why his love interest, Jody (Emily Blunt), believes he’s actually dead; he’d never part with the jacket otherwise. Unless he’s doing it for love, of course.
Could a mere mortal believably wear the jacket, or is this a Gosling-only costume? I, a mere mortal, have an eBay alert set for this jacket, so hopefully it’s not Gosling-only. And it feels casual enough for everyday wear, unlike some others on this list.
Fur coat from Barbie
Who designed it? Costume designer Jacqueline Durran
Does it have plot significance? Ken’s heel turn to agent of the patriarchy is tied to this fur coat (modeled after ones that Sylvester Stallone wore in the ’70s) and to how much like an alpha he feels in it as he marches into Warriors-style battle against the other Kens. Afterward, Barbie tells Ken that he needs to find himself outside of his possessions: “You’re not your girlfriend. You’re not your house, you’re not your mink … You’re not even beach.” It’s very Fight Club coded, actually, and when he abandons this jacket for the “I am Kenough” tie-dyed sweatshirt at the end of the film, that’s growth.
Could a mere mortal believably wear the jacket, or is this a Gosling-only costume? I feel confident saying ordinary people will suffer if trying to pull this one off outside of a Halloween context.
Scorpion bomber jacket from Drive
Who designed it? Costume designer Erin Benach
Does it have plot significance? When Gosling’s Driver extends the scorpion-embroidered bomber jacket, a warning of the violence he’s capable of, to someone else — like he does to his young neighbor, Benicio — you know he cares about them, a major emotional reach for a man who is so taciturn, so silent, and so closed off. And you can also tell that letting people into his heart is going to lead the Driver to doom.
Could a mere mortal believably wear the jacket, or is this a Gosling-only costume? I admit I own a replica of this jacket, gifted to me by my partner. I have to believe normies can pull it off, although you might want to wear it for special occasions and not just, like, on a Target run or something. But, the jacket is well known enough as a cult-classic image to warrant a Bob’s Burgers gag, so who am I to judge? Wear your fashion as you please!
Red leather motorcycle jacket from The Place Beyond the Pines
Who designed it? Costume designer Erin Benach
Does it have plot significance? This red leather bomber is Gosling’s “I’m getting shit done” jacket. When the film begins, we follow his motorcycle stuntman Luke Glanton walking through a carnival to the spherical cage where he’ll do his motorcycle tricks, and he’s wearing the jacket in the long take; he also wears it later on, when he’s fleeing from a bank robbery. It’s like Luke’s armor.
Could a mere mortal believably wear the jacket, or is this a Gosling-only costume? What this jacket doesn’t have in Halloween value it has in everyday use. It looks practical and pleasantly vintage, and like you could throw it on for whatever. Keep your eyes peeled for something like it at your local thrift store, as I have for years. (The same goes for the Metallica T-shirts Luke wears throughout the film. Derek Cianfrance–heads, join me in this quest!)
Collared long coat from Blade Runner 2049
Who designed it? Costume designer Renée April
Does it have plot significance? In the original Blade Runner, Harrison Ford’s Deckard and Rutger Hauer’s Roy Batty, both replicants, wear some amazing leather outerwear, and Gosling’s jacket as replicant K immediately places him in that lineage. This is costuming as identification, and it lets us know that K has law and order on his side (the jacket is vaguely militaristic enough to feel like a uniform). When K gets home to his simulated girlfriend, Joi (Ana de Armas), who is programmed to operate like a loving partner, she tells him to take off his jacket and “go scrub” for dinner. In their first scene together in the film, K has been injured and his shirt torn on a job, and she volunteers to fix it for him. The removal of the jacket allows for the domesticity that K craves.
Could a mere mortal believably wear the jacket, or is this a Gosling-only costume? This one feels Gosling-only, if only because it’s such a sci-fi costume. In real life, it might feel more like cosplay than anything else, you know? But if you have two friends who are also good at layering and brooding, a trio Halloween costume of Deckard, Roy Batty, and K could be fun.
Color-blocked puffer jacket in Lars and the Real Girl
Who designed it? Costume designer Kirston Leigh Mann
Does it have plot significance? Lars is a lonely guy shaped by his mother’s death years before, his father’s emotional distance, and his own fear of being touched; there’s a quality to this puffer jacket that feels like Lars wanting to be “normal,” but also hesitant to really take the plunge. It’s something your nice-but-odd neighbor with awkward social skills and a well-meaning spirit would wear in the wintertime.
Could a mere mortal believably wear the jacket, or is this a Gosling-only costume? This is a pretty functional item, and within the film, the jacket says more about Lars than anything Lars says about the jacket. Mere mortals wear this style of jacket every single winter, and you can too. May I suggest Patagonia? Huckberry? Your local REI?
Color-blocked motorcycle jacket in Blue Valentine
Who designed it? Costume designer Erin Benach
Does it have plot significance? Blue Valentine stars Gosling as Dean and Michelle Williams as Cindy and charts the course of their relationship over six or so years, from their initial head-over-heels love story to the steady dissolution of their marriage. When Dean and Cindy meet, this black leather moto with red and white piping is Dean’s go-to jacket, the one he wears on one of their early dates (during which he plays a ukulele and sings; this was, after all, Gosling’s Dead Man’s Bones era). The jacket is an essential part of their relationship: After Cindy becomes pregnant by (probably) someone else and Dean accompanies her to get an abortion, she walks out of the procedure and into his arms, where he drapes the jacket on her; later on, as they’re curled around each other on a bus home (and she’s still wearing the jacket), he suggests to her they create their own family. I am weeping as I write this! I’ve never been able to watch this movie a second time!
Could a mere mortal believably wear the jacket, or is this a Gosling-only costume? Maybe the jacket can’t be leveraged for Halloween, but this is one really striking garment — the color-blocking, the quilting, the hood. In the film, the jacket is an extension of Dean’s soul; every time he offers it to Cindy, it’s like he’s giving her another piece of his heart. You have to be swaggy to pull it off, you know? Do you believe in yourself enough to wear this and not look like a poser? Be honest.
White leather big-lapel jacket in The Nice Guys
Who designed it? Costume designer Kym Barrett
What’s its plot significance? If you’re a private investigator and single dad trying to look nice for an adult-industry party you’re crashing to investigate a missing porn star and a possible conspiracy, this white leather chore coat is a solid option! Classy, put-together, only slightly shiny, lapels fashionably oversize but not outlandish. It’s also the outfit that inspires the film’s arguably most quotable moment: When Russell Crowe’s Jackson Healy asks why Gosling’s Holland March is all wet after the party, Gosling delivers an instantly iconic line: “I had to question the mermaids!” He’s just committed to his job, okay?
Could a mere mortal believably wear the jacket, or is this a Gosling-only costume? You might skew too vintage wearing it in everyday life, but that’s not a real deterrent. The bigger question is, what are you going to say to the mermaids you meet while wearing it?
Black hoodie and red leather jacket from Murder by Numbers
Who designed it? Costume designer Carol Oditz
Does it have plot significance? This red leather jacket doesn’t shape the plot so much as it does Gosling’s character. Here, he plays Richard Haywood, a scheming wannabe murderer who is also one of the richest and most popular kids in his high school, and this outfit speaks to that. The jacket is obviously more expensive than what most other kids are wearing to school, and the sanguine shade is a nice nod to the film’s murderous plot. It may be a step too far to say Richard is dressed in red because he’s the alluring devil in this film, pushing Michael Pitt’s character into murder, but … that observation feels right.
Could a mere mortal believably wear the jacket, or is this a Gosling-only costume? This one might be the most approachable piece of clothing on the whole list! Who among us has not seen a red leather jacket at Wilsons Leather and considered it like we’re Richard Haywood (or Buffy Summers)? Very mass-market appropriate.
Red blanket as a jacket in The Notebook
Who designed it? Costume designer Karyn Wagner
Does it have plot significance? I understand that this jacket is, in fact, a blanket. But it’s an integral part of the film’s emotional climax: Gosling’s Noah is curled up under it, mourning how he’s lost Rachel McAdams’s Allie again … until she drives up to the house he built her with suitcases in hand. Because, sure, James Marsden’s Lon was hot, and Allie would be rich if she married him, but Allie and Noah are IN LOVE. She runs to him on the porch, where he’s standing and wearing the blanket, and he cuddles her inside of it and it’s very moving and meaningful. Give me some Kleenex.
Could a mere mortal believably wear the jacket, or is this a Gosling-only costume? If you feel the need to wear a blanket in public as a jacket, I salute you.
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