PUBLISHED/powerHouse Books fashion
Gary Cooper: An Enduring Style
G. Bruce Boyer and Maria Cooper Janis
Noted men’s fashion writer G. Bruce Boyer and Gary Cooper’s daughter, Maria Cooper Janis, have written a book deconstructing the style of film icon Gary Cooper—detailing how Coop developed his eclectic fashion sense that came to embody a uniquely sophisticated yet relaxed American style when the European styles of the day were more formal and rigid. Why Gary Cooper? Because he was Hollywood’s best dressed man, equally at home in white tie and tails (perhaps more so than Fred Astaire) as he was in a plaid shirt and a pair of jeans. As Irving Berlin wrote in the lyrics to Puttin’ on the Ritz,
“Dressed up like a million dollar trouper.
Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper,
Super Duper!”
But it wasn’t just clothes that fascinated Coop—it was everything, such as cars (his famous Duesenberg, and less well-known Jaguars, Mercedes, and yes, Plymouth!), and architecture (he designed a Caribbean villa as well as a stunningly modern house). Born on a ranch in Montana in 1901, attending private school in England, moving to Hollywood in his twenties and traveling the world as a movie star, Cooper’s unique background allowed him to acquire and synthesize the knowledge of the best tailors, clothiers, weavers, dyers, etc. He wasn’t just a handsome guy, a mannequin others draped in finely tailored menswear. He educated himself about clothes, from the first stitch to the last. He also picked up the tricks of local architecture and visited the factories turning out the fastest automobiles with a ceaseless quest for knowledge. Fun, fascinating, loaded with wonderful photos and with the sharp insight of Boyer and loving reminiscences of Janis, Gary Cooper: An Enduring Style will be the book for any man who wishes to create his own look.
“Dressed up like a million dollar trouper.
Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper,
Super Duper!”
But it wasn’t just clothes that fascinated Coop—it was everything, such as cars (his famous Duesenberg, and less well-known Jaguars, Mercedes, and yes, Plymouth!), and architecture (he designed a Caribbean villa as well as a stunningly modern house). Born on a ranch in Montana in 1901, attending private school in England, moving to Hollywood in his twenties and traveling the world as a movie star, Cooper’s unique background allowed him to acquire and synthesize the knowledge of the best tailors, clothiers, weavers, dyers, etc. He wasn’t just a handsome guy, a mannequin others draped in finely tailored menswear. He educated himself about clothes, from the first stitch to the last. He also picked up the tricks of local architecture and visited the factories turning out the fastest automobiles with a ceaseless quest for knowledge. Fun, fascinating, loaded with wonderful photos and with the sharp insight of Boyer and loving reminiscences of Janis, Gary Cooper: An Enduring Style will be the book for any man who wishes to create his own look.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
G. Bruce Boyer has been a noted fashion writer and editor for more than 35 years. He was associated with Town & Country magazine as men’s fashion editor for 15 years. His articles have also appeared in Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and many other publications. He is the author of multiple books on the subject of men’s fashion and has also worked in advertising, PR, and media consulting for companies such as Nordstrom, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Southwick, Bergdorf Goodman, and Gant among others.
Maria Cooper Janis was born in Los Angeles and grew up there with her parents, the actor Gary Cooper and his wife Veronica Cooper. A talented painter, a noted philanthropist, and a filmmaker, Maria married the world-renowned concert pianist, Byron Janis, in 1966.
