Here’s How You Can Recreate Johnny Doc’s Look
Photo by Bobby Allyn, Newsworks/WHYY
The news that Philly power broker John Dougherty’s house was raided by federal agents this morning came as a surprise, but his outfit was pretty much par for the course for Philadelphia.
Johnny Doc was in khaki shorts, a white button-front shirt (with the top two buttons undone), loafers and a 76ers hat. It’s like he gave the media a comment on the FBI raid without saying a word: “Trust the process!”
It made sense that Dougherty put on these clothes when he got up in the morning — or perhaps he wore them to bed last night, as he told Philadelphia magazine in 2014 he sleeps only four hours a night. But, when I decided I wasn’t going into the office today, I put on an outfit that almost matched Doc’s: shorts, a button-front shirt and sneakers without socks. A little bit of tweaking (I put on a white shirt instead of a blue one, and I went to the basement to find my 76ers hat) and I had it.
Our reporter recreates John Dougherty’s look the day of the FBI raid on his house in South Philadelphia.
Yes, without having to buy anything new, I was able to recreate the outfit Johnny Doc wore the day his house, bar, and the Local 98 union hall were raided by the FBI. And why not? We’re both lifelong Philadelphians, we both like sports, and we’re apparently both guys who think we can pull off looking like a schlep.
Since people take style cues from both the powerful (Doc) and the attractive (Brad Pitt), I figured people would want to know how to get this now-iconic look.
- The Hat: Mine is from Mitchell & Ness, which means it was from a $5 clearance bin there since I don’t wear hats often and don’t usually pay much for them. (The flagship store always has great deals.) M&N’s online store is currently selling 38 Sixers hats. None are a perfect match, but make your style your own.
- The Shirt: Mine is a Saks Fifth Avenue RED shirt from the Off 5th Outlet at Philadelphia (née Franklin) Mills. Saks outlets are often maligned, and that’s not unfair if you’re approaching it like an actual Saks. But if you think of it more as a really, really good Forman Mills, Saks Off 5th outlets are great. That shirt was, like, $13. What a deal! Here’s a plain white shirt at the online outlet for $19.99.
- The Pants: If you’re like me — you enjoy buying nice clothes as a form of retail therapy, yet you make a journalist’s salary — the Century 21 in the old Strawbridge’s building is great. The men’s selection is bigger than in most outlets. The brand quality is pretty great. (I now own a jean jacket that once sold for $500!) And you can get cheaper brands for almost nothing. The Seven7 shorts I’m wearing were $15. Here’s a nicer pair of Ben Sherman shorts for just $32.97.
- The Footwear: Doc is wearing … I dunno, either Toms or Bobs or some kind of loafer. I don’t have anything like that, so I’m in Nike Flyknit Max sneakers. I’d actually go with one of those cheaper brands, as mine were pretty pricey. (Naturally, I got them on sale at Kona Sports in Wildwood, New Jersey.)
So there you go: Now you can recreate the look of either an influential Philadelphia power broker and union business manager, or a local journalist. What a time to be alive.
Follow @dhm on Twitter.