Out & About--Old Hollywood Glamour from Los Angeles' Mon Atelier

For those of us who love the style of the Golden Age of Hollywood, our imaginations run wild at the thought of the studios' costume design departments.  Designing giants such as Adrian and Helen Rose at MGM and Travis Banton and Edith Head at Paramount had lavish salons where they saw their clients, the most beautiful women in the world.  Stars like Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, and Grace Kelly visited these lavish ateliers that were filled with racks of custom-made gowns and fit to perfection by an army of assistants in front of three-way mirrors.  And in between their costume changes, the ladies could lounge on chaises, light a cigarette, and sip coffee (or cocktails) while gossiping about their life in Hollywood.  Though those days of the great studio system are now long gone, one Los Angeles boutique has done more than remember that time....Mon Atelier has brought that storied elegance back in both its couture as well as its stylish salon.

ABOVE: lemon chiffon dream fit for Lana Turner in the window at Mon Atelier

Edith Head at her Paramount salon with Grace Kelly preparing for To Catch a Thief

The design talent behind Mon Atelier is Ali Rahimi, a couturier whose brilliance appeared early in life; family found him creating clothes as a mere 6-year-old.  He studied design at school then worked his way through the fashion industry from sourcing to pattern making (the key to a great production process) to full-time design.  His love for classic cinema informed his design as well as the steadfast belief that the right dress makes a woman come to life.  Thus, he decided on a course of custom-made couture and started Mon Atelier in 1990.  He and partner John Barle opened their boutique on La Brea Avenue in 1996 and customers came running, including many second generation Hollywood like Mariska Hargitay (Jayne Mansfield's daughter), Joely Fisher (Connie Stevens' daughter), and Anjelica Huston (John Huston's daughter).  Oscar nominees Angela Bassett and Amy Adams are also among their fans.  As a testament to their timeless style, their clothes have been worn by girls of all ages--from a 3-month-old in a wedding to a 94-year-old Carol Channing when she performed at the Kennedy Center Honors.

I may not be a customer (yet), but I have experienced the luxury of Mon Atelier.  When you arrive, the salon is bathed in a warm glow and walled with gowns in the most luxurious (often vintage) fabrics you've ever seen.  Silks, sequins, feathers, and lace are all around you.  It's hard to miss the infusion of Old Hollywood style, especially in the extraordinary craftsmanship of their built-in corsets and hand beading.  I've enjoyed hours with Ali and John talking about classic cinema and fashion.  For them, the connection is direct.  They are well-versed in film history and sources of inspiration frequently come from costume designers Jean Louis and Helen Rose as well as stars like Lana Turner, Doris Day, and Loretta Young.  In fact, anyone who works with the duo is given a list of required viewing, including Lana's Jean Louis wardrobe in Imitation of Life (1959) and one of my own Style Essentials Pillow Talk (1959).

Mon Atelier is known for gorgeous gowns, but they also have tailored suiting for women that is equally timeless in its design.  In fact, I was first introduced to the brand by Patricia Ward Kelly--Mrs. Gene Kelly--at the TCM Classic Film Festival.  There she stood on the red carpet in a perfectly cut navy suit from Mon Atelier, which made me immediately approach her.  Because of my own classic style, we struck up a conversation that included her great compliment to me, "Gene would approve!"  An introduction to Ali and John quickly followed as well as an invitation to the Centennial Tribute to Gene Kelly at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (AMPAS).  There she looked radiant in Mon Atelier once again.  And she wore yet another custom-made suit when she recently appeared on TCM to introduce Gene's greatest movies--such as An American in Paris and Singin' in the Rain--on what would have been his 100th birthday.

Everyone understands my passion for classic cinema and its incredible style, and Mon Atelier is some of the most perfect design I have ever seen.  It captures the magic that we love from Old Hollywood costume design while making it absolutely modern for today.  And because each of Ali's gowns, dresses, and suits are custom-made...well, you just have to feel like the luckiest woman in the world wearing them.  So steady yourself, ladies.  If you love fashion at its highest art form, Mon Atelier will positively set your heart racing.

Welcome to Mon Atelier

The sitting room is perhaps my favorite part of the salon

Mon Atelier is famous for luxurious fabrics that even include limited supplies of vintage
that are used to their best advantage in both men's ties as well as newly designed dresses

One wall of the atelier is full of color-blocked gowns

A favorite Little Black Dress--it's perfect, isn't it?

Speaking of perfection, you can see inspiration from Lana Turner 

in their yellow and white goddess gowns...so much my own personal style

Ethereal gowns in white line the other side of the salon

I adore white dresses...look at the detail and design differences in these gowns

Caftans are all the rage and I adore this one in orange floral sequins

John capturing me in a mirror that once belonged to MGM (and possibly Helen Rose herself)

Time to say good-bye...for now

Meeting Patricia Kelly at the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival in Mon Atelier suiting (above)

and once again at the Centennial Tribute to Gene Kelly at the AMPAS

Cinema Connection--Fall Trends Showcase Influence of Kay Francis' 1930s Style

Though we're still in the month of August and heat waves continue to hit us all across the country, both Hollywood and the fashion industry are starting to look with real excitement toward Fall.  Celebrities are already hitting some red carpets in outfits from the upcoming (cooler) season and magazines are each announcing the trends you need to know for Fall.  Many of the trends have to do with color--deep purples, rich reds, glittering gold, and the perennial black are all emerging in different ways on runway after runway.  Military style is also big, so look for olive and khaki color-wise with details such as added pockets, buckles, and belts.  

As I have discussed on GlamAmor, menswear is another of the style highlights this season with inspiration ranging from Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year (1942) to Diane Keaton in Annie Hall (1977).  Art Deco style is also on trend...still in full swing from last Fall when Oscar-winner The Artist made such a splash, continuing through Spring, and now appearing on this Fall's runways as well.  Much of the reason is a combination of Downton Abbey fever and Baz Luhrmann's greatly anticipated The Great Gatsby, whose Prada-filled wardrobe was destined to be seen onscreen in December.  Unfortunately, it's not to be...its premiere was recently postponed to the Summer of 2013, so I would wager the Deco trend will be seen in design at least another season.  If not even longer.

When people discuss Art Deco design, it often ranges from the full-on flapper 1920s to the Streamline Moderne of the 1930s.  Both, right now, are hot.  Silhouettes from the 1930s are some of my personal favorites for evening and Kay Francis, whose glamorous and sophisticated style I just highlighted, is one of my inspirations.  Apparently, I'm not the only one.  Ralph Lauren (above) and Michael Kors are two designers who also know their film history well, and both show inspiration from Ms. Francis this season.  Kay was known for her body-conscious gowns that plunged deeply in the front or back (sometimes both), and you can see this influence in their Fall 2012 collections.  It's no wonder I love so many of their pieces...these are yet further examples of the ongoing influence of classic cinema.

ABOVE:  Ralph Lauren pairs feathers with black bias-cut silk and

Kay Francis in the original by Travis Banton for 1932's Trouble in Paradise

Michael Kors shows a plunging black halter gown for Fall

Silver, gold, and black in an Art Deco masterpiece by Ralph Lauren

with a plunging front and back worthy of Kay

All gold--one of the hottest Fall trends--seen in sequins at Michael Kors

Ralph Lauren shows another trend for Fall--purple--

in a one-shouldered column, a favorite silhouette of Kay's

Red and more red--yet another hot Fall color--at Michael Kors with a classic 1930s fur collar 

Cinema Style--Kay Francis Shines as a Model Sophisticate of the 1930s

It's always incredible to me how few people know Kay Francis.  Even those who do know her seem to fail at recognizing and appreciating just how much she contributed to classic cinema as well as to today's fashion.  There is no question that Kay was a style star and consistently so in every one of her movies.  Thankfully, Turner Classic Movies recently dedicated an entire day to her films and I, for one, was watching them all.

From 1932 to 1936, Kay was the top female film actress at Warner Brothers.  To give you a little perspective, this was the same time a young actress named Bette Davis was on the rise and soon would become a cornerstone of the studio.  Ginger Rogers was dancing cheek to cheek with Fred Astaire at RKO.  Claudette Colbert took a bus trip with Clark Gable over at Columbia.  And Marlene Dietrich was ever the seductress at Paramount. Yet Kay was more popular than any of them...so much so that she was the highest paid star in Hollywood and one of the highest paid people in America.  

Once you see her movies, it's actually easy to understand why.  For one, she was luminous on film...with big bedroom eyes that swelled with emotion and a soft supple voice that communicated it.  Her characters were elegant, smart, and vulnerable.  And what style.  She was widely publicized as the "American glamour girl" and inherited the reputation as Hollywood's clotheshorse from 1920s queen Gloria Swanson.  Designers loved dressing her because she was quite the canvas.  Kay was one of the tallest actresses at the time--reportedly between 5'7" and 5'9"--along with others like Ingrid Bergman and Alexis Smith.  This height and her natural poise and polish made for a magnificent model on screen.  

To fuel the fantasy of Depression-era audiences, designers dressed Kay in sleek bias-cut gowns that pushed the limits of how bare a girl could go.  She was known for wearing designs with deep decolletage in the front and back...often at the same time.  Her body conscious slip and tank dresses were surprisingly modern and would influence much of the minimalist style of the 1990s.  Of course many could still be worn today.  She was also known for coats and gowns (often longsleeve) that had a dramatic draping effect and pooled around her feet on the floor.  Fur was one of the luxurious accents she wore most often as well as Art Deco jewelry that never seemed overdone.  Her own skin just might have been her best accessory, though, especially when it was lit by the industry's best cinematographers.  Kay was consistently glamorous, most often thanks to costume designers Travis Banton whenever she was loaned out and Orry-Kelly at her home studio of Warner Brothers.

Orry-Kelly was one of the giants of costume design and contemporary to Adrian at MGM and Banton at Paramount.  He moved to New York from Australia and became roommates with a young actor (and future Men's Style icon) Cary Grant.  It was Grant who recognized Orry-Kelly's talent and encouraged him to move to Hollywood in 1932.  He immediately went to work at Warner Brothers and became a favorite of Bette Davis; in fact, she demanded he return to design her clothes even after he left the studio.  He is one of the few costume designers who would work with most of the major studios--first Warner Brothers then 20th Century Fox, Universal, RKO, and even MGM.  During his time in Hollywood, he was responsible for some of the greatest costumes on film--Casablanca (1942); Now, Voyager (1942); An American in Paris (1951, Oscar with Walter Plunkett and Irene Sharaff); and for Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot (1959, Oscar).  These are only some of his brilliant work.

But being so closely aligned with costume designers had its downside for Kay.  In the end, she became better known for her wardrobes than for her acting.  This wasn't her fault...to feed the audience's appetite, studios poured more money into costumes and sets than they did effort into the scripts.  The roles she was offered simply started to become less and less substantive.  And when she tried to fight for better treatment--and she did fight--the studio simply let her go and essentially ended her career.  Even friend Carole Lombard could not save her.  For this reason, I feel responsible to put a spotlight on her and remind today's audience just how delightful she was, particularly when trading delicious double entendres with frequent leading man William Powell.  She also deserves a major celebration of her sophisticated and influential style.

Kay made six to eight films a year--there were seven in 1932 alone, one of her best years.  Though I share The Style Essential Trouble in Paradise (1932) in my college class, presentations, and webinar series on the HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM, it's almost a disservice to Kay to show costumes from only one of her movies. You can practically close your eyes, blindly pick a film of hers, and it's guaranteed that both she and her costumes will be stunning.  Therefore, here I am highlighting much of the sophisticated 1930s style of Kay Francis.

Raffles (1930) with Ronald Colman

with costumes by Travis Banton and a hint of the type of low cut backs she would become known for

With frequent co-star William Powell in 1932's Jewel Robbery

in Orry-Kelly's fur-trimmed velvet dress that has such a deep front and back it's practically falling off

Another popular look on Kay were coats with grand collars (often fur) that framed her face

Kay in Orry-Kelly's draped gowns with Powell again for 1932's One Way Passage

Kay in Travis Banton for Trouble in Paradise (1932) with Herbert Marshall

Banton includes a dress similar to one he did for Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express 

Glorious costumes from Wonder Bar (1934),

also co-starring the delicious Delores del Rio

Portraits from around 1936

that show her dress' famous low cut fronts and backs

Gowns from 1937's Stolen Holiday include more with low cut fronts (that have matching deep backs) 

A kiss to say goodbye to Kay from The Keyhole

To see Kay's influence on fashion today,

be sure to check out the article on the Cinema Connection