Fashion is a Film

FASHION IS A FILM – THE EDGE OF LOVE

November 1, 2017 By Noemi Leave a Comment

“The Edge of Love” is a 2008 film directed by John Maybury starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy and Matthew Rhys.

The film is set in Great Britain during the Second World War and it’s about Vera Phillips, played by Keira Knightley, and Caitlin MacNamara, played by Sienna Miller, who become friends even if poet Dylan Thomas, married to Caitlin but Vera’s first love, is still interested in the latter.
When Vera’s husband, William (played by Cillian Murphy), a soldier who’s serving during the war, comes back home, the situation degenerates, due to his jealousy toward Thomas worsened by his traumatic experience as a soldier.

According to what I read, the film is based on real people and events but it’s not reliable, like many films based on actual events. I admit I think the costumes, designed by April Ferry, are the best part of the film. I also have a girl crush on Sienna Miller and I never watched a Keira Knightley’s film I didn’t like.

Keira Knightley/Vera and Sienna Miller/Caitlin both wear beautiful outfits. The 1940s were a great decade for style and fashion and women were so feminine, with hats, veils, beautiful frocks and knitwear. And red lipstick.

The film is set in London, where Vera works as singer in a nightclub and the Thomases live with their child, and in the Welsh seashore where Phillips, MacNamara and Thomas go to live while Phillips’ husband serves, to raise their children in a more peaceful place, since Vera gave birth to a son. During the staying in Welsh, the style of Vera and Caitlin is very relaxed, they wear beautiful cozy sweaters, wellington boots, thick socks, lovely undergarments. They even wear each other’s clothes, sometimes. Caitlin often wears a fedora and she looks so effortlessly cool.

“The Edge of Love” is a film you should see if you like clothes. I saw some editorials clearly inspired by the style of Miller and Knightley in the film and I think you can easily take inspiration from their outfits.

I have a thing for quotes, obviously, and my favorite ones from “The Edge of Love” are “Live while you can, live all you can”, which are William’s words and “It makes you know you’re alive. Wanting.” said by Caitlin.

Screenshot from Tumblr

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Screenshot from IMDb

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Screenshot from IMDb

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Screenshot from Pinterest

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Screenshot from Tumblr

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Screenshot from Tumblr

The preview photo is a screenshot from IMDb

This post is part of the series Fashion is a Film.

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FASHION IS A FILM – THE INFORMERS

August 30, 2017 By Noemi Leave a Comment

I recently watched “The Informers” and I really liked it. The film is based on Bret Easton Ellis’s collection of tales of the same name and the writer also co-wrote the script. In Italy the book was titled “Water from the Sun”, like one of the tales. Strangely, they didn’t change the title of the film, which is something that it often happens in my country.

“The Informers” is set in Los Angeles in 1983 and it’s about the shallow lives of a group of people who, in a way or another, hang out with each other. Its ensemble cast includes Winona Ryder, Kim Basinger, Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Foster, Mickey Rourke, Chris Isaak and Brad Renfro, who made his last performance in the film.

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As a lover of the fashion and the music of the ’80s, I liked the film also for its costumes and soundtrack. Obviously, when a film is set in the past, clothes, makeup and hair are not completely coherent because a film should match the current taste of the audience so what we see in “The Informers” is not the real look of the ’80s but a revised version. The hair is less puffed up and the shoulder pads are smaller, just to make a couple of examples.

Most of the protagonists are wealthy or lead a comfortable life so the clothes are fine and the houses are beautiful. Christie, the character played by Amber Heard, has an amazing apartment, quite minimalist and very chic.

So if you like the style of the ’80s, films set in Los Angeles with a beautiful soundtrack (have you noticed that films set in L.A. always have a great score?) and you don’t dislike stories where the protagonists basically have no morals (because except for one of the characters no one has), you might like “The Informers”, where everybody seem to be happily unsatisfied.

At the beginning of the film, during a party, Amber Heard wears a beautiful sequined off the shoulder minidress and Jon Foster a leather jacket with rolled up sleeves. It’s enough to make me like the wardrobe of “The Informers”!

Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, I did my best but the result is not good, I know.

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The preview photo is from IMDb

This post is part of the series Fashion is a Film.

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FASHION IS A FILM – LA PISCINE

August 4, 2016 By Noemi 4 Comments

Among the films that every fashion lover should see, “La Piscine” is one of my favorite ones. Romy Schneider, Alain Delon, the French Riviera, the sixties… How perfect! I’ve been dreaming of spending a summer holiday in St. Tropez since I watched this film for the first time.

fashion film la piscine style romy schneider alain delon

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“La Piscine”, also known as “The Swimming Pool”, is an Italian-French production directed by Jacques Deray. It was shot in 1968 and released in 1969 and it’s been very successful both in France and in Italy.

The plot is simple. Marianne (played by Romy Schneider) and Paul (played by Alain Delon) are a couple who is spending summer in a villa in the hills of St. Tropez. When Marianne’s friend, and maybe ex boyfriend, Harry (Maurice Ronet) visits them with his daughter Pénélope (Jane Birkin), Marianne invites them to stay for awhile at the villa but tension and jealousy immediately raise and… I don’t want to spoil anything, in case you never saw this film.

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Every fashionista should watch “La Piscine”, even more than once.

The costumes were designed by André Courrèges, the French designer who left us last January. Courregès is one of the most important and influential fashion designers in history. He was the first to present a pantsuit, he invented the miniskirt (in fact many insiders credit him and not Mary Quant with designing it) and promoted tights, which allowed women to wear the miniskirt even in winter. We owe to Courrèges the A-line dress, too, and much more. He was a true visionary.

Romy Schneider and Jane Birkin’s wardrobe in “La Piscine” is timeless and chic. You can put together the perfect summer style taking inspiration from their outfits.

Marianne’s wardrobe includes classic pieces, simple accessories and glamorous and sexy evening dresses.

Her daytime outfits are basic because she leaves the villa mainly to go shopping to the grocery, since she and Paul spend a lot of time on their own, far from the lively St. Tropez. She wears classic pieces like shirts, also used as loungewear and often with the collar turned up, pants in summer colors like white and blue and simple accessories like espadrilles, low-heeled sandals and a straw shopper. Her swimwear is simple and classy, she only wears black or white bikinis and one-pieces.

For the evening she always dresses up, sporting sexy backless dresses in pale colors or patterned fabrics and a colorful lurex dress.

fashion film la piscine style romy schneider black swimsuit

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la piscine fashion film romy schneider style white swimsuit

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fashion film la piscine romy schneider yellow dress

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Pénélope’s wardrobe is made of simple and basic pieces, too.

When we first see her, she looks a bit like a college student due to her white shirt, gingham skirt and flat shoes. Her clothes are often reduced to the minimum, after all she’s very young and during the ’60s skirts and dresses were tiny. What it’s now considered a short dress it would have been probably seen as pretty modest then.

High waisted pants, belts, a white tee, a crochet dress worn on a white bikini, a gingham top worn by the pool and the skimpiest dress ever worn at a funeral complete her wardrobe. Pénélope also carries a wicker basket, the same model that made Jane Birkin complain about and that led to the creation of Hèrmes’ Birkin.

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fashion film la piscine jane birkin gingham mini dress

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fashion film la piscine jane birkin style

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Paul and Harry’s wardrobe is not particularly noteworthy.

They wear a lot of shirts, often pretty unbuttoned, plain pants and jeans (Paul also sports double denim), belts, simple shoes. Paul/Alain Delon wears tight, colorful swim shorts that probably look good only on him. Harry proves a kimono is the best garment a man can wear while having breakfast by the pool.

fashion film la piscine style alain delon

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fashion film la piscine style maurice ronet

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I’ve often wondered if someone would have shot a remake of “La Piscine”.

Italian director Luca Guadagnino shot “A Bigger Splash”, a film very inspired by the iconic one directed by Deray. The film was presented last year at Venice International Film Festival and it’s been released in US last May. The protagonists are Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes and Dakota Johnson. Replacing two actors like Schneider and Delon must have been challenging, not only because they were one of the most beautiful on-screen couples ever (they also had a relationship but broke up in 1964) but for the expectations that a remake would have inevitably created. So I guess choosing a cast so different from the original one was pretty strategical.

In conclusion, “La Piscine” is a beautiful film. Its atmosphere, the unsaid things between the protagonists and their ambiguity, in addition to the charming location and the great costumes, make it a must-see film for every fashionista and all film lovers.

Sometimes a film has a line that is inevitably tied to it. A line like “Paris is always a good idea” or “After all, tomorrow is another day” (of course from”Sabrina” and “Gone with the Wind”). “La Piscine” doesn’t have a particularly unforgettable line but my favorite one is for sure “It is said that you never fail twice in a row”.

Here are other photos from the film.

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This post is part of the series Fashion is a Film.

The image of the preview is via IMDb.

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FASHION IS A FILM – “Love Story”

November 12, 2015 By Noemi Leave a Comment

“Love Story” is a 1970 film directed by Arthur Hiller starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal. It’s one of the most successful romantic films ever.

Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal in "Love Story"

Who doesn’t know the famous line “Love means never having to say you’re sorry”? I admit that I find these words quite nonsense and I’m not the only one. In 1972 film “What’s Up, Doc?” Barbra Streisand’s character says this line to her co-star, Ryan O’Neal, and he replies “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard”. But let’s go back to the film.

“Love Story” is the story of Jenny and Oliver, two college students from different social classes. Oliver, whose full name is Oliver Barrett IV, is the heir of a billionaire family and studies law at Harvard while Jenny (Jennifer Cavalleri), who describes herself as a “social zero”, studies music at Radliffe.
The difference between their social background doesn’t prevent Oliver from wanting to marry her despise the opposition of his family, who cut ties with him.
Their happy life together is not meant to last and the films ends tragically (I don’t want to spoil in case some of you didn’t see it).

“Love Story” is set in Boston and New York in the early ’70s and we all know how stylish those years were. Costume designers Pearl Somner and Alice Manougian Martin did an excellent job, creating timeless looks for both characters even if, of course, Jenny’s style is the main star of the film.
I wonder if the two costume designers were vaguely aware that they were creating something so memorable and inspiring.

Ali MacGraw/Jenny’s wardrobe is simple but yet impressive. Designers still take inspiration from it.
A peacoat, coats in neutral colors, chunky knitwear and plaid garments, scarves and beanies, a lovely red dress and a chic timeless summer outfit are the main ingredients of Jennifer’s wardrobe.
Ryan O’Neal/Oliver’s outfits are classy and timeless as well. Oliver wears chunky sweater, pullovers in pastel colors, well cut pants, Glen plaid, checkered and twill jackets and coats, a shearling and trench coat.
Recreating their ultimate preppy style is not difficult.

“Love Story” is a film that every fashionista should watch with attention and probably with a box of paper tissues close at hand. It’s really fundamental for a fashion lover.

Did you know that before starting an acting career Ali MacGraw worked as Diana Vreeland’s assistant at Harper’s Bazaar?
And that she was supposed to play Daisy in “The Great Gatsby” adaptation of 1974? Her husband, producer Robert Evans, bought the rights of the book so she could play Gatsby’s object of desire, but she left him for Steve McQueen and Mia Farrow ended up playing Daisy Buchanan (and that’s why many people think that Daisy is blonde, because they identify her with Farrow, but I’ll talk about it in “The Great Gatsby” post).

Here are some photos of “Love Story” and the inspiring style of Jenny and Oliver and here you can see a tribute video to Jenny’s style, where you can see a beautiful white dress she wears for breakfast at home; I couldn’t find a photo of it.

Jenny often wears this peacoat in the film. I think this jacket is a must-have for both women and men.

A chunky scarf and a beanie are the perfect accessories for the cold winter of Boston.

Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal Style in "Love Story"

The camel coat is a classic piece. I like the contrast with the red sweater, here. Ryan O’Neal wears a classic outfit, too. A blue shirt and v-neck pullover with a Glen plaid jacket are timeless.

I love this simple red frock. The hue is perfect for Ali MacGraw’s complexion and dark hair.

A simple black and white outfit for the piano performance. I like the ribbon in the hair.

Jenny wears a lot of plaid.

Her wedding dress is simple, like the ceremony.

A simple yet timelessly chic summer oufit. You can’t go wrong with white and blue in summer. In another scene Jenny wears long white pants.

A touch of denim.

A turtleneck sweater, a cream coat, wool scarf and a fur hat for the cold and snowy winter of New York. Ali MacGraw looks so beautiful in these scenes.

PHOTOS: Pinterest, IMBd

FASHION IS A FILM – FILMS EVERY FASHION LOVER SHOULD WATCH

November 4, 2015 By Noemi Leave a Comment

Cinema is one of my passions and my love for it goes hand in hand with my love for fashion. Watching a film (or a tv series) is still one of my favorite ways to relax and if it involves beautiful clothes or costumes, it’s even better.

Cinema and fashion have always been strictly tied.
The costumes worn by a character define him/her but many people don’t know how much work there is behind a color, the cut of a jacket, an accessory.
Sometimes it happens that films set trends, consciously or not.

Many actresses are considered true icons because of their on-screen unforgettable style: Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Catherine Deneuve and Romy Schneider, just to name few.
These women are still a source of inspiration and their eternal charm was a creation of costume designers like Adrian, Travis Banton, Edith Head, Helen Rose.

Fashion designers also dressed actors. The partnership between Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy is still legendary. Could “Sabrina” be such a big success without the super chic wardrobe of Sabrina Fairchild?

Audrey Hepburn in “Sabrina” – Screenshot from Pinterest

Catherine Deneuve was dressed by Yves Saint Laurent in “Belle de Jour” and they established a relationship that lasted until the death of the French designer, who also dressed Romy Schneider in “César et Rosalie”, a film by Claude Sautet (1972).

Romy Schneider in “César et Rosalie” – Screenshot from The Red List

Today, everything is more “studied”. Sometimes designers kind of take over costume designers aiming to promote their collections. An example? “The Counselor”, where Michael Fassbender and Penelope Cruz are dressed Emporio Armani, Javier Bardem wears some vintage Versace pieces and Cameron Diaz’s wardrobe is by Thomas Wylde. As Marilyn Vance (the costume designer of “Pretty Woman”) said during an interview “most of the time now, it’s all styling”.

Michael Fassbender and Javier Bardem in “The Counselor” – Screenshot from Rotten Tomatoes

Talking about recent films, the success of “The Hunger Games” series is certainly due to the love of the public for Jennifer Lawrence’s character Katniss Everdeen, but who would deny that the costumes worn by the cast aren’t absolutely noteworthy?

Elizabeth Banks in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” – Screenshot from Enews photo by Lionsgate

Sometimes one dress, one garment, one accessory is enough to make a film or a character/actor iconic. The green gown worn by Keira Knightley in “Atonement” (years ago voted the most beautiful costume from a film), the white pleated halter dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in “The Seven Year Itch”, the Herald Tribune t-shirt worn by Jean Seberg in “Breathless”, Diane Keaton’s manly outfit in “Annie Hall”.

Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in “Breathless” – Screenshot from Pinterest

My love for fashion and costumes was probably born watching films like “Gone With The Wind” (I found out that most of all the costumes worn by Scarlett O’Hara are completely invented) and “Dangerous Liaisons” (I know this film is not suitable for children, but I watched it anyway, I was more interested in the beautiful costumes and fabrics than in the shady plots of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Viscount of Valmont, played by Glenn Close and John Malkovich).

Clark Gable and Vivienne Leigh in “Gone with the Wind” – Screenshot from Pinterest

I am so fascinated by the detail of a costume, by the creative work behind it. The beauty of some details kind of moves me. After all, God is in the details, right?

So, I decided to start a new series of posts dedicated to films with a memorable wardrobe department, and to the unforgettable style of some divas; films that a true fashionista should watch, at least once, (mentally) taking style notes.

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Fashion is a Film

Every fashionista should watch “La Piscine”, even more than once.

Marianne’s wardrobe includes classic pieces, simple accessories and glamorous and sexy evening dresses.

Pénélope’s wardrobe is made of simple and basic pieces, too.

Paul and Harry’s wardrobe is not particularly noteworthy.

I’ve often wondered if someone would have shot a remake of “La Piscine”.

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