What You’ll Need
Ralph Lauren Wool Single Breasted Coat in Charcoal
Navy Blue Softer than Cashmere Scarf
Giorgio Napoli 2-Button Suit in Navy Blue
Haggar Men’s Regular-Fit Banker Stripe Oxford Button-Front Shirt
Dockers Gordon Oxford Shoes in Black
Sherlock Holmes Hat
Benedict Cumberbatch’s modern Sherlock Holmes relies on sharp tailoring and a very specific winter silhouette. Rather than Victorian tweed capes, the BBC interpretation strips the wardrobe down to clean contemporary menswear anchored by an imposing overcoat and a blue scarf.
Because most of the pieces are real-world garments, assembling this costume comes down to proportions. The cut needs to stay slim and elongated, with the long coat doing almost all the heavy visual lifting.
The Greatcoat and Blue Scarf
The centerpiece of the entire outfit is Sherlock’s heavy, ankle-grazing dark overcoat. In the series, he wears a textured charcoal double-breasted coat with wide lapels, but a structured single-breasted wool piece like the Ralph Lauren Wool Single Breasted Coat in Charcoal creates the same sharp profile. Wear the collar flipped straight up around your neck. If you want to add a subtle screen-accurate touch, take red embroidery thread and hand-stitch around the lapel buttonhole on the left side.
Tucked right into that upturned collar is his signature navy scarf. The Navy Blue Softer than Cashmere Scarf works well here when folded in half lengthwise and pulled through itself in a simple Parisian knot. Keep the ends tucked neatly inside the front of the coat so only the knot and a bit of blue show against your neck.
Suit and Shirt Underneath
Beneath the coat, Sherlock wears a tailored two-piece suit. The Giorgio Napoli 2-Button Suit in Navy Blue provides a solid dark base that contrasts subtly with the charcoal outerwear. The jacket should fit relatively close to the body, and you will want to keep the trousers hemmed with minimal break over your shoes to preserve those clean lines.
Pair the suit with the Haggar Men’s Regular-Fit Banker Stripe Oxford Button-Front Shirt. Sherlock rarely wears a necktie with his everyday kit. Instead, leave the top two buttons undone and let the collar sit open underneath the suit jacket. A narrow vertical stripe is true to several on-screen shirts and breaks up the solid navy of the jacket.
Footwear
Sherlock wears simple black leather dress shoes that stay unobtrusive. The Dockers Gordon Oxford Shoes in Black give you the correct low-profile dress shoe aesthetic without distracting from the tailoring above. Keep them well-buffed and clean.
Hair and the Accidental Hat
Sherlock’s hair is dark brown, cut relatively short on the sides, and styled with defined, messy curls on top. If you are working with natural hair or a wig, use a matte styling clay or curl paste to separate the locks rather than letting it sit in a smooth wave.
The Sherlock Holmes Hat—the classic tweed deerstalker—is entirely optional, but undeniably fun for photos. In the show, Sherlock despises the hat and only wears it because the tabloid press photographed him with one, turning it into an unwanted trademark. Carrying it by your side or pulling it down over your ears between poses adds instant context for anyone who might otherwise mistake you for a stylish commuter.
