I’d like to think that within the hallowed halls of television’s high temple, there’s a special place carved out for Law & Order. At any given time, on any given day, I can guarantee there’s at least one channel chiming in with that unforgettable “Dun Dun” and an hour long glimpse at city crime, peppered with just the right number of witty one liners. For me, what’s always kept me coming back to the show, year after year, are the characters, and no one more so than Jack McCoy. You can look at McCoy at anytime during his fifteen seasons and instantly understand the kind of man he is: a dyed in the wool east coast trad, the type of guy who simultaneously respects the past, while fighting for what he believes in. He kept a bottle of Jim Bean in his desk, a Barbour Bedale on his coat rack, he was overworked, underappreciated, he got angry just as fast as he could get compassionate. Jack McCoy was, to me, the epitome of a late twentieth century upper-middle class New Yorker.

The classic Jack McCoy outfit:

• Borsalino Felt Fedora
• Barbour Beaufort Jacket
• J. Press Classic Woven Flannel Suit
• Brooks Brothers Classic All-Cotton Regular Fit Oxford Dress Shirt
• Brooks Brothers BB#3 Repp Tie
• Alden Medallion Cap Toe Shell Cordovan Shoes
• Scowl

Jake Gallagher is a writer and student currently living in Manhattan. He focuses on back stories and the historical side of menswear at his site Wax-Wane.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.