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The Artful Dodger
Another Man's Creative Director Alister Mackie revels in the Dickensian glamour and impish charm of the Artful Dodger.
Carol Reed's 1968 film adaptation of the musical Oliver! won six Academy Awards, two Golden Globes and the hearts of most who watched Oliver Twist deliver his snivelling line: "Please, sir, I want some more." But for some - including Another Man's Creative Director Alister Mackie - this little moppet isn't the star of the show. That honour goes to master pickpocket and head of Fagin's child gang the Artful Dodger, played by 16-year-old Jack Wild.Wild was Oscar nominated for his street urchin performance but, sadly, his road to adult success proved to be a rocky one. After being paid a million dollars at 18 for the lead in TV show HR Pufnstuf, he hit the bottle and, three years later, was a registered alcoholic. After two decades in "a drunken haze" he was penniless, heartbroken and, nearing his end, speechless - his vocal chords and part of his tongue removed after surgery for cancer. Wild died on March 1, 2006, aged just 53.
Here, Mackie celebrates the actor in the role that came to define his short life...
"Oliver! is such a classic. It has been in my consciousness as long as I can remember. Without doubt, Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger is the coolest character in the film. Child stars are always fascinating; there is an air of tragedy surrounding them that is inescapable. Jack Wild is no exception. He will always be remembered for this iconic role - he was never allowed to grow up.
In the film, he's cheeky and rebellious and his look is super-distinctive. It's slightly gothic, a Dickensian gent gone wrong, with a kind of decadent, dishevelled appearance which - coming out in the 1960s - felt like The Rolling Stones. The velvet tailcoat, bashed-in top hat and neck tie was a look that Brian Jones would have worn, but Wild's white face and black bowl haircut was more like Keith Richards.
While I was working on the Marc Jacobs women's ready-to-wear collection for autumn/ winter 2012, the Artful Dodger came up several times when the girls came in wearing their fur stovepipe hats, tailcoats and fabulous looks. Marc even commented: 'Really, the Artful Dodger and Oliver are like Mick and Keith - you like one or the other.'
The silhouette of big boots, skinny legs, chopped haircut and rich fabrics made to look poor, which you see in Oliver!, is something I always return to. It has the outsider appeal of the indie kid."