IWC Schaffhausen
Under The Cuff: James “Sonny” Crockett, Miami Vice
IWC Schaffhausen
Under The Cuff: James “Sonny” Crockett, Miami Vice
Instrumental in defining the identity and aesthetic of the 1980s, the crime/drama show is now probably most widely remembered for its costume design. Serving as sartorial inspiration for many viewers, Miami Vice is credited with boosting the sales of Armani, Versace, Cerruti, Ray Ban and Hugo Boss. Helping, in part, make them the household names they are today. A generation of men donned unstructured pastel-coloured tailoring, eschewed socks and enthusiastically rolled-up their jacket sleeves – even if most of them were in the likes of Merseyside, not Miami.
Alongside avant-garde fashion, the show was also responsible for helping popularise and, in some cases, introduce the latest and greatest music (from Depeche Mode to U2 and Public Enemy), vehicles (the Wellcraft Scarab 38 KV powerboat, Ferrari Testerossa and Ferrari Daytona Spyder; even if the ‘Daytonas’ used for production were fake), guns (the Desert Eagle, Steyr AUG, Glock 17 and super-rare Bren Ten chambered in 10mm) and, of course, watches…
Michael Mann, the programme’s executive producer and “show’s real creative force”, revisited Miami Vice after Jamie Foxx pitched him the idea of a movie remake at a party in 2001. Releasing and directing a present-day set, cinema adaptation in 2006, with Foxx playing Tubbs and Colin Farrell taking on the role of Crockett.