Though Vincent Minnelli's Meet Me in St. Louis was set at the turn of the century, there was much in the film that translated to its 1944 audience. As World War II continued to rage on, the movie brought tremendous comfort by showing an idealized America and a family sticking together through a period of love and loss. Obviously, with our country's challenges over the past few years, this message resonates strongly with today's audience as well. The timeless standard "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" made its debut in St. Louis sung by a luminous 21-year-old Judy Garland (in costumes by Irene Sharaff). It is an especially poignant moment in the movie...when Esther (Judy) sings to her troubled younger sister Tootie (Margaret O'Brien), she sings to us all.
I couldn't think of a better way to kick off this holiday season than with 1954's White Christmas. There's so much to love about this movie. For one, that soundtrack filled with catchy song after song...all written by super sophisticate Irving Berlin and sung by the likes of legends Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. Though the song "White Christmas" was originally written for World War II's Holiday Inn (1942), this is the movie where it found itself the center of a "slam bang finish" to become a standard for the ages. All the songs are tied together brilliantly to make up the story of White Christmas, which was told by none other than director Michael Curtiz. Curtiz was responsible for directing Warner Brothers masterpieces such as Casablanca (1942, oft declared the Best Movie of all Time) and film noir classic Mildred Pierce (1945). White Christmas itself was the industry's biggest money maker of 1954...taking
advantage of the holidays, Technicolor, and being the first movie screened
in VistaVision to bring in the audiences and away from their
new televisions.
But perhaps the biggest reason for me to love White Christmas is its costume designer--Edith Head. As many know, Edith is practically my patron saint...a designing dynamo whose talent and ambition first inspired me some 20 years ago. Seeing Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954) was an experience that would forever impact my life. I almost felt my brain chemistry change when looking at those costumes for the first time. "That," I remember thinking, "is how everyone should dress." Grace Kelly's fashionable Rear Window wardrobe was actually created the same year as White Christmas, showing how the mid-1950s were arguably the peak of Ms. Head's career. Edith would go on to design for Hitchcock once again the following year in To Catch a Thief (1955), which she considered her best work ever.
From a style standpoint, Edith's signature is everywhere in White Christmas. That bold use of color, for one. I always remember loving how the movie moves from an outdoor club in Florida to a cozy lodge in Vermont. Thus, the girls' costume changes range from the most tropical of turquoises--the perfect Miami color--to darker colors like deep pine green and black for the Northeast. Rosemary's black velvet gown for the "Love Didn't Do Right By Me" number happens to be one of my favorites dresses that Edith has ever done. The carefully cut decolletage in both the front and back with a brooch pinned above the bustle is just breathtaking. Stunning.
Another interesting part of White Christmas' style story is the suiting. This was a rare occasion when Edith did the clothes for the men as well as the women. She loved this even more than designing for the ladies...finding that men had wayyyyyyyyyyyyy less ego when it came to costumes and seemed to better respect dressing for character rather than the individual. Bing Crosby also already knew he was in good hands with Edith since she designed costumes throughout the 1940s for his seven Road pictures with Bob Hope. I love that the tailored fit and clean lines of her men's suiting is what she preferred in her designs for women as well. You'll see it in their suiting, of course--just think of Kim Novak in Vertigo--but it also carried through to dresses, robes, coats, and separates such as Rosemary's yellow blouse and long black
pencil skirt in White Christmas.
There are plenty of truly timeless designs in 1954's White Christmas and amazing that even in a holiday classic we can find cinema's influence on fashion. Edith's turquoise lace dresses for "Sisters," for example, are beloved by nearly every designer today and a big inspiration for the colorful lace dresses that are now on trend for Fall/Winter 2012. This influence is not a surprise to anyone who has seen A Conversation with Edith Head, which I just saw and so enjoyed celebrating the costume designing icon with the show's co-creators--star Susan Claassen and biographer and
publisher Paddy Calistro. White Christmas shares just some of why we love her so. Long live Edith Head!
Happy holidays!
As everyone knows, I adore the tropics
so Novello's in Miami is heavenly
We are introduced to the Haynes sisters--Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy (Vera Ellen)--
in holiday-colored robes before they perform their act at Novello's
These turquoise lace fit and flare dresses for "Sisters" are perfectly created for Technicolor
Beautiful longsleeve sequined pink chiffon on Judy
and lavender chiffon with a beautiful back on Betty
Edith loved dressing the men for White Christmas...
Danny is dressed in monochromatic gray--suit, socks, shoes--
Join film and fashion historian Kimberly Truhler for the 7th annual FASHION IN FILM OF TCMFF! The 2024 festival theme is "Most Wanted: Crime and Justice in Film" and that is just some of what will be shared at this year's event - from THE MAD MISS MANTON (1938) to CHINATOWN (1974).
Sample of Past Events
American Cinematheque presents Film Noir Style
The series accompanies and mirrors the book Film Noir Style: The Killer 1940s. Each event will include a presentation followed by a film screening. Like the book, the series is divided into 4 parts:
MAY 7 Before the War 1940-1941 w/ The Maltese Falcon
JUNE 25 War Years 1942-1945 w/ Laura
JULY 29 Year of Transition 1946 w/ The Killers
SEPT 10 Post-War Years 1947-1950 w/ Out of the Past
HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM 1920s-1980s: Opposites Attract
Join film and fashion historian Kimberly Truhler for the fourth event in her series HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM! Opposites Attract focuses on 1950s style icons Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot, and Doris Day.
HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM 1920s-1980s: Film Noir and Fantasy
Join film and fashion historian Kimberly Truhler for the third event in her series HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM! Film Noir and Fantasy focuses on 1940s style icons Rosalind Russell, Katharine Hepburn, Veronica Lake, Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, and Lana Turner.
HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM 1920s-1980s: Art Deco Elegance
Join film and fashion historian Kimberly Truhler for the second event in her series HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM! Art Deco Elegance focuses on 1930s style icons Marlene Dietrich, Kay Francis, Jean Harlow, Claudette Colbert, Ginger Rogers, and Joan Crawford.
HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM 1920s-1980s: The Jazz Age
Join film and fashion historian Kimberly Truhler for the first event in her series HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM! The Jazz Age focuses on 1920s style icons Gloria Swanson, Clara Bow, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, and Louise Brooks.