So French, So Fashionable
Fashionistas have used many sources for inspiration and one of the richest is the world of film. Even before celluloid started to talk the stars of the silver screen have given a sense of style to audiences. Some films have influenced fashion, others reflected it and a few have that something special that means they will never go out of style. Here’s our list of ten fashionable films:
À Bout de Souffle (1960)
Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg, directed by Jean-Luc Goddard. What more could you want? The birth of new wave cinema in the director’s first outing and Gallic cool like never seen before or since. Roger Ebert began his review by saying “Modern movies begin here”.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
Belgium’s own (well, in part) Audrey Hepburn’s look is as stylish and fashionable as ever. She also exudes a sizzling sexuality that comes from within, rather than what she is, or isn’t wearing and who could resist a line like “You could always tell what kind of a person a man thinks you are by the earrings he gives you”. Words to live by.
Dr. No (1962)
Enter Bond, James Bond, as Sean Connery made the role his own as the sophisticated spy who is as familiar with all the best brands as he is with his ladies. Speaking of ladies, Ursula Andress makes one of the most memorable entrances in film. “Are you looking for shells?” “No, I’m just looking.”
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
so, what’s it going to be then my droogs? With nadsat as the futurist slang, outrageous designs and clothes, this film is not fashionable for a good reason as it inspired gangs to commit copycat crimes, making Kubrick ban the film from the UK. However, the star, Malcolm McDowell, claims “I met Jean Paul Gaultier at a film festival,and he said, ‘Thank you very much, because that film changed my whole design.’ ” We say horrorshow!
Get Carter (1971)
Michael Caine at his cruelest as a hitman returning to his hometown for revenge. Caine’s crisp suits were designed by legendary ’60s tailor Dougie Hayward and they’re the only relief in this grim tale as Caine descends, layer by layer into the depths of his own doom. even the critics were stylish, one described the film as “the equivalent of drinking a bottle of gin before breakfast.” Possibly the best gangster film ever made.
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
The film that infected the world with disco fever and starred the shimmying scientologist, John Travolta. Although known for its dancing scenes, the film is a gritty look at life in New York and how music can provide an escape from a troubled daily life.
Diva (1981)
Before the 80’s discovered big hair, this film became a cult through its cool look and cast of characters. Hip heroes, sharp bad guys and a quirky and tense plot. Deserves to be seen. Especially by bald men.
Prêt-à-Porter (1994)
nothing matches Robert Altman’s black comedy on the fashion world, filmed in Paris fashion week, it stars everyone from Lyle Lovett to Bjork in a brutal, unforgiving satire on all the fashionitsas hold most dear.
American Beauty (1999)
A pitch perfect deconstruction of suburban life, sad, funny and with something to say about life at the turn of the millenium. It shows the perils of conformity, the stupifying and dehumanising effects of repressed desires and hope on how to escape. If that’s not enough, it should have had an award for best use of rose petals and the tight, dry and sharp script. “Janie’s a pretty typical teenager. Angry, insecure, confused. I wish I could tell her that’s all going to pass, but I don’t want to lie to her”.
Bruno (2009)
Finally, the fashion industry gets the film it deserves, from the mentor of the mankini, Sacha Baron Cohen takes the sharpest look at the industry since Pret a Porter and discovers the truth about male sexuality; “So… if they are nice they are gay, right?”
If this has made you hungry for more, then The Fashion Film Festival – www.fashioninfilm.com – is being held on 2010 and it will tour London, New York etc but is not expected in Charleroi anytime soon.
