Fashion in Film (HonestMum’s Blogging Carnival)

I’m honoured to have the super celebrated and fabulous fashion blogger Cara Gray of Uptown Twirl guest post about the power of fashion in film.

By Cara Gray

Two Iconic Decades; Two Iconic Characters; Two Iconic Styles

Fashion and film go hand in hand. A memorable fashion moment caught on film can shape a generation – be responsible for the way we dress; how we think of ourselves; and even our definition of style. As a lover of fashion, I am continuously on the lookout for a new muse to capture my imagination, inspire me and reinvigorate my style.

Yet Annie Hall and Breakfast At Tiffany’s are two classic films so enriched with iconic fashion moments, I cannot help but revisit them time and time again.

Diane Keaton’s quintessential style in Annie Hall is an iconic representation of 1970’s cool. As much admired today as when it was first released in the late 70’s, Annie Hall’s style is effortlessly chic and undeniably her own.

Evoking a charismatic feminine take on menswear, Annie’s unexpected layering of an Oxford shirt with wide-leg chinos, a tailored waistcoat vest and preppy tie from Ralph Lauren, would become known as the iconic ‘Annie Hall’ look. Enthralling the world, Annie’s relaxed, eclectic looks offered a reinvigorated take on the ‘all American’ preppy style of the time.

The wardrobe represented the character perfectly. Her smart, eccentric, exuberant, bohemian style encapsulating the spirit of a girl from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, living in New York; in control of her life and not making any apologies for the way she lives it.

Yet what is most enchanting about this perfectly documented fashion moment is that the distinct styling was all Keaton’s own. Of his mesmerising leading lady, Wood Allen said: “She came in and the costume lady on Annie Hall said, ‘Tell her not to wear that. She can’t wear that. It’s so crazy.’ And I said, ‘Leave her. She’s a genius. Let’s just leave her alone, let her wear what she wants.”

Breakfast At Tiffany’s – 60’s Chic, Sophistication
Audrey Hepburn’s wardrobe in Breakfast At Tiffany’s is elegant, classic and sophisticatedly glamorous. The wardrobe perfection in Breakfast At Tiffany’s captures your heart within moments of the film rolling. Holly Golightly lingers at the decadent Tiffany & Co. window displays wearing her iconic black Givenchy dress, big black sunglasses and beautifully draped pearls.

In one of the most memorable opening scenes in the history of cinema, it has been 50 years since this Hollywood classic first lit up the silver screen, yet it’s irrevocable chic way of dressing, remains at the forefront of our style agendas.

Breakfast At Tiffany’s changed the way women looked at fashion and accessories. It was this Givenchy gown that made the ‘little black dress’ a must-have in every woman’s wardrobe. While her jewellery choices also brought about a shift to simpler, more subtle pieces- the presence of a little button earring, a delicate necklace or for a dramatic statement – pearls. After all ‘it’s tacky to wear diamonds before you’re forty’ – Holly Golightly.

Givenchy became Hepburn’s signature look, both on and off the screen in an alliance that lasted her lifetime. It was a fashion fairytale that would cement Hepburn’s status as a timeless style icon. Of her alluring style, Hepburn once said: “My look is attainable. Women can look like Audrey Hepburn by flipping out their hair, buying large sunglasses and the little sleeveless dresses”.

Photograph of Cara ©Cara Gray.