Essential 1970s-inspired style tips from Messrs Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe in The Nice Guys.

To say that The Nice Guys is making the most of its 1970s setting is a bit like saying that Mr Kanye West has maximised the potential of flesh-coloured tracksuit bottoms. The trailer for Mr Shane Black’s dark comedy – starring Mr Ryan Gosling and Mr Russell Crowe as a couple of LA gumshoes trying to solve the case of a missing girl and its possible relation to the death of a porn star – is awash with retro references to that storied decade, from the garish neon type to the VHS-like “warps” in the print and the cute “introducing” credit for veteran actress Ms Kim Basinger. And if we didn’t already have an inkling that we’d crash-landed in the era of Stairway to Heaven and patchouli oil, we’d certainly twig from the personal style of the film’s leads, not least Mr Gosling’s droopy moustache and Mr Crowe’s grown-out mullet. And the clothes? We’re not saying you should go the full Starsky and Hutch – and Mr Crowe’s turquoise leather jacket is perhaps best filed under “historic curio” – but if you look past the excesses, you’ll find some takeaways, listed below, proving that, at least style-wise, nice guys really finish first.

Put aside the horrors that were visited on shirts in the 1970s – the crackling man-made fibres, the bat-wing sleeves, the fact that anyone thought cheesecloth was a bright idea – and consider the print. Mr Gosling’s floral number here may be distinctive enough to compromise his “undercover” activities, and the collar may err on the floppy side, but the merits of the print shirt – that it adds a pop of colour and dash to an outfit, that it’s a refreshing alternative to stripes or checks – are as germane today as they were in its 1970s heyday. Try an on-trend floral print from Valentino, Tom Ford, Our Legacy or Saint Laurent, and celebrate its status as a hardy perennial.

Here, surely, is the final proof that Mr Gosling is contractually obliged to only go so far down the road of period parody before his status as all-purpose “hey girl” meme dreamboat is restored. Yes, the shiny shirt and red tie bespeak borderline 1970s excess; but all is inoculated by the timeless elegance of his deep navy suit, a quality that even the overstuffed pockets and hand-cast can’t quite diminish. We’re not saying that a similarly exemplary item from Burberry, Kingsman or Thom Sweeney will see you getting mistaken for Mr Gosling, but we think we can confidently forecast that, on the form of this photo at least, you won’t be confused with Mr Crowe any time soon.

If Mr Gosling had read MR PORTER’s recent Sunglasses To Suit Your Face Shape feature, he’d have seen that, blessed as he is with an oval face, almost every style suits him. But it takes a special pair of sunglasses to rise above that monster shirt and the least retiring of kipper ties. Lucky, then, that he had access to a pair of aviators, because even though he looks like he’s about to fail the audition for the Beastie Boys’ 1970s cop show-inspired Sabotage video, he still looks… well, kind of cool – the gold tones of the pair he’s chosen work particularly well with the very 1970s shade of brown of his suit. For an updated take on this look, invest in a pair from Tom Ford or Cutler & Gross shades, pairing with a slightly more understated variation on the brown jacket from Italian tailoring expert Caruso.

Watch the trailer below

The Nice Guys is in cinemas from 20 May (US) and 3 June (UK)