Film Couture

Homage - Redheads, Gingers, Carrot Tops.

2011-09-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

About once every six months or so I seriously consider going redhead, so here we are, my tribute to the fabulous redheads past and present.

Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Rita Hayworth

Lucille Ball, Bernadette Peters

Waterhouse "Miranda, The Tempest"

Julianne Moore , Maureen O'Hara, Bonnie Wright

Rossetti "Lady Lilith"

Brave

Edward Hardwicke

2011-05-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Rest in Peace, my Watson

Edward Cedric Hardwicke, 1932-2011

"Close friendships need humour and tolerance. Watson needs a sense of humour to survive Holmes' worst excesses."

Dame Elizabeth Taylor

2011-03-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

Rest in Peace
Elizabeth Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner Fortensky Taylor, 1932-2011

"I don't entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I'm me. God knows, I'm me,"

Tony Curtis

2010-09-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

Rest in Peace
Tony Curtis, 1925 - 2010

"They gave me away as a prize once - a Win Tony Curtis For A Weekend competition. The woman who won was disappointed. She'd hoped for second prize - a new stove."

All alone, running wild

2010-09-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

Marilyn Monroe was (and is) considered by many to be the ultimate sex symbol of the silver screen. For those of you who haven't seen Billy Wilder's brilliant Some Like It Hot, you might be forgiven for not understanding this opinion. Voted #1 of the AFI's Funniest Movies and co-starring Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis this film is a classic among classics.

Photos: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon. Some Like It Hot (1959).

Trivia: Monroe discovered that she was pregnant during filming, but suffered a miscarriage after the film wrapped. She was married to Arthur Miller at the time and would die of a drug overdose only three years later.

As a result of her added weight during filming, the promotional stills for the movie were actually posed for by Sandra Warner and Evelyn Moriarty with Monroe's head superimposed later.

The black gown pictured here was designed by William Travilla and sold at auction in 1993 for $38,500.

Orry-Kelly won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design (Black and White) for his work on Some Like It Hot. According to legend, when he was measuring the three leads for their dresses, he half-jokingly told Monroe, "Tony Curtis has a nicer butt than you," at which point Monroe pulled open her blouse and said, "Yeah, but he doesn't have tits like these!"

Edith Head, wonder woman

2010-09-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

"I've designed films I've never seen."
Edith Head

You deserve a Holiday

2010-09-13T02:14:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a black and white ensemble? When costume designer Marlene Stewart put Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet in these stunning outfits, she hit film couture gold. On a side note, I want Cameron's coat. So much.

Photos: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet. The Holiday, 2006.

Dress Sharpe

2010-09-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

I give an awful lot of air time to gowns and sexy dresses but let us not forget the decorative sex... namely, the guys. Is there anything sexier than a man in uniform? And here's one of the sexiest out there - Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe. Even after all these years he still looks gorgeous in those regimental Greens.

Photos: Sean Bean. Sharpe's. Costumes by John Mollo.

Trivia: Sharpe's 95th Regiment and its green jackets are fact based. The 95th was a direct ancestor of the modern Royal Green Jackets.

The 2006 film (which the last photo is from) required more than 700 costumes, most of which were made on location in India. The Pindari bandit uniforms required 420 meters of silk while 840 meters of cotton were used to create uniforms for the men of the East Indian Company Army.

One should have pride in one's dress

2010-09-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

This dress has been an obsession of mine since I first set eyes on it. Jennifer Ehle's Netherfield Ball gown from BBC's 1995 Pride and Prejudice. Dinah Collin was responsible for all the costumes in this exquisite mini-series and we love her for it.

Photos: Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. BBC Mini-Series, Pride and Prejudice, 1995.

Trivia: The last image here is a different dress but I wanted to give you guys a chance to see the back of one of these beauties.

Many of the costumes worn in this series were also featured in films like Emma, Wives and Daughters, Lost in Austen, and the 20007 Persuasion. For a full list of what got worn when and by whom, check out the imdb Trivia Page for P & P.

Givenchy adored her

2010-04-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

When Audrey Hepburn burst on the scene in Roman Holiday she was a charming and youthful princess with an air of rebellion. By the time she made Sabrina a year later she was a bona fide movie phenomenon and they loved her. Tall enough to be a runway model today - she was 5'10" according to her son Sean, Hepburn was the epitome of grace and beauty from the time she blossomed onto our screens. We've all wanted to be her and we've definitely ALL wanted to have her clothes.

Photos: Audrey Hepburn, William Holden. Sabrina. Ms. Hepburn's clothing by Edith Head and Hubert de Givenchy.

Trivia: Hubert de Givenchy originally thought he would be providing wardrobe for Katharine Hepburn, as he had never heard of Audrey Hepburn before they were introduced. She was to become his life-long muse and he went on to dress her for Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Paris When it Sizzles, Charade and How to Steal a Million.

Although Edith Head won an Oscar for costume design, most of Audrey Hepburn's wardrobe was by Hubert de Givenchy. In fact, Hepburn chose her own clothes to wear from de Givenchy's collection.

Audrey's black and white hand embroidered Givenchy gown was one of 10 items her son Sean Ferrer sold at auction to benefit the Audrey Hepburn Childrens Foundation 10 years after her death.

Thank Heaven for Lesie Caron

2009-04-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Once seen, never forgotten. The classic movie musical Gigi starred the most delectable French stars of its time. Directed by Vincente Minnelli and costumes by the legendary Cecil Beaton, Gigi carried away every one of the 9 Academy Awards it was nominated for in in 1959.

In a film full of stunning sets and costumes, Gigi's white gown with black birds on the shoulders is a standout in the world of cinema. Leslie Caron, seen here with costar Louis Jourdan in the Maxim's dinner scene. It's a classic Lerner and Lowe musical, one which you should definitely see if you haven't.

Photos: Gigi's ballgown, Gigi and Gaston at Maxim's, Gigi in her "little Scotch dress" with Honoré, Gigi and Gaston playing tennis.

Happy Independence Day - a little late

2008-07-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day gang!

This stunning summery ensemble was worn by actress Blythe Danner in the 1972 film version of the musical 1776. Though not 100% historically accurate it is the sort of gown that almost makes me want to forget the pain of being corseted and wear this dress.

The scene below is Martha Jefferson's love song, "He Plays the Violin". Full of wit and innuendo and historical fun, this musical is definitely worth watching.

Photo: Blythe Danner. 1776, 1972. Costumes by Patricia Zipprodt.

Trivia: During filming, Blythe Danner (Martha Jefferson) was 5 months pregnant with her daughter, Gwenyth Paltrow.

1776 opened at the 46th Street Theater on March 16, 1969 and ran for 1217 performances. William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard, Roy Poole, Virginia Vestoff, David Ford, Ron Holgate, William Duell, Ralston Hill, Jonathan Moore and Charles Rule all reprise their roles in the movie.

President Richard Nixon was given a private screening of the movie before its release by his friend Jack L. Warner, the producer. The song "Cool, Considerate Men" offended Nixon, so Warner removed it at his request. The song was restored on the Deluxe Widescreen Presentation Laserdisc (and was included on the DVD).

A New Beginning... with Bacall

2008-07-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog! For those of you who don't know me already, I'll introduce myself - my name is Joy - I work in the fashion industry in the San Francisco Bay Area and have an undergrad degree from Queen's University in Art History. Many of you will already know me from my graphics community, ogeecons.

I've worked for fashion designers as a photographer and graphic designer and absolutely loved my job. Living in Northern California is still a relatively new experience for me - I grew up in San Diego and then spent three years living in Canada.

Growing up with parents who were themselves movie lovers I have always been interested in films, but over the years it has become a passion with me. One thing my friends have noticed and pointed out repeatedly is that, no matter what movie we're watching, at some point I am always guaranteed to say "I love that outfit!".

Recently I've been thinking about blogging and realized that there are probably a lot of other people out there who love the fashion from films just as much as I do. So that's what this blog is going to be about - the best of fashion from the silver screen. And to get the ball rolling, a fantastic gown from my favorite movie.

Check out those shoulder pads and the cut of the dress. Not everyone could pull that look off. But leave it to Bacall! Hard to believe this sultry looking lady is only 19.

"Chemistry—you can't beat chemistry." Bacall on Bogart.

Photo: Lauren Bacall. To Have and Have Not, 1944. Gown by Milo Anderson.

Trivia: During filming, Lauren Bacall cut out a photograph of her leading man (and future husband) Humphrey Bogart and put it in the ring on her dress. The crew, and Bogart, thought it was hilarious. Unfortunately, director Howard Hawks was not amused.

Bogart and Bacall fell in love during the filming of this Ernest Hemmingway classic and were married in 1945. In May of 2008, their roles as Slim and Steve were ranked #2 on Moviefone's 'The Top 25 Sexiest Movie Couples'.