If we’ve proven anything in our Fishing Issue (or last year’s Fly Fishing Issue) it’s that fishing is, for many, a way of life. In the enduring film A River Runs Through It, though, fly-fishing not only serves as a noble center for the Maclean family, but also as a metaphor for life.
Based off the book by Norman Maclean and directed by Robert Redford, River harkens back to a fabled time in America, between World War I and the Great Depression, where nobility, uncertainty and the inevitability of modernism loomed on life’s horizon. Set against the backdrop of a bountiful West — Missoula, Montana — it’s impossible to watch River and not feel wistful for a bygone era free of callow snark and roaring pop culture exacerbated by social media; and also, an epoch of style that celebrated simplicity and utility.
While watching A River Runs Through It to inspire ourselves for this issue we couldn’t help but take note of its unforgettable style (and Oscar-winning cinematography): Oxfords, waistcoats, felt, and not a single pair of shorts in sight. The two brothers may struggle with life’s unpredictabilities, but they does so with predicable, and a might handsome, style.
Below we’ve taken a few key stills and provided modern interpretations of a squarely 1920s look. Wade in, and who knows, maybe you’ll catch a few items of your own.
Style Picks: Henry Phillips and Eric Yang
