Saturday, August 18, 2012

Cinema Connection - Katharine Hepburn Style Inspires Modern Menswear for Fall

There is no question that one of the great icons of style is Katharine Hepburn. What few appreciate is how much of her style started on the inside, the result of an empowered upbringing from progressive parents in New England that carried into a lifelong self-confidence. She was well known throughout Hollywood as an independent woman who spoke her mind as well as a talented athlete. One only need watch Pat and Mike (1952) - reportedly one of her favorite films with partner Spencer Tracy - to see evidence of both. But it's in 1942's Woman of the Year where Kate's innate sense of style really first came to the fore.

From her earliest days onscreen, costume designers delighted at dressing her fit 5'8" frame in elegant evening gowns. Her style really started to evolve with Kalloch for Holiday (1938) and then of course Adrian for The Philadelphia Story (1940). Woman of the Year is filled with more extraordinary gowns and dresses featuring his signature fit, draping, and detail. The black off-the-shoulder gown is particularly well known and influential today, but Kate also glides around in a longsleeve floor-length gown that is pure Adrian. The dresses in Woman of the Year still act as the gold standard for modern designers, such as Jenny Packham whose Fall runway was filled with ensembles inspired by Kate and the 1940s.

But as many know, it is the menswear from Woman of the Year that was revolutionary. This was, after all, World War II and a time when women were starting to enter the workforce en masse. The strong suiting in the movie was so ahead of its time and the starting point for our modern career wear. 70 years later, the design has changed precious little in fashion. The costumes served as the model of inspiration for Giorgio Armani with his power suits of the 1980s and continues with other giants like Donna Karan and Miucia Prada today. This is especially true of offering pants as an option for women - virtually unheard of in the 1930s and 1940s - because Kate rebelled and led the way with her own uniform of a tailored blazer, blouse, and slacks. Now it's simply considered a classic look. And her iconic smoking jacket and pants from the film is a particularly strong influence for Fall. Even I was surprised by the sheer number of variations available this season. Of course Yves Saint Laurent was the first to be inspired by the style in the creation of his own iconic Le Smoking in the 1970s.

Woman of the Year is one of my Style Essentials since it represents some of the most iconic costumes in film that continue to influence fashion today. It's also an example of a star who brought her own strong sense of style to the audience both onscreen and off. Whether you now wear trousers, khakis, jeans, leggings, or even joggers as loungewear, you can trace most of that back to Katharine Hepburn. Menswear is one of the biggest trends for Fall/Winter 2012, and you can see much of that influence starts right here.

ABOVE: Katharine Hepburn on set circa 1941 and

Giorgio Armani's modern take on Hepburn style for Fall 2012

One of the most iconic looks from Woman of the Year is her smoking jacket and slacks,

which inspired Yves Saint Laurent's own iconic Le Smoking and countless other designers

Yves Saint Laurent's Le Smoking captured by Helmut Newton (above)

and its evolution within the brand from the 1970s to the present

Ralph Lauren's smoking jacket (above)

and Chloe's smoking jacket-inspired look both in time for Fall

Katharine Hepburn is known for suiting, whether with pants or skirts...

silk shantung suiting from Miu Miu Fall 2012 (above)

Tory Burch's tipped skirt suit is a modern take on Kate's in Woman of the Year

Strong shoulders and stripes from Rodarte's Fall 2012 runway also remind me of Kate

The timeless Hepburn uniform included a tailored jacket, blouse, and pants

and Donna Karan does her own sleek look for Fall

The same type of look with a skirt by Donna Karan (above) and Rodarte

The influence of Kate can be seen everywhere in the Rodarte Fall 2012 collection, including gowns

Though Woman of the Year is known for suiting, it also includes an iconic off-the-shoulder gown

that inspires a lot of design including one on Jamie-Lynn Sigler at the 2012 Golden Globes

Another draped masterpiece from Adrian on Katharine
seems to be an inspiration for one from Jenny Packham for Fall

Even the patterns in fabric from Woman of the Year are influential -

its geometric window pane pattern made it into several outfits in Christian Dior's Fall collection

Power suiting inspired by Kate - Giorgio Armani gave us THE look of the 1980s (above)
and 2012's colorful cavalcade of modern menswear on the Prada runway

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The Style Essentials--Katharine Hepburn Suits Spencer Tracy in WOMAN OF THE YEAR

As many of you know, last week I taught a three-day seminar at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) called The Style Essentials: the History of Fashion in Film. The Style Essentials represent iconic costume design in the movies - from the 1920s to the 1970s - that continues to influence fashion today. It was such a rewarding experience, with responses ranging from audible oohs and ahhs to stunned silence at the sheer amount of design today that owes its origins to classic cinema. Most people simply never knew. One star whose style was featured in this august group was Katharine Hepburn in the 1942 classic Woman of the Year.

Though she looked glorious in movies like Holiday (1938), Bringing Up Baby (1938), and another Style Essential The Philadelphia Story (1940), Woman of the Year really showcased what would become known as Katharine Hepburn style. As political columnist Tess Harding, Kate primarily wears a wardrobe of smart suits that include both skirts and her beloved "slacks." She also wears a velvet smoking jacket and pants while working at home, an iconic look that would later influence the likes of Yves Saint Laurent in the 1970s (and his equally iconic Le Smoking) as well as many many other designers. There are certainly gorgeous gowns in Woman of the Year, including an influential off-the-shoulder number, but it is the menswear that really stands out.

Woman of the Year's wardrobe is the result of the genius of designer Adrian. From 1924 to 1941, Adrian was the Chief Costume Designer at MGM and responsible for much of the studio's signature over-the-top glamour. Even after leaving, he still occasionally contributed costume design until 1952. He is indeed best known for his evening gowns, such as the ones that appear in Style Essentials Dinner at Eight (1933) with Jean Harlow and The Women (1939) with Joan Crawford. His relationship with Joan is quite famous, most notably for the strong shoulders he created in garments to add size to her petite (some say 5'2" foot) frame. This evolved into a defining look of the 1940s that would appear once again as a trend in the 1980s. Adrian is someone I regularly hold up to show the overlapping nature of costume design and fashion. Many costume designers actually started and/or ended their careers as fashion designers; Adrian, for example, ultimately had his own fashion lines (both couture and ready-to-wear) and a boutique in Beverly Hills. And most importantly, the design in the movies was often months and even years ahead of the fashion industry. During this time, Hollywood costume design set the trends. It was not following them.

The style story and list of contributions from Woman of the Year are pretty impressive. The feminine career suiting alone, which still seems so modern and yet it was conceived at a time when women were entering the workforce en masse due to the demands of World War II. The patterns in Kate's outfits - gingham, window pane, stripes - often reserved for men's shirting, now appeared in women's career wear. Polkadots also make a big splash in a casual ensemble from the movie, a moment that would inspire an ongoing polkadot trend today. Certainly not to be overlooked, Adrian's gowns and dresses are equally impressive with their superior cut, fit, draping, and detail; they still act as the gold standard for modern designers. And all the accessories - the hats, gloves, and pins are quintessential 1940s style. Even at the time, Woman of the Year made such an impact that it inspired many of Milo Anderson's costumes in yet another Style Essential - Warner Brothers' film noir Mildred Pierce (1945).

Of course much of the success of Woman of the Year also came from the synergy with Katharine Hepburn herself. Doing this movie was a major moment in her life. It was the first of nine films that she would make with Spencer Tracy and the beginning of their unconventional 25+ year partnership. It's a thrill to watch and feel them fall in love onscreen. Their chemistry is electric. In addition, the movie's main character of Tess Harding is very aligned with Kate's own. She represented a new kind of female role model who was strong, independent, and followed her own path in life. This, of course, included her style and Kate personally preferred pants on and offscreen. The ensemble of a tailored blazer, blouse, and slacks became her timeless uniform. There isn't a woman alive who doesn't owe some debt of gratitude to Katharine Hepburn.

If you'd like to see design from today's runways that is influenced by Woman of the Year, take a look at this Cinema Connection on GlamAmor. It's amazing how much our modern fashion finds inspiration in a film from 70 years ago, proving the ongoing relevance of classic cinema in our lives today.