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While looking for the best examples of 1990s fashion in 1990s films I was surprised to find I ended up with most of my choices coming from the middle of the decade. I looked again but I just couldn’t find any from the beginning or end of the decade worthy of displacing my top ten choices:

10 - Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
There were a lot of contenders for 10th place but Four Weddings and a Funeral won out for its use of really big hats!

9 - Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
After the angst of a high school reunion, Romy and Michelle redirect their lives and find a passion for fashion when they create their own line of clothing - unfortunately it’s marabou-trimmed metallic pastel baby doll dresses…

8 - Basic Instinct (1992)
Okay, so this film is better known for its lack of costuming - the point is only psychopaths don’t wear knickers!

7 - True Lies (1994)
The reason this film made the list is Jamie Lee Curtis’ self-directed makeover in a hotel hallway. With a few tugs and tears, she transforms herself from a mom in a ruffled dress into a ‘Palmerette’ in a sleek LBD.

6 - Tank Girl (1995)
The costumer of this sci-fi film (based upon a graphic novel) rather brilliantly created Mad Max styling using off-the-rack clothes from the local mall.

5 - Pretty Woman (1990)
Apart from Vivian’s ”You made a HUGE mistake” shopping scene, the thigh high boots worn by her at the beginning of this film inspired the shoe industry to infuse a bit of hooker chic into future collections.

4 - Unzipped (1995)
Isacc Mizrahi’s tribulations while creating his fall 1994 collection are shown in black and white in this film. Although this is a documentary, it is also highly entertaining.

3 - Party Girl (1995)
Parker Posey plays a directionless young woman who excels at partying and wearing fabulous clothes (even if she has to steal them.) The costuming in this comedy realistically captures the edgy New York trends of the day.

2 - Clueless (1995)
This updated version of Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ captures a variety of leading trends of the mid 90s from retro chic to skater grunge.

1 - Prêt-à-Porter: Ready to Wear (1994)
This satire of the fashion industry by Robert Altman includes an impressive company of actors playing eccentric fashion editors, reporters, and designers who all interact with each other amidst the chaos of the spring 1994 prêt-à-porter fashion shows in Paris. Karl Lagerfeld blocked the release of this film in Germany because of a line in the movie uttered by Forest Whitaker’s character that accuses Lagerfeld of plagiarizing his designs! Way to go Karl - what a sense of humour you have!

Picking 80s films that feature great 80s fashions turned out to be more challenging than I anticipated. There was a definite increase in period flicks in the 1980s (fodder for another post on another day) and, like the 70s, many genres downplayed anything too fashion conscious, probably because it would date the movie and distract from the storyline. However, some genres had plenty of trendy styles to pick from. Here are my top ten picks for 80s fashion in 80s films:

10 - Earth Girls are Easy (1988)
Even though the California beach blond-styling was a little young for Gina Davis and a titch past its best before date when the film was finally released in the summer of 1989 (production had begun in 1986), the musical numbers spoofing makeovers and blonds by Julie Brown are worth the price of admission.

9 - Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
This film was great for showcasing Madonna’s girly-punk look and was one of the few films of the decade that included a character dressed in counter culture street-wear or club fashions.

8 - Slaves of New York (1989)
Stephen Sprouse designed the clothes for this film’s fashion show by ‘Wilfredo’. The avant-garde styles featured a green faux fur coat with a tail that wannabe milliner Bernadette Peters dragged around Manhattan throughout most of the film. For more green faux fur fun check out the over-the-top mall fashion show in True Stories (1986.)

7 - We have a tie! Xanadu and Can’t Stop the Music (both 1980)
These box office flop musicals came out within a few months of each other and were often shown together as a double feature. However, both captured some of the best trends of 1980; in Xanadu the finale has dancers dressed in everything from urban cowboy to New Wave and in Can’t Stop the Music there are numbers where the back-up dancers look more like Disco fashion models.

6 - Flashdance (1983)
Nobody was going to this movie until word got out about the great dancing scenes. Jennifer Beals and her dancing double inspired fans to wear leg warmers and leotards as fashion items and cut off the collar and sleeves of sweat shirts.

5 - Pretty in Pink (1986)
There were a lot of teen angst films to pick from (Risky Business (1983), Heathers (1989)…) but Pretty in Pink seemed the best choice for fashion because it’s about a girl with a talent for sewing, a unique sense of style, and a passion for vintage. Unfortunately, the pink dress (which inspired the movie’s title) was the ugliest frock ever made! Leading lady Molly Ringwald said in an interview years later that she kept all the clothes she wore in that film BUT the pink dress.

4 - The Secret of My Succe$s (1987)
Of all the films with high fashion content (Overboard (1987), Troop Beverly Hills (1989)…), there was just something about Aunt Vera’s outfits in The Secret of My Success that showcased the chicest designer clothing of the period.

3 - Working Girl (1988)
There were a lot of films about women in the workplace (Nine to Five (1980), Baby Boom (1987)…) but Working Girl captured the fashions better than anyone else. From big hair and power suits to a six thousand dollar dress that was ‘not even leather!’

2 - The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
You either love or hate this art film, but you can’t deny it’s stylish. The costuming was done by leading fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier; he would go on to costume other films, including 1997’s The Fifth Element.

1 - American Gigolo 1980
Film fashion usually focuses on women’s clothing but it’s hard to ignore American Gigolo for its stylish men’s attire. This film made Richard Gere and Giorgio Armani famous, and it defined men’s fashion for the balance of the decade.

When I watch films for period costuming I am usually interested in how the costumer recreates the past, however, a great way to learn about the past is by watching films set in the present. I thought I would start with 1970s films because there weren’t that many where fashion played an important role. There were a lot of science fiction films with imaginative costuming (Star Wars, Logan’s Run), but most 1970s films were about realism and fashion was just not a big part of slasher/horror and gritty cop flicks. However, I still managed to find ten films that I think best captured 1970s style:

10 - Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971)
You probably think I am crazy for suggesting this, but the highlight of this film is when Zira gets a makeover, exchanging her loden green wool and leather Courreges-look tunic for Adele Simpson-like pastel floral caftans - it’s a look…

9 - High Anxiety (1977)
This Mel Brooks Comedy is a send-up of Hitchcock movies and fashion branding. Madeleine Kahn plays the leading lady who is so fashion conscious that she wears Louis Vuitton from head to toe and even rides in a Vuitton insignia emblazoned Cadillac.

8 - Klute (1971)
Jane Fonda was a fashion muse in the 1960s, even appearing on the cover of Vogue. She plays a prostitute in this 1971 comeback film but a chic prostitute with a shag hairdo, maxi coats, and fringed shoulder bag!

7 - What’s Up Doc (1972)
Barbra Striesand shone in her sexy sweater tops and feminine-styled pant suits in this film. Madeleine Kahn also appears in this movie as the repressed Eunice Burns whose forced exit from a ballroom with heels dragging across the waxed floor is comic genius.

6 - The Stepford Wives (1975)
It’s hard to ignore the original version of this film because of when it was made - at the height of the women’s liberation movement. Some women may have burned their bras at the time but frilly aprons and picture hats were still in fashion too…

5 - Mahogany (1975)
Diana Ross plays the part of a struggling fashion designer determined to succeed. The most interesting tidbit about this film is that the clothes are of Diana Ross’ design (and not terribly successful.) Let’s face it; if Diana Ross had been born thirty years later she would have her own label right now alongside every other singer/actress.

4 - Foxy Brown (1974)
Black culture was no longer marginalized in the 1970s; Dashikis, hoop earrings, ebonics, and Pam Grier’s afro were fashionably fierce in 1974; So much so that Barbra Striesand gave an afro a try in a Star is Born two years later (but we all make mistakes.)

3 - Saturday Night Fever (1977)
You knew this film had to be here. There were other ‘Disco’ movies in the late 1970s (Car Wash, Thank God It’s Friday) but Saturday Night Fever best captured mainstream fashions for the poly crowd. One of the white suits (there were two) sold at auction years later for $145,000!

2 - Annie Hall (1977)
Diane Keaton’s man-drag look is a part of her signature style and Annie Hall is where she honed the look with oversized vests and loosely knotted ties. By the way, those clothes in the movie were from her personal wardrobe not the costumer’s rack.

1 - Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)
You have to give kudos to this thriller because it is set in the fashion industry. Other than the Helmut Newton style photo shoots, if you want to see quintessential late 70s high fashion this is the best film to see.

Think I missed something? Let me know and leave a comment!

I don’t know if I am attracted to films set in the 1960s, or there just happens to be a lot of films set in the 1960s, but recently I have been pondering the costuming success of some of the more popular…

Rachel Menken dressed more for the Ladies Auxiliary than a business meeting

Peggy Olsen - learning to dress for success in season 4

This weekend season 4 of Mad Men returns and as an avid follower of the series (I don’t answer the phone even while a rerun is playing), I am looking forward to Matt Weiner’s take on 1964/65. Even if you don’t love Mad Men you have to admit the art direction is excellent. When it comes to the costuming, Betty Draper and Trudy Campbell are bang on fashion plates. However, despite these two stellar examples, I don’t think the costuming is always perfect: The bust darts on Joan’s dresses rarely relate to the actual location of her breasts (there is a reason buxom women wore sweaters at the time), and sometimes business women, like Rachel Menken, are dressed too cocktailish. Women in the early 60s had to dress seriously to be taken seriously in a man’s world. Chanel suits (and their knock-offs), mid height heels, and plain hats were popular with women who wanted to succeed in business. I have to mention one egregious error that occured in season 2 even though its not the costumer’s fault. A mock-up of a magazine advertisement depicted a stewardess in a mini skirt in 1962 - this would have been impossible since the mini skirt did not exist at the time and I am sure the costumer knew that - but the artist of the mock-up didn’t check. We should be seeing the first examples of mini skirts being worn in the office this upcoming season.

Brigitte Bardot chic and Collegiate looks for 1962 in A Single Man

On the big screen, A Single Man is a small film in the sense that there are no lavish crowd scenes with hundreds of extras. The largest scene involves a few dozen people leaving a college building in Los Angeles, but each of those people is impeccably dressed and groomed for November 30, 1962 (the day upon which the entire film is set). A Single Man was directed by Gucci resuscitater Tom Ford, whose Italian factory tailored the men’s clothes (I hope Colin Firth got to keep his perfectly fitted suits.) The costume designer for the film, Arianne Phillips, is best known for her well deserved costume nomination for Walk The Line. Phillips also costumed a number of films completely different in character from each other including: Tank Girl, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Crow, and 3:10 to Yuma. In A Single Man, Phillips adeptly costumed a number of characters ranging from collegiate types and bad girls (black leather and beehives) to a wannabe Brigitte Bardot beatnik, and an aging socialite. All her work was meticulously correct - maybe too correct to be realistic, and, if I have to find fault, a titch too avant garde (Charley’s evening dress looks more 1965ish than 1962.) Normally it bothers me when a film is costumed in nth degree style, but A Single Man is an excessively stylish film and the costuming underscores the underlying storyline of the lead character’s rediscovery for appreciating life and beauty, and making the most of the present. What else could we have expected from Tom Ford but a film of perfect design from beginning to end.

European youth in the early 1960s

Sister Smile is a Belgian film about the singing nun Jeanine Deckers who became famous for her catchy Catholic hit Dominica. The costumer is unknown to me (I have only ever seen one other Belgian film in my life) but they did a very apt job of capturing a very European early 60s style consisting of duffle coats and tweed skirts. The differences between European and North American styles were still quite discernable at that time, especially with how youth dressed. Again, this is a small film, which worked well because the attention to detail could be put towards the principal actors. The film is set primarily in the early 1960s, but follows the story into the late 1960s, and briefly beyond.

Pirate Radio - set in 1966 - ish

Last, and I am afraid least, is Pirate Radio. This film is set in 1966, at the height of the British invasion of music and fashion, aboard a pirate radio broadcast ship off the coast of England. The BBC, which held a monopoly on radio broadcasting in the UK, did not play rock and roll at the time, resulting in pirate radio stations, which received payments from the rock and roll industry to broadcast from international waters. The costumer, Joanna Johnston, is well known for exceptional work in films such as Valkyrie, Munich, and Saving Private Ryan, but this film is not her finest work. Much of what is done is correct but I suspect someone along the way decided it would have more comic value to exaggerate the styles of the pirate radio mop top DJS and their mod Carnaby street girlfriends, from the grey buttoned suits of the British MPs in their Henry Moore sculpture-laden mid-century offices who are trying to stop them. The resulting styling of the radio pirates is a mish mash of everything from Sargeant Pepper to the Partridge Family.

To recap… Mad Men is great but not always perfect - 9/10; A Single Man is perfection, perhaps too much so  - 9.9/10; Soeur Sourire is well done and shows a style not as familiar to North Americans 8/10; Pirate Radio tries too hard for comic relief by overexagerrating period fashions 6/10.

Colonel James Hamilton, 1784

At Easter time I blogged about the origins of purple hair. Of course purple wasn’t the only colour being used in history - Henna red has the longest history of use dating back to ancient Egypt.

Anyone who has seen the film Amadeus will probably remember the use of coloured wigs, worn especially by the men. I never doubted that coloured hair existed in the 18th century but I assumed it was an extreme fashion that only macaronis would have toyed with and that the use of it in the film was overly generous. I assumed that since the film came out in 1984 that the spikey red and green Mohawks being worn by punks were more influential on that film than real historical research - but I may have been wrong!

Scene from Amadeus with Tom Hulce wearing a pink wig

Daniel Milford-Cottam,  a colleague of mine who works at the Victoria & Albert Museum commented on the purple hair blog, remembering an interesting bit on the BBC Antiques Road Show a while back about an 18th century portrait of a man with pink hair. He wrote Louise Maynard at the show for further information and she kindly supplied him with a copy of the image and its identification. This portrait of Colonel James Hamilton was one of a pair of miniatures painted on ivory by famed miniaturist John Smart in 1784. Isn’t it ironic that two hundred years later, in 1984, Tom Hulce would be leaping about in coloured peruques playing Amadeus Mozart in the 1780s!

Over the years I have seen some great period costume films and its a shame not to review them just because they aren’t recent productions. I just re-watched 200 Cigarettes, a 1999 comedy set on New Year’s Eve 1981. I remember the era well, in fact I remember exactly what I did that particular New Year’s Eve, so I can say with some authority that the costuming is excellent.

The costumer, Susan Lyall, doesn’t normally do period films but she has been in the costuming business since the late 1980s and I suspect she also remembers this era well. I might have balked at the fashions being a little too ‘nth’ degree trendy had the film been set on any other night of the year, but people do dress their best on New Year’s Eve and the spikey Mohawks, brothel creepers, and vintage 50s party dresses were all spot on for the artsy-edgy types of lower Manhattan.

Lyall’s costumes are accurately detailed and perfect for the characters of this post-studio 54 era in New York — a time just before Trump and his yuppie band of developers spearheaded the economic resurrection of the city that turned the lofts and derelict squats into chic eateries and condos.

If you want to see 1980s fashions, there are plenty of original films from the decade that depict teenage trends, office power suits and high glamour, but bohemian street fashion is rarely depicted outside of brief bar scenes or specific characters (such as in Desperately Seeking Susan.) 200 Cigarettes is a fun film with great fashions from thirty years ago and gets a 9/10 for accurate costuming.  And if you want to read more about film costuming check out Frocktalk - a costumer’s industry ezine.

Before we get into who might win the Oscar for costuming it is important to know what the role of the costume designer is in a film.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The wardrobe department includes everyone involved with caring for, creating or procuring (borrowing from studio stock, renting from outside companies, buying at stores)  the costumes used in a film. The wardrobe or costume supervisor is responsible for the management of the staff and stock of this department — if something goes missing it’s their problem.

The costume designer styles and creates garments, usually just for the principal actors but they also work with assistants who style the walk-ons and background extras. While the costume designer’s job is the most creative it is also the most responsible as they have to work with the art director, film director, and principal actors to create the right look that will contribute to the success or failure of the production. Lastly, the costumers (aka wardrobe assistants/dressers) are responsible for handling the costumes worn by all the actors, from stars to extras. It is here that future costume designers learn their trade, working their way up the food chain to becoming a costume designer.

Coco Avant Chanel

Last year the Oscar award was clearly a race between two relatively new costume designers, Catherine Martin for Australia and Michael O’Connor for The Duchess (O’Connor won.) This year there is another race between two costume designers, but this time it is between two who have a track record of award winning costume designs. The nominees for 2009 costume design are: Janet Patterson for Bright Star; Catherine Leterrier for Coco Avant Chanel; Monique Prudholme for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; Colleen Atwood for Nine; and Sandy Powell for The Young Victoria.

Although Monique Prudholme, costume designer for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, has been in the business for twenty-five years, her usual fare has been wardrobe for ‘B’ movies and horror flicks (by wardrobe I mean buying off-the-rack contemporary clothes and styling the actors rather than creating original garments.) It’s also difficult to compare the costumes of a fantasy or science fiction film with an historical drama because the imagination of the costumer and the size of the budget are the only real limitations. Prudholme has no previous awards from other films and is clearly this year’s longshot for the Oscar.

Nine

Catherine Leterrier, designer for Coco Avant Chanel, has received accolades for other films, most notably the Cesar (French film award) for costumes for the entertaining World War II comedy thriller Bon Voyage, as well as The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. The problem is that Karl Lagerfeld did the historical Chanel clothes for the film. Similarly, Edith Head won a costume award for Sabrina in 1955, but the most glamorous clothes were designed by Hubert de Givenchy for Audrey Hepburn, a similar gamine beauty to Audrey Tatou who plays the young Chanel. Leterrier’s costumes are well done but unlike Sabrina in 1955, the connection between costume designer and couturier have been well publicized and should take her out of the running.

Colleen Atwood, costumer of Nine, has been a costume designer for twenty-five years. She has been fortunate to find films where she can show off her ability. Although she has won various awards, including Oscars, for several of her films, most notably Memoirs of a Geisha and Chicago, Atwood tends to change history to suit her aesthetics. In the case of Chicago this wasn’t an issue because the film is a musical fantasy, but in Memoirs of a Geisha I found the Japanese dress distracting because it was not authentically styled. Many will argue that a costume designer has the right to be creative rather than just reproduce history, but I argue that it depends on the type of film; the more liberties taken with history, the less authentic and compelling the story. For me, historically set films that receive high accolades but have egregious costuming errors (such as Titanic and Atonement) have been difficult to sit through.

The Young Victoria

I think the race will be between Janet Patterson, designer for Bright Star, and Sandy Powell, designer for The Young Victoria. Both have been in the business for about twenty-five years and both often receive nominations for their work. Janet Patterson’s most notable films include Oscar & Lucinda, and The Piano. Her costuming is always exceptionally authentic, to the point that watching her films is an education in period style and movement. Sandy Powell’s most notable films include The Aviator, and Shakespeare in Love. She is a master of finding the right balance between authenticity and aesthetics.

Bright Star

I would be thrilled to see either Powell or Patterson take home the Oscar this year as both are exceptional costume designers who know how to recreate and use historical styles in film. Patterson has not been as prolific as Powell and although she is frequently nominated for her work by Hollywood she has only won awards in her native Australia. Whereas the English born Powell has received English and American awards in the past and is probably more familiar with Hollywood. Its a tough call, and who knows, I may be wrong!

Added March 9 - but I wasn’t, Sandy Powell won for The Young Victoria.

I commented earlier that films set in time periods within living memory can be more difficult because audiences will notice errors. The costumers for Taking Woodstock avoided this problem by thoroughly doing their homework - researching, sourcing, recreating and styling the extras and stars with great attention to detail and authenticity. The director also realized the limitation of the budget and didn’t push his costumers to perform beyond a realistic expectation.

This scene takes place in 1966, although the actors are dressed more accurately for 1973

This was not the case for Talk to Me, which so obviously relied upon racks of period party dresses from costume houses for the extras to wear in daytime crowd scenes. The costumers focussed on the stars but tended to over-dress them in nth degree fashions that were inappropriate for the date of the scene in the movie. The anachromisms were plentiful and not just with the costuming (as a background check at the IMDB confirms).

The film takes place primarily between 1966 and 1972 - a hugely important era in social history, especially in the United States. It was in this era that American black culture transitioned from marginalized to mainstream. The filmakers however, blended the period into one giant cliche, with only one character, the straight-laced radio executive who hires Petey Green, showing any sense of his growing black self-identity through his clothing. Although the film is described as a comedy, the only thing I found comical were the costumes. This film gets a very poor 4/10 from me.

Kenn and I celebrated our 25th anniversary this past Monday and since both of us are finally getting into a diet routine to rid ourselves of the 40 pounds we each gained after quitting smoking 2 years ago, we decided to celebrate by having a splurge of butter on popcorn at a movie about high caloric food - Julie & Julia.

Ann Roth is the costume designer of this film - and is often the costumer of Meryl Streep films. Roth has done a mix of historical and contemporary set films since the 1960s, so her talents stretch right across the full spectrum of film costuming.

The ‘Julie’ part of the story takes place in 2002 - only 7 years ago - a not too distant past that many of us probably still have evidence of in our closets - either in the form of rarely worn seasonal favourites like a ski sweater or Burberry trench coat (guilty), to ‘things that will fit again some day’ like a tuxedo or bathing suit (guilty again.)

When movies take place in the recent past, it is too easy to make mistakes - either through fashion amnesia (using something not yet in style at that time), or ’uber-fashionizing’ (using nth degree fashions to accentuate the difference in time.) In the 1940 film ‘My Favourite Wife’ with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, Irene Dunne’s character reappears after being shipwrecked on an island for seven years, and upon her return dons an over the top ensemble from c. 1933 with giant bow at the neckline and ankle sweeping hemline - good for a laugh, but an over-the-top look to accentuate the passage of time.

Julie’s New York of 2002 was sensibly styled by Ann Roth with an every day working apparel wardrobe - no Sex and the City hodge podge couture with Blahnik shoes (in case you have forgotten, he was like Christian Louboutin but without the red soles), or belly-button-baring American-patriotic Stephen Sprouse T-shirts. Fashion doesn’t evolve the way it used to; there is no ‘correct’ hemline or colour combination for each season, so for costuming the most important thing to avoid for recent fashion is glaringly popular trends not in style in 2002, like Croc sandals.

Everyday 50s fashions and successfully making five and half feet look like six feet plus.

As for the ’Julia’ part of the story which takes place mostly in Paris in the early 1950s, the biggest problem was how to make Meryl Streep appear 8 inches taller without making it look like you are trying to make Meryl Streep appear 8 inches taller.  Shoes are the obvious answer - with platforms, high heels, and lifts in the insoles. However, when these shoes were made visible in shots, they looked ridiculous. A scene near the end that shows Julia cooking in her kitchen wearing 5 inch-heeled spectators with platform soles looks comical as does a scene near the beginning when Julia removes her wartime-looking wood-platform shoes to rest in bed. In scenes where nobody else was in view to compare her height, Julia should have been shown to wear flat or low heeled shoes to emphasize her self-conscious height, which she refers to in the film as problematic.

Towering heels and platforms not usually the choice of 6 feet tall women - better to have shown her in the sensible low heels she was known to wear in the kitchen

Otherwise, Julia’s fashions are pretty much bang on. Julia Child’s style is well documented in period photographs; and her blue shirt-blouse with apron and ‘Trois Gourmandes’ lapel pin and signature pearls is an iconic image.  Shirt style blouses, dirndl skirts, and a couple of sensible suits with mix and match separates are documented in period photographs of Julia Child in the 1950s. However, there is one ‘ethno’ style sweater worn in Oslo in the late 1950s that looks more c. 1980 (with its puffed sleeves and tasseled collar ties), but perhaps a Norwegian sweater with pewter buttons from the late 1950s couldn’t be found in time.

Overall, the difficulty level was fairly high for this film and I can’t fault the costumer for the shoes appearing on screen. Costumer gets 8.5 out of 10 from me!