The Wire's Greatest Fashion Moments

Image via Complex Original

The OG Barksdale Crew

For the most-compelling criminal organization in modern television, Avon & Co. brought a pretty weak style game to the arena, at least at the highest levels of their crew. Avon actually looked a lot better in the prison uniform, but returned to his clowny sweat suits every time he got out.

Stringer, however, stayed looking like the suave love interest in a Tyler Perry movie. I can’t talk shit about Idris because every girl I met wants to smag him something fierce. Idris is a god amongst men.

Bodie And His Do-Rag

Bodie is one of the few characters that stuck to his principles throughout the entirety of his run. Similarly, his signature uniform of an untied do-rag endured until Bodie finally fell, leaving a long legacy of flowing tails and G-Unit shirts on the corners where he became one of the last of the Barksdale tree to stand tall in a tall-tee. RIP.

Poot

Bodie is survived by his “pussy-craving” sidekick Malik “Poot” Carr, who always kept his streetwear understated and comfy, as real G's tend to do.

Bunk

Bunk’s suit game was never quite in line with his outsized perception of himself, but his accessory collection was befitting of a seasoned homicide detective—a cigar here, tie clip there. Never one to miss an opportunity to rock a stupid hat, cufflinks or a flashy ring, The Bunk had just a bit more flare than his coworkers and for that we appreciate him.

But actually, the best he ever looked was when he rolled up to major crimes off-site in lacrosse sweats. Stay cozy, my friend.

But Bunk’s greatest sartorial contributions were made to the “necktie mausoleum,” cutting unsuspecting coworkers at the neck for sleeping on the job. What type of tie would you wear if you knew it might get hit with scissors at any moment? I’m guessing there was a lot of Van Heusen in that office.

Assholes in Suspenders

At some point David Simon must have worked for an asshole in suspenders or maybe they’re just the go-to for Baltimore city authority figures because they’re prevalent among the higher, douchier ranks on the show. I can’t quite group Jay in with Burrell and that tool from the newspaper, though. Jay was a lovable asshole and his equatorial waistline would have never stood a chance without braces. He did stick pretty tightly to the company line, though, often placing politics over police work, so here he stays, an asshole in suspenders.

Prop Joe And Cheese

Proposition Joe, may he rest in peace, would not have cracked this list if not for his funeral attire. But damn, that is some funeral attire. Keep this as reference for when it's Nana's time to go.

Otherwise Joe kept it pretty simple, mainly rocking aloha shirts and other staples of obesity.

Never far behind Joe was his nephew Cheese, aka Method Man, who couldn’t make the list on his own clout, but look at this dope Ruff Ryders tee. Represent.

Clay Davis "Sheeeeeet" Break

Congrats if you've made it this far. You're a true fan. If you’re holding back a Clay Davis-sized shit, now is the time to drop a deuce. We'll be here when you get back.

Bubbles

Everyone’s favorite lovable junkie, Bubbles’ attire basically proves that your most-revered Japanese designer’s moodboard is all photos of homeless people. Bubbles looks straight out of a Nepenthes lookbook most of the time. I don’t think the costume people put much thought into the dirty clothes they dressed him in and in doing so inadvertently created the show’s best dressed character…

…except for when he inexplicably dressed like Bruno Mars. Bubbles gets extra points for running a white tee hustle out of a shopping cart. How to Make it in America, real life edition.

Forgotten Streetwear

Ecko shows up at least once a season on some no-name gangster, and I had some good jokes about it, but Marc Ecko personally reviews all my copy and he nixed that shit. In general, the show is a who’s who of streetwear brands you remember fondly or have already forgotten about, from Akademiks to Avirex to LRG and so on and so forth.

Omar

Mr. Little is the universally loved Robin Hood of the streets, but his uniform of trench coat, Kevlar and shotgun don’t really cut it on this highly prestigious list. Off-duty Omar shines however. Whether he’s just popping out for some Honey Nut Cheerios or dressing up for a day in court, Omar dressed like a man who, nobly, didn’t give too many fucks about what he wore. We initially chalked Omar’s wardrobe up to novelty until….

…Homeboy made his final big score and headed to an undisclosed location south of the border where he could finally shed his bad boy image, embraced his true inner-self and got down with some capri pants and a straw hat. Do you, homie—that’s the whole point of getting off the grid.

Marlo

Check out dude straight jumping on the gangsta’s resort collection. En route to the Caribbean to check on his offshore holdings, Marlo stopped in at Tommy Bahama to make sure his island game was tight. This is the only contribution Marlo makes to the list. Despite being the major adversary for three full seasons, his garment maneuvers were never on par with his status.

A quick shout out to Chris for being an early adopter with the camo trend.

Nothing but love for Snoop, too. If there isn’t already fanfic that ships Kima and Snoop in some steamy, cop on criminal romance, then I know what my next career move is.

Sexy Ass Daniels Break

Straight up though, why did it take, like, three seasons before they revealed that our boy was wild cut?

Namond

Some people don’t like season four. I don’t get that, especially considering the shit factory that was the final 10 episodes. Even if you don’t like the change of focus to the failures of public education and how innocent young men transition into cold-blooded drug traffickers, you can at least dig the stylistic mix-up the season offered.

Namond’s Barksdale-funded jersey collection is worthy of its own retrospective. I mean, Artis Gilmore! I don’t think young Namond knows anything about Artis Gilmore, but who cares because that that jersey is icy as fuck.

Additionally, season four turned me onto a trend I’d missed in its heyday: The unzipped hoodie with the strings tied. I am most definitely riping this off when styling the lookbook for my inevitable entrepreneurial foray into streetwear.

Here it is again in the season that shall not be named on some random dude who gives rides for money. Is this a common thing in the hood? Random dudes with cars who give rides for money? This practice should be adopted everywhere.

Dukie

This is dedicated to Dukie’s come up. The lil homie who went from smelling like garbage, eating Mr. Prez’s second-hand sandwiches and sporting a girl's backpack to rocking crispy polos, graphic tees and jeans all thanks to his pal Michael’s rising status in the Stanfield organization. That's what friends are for.

Shout to Kenard in the Southpole tee, too. That was the only “urban” brand I ever saw in my hometown.

Kima

A transition that, unlike Dukie’s, hurt a character’s style was Kima’s move from major crimes to homicide. Every creative writing student knows static characters are boring, so we don’t begrudge the jump, but old Kima’s badass lesbo style was basically how I want to dress every single day—basics kicked up with Timbs and the occasional bit of camo.

The pant-suited homicide look never fit street smart Shakima Greggs, not that she couldn’t hang in homicide. She surely could, but I just miss that gritty season one Kima nipple.

Lester

Freamon is almost too convenient a pick. The favorite detective (until he, like other major characters, inexplicably abandons his principles and goes completely off character in season five), Lester's style was as classic and admirable as his professional skills. In a few years when the country has continued its descent into warring factions of local militias, I’ll revisit Lester’s exquisite use of a shoulder holster as an accessory. His style was old-mannish for sure, but Lester, glasses perched at the tip of his nose, looks down with equal disdain on shady phone records, political finance subpoenas and your weak ass trendy “kit.”

The Greek

This dude isn't even Greek! What a fucking scam. But he is the only character that could pass for a #menswear bro. He can wear a stupid hat because he’s old and a rich ass drug importer. You’re not, so you can’t.

Ziggy

The black sheep of the hardworking but morally-corrupt Sobotkas, Ziggy had a pretty underrated style. He’s like that kid who could never settle down in class and was always getting kicked out for yelling fucked up shit at the teacher, but had the dope thrift store finds on lock and an effortless style that left you in awe like, “Where’d he find that pin-up print shirt? Why can’t I ever find anything good at Value Village?”

And who is this sprezzed-out old guy with the ducks and fresh military jacket? Is this Ziggy’s secret vintage sage? So many questions...

But Ziggy also teaches us a foreboding and all too common tale about greed, clothing and quality, wasting $2,000 on an Italian leather trench that eventually gets ripped and tossed by Method Man.