Monday 8 October 2012

FASHION IN FILM

I don't believe that anyone has never, not once in their lives, been inspired by a character from a film/book/play's costume. I do it all the time, in fact I can become quite fanatic about films, so much so that I can re-watch them like 3 times a day for a week. Inspiration from such things has been around for yonks when you think about it, take for example, Marilyn Monroe. The beauty spot, red lip and winged eyeliner is an everyday look that many women rely on. The same can be easily said for  men, maybe not Monroe, but James Dean. His infamous red bomber jacket in 'Rebel without a cause' comes in and out of fashion like my dress size goes up and down (all the time). But no matter how popular or classic these pioneers of significant fashion in film are, I've never really been interested in dressing like them.





















I suppose that the films that have really inspired me (fashion wise) have been pretty unconventional and mainly focus around one era. It could just be the genre of film I watch most but I like to think that my tastes are quite broad even if my style isn't.

1. THE CRAFT (1996) 


A film about chicks who get into witchcraft but it goes wrong, it's ticks all the boxes! I think after watching this film I decided that I wanted to go to LA and start wearing only black, grey and white. I totally dig the effortlessly cool vibe that you get from each of the characters and would love to be in their clique even if it gets messy towards the end. If you've seen this film, you probably felt the need to get into witchcraft afterwards innit? Because I definitely did. Their school uniform plays a big part on the costume in this film, so I suppose that it doesn't vary in a particularly obvious way, but subtle changes can make their outfits look like a different set of clothes. These clothes may seem like the sort of thing you could wear everyday, but, I can guarantee if you weren't of a petite size you probably wouldn't look as good as they do, hence why I don't go out in cropped jumpers and knee high socks. I do believe though, that you can rearrange the style to suit you more. I don't see anything wrong with a little copying here and there but, I think if you're trying to take style from a film, copying the whole shebang would kinda look like you're wearing a costume.

2. CLUELESS (1995)

Words cannot describe how much I want to be Cher in this film, the romance, endless amounts of money and naivety appeals so much to the really girly side we all have. Not to mention, Paul Rudd is such a hotspice in this film. As for fashion in this flick it's not that different to that of 'The Craft' but the use of labels and colour is enough to place the films miles apart in the clothes department. I would love to be able to use the words "But this is an Alaia!" mid-mugging but I highly doubt that I would be that cool to even know what an Alaia was if I went to their school. I'm completely obsessed with the knee-high socks and argyle two piece skirt suits no matter how unappealing they may be conventionally. I suppose in my own style I don't really express my love for 'Clueless' that much, but in an ideal world, their life would be mine!

3. CRUEL INTENTIONS (1999)


No matter how twisted the people are in this film are, there is no doubt that the outfits are on point! I love the dark and slightly sexy vibe that swamps the Merteuil's wardrobe throughout the film. I think the way they dress the young characters (I think they're around 16 in the film) in such grown up clothing projects exactly the sort of life that Charles de Laclos was experiencing when he wrote 'Les Liasons Dangereuses' in 1782. The world of decadence that is presented in the clothing is enough to make anyone jealous and for me, it makes me want to dress like a super strong business woman, even though i'm the complete opposite. This absolutely has to be one of my favourite films, so if you haven't seen it yet, you're totally missing out.

4. THE CROW (1994)


Owh! Every time I watch this film I get so emo at the end because it's devastating to watch the film and be like "Brandon Lee is so cool and awesome" and then realise that he died making the film. Nevertheless the movie is still completely badass and doesn't compare to any other action-karate movie made so far. The costume is totally Gothic during the whole film which is something that I love to see in cinema because I think that most people are afraid of working with such a shunned subculture. I personally think that goth fashion is really awesome, I don't think that I really reflect that much but I dig the music and dress sense a lot. I think the character with the best style in this film has to be Sarah, she's like this totally kick-ass 12 year old who goes around on a skateboard and wears Doc's all the time. The style all-together pretty unconventional, I really love the use of chokers and torn tights instead of your more popular everyday items of clothing that you might get in most other action films.

5. LA HAINE (1995) 



I personally believe that this film is a cinematic masterpiece and makes me proud to be French. Filmed totally in black and white, 'La Haine' follows Vinz, Saïd and Hubert around Paris after a friend is brutally beaten up by a policeman in the riots and falls into a coma. The plot follows them around and observes each of their reactions as time passes by in the ZUP and Paris. To be honest I think that the fashion in this film isn't intended to be as awesome as it is and it can be interpreted as you want to. The area in which they are living in is supposed to be the "scummy" parts of Paris  (I disagree) so I suppose that they have been dressed in what would've been considered as chavvy but quite frankly, I don't see it. I think that it could be because that style has become quite trendy in the last couple of years. This has to be one of the greatest films ever made and if you're the sort of person that says "Ugh. I hate world cinema." I highly recommend that you watch this before you come out with such a ridiculous statement again. 





Those are just a few of the many inspirational films that have totally revolutionized my attire. I would like to thank my sister for showing me the majority of these films and without which, I would probably still be obsessed with twilight! Also, if you look at her style, you'll definitely see some of the films spoken about in her fashion sense. That's all for now - I hope this was as fun reading as it was writing.B.x 

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