Fashionable Movies, Pt. 1: Dressed for Success

All movies have costumes...the clothes the characters wear. But a very few movies have FASHION...women or other characters whose clothes are so influential, so luscious, that they can risk overwhelming the very character who wears the stylish garb.

My List: Obviously, The Devil Wears Prada. After all, it's a movie about FASHION!

Not even out yet, but be watching... two movies are in the works based on the oh so fashionable life of Coco Chanel. OOH La La! Those will be luscious fashion movies!

Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. Not a stretch, she plays an editor of a fashion magazine. Jimmy Stewart co-stars as her boyfriend; he spends most of the movie in pajamas. All the easier to watch the great Grace.

Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face. Again, a movie about Fashion. Fred Astaire plays a fashion photographer. Of course, Breakfast at Tiffany's is still thought to be a movie that broke through typical costuming to show the world what chic Manhattan style could be. Remember those dramatic highlight streaks in Hepburn's hair?

More recently, Rene Russo as the female investigator opposite the millionaire thief, Pierce Brosnan, in the 1999 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair. Fantastic clothes! Who remembers those fantastic grunge/platform/lace-up boots she wore in one scene? Or how about the black gloves that covered her arms, while draped in a skimpy, transparent black formal dress? Russo started her life behind the camera as a model, so she wears these wonderful outfits with aplomb! But the stylist for this movie gets kudos for making this character very cutting edge, fashion-wise.

Faye Dunaway in the original Thomas Crown Affair with Steve McQueen. Her clothes were the height of 60s chic.

Faye Dunaway again in Network (1976). This movie was made just a few years after Women's Lib movement got women into the work place as more than nurses and waitresses and shopgirls, She taught the modern woman how to REALLY dress for success.

A few movies had costumes for their characters that were so amazing that fashion followed their influence. Doctor Zhivago (1965) created the "Russian Look"." A look that Yves Saint Laurent latched onto with gusto in the Seventies and that the London Free Press featured April 25, 2008 for the coming winter season. Envision Julie Christie as the character Laura in her slim mid-calf skirt, long slim cardigan, boots, wide peasant belt walking through the streets of Yuriyatin...she could just as easily be walking along the Champs Elysees in October '07.

The wardrobe for Robert Redford in the 1974 Great Gatsby, put men in pink shirts and served as a fashion inspiration for many designers. The costumes' designer won the academy award that year.

The costumes for Faye Dunaway from the 1967 Bonnie and Clyde movie also heavily influenced fashion designers for several years. Her wardrobe of "1930s" clothes was a major factor for offering us the Midi skirt instead of just the Mini, and the backward bandana style scarf and short sleeve sweater were everywhere.

Woody Allen's movie Annie Hall, starring a young Dianne Keaton, created an entire "boyfriend's clothes" look based on the outfits worn by Diane Keaton in the 1977 movie. Her baggie khaki's, man's vest, crisp white shirt, man's tie and frequently a hat pulled low over her forhead continue to inspire Ms. Keaton's attire. The Anne Klein fashion house made this look accessible in every department store. For those readers too young to remember, Donna Karan was Anne Klein's assitant. After Klein's passing, Karan was given her own line...like, duh...has anyone interested in fashion NOT heard of Donna Karan? Now, 25 years later, the big conglomerate that bankrolled Anne Klein and Donna Karan has revived the Anne Klein brand name.

Take a look at part 2 of my hubs on fashion and the movies http://hubpages.com/hub/Fashion-Forward-Movies-on-the-Horizon.