Anthony Mackie Shows You How to Layer Up Right

Peter Saltsman December 14, 2015

Anthony Mackie is way overqualified to be telling pot jokes.

And yet, here he is, decked out in an ugly sweater and a Santa hat preening beside Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the poster for The Night Before, a raunchy, drug-fuelled Christmas comedy that is, let’s just say, a departure from his usual work. Which, before we even get to his professional career, started with Shakespeare. That was his first taste of acting, in high school, where his teachers liked to stage ridiculously ambitious productions with budding talents.

“We did King Lear. We were all terrible, but we had the best teachers who always taught us the classics, and pushed us to do them. I played Edmund. And there’s a scene at the end where Edmond dies. So opening night I’m doing that on stage, and these two girls in my class scream out from the audience: ‘Anthony! No!’ That’s when I knew I wanted to become an actor.”

And so, as happens with talented people, a few years later he was at Julliard, and a few years after that he was doing Shakespeare on Broadway and booking film roles, playing Tupac Shakur and Martin Luther King Jr.

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Quilted, down-filled and with a heavy-duty fur hood, the parka’s design is pretty standardized for a reason: it works. If you have to choose just one coat this winter – or any winter – this is the one.

Polyester goose down parka ($350) and cotton button down ($120) by Eddie Bauer; wool sweater ($450) by J Brand.

Shearling coats are really warm. That’s their thing. And that’s also the reason you should have one in your arsenal. While they’re often associated with slick bombers (you know, like old-timey pilots used to wear), we suggest trying a bigger one in a badass colour.

Cotton canvas and shearling coat ($8,200) by Gucci; wool button down ($200) by Eddie Bauer; cotton thermal shirt ($150) by Rag & Bone.

You want a light jacket in winter. Not as an end layer, but to tuck under other heavier jackets. It can take the place of a suit jacket in a less formal work environment or for a night out, and will fit under a topcoat when you’re ready to venture outside.

Nylon bomber jacket ($230) by Eddie Bauer; cotton denim button down ($70) by Levi’s; cotton knit tie ($220) by Tom Ford; cotton twill blend jeans ($250) by J Brand; leather belt ($490) by Prada; leather boots ($650) by Aquatalia.

If you don’t already have a go-to overcoat, now is the time to invest. Navy or camel (black can be too stark) in luxurious cashmere will always serve you well. Or ball out with some sporty details like a detachable hood.

Wool-cashmere blend coat ($895) by Vince; wool-silk blend suit ($2,030), cotton button down ($460) and silk tie ($85) by Calvin Klein; leather belt ($490) by Prada.

Nothing cuts the wind and repels water quite like a good technical shell. Only problem is that you don’t always want to look like you’re about to climb Kilimanjaro (unless you really are, in which case, good for you). The answer is finding one in a traditional shape, like this classic overcoat version that’s strong enough for a mountain, but made for anywhere by a mountain.

Cotton-nylon blend coat ($1,095) and cotton plaid shirt ($275) by Rag & Bone; linen-cotton blend blazer ($300) by Apolis; cashmere scarf ($275) by Brooks Brothers; cotton twill blend pants ($240) by J Brand.

Don’t overthink the logic of the quilted vest. Who needs warm arms anyway? Just know that it looks great, and is the perfect layering piece all winter, whether as a jacket in its own right or under all kinds of scarves and other outerwear. Try to find one in textured wool.

Wool-Elastane blend vest ($670) by Vince; wool sweater ($430) by Apolis; cotton denim button down ($300) by AG; wool scarf ($120) by Brooks Brothers; cotton twill blend pants ($240) by J Brand; leather and suede boots ($180) by Timberland.

Anthony Mackie is an Actor, the kind that deserves a capital A. And even he admits to being out of his element in a movie like The Night Before. In fact, he barely even has the vocabulary to talk about it. Ask him about comedy, and he’ll dive straight into Ancient Greek theatre and Commedia dell’arte, trying coolly to compare his roles in 8 Mile and The Hurt Locker to the buddy in his latest gig: “Comedy is all about timing. So is acting, no matter what you’re doing.”

If that’s true, then Mackie has impeccable timing — comedic or otherwise. The 37-year-old is in full-on breakout mode these days. After more than a decade of earning stellar reviews for relatively small film roles, and kicking ass in the obscure niche that is American theatre, Mackie’s 2015 has been ridiculous. There was Avengers: Age of Ultron, in which he reprised the role of the Falcon, his very own Marvel superhero. He took that winged costume into Ant Man, the Paul Rudd-starring surprise box office smash, and he’ll play Falcon again next year in Captain America: Civil War.

Which is to say that, strapped into a rubber suit and a set of latex wings, Anthony Mackie is flying pretty damn high. Might as well light up a joint with Seth Rogen while he’s up there. It’s the serious thing to do.