Film has impacted on the Fashion World, in the most endearing of ways. It has assisted in the ushering in of what has propagated for several decades, the tide of timeless elegant fashion, the Classic women's Fashion.
This article gives an angle on Elegant Fashion, how Film has impacted on it, and on how Elegant fashion has in turn impacted on film. We look at Audrey Hepburn, and the Classic movies, James Bond 007, Monica Bellucci, dramatized books, and soap operas. The impact film has had on Elegant Fashion and the other way round seems to be therefore of a somewhat symbiotic type of relationship. Film has helped make Elegant Fashion iconic, and impact has no doubt been also felt the other way round.
Agatha Christie's books have been dramatized for the silver screen over the decades, her works are not the only ones. Anyone who watches these will experience how they invoke in one's mind the image of not only the charm of the clever sleuth, but also the classic vintage cars, and the beautiful damsel - there is always at least one, not necessarily of elegant behaviours but definitely of elegant fashion. We have learnt to cherish the timelessness of Classic Elegance of designs created long ago through film, where we see that we find it still attractive in this day.
One can also reminisce, flip through images which have stayed in their minds of Classic films like the James Bond 007 movies, where there is also always the Bond girl of Elegant Fashion.
James Bond himself has helped synthesize longevity in Elegant Fashion of the tailored dark suit. Many men are confident today to be clad in this suit, when they step into it, they feel every bit as the almost invincible spy, the heroic elegant and classy James Bond themselves. He is the guy who glamourized going through an explosion, coming out on the other side with the dirt, bruises, yet still looking very attractive in his tie and tailored suit, even when it's torn and dirty.
Monica Bellucci, her beauty and elegance graced the James Bond movie - Sceptre (2015). In this Fashion piece she will represent the Fashion Elegance of all the James Bond girls over the decades. Monica Bellucci's name is synonymous with Fashion Elegance. Although to date she is the oldest to play as James Bond girl, she undoubtedly stands out in one's mind. Monica Bellucci also starred in Matrix Reloaded (2003) as the classy and Elegant Persephone. She also played in many other movies including Italian Films which first brought her to the acting stage. Monica's fashion elegance, is of the class similar to that of Audrey Hepburn's and like Audrey, she is of Fashion Elegance on and off the screen, she simply seems to grow more elegant and beautiful with age.
The movies such as Sabrina, Funny Face, The Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany's - created a stage which made Audrey Hepburn into the world renowned fashion icon we all still marvel at today. We will get back to Audrey Hepburn again later in this article.
The Film making industry has produced, movies, drama series, soap operas and so on, which have brought Elegant Fashion to broad audiences across the globe via the silver screen. It has allowed countless styles and fashion ensembles not only to be seen by millions, but also by some who otherwise would not have had access to it. Designers and designs have stemmed from, been inspired into being by film, which has also ushered in radical changes in views and adoption of style in fashion. Needless to say that it is is also fashion which in turn has made many films.
Magnificent Obsession (1954), whilst this film revolves around a melancholic type of romantic tale, there is no underselling of the artistic expression, not only of the story, but of the Class and Elegant Fashion of the lead character, Helen Philips. There are many other classic films with amazing fashion elegance and glamour - Indiscrete film (1958), Love is a many splendored thing film (1955) - one cannot help but glare at the vibrancy of Elegant Fashion designs and colours worn in these movies.
The thought of Elegant Fashion, brings to mind the phrases vintage, timeless and Classic, the mention of which give reminiscence to the smell of Genuine Leather - on exquisite fashion pieces - Italian Leather bags, Designer Shoes, the elegant shoulder wrap, or head scarf for that windy drive down country lane. Also reminiscent of Italian, or French Fashion, various textures of exquisite fabrics, vibrancy of colours etcetera.
How we have come to envisage what to anticipate from Elegant Fashion, high quality, the look or feel of it, is all in part due to how film has depicted it to us.
If we look across the decades - there have been the soap operas of the likes of Dynasty - Linda Evans, Joan Collins - as the Fashion savvy gorgeous Alexis and Crystal, The Bold & the beautiful, The Young & the restless, all which incorporated Elegant Fashion into almost every episode. The mention of Dynasty, brings to recollection Alexis, and her Elegant Fashion! All these soaps were somewhat themed around fashion, and it is no tall tale that Elegant Fashion, helped propel these soaps onto the world stage they enjoyed. And Yes, the famous Joan Collins did act in Agatha Christie's dramatization of 'They do it with mirrors', featuring as the lady of Elegant Fashion in that piece.
If we move even closer to today, the lovely iconic movie - The Tourist with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie portrays the very fashion conscious and elegant heroine and spy Elise.
Many follow Film celebrities, what they find of them in the media, and a lot of the time for what they wear. They have become to many, trend setters in Fashion, and not without warrant. This is partly due to their association with the character they played in the film. The personality and fashion sense of which has stamped them as icons of sorts in people's minds.
There is then a forever link with the film. The celebrity becomes in a sense the character they played stepping out of the silver screen into the real world, giving them a sense of realism. We all know out of the film, it is the fashion in the entire film which is undeniably real. It is the fashion bit that is tangible to anybody, it is of all the part which can be recreated. Anyone can step into that film or shoes of the character through fashion.
The style of Elegant fashion, now it lures effortlessly all those who, in a sense see themselves stepping into an extension of the personality of that film character, or simply the reality of that fashion style which has now leapt from the silver screen into the real world.
There is also the unforgettable romanticism of long dresses, skirts, frills dramatized by the corset. We see these portrayed in English costume dramas - in the likes of Jane Austen's dramatized books - the Elegant Fashion of Caroline Bingley in Pride & Prejudice and from other works that of Keira Knightley in The Duchess. We still have the long dresses, skirts and frills today, and they can make for the most gorgeous elegant fashion. From the red carpet, weddings, formal occasions and the chic suit ensemble.
Therefore Fashion Elegance has stubbornly straddled across not only the decades but centuries.
Audrey Hepburn became more than a house hold name, and it is more than just her role in the Film Breakfast at Tiffany's that springs to mind, at the mention of her name or visa versa. She is mostly remembered for the Fashion she portrayed in the many movies she played in. It is her Fashion sense which has captured the minds of many. She can easily be used as definition of Fashion Elegance to this day! She wore timeless pieces going all the way back to the 50s which when worn today, still endow the same irresistible glamour.
Audrey Hepburn's fashion sense portrayed in the Roman Holiday is believed to have stopped half a generation of young women into no longer believing that they had to stuff their bras and wear stilettos to look good, bringing a paradigm shift that shook the world of fashion.
Audrey demonstrated that one could wear a mule shoe and look fabulously elegant and glamorous, even for the formal occasion. She made the head scarf classy. She glamourized the elbow long gloves.
Whilst we marvel at the Fashion brought to us by film, there can be no over-emphasis on the greatness of the role costume/clothes designers take up in working with film directors to recreate and help make come alive the personality of characters, giving them a leap from script to screen, through Fashion!
There were the Fashion designers of the likes of Edith Head, costume designer for the film Roman Holiday (1953), Hubert De Givenchy, who was fashion designer for the movie Sabrina (1954) who helped make these films, and create the Audrey Hepburn fashion icon. Whilst they both described her as having her own fashion sense, of say, knowing what would work with her silhouette, and putting some pieces together herself for some scenes she played in, Edith described how she herself designed attire that would accentuate Audrey's body.
Edith worked to bring attention to Audrey's long neck so that people began to describe her as 'swanlike' and 'graceful'. Edith also described how instead of padding her hips, instead she put her in skin-tight pants, and how the Audrey Hepburn look, the reed-slim silhouette remained the most sought after look years after, actually it still is today.
So then Fashion has impacted on film, and film has paid back in good faith as a channel in creating that paradigm shift, totally changing the fashion sense in its day and indeed going forward decades! Audrey Hepburn's influence on Fashion and film has been described as ubiquitous and everlasting! In Funny Face, we see Audrey Hepburn as Jo, having to be made to look plain for the early scenes and then her transition in both Fashion and beauty.
This identifies closely with the iconic movie, the Devil wears Prada, whose plot is centred on a Fashion Magazine and the demands of the fashion industry where we not only see beautiful Fashion scenes but also the transition of Anne Hathaway from the Plain looking character, Andrea Sachs, into a glamourous lady who learns to wield her own sense of Fashion Elegance.
Whilst one might feel the slight melancholy of the ending - her setting aside of the glamorous Elegant Fashion sense. For it it is very possible to still be of Elegant top quality fashion sense and work in any industry, even if the work itself demands wearing other work wear. There is the time outside of work where everybody deserves to wield their own fashion identity.
One can go back in time even beyond the times referred to in this article and find the most intriguing ways used by film in bringing together the most beautiful Elegant Fashion ensembles.
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This Piece on Film and Fashion, has been authored on behalf of Vivien Lauren by Sammy Li. Images may be subject to copyright. www.vivienlauren.co.uk/
References:
Audrey The 50's, Author David Wills, Designed by Stephen Schmidt, Published by DEY ST.
Film images by Shutterstock.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monica_Bellucci
Product images by Vivien Lauren.