Style icon: Sir Michael Caine

In which G.M. Norton announces his latest Style Icon inductee. 

Hello avid readers and welcome to the latest exciting instalment of your favourite weekly periodical, brought to you every Saturday at four o’clock.

My latest posting concerns the famous thespian, Sir Michael Caine who I have sought fit to induct into my Style Icon list, joining Sir Roger Moore and Cary Grant.

"My name is Maurice Micklewhite."

Caine’s charmed existence began when he was born eighty years and two days ago to a fish-market trading father and charlady mother. This important act occurred on 14th March, 1933. In recent years, 14^th March has been universally referred to as ‘Talk Like Michael Caine Day’.

Since these humble beginnings, Caine has enjoyed a long and lucrative career in acting, donating his stylish presence to more than one hundred films, picking up two Oscars, one Patricia and one Shakira along the way.

Due to his recognisable Cockney voice, impersonations are well and truly rife, including a hilarious impression-off between comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. 

Despite the famous line (and subsequent Madness song) “My name is Michael Caine”, this is not his real name – it is actually Maurice Joseph Micklewhite. Not a lot of people know that. 

Caine's dashing wardrobe on and off-screen made him one of Britain's most admired style icons. If he wasn’t donning a Aquascutum raincoat and thick framed glasses in a Cold War thriller (Harry Palmer trilogy), upstaging the Mini with one superb outfit after another in an outrageous caper on the continent (The Italian Job), then he was suited and booted waving a shotgun in the face of a scoundrel in the North East of England (Get Carter).

Instantly recognisable for his sharp way of dressing, he cut a fine, dandy figure in tailored suits, perfectly knotted ties, pristine pocket squares and stylish cufflinks. Praise must be directed to the influence of his close friend and tailor, Douglas Hayward. Bravo, sir! 

Here are some pictorial delights of a true British style icon from some of my favourite films starring this living legend. 

Harry Palmer trilogy - The Ipcress File (1965), Funeral in Berlin (1966) and Billion Dollar Brain (1967).

The Italian Job (1969)

Get Carter (1971)  

Sir Michael Caine, I salute you. 

G.M. Norton
Protagonist of ‘Norton of Morton’