Film and Fashion
Film has impacted on Fashion, in the most endearing of ways, assisting 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 Italian Leather bags, Designer Shoes, the elegant Shoulder Wrap, or Head Scarf and how Film has impacted on it, and on how Elegant Fashion has in turn impacted on film.
Agatha Christie’s books amongst others have been dramatized for the silver screen over decades. Anyone watching this type of genre will experience how they draw one’s mind to the image of the charming clever sleuth, the classic vintage cars, and to the beautiful damsel, not necessarily of elegant behaviours but there is always one Elegant Fashion. We have learnt to cherish the timelessness of classic elegance of designs created long ago through film, which we find still attractive today.
James Bond has helped synthesize longevity in Elegant Fashion of the tailored dark suit. Many men are confident today to be clad in this suit, stepping into it, they experience every bit the elegance and taste of class which the heroic James Bond represents. To women, he is the guy who goes through an explosion, comes out on the other side with the dirt, bruises, yet looks all the more attractive in his tie and tailored suit, even with tears in it. His main dress code is the Elegant tailored suit.
One cannot reminisce, on images from Classic films like the James Bond 007 movies, and not recall the Bond girl of Elegant Fashion. In like manner Mission Impossible.
Monica Bellucci, her beauty and elegance graced the James Bond movie – Sceptre (2015). In this article she will be the Bond girl of choice to represent the Fashion Elegance staged by 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 for her elegance.
Monica Bellucci also starred in Matrix Reloaded (2003) as the classy and Elegant Persephone. She played in many other movies before all this of course, including Italian Films which first brought her to the acting scene. 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 look again deeper at Audrey Hepburn 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. This has allowed for countless styles and fashion ensembles not only to be seen by millions, but also to reach those at the very edges of the world, who otherwise would not have had ease of access to it.
Many designs, and designers have stemmed from, been inspired into being by film, which has also piloted in radical changes in views and adoption of style and fashion. Needless to say, that it is also fashion which in turn has made so many films into iconic movies.
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 such 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 textures of materials and accessories worn in these movies.
The thought of Elegant Fashion, brings to mind the phrases – vintage, timeless Classic fashion, the mention of which give reminiscence to the smell of Genuine Leather – on exquisite fashion pieces – Handmade Italian Leather bags, Designer Shoes, the elegant Shoulder Wrap, or Head Scarf for that windy drive down country lane. It reminds us of Italian, or French Fashion, various textures of exquisite fabrics, vibrancy of colours etcetera.
Product images courtesy of Vivien Lauren, www.vivienlauren.co.uk
How we have come to envisage or appreciate exactly what to anticipate from Elegant Fashion, high quality, the look or feel of it, is in part due to how film has depicted it to us.
As we look across decades, we see that soap operas like Dynasty have showcased Linda Evans, Joan Collins – as the Fashion savvy and gorgeous Crystal and Alexis. The mention of Dynasty, brings to recollection Alexis, and Crystal in their Elegant Fashion!
The soaps, The bold and the beautiful, The young and the restless, and Dynasty, were all somewhat themed around fashion and there is no denying that Elegant Fashion, helped propel them onto the world stage they enjoyed.
Approaching yet closer to today the lovely iconic movie – The Tourist with Angelina Jolie portrays the very fashion conscious and elegant heroine and spy, Elise.
Now what makes many of us follow celebrities on social media, as it not without warrant.
It is that association with the character played in the film. Unconscious to us, it seems the film character, personality and their fashion sense have stepped out of the silver screen into the real world and linger on that celebrity.
The style of Elegant Fashion, now it lures effortlessly all those who, in a sense see themselves stepping into and becoming an extension of the personality of that film character. To them the reality of that fashion style has now leapt from the silver screen into their real world.
English costume dramas have brought us the unforgettable romanticism of Elegant Fashion of old, long dresses, skirts, frills dramatized by the corset as we see these portrayed in the likes of Jane Austen’ books – the Elegant Fashion of Caroline Bingley in Pride & Prejudice and from other works of Keira Knightley for example, in The Duchess. Yet, yes, we still love 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 for the frills – chic suit ensembles.
Therefore, Elegant Fashion has stubbornly traversed across not only the decades but centuries.
Designs of old have either stayed so very relevant, or been built onto for today. Looking back at Audrey Hepburn, she became more than a house hold name, is mostly remembered for the Fashion she portrayed in the many movies she played in, as well as off the screen.
It is her Fashion sense which has truly captured our minds. She can easily be used in defining 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 said 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.
She made the head scarf classy, glamourized the elbow long gloves, and the black dress.
Audrey demonstrated that one could wear flat shoes and still look fabulously elegant and glamorous.
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. They help recreate, make come alive the personality of characters from script to screen through Fashion.
Fashion designers like Edith Head, costume designer for the film Roman Holiday (1953), Hubert De Givenchy, fashion designer for the movie Sabrina (1954) helped make these films whilst creating the Audrey Hepburn fashion icon.
Whilst they both described her as having her own fashion sense, 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 things 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’. She also described how instead of padding Audrey’s hips, instead she put her in skin-tight pants. Edith years later surmised how “the Audrey Hepburn look”, the reed-slim silhouette remained the most sought-after look after all those years. The fact is, it still is, today! Audrey Hepburn’s influence on Fashion and film has been described as both 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, the plot of which is centred on a fashion magazine and demands of the fashion industry. 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.
One might feel the slight melancholy of the ending – Andrea setting aside the glamorous Elegant Fashion sense. For even if one’s work itself demands other work wear, there is the time outside of work where everybody deserves to wield their own Fashion identity.
Law drama series like The Good Wife, have also featured as powerhouses of Elegant Fashion. of legal drama amidst political pandemonium but Alicia Florrick, and Dianne Lockhart, these characters ooze Elegant Fashion and confidence as they go through battles in their career and personal lives.
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!
But how can one find or create their own Elegant Fashion? It is about reaching inside one-self, identifying your unique Elegant Style. It is also of importance to find the correct places to shop for your fashion pieces, and having one where stylists are also willing to help you put pieces together is a plus.
I sum up that Elegant Fashion is about beautiful designs, time less fashion, about style not the fades. Classic Films from way back with Elegant Fashion we still love today has borne witness to us on this.
Elegant Fashion wear however, does not need to break the bank. I have found a place like Vivien Lauren’s Handmade Design Collections, made in Italy, are focused on Elegant Fashion, affordable beautiful designer fashion, vintage, Classic women’s wear, and has a payment in instalment option where eligible.
Enjoy Film, and be Elegant Fashion inspired!
Product images courtesy of Vivien Lauren, www.vivienlauren.co.uk
This Film and Fashion piece was written by Sammy Li. Images may be subject to copyright.
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 courtesy of Vivien Lauren, www.vivienlauren.co.uk/
