The Style Essentials - Lana Turner Wears White for THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE

When you look to any morality play - whether it's Greek tragedy, a western, or Star Wars - the antagonists are almost always adorned in black and the protagonists in the purity of white. That symbolism seems to be as old as time. Therefore when you think of a femme fatale in film noir, odds are you're not imagining her wearing white. You're certainly not imagining her wearing white through the entire movie. Yet this is exactly what director Tay Garnett decided for the character of Cora Smith in 1946's The Postman Always Rings Twice.

Lana Turner plays Cora, and her nearly all-white wardrobe is the real star of the movie thanks to MGM's costume designer Irene Lentz Gibbons. Known simply as Irene, her talent was truly dazzling. She's one of the great costume designers who both started and ended her career in the fashion industry. She was well respected as the head couturier at the iconic Bullocks-Wilshire in Los Angeles, which the studios often used to supplement their own costume design departments. Her film credits began in 1933 when longtime client Dolores del Rio asked to have her costumes designed by Irene for RKO's Flying Down to Rio. Other stars soon followed suit including for Ginger Rogers in Shall We Dance (1937) and Carole Lombard in To Be or Not to Be (1942). 

Irene would reach what was arguably the peak of her profession when she became MGM's head of costume design in 1942. It was there that she designed Postman's iconic costumes, which have made this movie one of The Style Essentials. It was all about form and fit for Irene and these clothes acted as the sexiest of frames for Lana's face and figure. From her stunning introduction in a turban, sun suit, and heels - which has to be one of the best movie entrances ever - Irene has Lana dressed to perfection. You can trace trend after trend to the costumes in this film, starting with women who demanded their own all-white summer wardrobes. Lana is also lit to perfection thanks to the dreamy cinematography of Sidney Wagner, who photographed Lena Horne so beautifully in Cabin in the Sky. The combined effect is stunning and you simply can't take your eyes off Lana's soft summer-tanned skin.

So why a white wardrobe for a femme fatale? There are many reasons for this and I share them all in my book Film Noir Style: The Killer 1940s.

Some of it relates to the fact that the movie was based on James M. Cain's 1934 bestseller, which was actually banned in places due to its sadomasochistic sexuality mixed with violence. Because of this, poducers faced many challenges with the Production Code. Cain also crafted two other graphic novels that became film noir classics - Double Indemnity (1944) and Mildred Pierce (1945). What's interesting is the difference between the women in these stories. Double Indemnity's Phyllis Dietrichson is evil, cunning to the core, and motivated by money. Postman's Cora is a much more complicated character. Cora's motivations for marrying Nick (Cecil Kellaway) are more out of security; a young girl who wanted a nice guy to fend off all unwanted advances. She also married for the opportunity to turn Nick's diner into a successful business, which was ambitious considering this was still a time when women were barely working outside the home.

This may be much more empathy than Cora deserves, especially when she does behave so badly with the lustful wanderer Frank (John Garfield). But there is a certain innocence about Cora and Irene's decision to dress Lana almost all in white reminds us of this in addition to trying to use white to cloak the character's criminality.

Stylish even when working--the classic shirtdress as Cora's diner uniform

Wearing a lovely lace top while falling for Frank

dancing on a hot summer night

After dancing, taking a night swim at Laguna Beach in a white hot bikini
whose style is all the rage right now in fashion

The iconic keyhole dress of the movie, 

which has influenced many more of the 1940s and beyond

Tailored traveling suit for running away

paired with a white silk short-sleeve blouse, beret, and cashmere coat

It's hard not to feel a certain amount of empathy when we see how trapped Cora becomes in the marriage. Though temped to run away with Frank when she falls for him, her need for security and desire to grow the business bring her back. Unfortunately once she returns, she learns that Nick has decided to sell the restaurant and for far less than its worth. Young Cora also finds she is doomed to move to the middle of nowhere to take care of Nick's invalid sister for the rest of her life. Without any recourse or escape, it is this far more than her lust for Frank that drives Cora to murder her husband.

In a scene similar to Double Indemnity, 

they knock Nick unconscious then drive the car off the road

One of only two times when Cora wears black -

a black silk keyhole dress and another turban -

is when she's mourning the death of her mother

Battling blackmailers together

and then one another once their trust is gone

Back in the white blouse and skirt again when the two are brought to trial

Once they're found innocent, a swim rekindles their love

but Frank loses his way in the midst of a kiss and an accident ends Cora's young life

Our Parents, the Style Icons--1950s East Coast Classic

One of the great sites that has sprung up recently is My Mom, the Style Icon.  Curated by Piper Weiss, it began as a tribute to her own mother, Marilyn, and her stylish way.  With the blog's popularity, though, it quickly expanded to include submissions from her readers as well.  Whereas GlamAmor looks at the origin of fashions in classic cinema, My Mom, the Style Icon looks at how real women wore those fashions and interpreted them with their personal style.  It's a great opportunity to look to our family's past for vintage inspiration as well as the likely seeds of our own style.  Here's photographic evidence from my family that proves this to be true.  Lucky magazine now ends every issue with an example from My Mom, the Style Icon and you'll see one below.

My own readers at GlamAmor have begun to be much more interested in what their parents were wearing when reminded how much the fashion from classic cinema continues to be reinterpreted today.  I've received many emails from people with fantastic family photos and thought I would finally start sharing.  Since I just did an article on Robert Redford and his 1950s classic casual cool from The Way We Were, I thought the timing was perfect for Jon Karkow's photos of his father, Edward.  Edward also generously shared the details of what he was wearing with GlamAmor along with his own thoughts on fashion then and now.  He's definitely an inspiration for the timeless nature of classic style.

Thanks to both Jon and Edward!  Keep those photos coming and I'll continue to share from time to time on GlamAmor.

ABOVE:  Edward Karkow in uniform (with his Jaguar Mk IV) during Naval Officer's Candidate School 

Newport Country Club, Rhode Island, 1952

Brooks Brothers tweed jacket and gabardine pants

Villa of Gracie Fields on the south coast of Capri, Italy, 1956

Edward tells GlamAmor, "Regarding dress in the 1950s, there was of course a social class thing, but as a rule I was just going along with the prevailing style.  For example, men (even children older than say...ten) were not allowed entry into the better restaurants without a coat and tie. And one never flew on an airline without a coat and tie.  The airlines were for a while considering imposing a dress code to prohibit warm-up suits and the like, but the masses ultimately prevailed.  And fashion, as a requirement for social acceptance, started going out the window in the 60s."

Brooks Brothers suit

Grand Hotel in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, 1959

"My entire getup, except for the shoes, was from Brooks Brothers.  I still have the jacket and, in fact, wore it when we went to Denmark in 2005.  It fits me just as well today, and is just as fashionable as it was when it was bought."

Wedding of Edward and Kirsty Karkow

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, June 1959

Of course I love Kirsty's white 50s wedding dress as well!

GlamAmor-ous Men of Style--Robert Redford in 1973's THE WAY WE WERE

Robert Redford is a favorite among men and women alike for his strong sense of personal style.  Somehow no matter what he's wearing--be it a sweater or a suit--there is always a certain ease about him.  No doubt that came to him early in life since he was born in Santa Monica and raised in Southern California.  Combining lessons learned from Steve McQueen with his own innate style instincts, Redford would be responsible for helping establish the California Cool of the 70s and a casual classic look for men that continues to this day.

In my opinion, 1973's The Way We Were was what really announced his style to the world.  This was especially true in the scenes that took place out in California where many of the locations were close to home, such as the Beverly Hills Hotel and in and along the water of Santa Monica Bay. His style would continue to evolve in his next movies The Great Gatsby (1974)--costume design by Ralph Lauren--and Three Days of the Condor (1975).  These three movies still inspire designers today who love WASP style, including Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors.  Both frequently reference Redford's style in their men's collections.

The Way We Were is the romance between Hubbell (Robert Redford) and Katie (Barbra Streisand), spanning their college years during the radical 1930s through their experience with the Hollywood blacklisting of the 1950s.  Streisand's Katie is an outspoken and passionate cause-driven liberal who falls in love with Redford's Hubbell, a popular and soft-spoken WASP writer who admits to always enjoying an easy life. Unfortunately life ceases to be easy when he falls in love with Katie, and it forces Hubbell to make a difficult decision about their relationship. Though romantic, the movie definitely ends by taking a much more realistic look at the challenges of modern love.

Because the film spans a couple decades, we see the two stars in many different looks.  But you'll see that it is when the couple moves to California that Redford really hits his style stride.

First wearing youthful sweaters for the East Coast prep college years of the 1930s

Serving in the military during World War II in the 1940s

Redford shows just how sexy a white t-shirt can be

With the move to California, it's West Coast prep for tennis in Beverly Hills

1950s beach casual in Malibu and Santa Monica

Classic ivory fisherman's sweater for the beach

At ease on the ocean

Classic suit for 1950s New York network television