# Okay, who dresses cooler, the good guys or the bad guys? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 3, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572 "2010-02-03T19:54:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/1 "2010-02-03T19:54:28Z")
I say the good guys because, well, **Leeloo**. (Except the white cowboy hats. They kinda suck.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/2 "2010-02-03T20:43:31Z")
Hans Gruber had great taste in suits. Given the choice between Harkonnen livery and a stillsuit fitted desert-fashion, I’d take the stillsuit. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/3 "2010-02-03T20:59:27Z")
Just remember the tooth! Remember the tooth! Remember the tooth! REMEMBER THE TOOTH! ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/4 "2010-02-03T21:03:29Z")
In Star Wars, at least, the Empire outclassed everyone else by a light-year. They definitely had good fashion sense. The Nazis, similarly, were really slick. On _Deadwood,_ Cy Tolliver’s outfits were definitely classier than that grey and black striped suit that Al Swearingen wore _every single day._ The bad guys usually dress better. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/5 "2010-02-03T21:52:08Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Given the choice between Harkonnen livery and a stillsuit fitted desert-fashion, I’d take the stillsuit. Yeah, but you have to be in really great shape to wear a stillsuit. Harkonnen clothes look good even on big guys. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/6 "2010-02-03T22:43:57Z")
I only need a movie title to prove my point. [The Good,](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm631216384/tt0060196) [The Bad](http://www.actionfigurepics.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/The-Good-the-Bad-and-the-Ugly-Lee-Van-Cleef.jpg) and the Ugly ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/7 "2010-02-03T23:04:23Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > In Star Wars, at least, the Empire outclassed everyone else by a light-year. They definitely had good fashion sense. > > The Nazis, similarly, were really slick. > > On _Deadwood,_ Cy Tolliver’s outfits were definitely classier than that grey and black striped suit that Al Swearingen wore _every single day._ > > The bad guys usually dress better. I’ve always found it odd that the Nazi’s were one of the few groups to really nail the fashion thing. The Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs, the French, even the [Communists](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/3/3429546_1029cfaf99.jpg) - not so much, but man, those Nazis had the fashion, the torchlit rallies, the whole deal. Why? Why were they so very good it? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/8 "2010-02-04T02:12:10Z")
James Bond dresses nicer than Blofeld. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/9 "2010-02-04T02:16:41Z")
Bad guys. And I hate to say it, but you all are right. The Nazis dressed sharp. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/10 "2010-02-04T02:49:58Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > I’ve always found it odd that the Nazi’s were one of the few groups to really nail the fashion thing. The Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs, the French, even the [Communists](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/3/3429546_1029cfaf99.jpg) - not so much, but man, those Nazis had the fashion, the torchlit rallies, the whole deal. Why? Why were they so very good it? The Greeks and Romans had pretty good military fashions. I mean, when you’re talking about Nazi fashion, what you’re really talking about is military fashion, and the Nazis definitely pulled it off with style. The Soviets had some decent uniforms too. The Communists never really looked as good as the Nazis because the Nazis had better color contrast. The Soviet uniforms were more drab. The best Nazi uniforms were undoubtedly the black SS uniforms, which featured white shirts and armbands with red, black and white on them. That combination of colors never fails to look good. The brown Nazi uniforms didn’t look as good but even those had the swastika armbands that provided a flash of color. The Nazis also used Sam Browne belts, which can make almost anyone look good. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/11 "2010-02-04T02:53:12Z")
Bad guy, unless you’re in _The Matrix_, in which case the bad guys dressed in boring suits like your standard civil service employees, whereas the good guys had bad ass outfits. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/12 "2010-02-04T02:55:48Z")
I was going to mention the Matrix exception as well, and also add your standard Angels vs Devils. Devils in the real world would have the edge over angels, but in a supernatural setting, wings and armor look a lot cooler than slavering fangs and ripped denimy rags. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/13 "2010-02-04T03:00:54Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Devils in the real world would have the edge over angels, but in a supernatural setting, wings and armor look a lot cooler than slavering fangs and ripped denimy rags. Acid wash looks cool on no one. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/14 "2010-02-04T03:22:33Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > The Nazis also used Sam Browne belts, which can make almost anyone look good. The Bad Guys do dress more cool, but the requirements of outfitting your basic GI in leather instead of the USA cloth accouterments was a factor in not being to make enough stuff to win the war. Why do the Russkies and Chinese military guys have such big officer caps compared to the Americans? ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/15 "2010-02-04T04:51:53Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > The Greeks and Romans had pretty good military fashions. I mean, when you’re talking about Nazi fashion, what you’re really talking about is military fashion, and the Nazis definitely pulled it off with style. The Soviets had some decent uniforms too. The Communists never really looked as good as the Nazis because the Nazis had better color contrast. The Soviet uniforms were more drab. The best Nazi uniforms were undoubtedly the black SS uniforms, which featured white shirts and armbands with red, black and white on them. That combination of colors never fails to look good. The brown Nazi uniforms didn’t look as good but even those had the swastika armbands that provided a flash of color. The Nazis also used Sam Browne belts, which can make almost anyone look good. Hm, now that you mention the brown shirts, another possibility rears its head. The SA was way less stylish (and they had a [terrible, comic-booky logo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SA-Logo.svg)) than the SS and so…their leaders were killed and they were disbanded in the Night of the Long Knives. Nazi style was a function of profound selection pressure. Only the ruthlessly stylish survived. Man, I could probably work this into a doctoral thesis. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/16 "2010-02-04T05:33:29Z")
Leeloo? Mila Jovovich’s character in _The Fifth Element_, who wore an orange rubber crotch harness? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/17 "2010-02-04T05:35:22Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > Hm, now that you mention the brown shirts, another possibility rears its head. The SA was way less stylish (and they had a [terrible, comic-booky logo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SA-Logo.svg)) than the SS and so…their leaders were killed and they were disbanded in the Night of the Long Knives. Nazi style was a function of profound selection pressure. Only the ruthlessly stylish survived. This reminds me of the Natl. Lampoon article “Nazi Fashion” or something like that. “It’s Heil, High Style! in this Summer’s Latest…blah, blah.” Pretty funny. Another thing that is rarely noted with favor is the Nazi dominated dark blue suit, white shirt, and black tie. A bit minimalist, but tres chic. The brownshirts’ uniform \*were \*pretty good, but, compared to Reichsfuhrer SS Himmler, they, indeed, were just begging be put down. Let’s see…Russkies weren’t too bad, in their Sunday goin’ to self-accusation meetin’ clothes; I think that for the really good styles, the tyrant’s always have it hands down over everybody else, but the Nazis were, undisputedly, the Master Race of fashion. Of course, they had Hugo Boss on their side. hh ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/18 "2010-02-04T13:03:15Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Leeloo? Mila Jovovich’s character in _The Fifth Element_, who wore an orange rubber crotch harness? Yeah… I’ll be in my bunk. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/19 "2010-02-04T22:06:38Z")
I think in general the “good guy vs. bad guy” dynamic in film comes from the idea that the good guy is essentially the underdog. The underdog is typically portrayed as being less well-equipped and by extension not as well-dressed. And then you have the big bad evil organization which is…well…big and organized and has better funding. Which usually = better uniforms and more sophisticated toys. The exception to this would be the stories where the combatants are both big, powerful organizations. Like in James Bond. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572/20 "2010-02-05T01:25:06Z")
**Maiira:** That was very astute. I never thought about it that way, but youi’re right. In addition to Leeloo, I always thought the Highlander from the TV series, with his drums and his leather duster, was hot. And speaking of leather dusters, I guess ol’ Spike counts as a good guy, too. Good enough, heh. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-who-dresses-cooler-the-good-guys-or-the-bad-guys/527572.md?page=2)