Out and About - Presenting HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM in Arizona

October started with me giving a talk on the HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM in Tucson, Arizona for the Invisible Theatre's annual fundraiser. The Invisible Theatre has been a cultural institution for nearly 50 years and one of its talented leaders, Susan Claassen, is also the star of the incredible one-woman show A Conversation with Edith Head. Believe me when I say Suz IS Edith Head - you can see for yourself in our photo above. What was remarkable is that "Edith Head" introduced me to the audience and then sat in the front row, weighing in whenever I would discuss her films in the presentation, such as A Place in the Sun (a replica of Elizabeth Taylor's iconic gown is standing behind us). It was so much fun that Suz and I are discussing ways to do something together down the road.

The location of the event has its own remarkable history - the Skyline Country Club. It was built against the Santa Catalina Mountains as a "quiet" alternative to Palm Springs (where Kevin and I actually headed after our time in Arizona). The resort opened in 1962 and its earliest guests included Hollywood stars such as Frank Sinatra and Ann-Margret as well as sporting greats Mickey Mantle and Joe Namath.

Thanks to Suz, Jim Blair, Maryann Trombino, and all who made my time in Tucson such a delight! For those in Southern California, I'll be giving a similar talk on November 4 in the South Bay. You can find details on the GlamAmor Events page.

The Skyline Country Club - our event was in the circular Crown Room

 The Skyline Country Club has been a place where stars have stayed for more than 50 years -

this is the entrance to the Clubhouse in the 1970s

View of greater Tucson from the balcony outside the Crown Room -

both to the west (above) and the east

The Crown Room decorated in Suz's signature colors for the event 

Starting my presentation on the HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM,

which many said was both entertaining and educational

 Kevin and I after the talk

During the trip, we also spent time with Kevin's parents 

who have a small ranch outside Tucson

Looking out on some of their land near the Dragoon mountains

With Kevin inside their great room

and with their husky Kaylee out on the patio

Back at our own place that we rented for the weekend

complete with a pool and hot tub overlooking the Santa Catalina Mountains

Ava loved being off leash in our fenced in backyard by the pool

Our next stop - Palm Springs

Thanks to Skyline Country Club for use of its exterior photos

You're invited! Presenting HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM 10/1 in Tucson, Arizona

What a busy time! I just returned from presenting THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM NOIR at the California Museum in Sacramento, and this weekend I'm headed to Arizona.

This Sunday, October 1, I'll be presenting the HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM at the historic Skyline Country Club. I'm speaking as part of the Invisible Theatre's wonderful annual fundraiser and sharing nearly a century of the most influential style in the movies. The Invisible Theatre has been a cultural institution of Tucson for nearly 50 years and one of its talented leaders, Susan Claassen, is also the star of the incredible one-woman show A Conversation with Edith Head. I lost my mind (in the best possible way) when I met her and saw her show several years ago - she IS Edith Head. This means that my favorite costume designer will be joining me on stage from time to time. If you live in the Tucson area, I hope you can join us!

Sunday, October 1

THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM

11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Guest speaker
Fundraiser

Invisible Theatre

Tucson, AZ

Join me at the Invisible Theatre's annual fundraising event and learn all about the HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM. You'll see some of the most iconic costume design from the first century of film - costumes that immediately impacted fashion at the time the films premiered and continue to influence design today. The presentation will include stills from the movies accompanied by a conversation about film history, costume and fashion designers, and fascinating backstories of the stars.

Tickets are $100 ($90 for season ticket holders) and includes a gourmet brunch. To purchase tickets, call (520) 882-9721. For more info, you can visit the Invisible Theatre website.

For my upcoming events, visit the GlamAmor Events page.

Me with Susan Claassen (seated) at A Conversation with Edith Head

along with Invisible Theatre's Associate Artistic Director James Blair (above left), 

and Conversation's show host Stuart Moulton back in 2012

Our venue - the historic Skyline Country Club

Golfing at the Skyline Country Club in the 1960s (above)

and entering the club house in the 1970s

Photos courtesy of the Skyline Country Club

You're invited! Presenting HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM NOIR at Sacramento's California Museum 9/24

After a couple months of planning, I'm finally able to start announcing my events for the Fall. They start with this September talk centered on film noir style at Sacramento's California Museum that's part of their Light & Noir exhibition. If you live in Northern California, I hope to see you there!

Sunday, September 24

THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM NOIR

3:00 - 5:00 pm

Guest speaker

Light & Noir: Exiles and Emigrés in Hollywood 1933-1950 exhibition

California Museum

Sacramento, CA

Wartime America bore witness to shortages of common fashion materials ranging from silk to rubber. Even with rationing and restrictions imposed on the entire country, film costume designers still managed to create some of the most iconic looks of all time. These costumes not only defined the film noir genre and much of 1940s style, but continue to influence our fashion today. Join me for an illustrated lecture of film noir style - as well as a couple other films featured in the exhibition - and the evolution of fashion as innovated by the great costume designers of Hollywood.

Tickets are $15 ($5 for museum members) and include admission to the exhibit.

For tickets and more information, visit the California Museum website.

To see my other upcoming events, visit the GlamAmor Events page. 

See you soon!

Cinema Connection - Celebrating 40th Anniversary of Iconic ANNIE HALL Style

Annie Hall celebrated its 40th anniversary in April, so it's a perfect time to look at the ongoing influence of its style. I've written before about some of the backstory of Annie Hall, but now I want to delve into what I call the Cinema Connections - examples from today's fashion that owe their origins to this film. Though I only show a fraction of its impact, you'll quickly understand why I consider Annie Hall one of The Style Essentials here on GlamAmor.

Every costume designer will tell you that they create clothes for the character, but this is a movie that really blurs the lines between the character of Annie Hall and the actress playing her. For one, the style is pure Diane Keaton. The clothes that became costumes for the movie often came straight from her own closet, many from the vintage stores of New York City. We all know Diane's style - it's so authentically her own that she continues to dress this way to this day. But interestingly, the movie's costume designer Ruth Morley frequently gets credit for the groundbreaking style, including by other well-respected designers and authors like Deborah Nadoolman Landis in her book Dressed. But I must tell you, I have a hard time believing it, especially when I've read how strongly Morley disapproved of Diane's clothing choices. In fact, director Woody Allen remembered a conversation during a 1995 interview:

[Morley] 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.'" 

When Annie Hall hit movie theaters in 1977, it was a seismic shift in fashion. The revolution was immediate, seen everywhere from the designer runways to the street. Diane's interpretation of menswear in the movie had the biggest impact. She simultaneously drew from the past while also being ahead of the trends. Her reference points were inspired, including menswear of both the 1920s and 1940s. With Annie Hall, Diane Keaton became as important to advancing menswear in the 1970s as Marlene Dietrich did in the 1930s and Katharine Hepburn in the 1940s.

Diane's look also referenced the bohemian feel of the 1960s and early 1970s. With every outfit, she taught us the art of layering. Her passion for accessories like hats and scarves is clear, and she wove them into several outfits in the film. Coco Chanel once commanded women to remove one item of an outfit before heading out the door, but Diane obviously does not subscribe to this. She taught us how to effectively layer a look without feeling overwhelmed, and many of the ones from Annie Hall are right on trend today.

Countless designers (such as Jenna Lyons at J. Crew), stylists (Rachel Zoe), models (Kate Moss), and celebrities (Rachel Bilson) continue to draw inspiration from Annie Hall style. There are even more examples below, including a few from around the world. Diane won the Best Actress Oscar for Annie Hall, but she definitely deserves another award for her iconic style. Well, la di da. La di da.

The iconic look - the moment Diane Keaton made menswear her own

(including a tie from Ralph Lauren)

Menswear really started with the equestrian look - 

Gloria Swanson in 1922's Her Husband's Trademark (above)

and Anita Page, Joan Crawford, and Dorothy Sebastian in 1928's Our Dancing Daughters

There are countless Annie Hall magazine editorial tributes - 

Alexa Chung just appeared in an Annie Hall-inspired spread for InStyle's April 2017 issue (above)

International tributes include Elle España 2009 (above)

and Vogue Paris 2012

Annie Hall-inspired menswear trends in fashion - 

2012 trend reported in WhoWhatWear (above)

and a current trend in time for the 40th anniversary shown in Glamour April 2017

Annie Hall is very much a reflection of Diane Keaton's true style,

which continues to be inspirational to designers like Ralph Lauren (Spring 2014)

The look of a blazer with jeans is so accepted now, but the look is pure Annie Hall -

here it is in a Saint Laurent Pre-Fall 2014 campaign (above)

Rachel Bilson is someone who taps into Annie Hall style regularly -

from the blazer and scarf to rolled up jeans and the plaid shirt

Fashion line Allison Wonderland's plaid shirt is called "Annie Hall"

and plaid shirts are now so popular and stylish they've gone beyond a mere trend

Additional Sources

Landis, Deborah Nadoolman. Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design. New York: HarperCollins, 2007.

Lax, Eric. Conversations with Woody Allen. New York: Knopf, 2007.

You're invited! Presenting HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM 1970s-1980s at Annenberg Beach House 5/9

It's that time again! I'm back at the Annenberg Beach House next week for the last in my HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM series with a talk that celebrates iconic 1970s and 1980s style.

Tuesday, May 9th

THE STYLE ESSENTIALS: HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM 1970s-1980s

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Guest speaker
Annenberg Beach House 
Santa Monica, CA

If you love style in the movies, you are invited to learn all about THE STYLE ESSENTIALS: HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM in an extensive 6-part series. THE STYLE ESSENTIALS represent iconic costume design from the 1920s to the 1980s that immediately impacted fashion at the time the films premiered and continues to influence design today. There is one presentation per decade from the 1920s to the 1970s and 1980s. 

The last talk of the series focuses on the style icons from the 1970s and 1980s--including Ali MacGraw, Diane Keaton, Julie Christie, and Michelle Pfeiffer. The presentation includes stills from the movies along with images from today's fashion accompanied by a conversation about film history, costume and fashion designers, and fascinating backstories of the stars. 

Event is free to the public, but you must RSVP in order to reserve your seat.

Marion Davies' original Guest House today (above)
and that Guest House (below, left) as part of Marion Davies' grand beachfront estate

Marion Davies greeting her guests at the original Beach House

Our event space at the new Beach House

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Dates and details of future events will be posted to the GlamAmor Events page 

as well as announcements through social media