While many would associate Hannibal Lecter with his unusual palette and proclivity towards human suffering, he is also a character of refined taste. The producer of NBC’s Hannibal, Bryan Fuller, has a vision of the character that emphasizes the art of his work, rather than the gruesome. He is a master of the macabre, regal, immaculately dressed and a patron of the arts. He is a composer, a fan of the opera and a master chef. Precision is key in all of it; Hannibal arranges flowers in the chest cavity of a corpse the same way he carefully arranges wagyu beef cubes on fine China plates and the same way he tailors his wardrobe to perfection.
Best of all, Hannibal is so refined that he passes through the populace unnoticed, a dark secret wrapped up in bespoke. There is something about him that commands respect, even when knowing his gruesome habits. Everyone from Will Graham to Clarice Starling has to appreciate the way in which Hannibal orchestrates his hunt.
We have the immense pleasure of working with Hannibal Productions to produce a number of outfits for Mads Mikkelson and a few others from the Hannibal Lecter cast. For the next few weeks, we will be featuring pieces featured in the show. The first is the rust suit, a three-piece ensemble in a rust-orange check wool, delineated with browns and the slightest touch of pale blue. Under careful studio lighting, the rusted orange is stubborn: it grows darker, absorbing the light and giving nothing back –– not unlike Hannibal himself, perhaps. The check lends itself to both the deerstalker and the hunter in Hannibal, as well as the sophisticate.
When we think of sophisticates, we do not generally think about them as hunters, but in reality, isn’t that what they really are? Some hunt success, some hunt money and some, like Hannibal, hunt others.
