Cinema Connections at the 2023 Met Gala

This year the Met Gala was a tribute to Karl Lagerfeld and coincided with the Costume Institute's exhibition "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty." Though he was a controversial choice for the Met's theme, no one can argue that the designer had a career that is unmatched in fashion. It's difficult to summarize it all because he often worked at multiple houses at once - often rescuing and revolutionizing their fashion lines - and would do so until he passed away in 2019.

Here is just some of his incredible experience:

• Jean Patou - Artistic Director 1958 to 1962
• Chloe - Creative Director 1963 to 1978 and again 1992 to 1997
• Fendi - Creative Director 1965 to 2019
• Chanel - Creative Director 1982 to 2019
• Karl Lagerfeld (his eponymous line) - Creative Director 1984 to 2019

Especially because of his time at Chanel, many who paid tribute to him at the Met Gala did so in designs of black and white. Even the carpet was changed from red to a creamy white with only accents of color.

Though the Met Gala was a tribute to Karl and his designs, I could still see Cinema Connections - dresses whose design shows the influence of costumes from classic film. I share some below.

Precious Lee in Fendi + Rita Hayworth in Jean Louis for 1946's Gilda

Kim Kardashian in Schiaparelli + Gloria Swanson in Clare West for 1919's Male and Female -

both dresses made of real pearls

Tory Burch in Tory Burch + Gloria Swanson in Chanel for 1931's Tonight or Never

Salma Hayek in Gucci + Jessica Rabbit (voice by Kathleen Turner) in 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Margot Robbie repurposing a Chanel dress that Cindy Crawford wore on the runway in 1993 

+ Ava Gardner in Vera West for 1946's The Killers

Cinema Connections at the 2023 Academy Awards

 

This year has been filled with exciting events, and as a result I am a bit behind on sharing everything I should here on the site. So I'll start catching up with some of the cinema connections - dresses that show the influence of classic costume design - and a couple other observations I made on the "champagne" carpet at this year's Academy Awards.

I felt some inspiration from Michelle Pfeiffer in 1983's Scarface for Elizabeth Olsen's Givenchy gown at the Oscars. I have since learned that Olsen really admires Pfeiffer, so I have no doubt that Patricia Norris' costume design did influence her "champagne' carpet look.

There's something about Sofia Carson's Giambattista Valli on the Oscars "champagne" carpet that felt like a mash up of the white gowns in 1951's A Place in the Sun and 1955's To Catch a Thief - both by Edith Head. It looks like the goddess pleating of Grace Kelly's bodice along with Elizabeth Taylor's tulle skirt.

I could not help but think of the green Adrian gown Loretta Young wore when she won her Best Actress Oscar as soon as I saw the voluminous green wrap around the Tony Ward Couture that Fan Bingbing chose for the "champagne" carpet.

An interesting Oscars flashback. 2023 nominee Kerry Condon in yellow Versace is channeling an iconic red carpet look from 2001 - Renee Zellweger in vintage 1959 Jean Dessès. Condon later confessed that this was indeed her inspiration.

Not a Cinema Connection, but had to comment on yet another Oscars flashback. Did Vanessa Hudgens (in Chanel) not recall that Reese Witherspoon (in Tom Ford) already did this look at the Academy Awards back in 2015? I feel that Reese did it better, too.

Oscar getting ready for the "champagne" carpet

Cinema Connections at the 2023 Golden Globes

 

As many of you know, I watch award shows such as the Golden Globes for any cinema connections I might see on the red carpet. I tend to only post them live on social media, but I'm going to try to post them here as well. The Golden Globes were last Tuesday and - surprise! - I saw several connections to classic cinema and share some of those with you below. And, in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Golden Globes, I also include a couple flashbacks to 2002 and 2011.

Not identical by any means, 

but Abby Elliott's long-sleeve orange sequin gown from Pamela Roland 

made me think of Doris Day in Ray Aghayan for 1965's Do Not Disturb.

Interesting that Margot Robbie is wearing a halter gown by Chanel - it's a neckline the designer loved. 

Here's Coco's costume design for Gloria Swanson in 1931's Tonight or Never.

Saint Laurent is behind Sigourney Weaver's black gown, but it's Orry-Kelly who is largely responsible for its design. 

There's no question his iconic costume for Bette Davis in 1942's Now, Voyager was the inspiration. 

Anthony Vaccarello (Saint Laurent's artistic director) even accented the décolletage with a black rosette.

The one-shouldered gowns that actresses like Kay Francis made popular in the 1930s - 

here in Orry-Kelly for 1937's Stolen Holiday - 

seems to have inspired Regina Hall not once but twice at the Golden Globes. 

This year was designed in a black leather and 2002 was done in classic cream.

I definitely got My Fair Lady (1964) vibes - Audrey Hepburn's costumes by Cecil Beaton - 

from Salma Hayek's Gucci at the 2023 Golden Globes.

I'll finish my thoughts on this year's Golden Globes with a flashback to 2011. 

While watching Kay Francis in Orry-Kelly in Living on Velvet (1935) the other day, 

I was struck by the similarity of her backless cap-sleeve gown with Emma Stone's Calvin Klein. 

Cinema Connections - The Influence of Classic Costume Design on Oscars 2018 Fashion

The Oscars celebrated its 90th birthday this year, and producers did an admirable job at showing the incredible history of Hollywood. The montages they presented before the major awards, such as Best Actor and Actress, were particularly moving. I also loved the inclusion of 1955 Oscar winner Eva Marie Saint as a presenter for Best Costume Design, especially when she launched into a story about my hero Edith Head and another about Alfred Hitchcock (or "Fred," as she called him) taking her to Bergdorf Goodman to shop for her North by Northwest costumes. Rita Moreno also dazzled everyone on stage and off by wearing the same custom-made dress (or at least skirt) that she did in 1962 when she won her Oscar for West Side Story.

Oscar winners Eva Marie Saint and

Rita Moreno (in 1962 and today)

Something else that happens to show some of the history of Hollywood - though few really appreciate this fact - is the fashion itself. As everyone knows, I see what I call Cinema Connections on just about every red carpet, but the Oscars tend to offer the most due to the glamour of the event. This year did not disappoint. Here are just a few examples that reflect the ongoing influence of costume design from the Golden Age of Hollywood on fashion today.

Until next year...

Saoirse Ronan in Calvin Klein

and

Marilyn Monroe in Travilla for 1953's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Laura Dern in Calvin Klein

and

Jean Harlow in Adrian for 1933's Dinner at Eight

Allison Janney in Reem Acra

and

Myrna Loy in Dolly Tree for 1934's The Thin Man

Adriana Lima in Georges Hobeika
and
Gloria Swanson in Ethel Chaffin for 1922's My Husband's Trademark

 The Academy Awards at the Roosevelt Hotel's Blossom Room in 1929

Opening and closing images courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

Eva Marie Saint image courtesy of Time

Rita Moreno image courtesy of Variety

Other red carpet images courtesy of Newsweek

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.

Quoted in NEW YORK POST Article "How Movies Change the Way We Dress"

I was so pleased when New York Post reporter Raquel Laneri reached out to me a week ago to discuss the impact of film on fashion, particularly that of Oscar-nominated and winning pictures. Though our focus was on more recent movies, we happily talked about influential costume design going all the way back to Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson in the silent era. Our conversation then continued through the decades and included style stars like Clara Bow and Joan Crawford in the 1920s through to Audrey Hepburn in the 1950s and 1960s. Those actresses didn't make it into the final article, but Faye Dunaway and Ali MacGraw and their trend-setting 1970s films did. I am quoted along with FIDM Museum curator Kevin Jones in a piece called "How Movies Change the Way We Dress," which you can read online. It also hit newsstands the Monday after the Oscars® in a three-page spread you can see below. And if you want to learn more about the most influential costume design on fashion decade by decade, you can visit my list of The Style Essentials.