It was a dark and stormy night.
From my bed, I heard the familiar sound of the police cruiser sweeping into our driveway to park. The car door opened, then quickly closed as my father splashed through puddle after puddle on his way to the house. Finally through the front door, I recognized the many sounds of his police uniform. The heaviness of his boots. The jangle of his handcuffs. The velcro on his bullet-proof vest. And finally, unsnapping his gun from its holster. Piece by piece it was removed and carefully laid on the chair in his bedroom before he headed to the family room to flick on the TV. As I often did, I crept quietly from my bedroom and tip-toed down the hall in the darkness to see what he would watch to unwind after work. It was there in the wee hours of that rainy windswept night some 30 years ago that I first saw Howard Hawks' iconic
film noir The Big Sleep.
Though not every movie introduction was as dramatic as this one,
film noir became an ongoing presence in our home and my introduction to classic cinema. My eyes devoured the style--from the sets to the moody lighting to the costumes--and it was there that I began my design education.
The Big Sleep's costume designer was
Leah Rhodes, one of the most prolific designers at Warner Brothers during the 1940s. Though less known than
Orry-Kelly and
Milo Anderson, the three shared some seriously great years at the WB studio especially in the area of
film noir--including
The Maltese Falcon (1941, Orry-Kelly),
Casablanca (1942, Orry-Kelly),
Mildred Pierce (1945, Milo Anderson), and
Key Largo (1948, Leah Rhodes). Interestingly, Leah was also responsible for developing some of the "
Hitchcock Look" when she designed costumes for
Strangers on a Train (1951) before
Edith Head really took the lead. Leah was so talented that she was rewarded for her work with an Oscar in 1950.
Beyond the costume design, much of the style in
The Big Sleep is due to its star--and
TCM's Star of the Month--
Lauren Bacall. Even when I watched as a child, Lauren really struck me as so different than any of the other actresses of the day. There was a worldliness about her that I related to--an old soul who seemed like she had "been there, done that" despite being a mere 20-year-old. Her New York upbringing gave her a savviness that I admired and she seemed quite comfortable being just of the guys. And...Lauren was stunning. Discovered on the cover of
Harper's Bazaar by Hawks' wife, even her modeling days did not do her justice. It took celluloid and cinematography to really capture her refined feline features--namely those intense eyes framed by strong arched brows that audiences dubbed "The Look." Her attitude mixed with that great beauty made for an intoxicating combination.
Humphrey Bogart fell hard for Bacall during their first film together,
To Have and Have Not (1944). Their chemistry was so strong and pairing so popular that Warner Brothers immediately ordered up new scenes to be shot on their next film together--
The Big Sleep.
Though clearly much of the style story of
The Big Sleep has to do with Bogart and his iconic look--
the staple trenchcoat alone!--it is Lauren who steals the show. Look for the houndstooth suit she wears with a beret. It is an evolution of the suit she wore in
To Have and Have Not, and both were inspired by the style of the director's wife, Slim. It is highly influential in the fashion world--both the pattern and the cut are now on trend, but of course equally timeless as well. And pay attention to the overall quintessential 1940s style throughout
The Big Sleep...whether it's seen in the strong shoulders or the draped hooding or the exotic brooches and pins.
1946 was a banner year for
film noir--
Gilda,
The Postman Always Rings Twice,
The Killers, and
The Big Sleep all came out that year. Each one is iconic. And though
The Big Sleep is well known for its slightly scattered storyline--true in Raymond Chandler's original 1939 novel and especially so in the film--none of that matters. You are drawn in scene by scene...moment by moment. I have literally seen the movie hundreds of times and it never gets old. It often keeps me company when I have insomnia, and I can't help remembering the first time I saw it that stormy night so many years ago.
The wealthy and influential Sternwood family is at the center of crime in The Big Sleep
Coquettish younger sister Carmen Sterwood (Martha Vickers) is trouble for everyone
though innocent-looking enough here in belted polkadot silk shorts and espadrilles
Carmen makes a play for private detective Phillip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart)
by falling into his arms...even though they just met
Onto meeting the elder sister Vivian (Lauren Bacall)
who is used to drinking her lunch and bossing people around
Lounging in a velvet button-front jacket and black pants that seems very
Katharine Hepburn-esque
At the A. G. Geiger Bookstore, Marlowe meets salesgirl Agnes (Sonia Darrin)
who always wears incredible dresses and accessories like this amazing Asian-inspired brooch
In contrast, the salesgirl across the street at the Acme Bookstore (Dorothy Malone)
Iconic moment in the movies--the dowdy salesgirl takes off her glasses and takes down her hair...
"Well, hello..."
Opening herself up to blackmail, Carmen poses for some lurid photos
in (and likely out of) her Asian-inspired dress
Marlowe finds Carmen and takes her home to Vivian
who answers the call in an elegant silk charmeuse robe with extra volume at the cuffs
Iconic
film noir cinematography lighting Marlowe
in the equally
iconic trenchcoat when he goes sleuthing in the rain
Waiting to show Marlowe evidence of Carmen's blackmail in this iconic houndstooth suit...
love the accessories like the black box purse (I have a similar one) and matching beret
Now we see Carmen in her suit--herringbone striped suit styled with a dramatic draped hood--
and look how perfectly the lines of the fabric line up in the suit's two pieces
Wealthy mobster Eddie Mars (John Ridgely) shows off his tailored duds when he meets Marlowe
Agnes once again causing trouble but impeccably dressed...
love how those ornate brooches look like they're securing a wrap skirt
Vivian is dressed in a very modern 3/4 length sleeve belted dress with peeptoe pumps
The drama of Carmen's character is reflected in her clothes...
here she wears a fitted black suit again accessorized with a hood
Marlowe meets Vivian in his sharp black pinstripe double-breasted suit
and she returns the favor in a stunning gold lame evening jacket paired with a mink stole
Time to pay a visit to Eddie's casino to do some more detective work
There he finds Vivian making herself at home...both with the boys in the band and at the roulette table
Vivian puts a mink coat on over her white slightly tomboyish evening gown
Marlowe knows there's much more hidden beneath the surface with all these people, including Vivian,
but can't help falling for her and they finally kiss
On her way out of town, Agnes sells Marlowe the secret location of Eddie's wife, Mona,
but gets captured when snooping around
Mona (Peggy Knudsen) wears a peplum blouse that's perfectly on trend now
and Vivian chooses a silhouette similar to her other ensembles
After killing a killer, Marlowe and Vivian hold their ground against Eddie Mars
before giving into love and starting their lives together
