As seen on Hannibal season two, this bespoke suit was made for Mads Mikkelsen’s character Dr. Lecter. Before the season’s premiere, producer Bryan Fuller had presented a number of fabric options on Twitter as a behind-the-scenes post. Among them, this bold check.
Checks can be a difficult fabric to work with for a number of reasons. First, it is distracting to the eye when the checks do not line up accurately, particularly so when the print is as bold as this one. It is no question that great care must be taken to cut the suit so that the finished jacket will have matched patterns. Second, the check can be difficult to arrange so that it flatters the patron’s body type and does not create any visually jarring lines. Additionally, because the jacket and vest are so bold, it is important that other details are more subtle. For that reason, we selected plain black buttons and matched the checks on the pockets so they would blend in almost seamlessly.
Of all of Hannibal’s suits, this is perhaps the one suited best to the screen and less to the real world. Few are flamboyant enough to wear a print like this one but actor and former dancer Mads Mikkelsen certainly has an easier time of it. With his Danish good looks, broad shoulders, immaculate posture as well as studio lighting and art direction, the pattern is muted and seems much more approachable. Still, with this bespoke piece you are unlikely to see it anywhere but on-screen.
