Text: Viola B. Hderlein-Hadjam
Translation and summary: Paul Embleton
Bai-Ling
("Dumplings") 2005 in Berlin Photo:
Michael Deckbar, Berlinale
Berlin Retrospective shows inextricable link between film and
fashion that reverberated throughout the 20th Century.
The 20s
"City Girls – the image of women in the era of silent
film", this year’s Retrospective at the International Berlin
Film Festival, turns the spotlight on 'New Women' in the first two
decades of the twentieth century. In doing so it puts a sharp focus
on fashion.
The first two decades of the twentieth century witnessed the
emergence of a new breed of urban women who radically departed from
traditional female stereotypes to express and redefine themselves
through fashion. A major impetus to change was the silent film – a
medium which not only saw early film divas turn conventional taboos
on their heads but in doing so, also provide role models for an
entire generation of women. Quickly copied, if toned down somewhat,
the screen’s dramatic makeup and ravishing costumes – cloche
hats, slacks, loose straight-down dresses and feather boas – were
soon to be seen on city streets everywhere. Film and fashion were
suddenly inextricably linked.
Makeup and hair did not go unnoticed either. Film star Louise
Brooks’ inimitable trademark look, for instance, quickly took
hold: her sleek black Dutch bob with its clean-cut fringe combined
with her heavily mascaraed eyes remain a classic look today, and one
which continues to make regular film appearances (i. e. Melanie
Griffith in "Something Wild" or Uma Thurman in "Pulp
Fiction").
The 60s
Almost fifty years on, the sixties represent another important
milestone in film-fashion history. Effectively Jean-Luc Godard’s
1959 film "À
bout de "(Eng: "Breathless") kicked off the
decade. The film not only broke new ground in terms of its
"Nouvelle Vague" aesthetics but also marked a radical
departure from fifties figure-hugging costumes in the form of Jean
Seberg as the embodiment of the new modern women. Flitting along the
Champs Elysees in t-shirt, leggings and ballerina pumps, her hair
cut uncompromisingly short, Seberg soon became a symbol of elegance
for yet another new generation of women.
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Some 8 years later, cinema audiences were treated to Arthur Penn’s unconventional gangster flick "Bonnie & Clyde". A film which not only saw a stylish Faye Dunaway, co-starring as Bonnie, revive the cloche hat but also, courtesy of costume designer Theodora Van Runkle who gave the film a subtle dash of French elegance, paid homage to Nouvelle Vague. |
Elsewhere
in the century there is ample evidence of the relationship between
film and fashion. Numerous examples spring to mind: Marilyn
Monroe’s dress blowing up upwards to reveal her underwear in
"The Seven Year Itch",
or Marlene Dietrich’s 1930 appearance in "The Blue
Angel" wearing a suit. It was also Dietrich who popularized
slacks, while in the 1950s, Grace Kelly became synonymous with the
Kelly Bag. Meanwhile in another film genre, a brooding James Dean
imbued jeans and t-shirt with the spirit of rebellion. Items of
clothing that were not only awarded iconic status but remain an
indispensable part of any wardrobe today.
Audrey Hepburn even recognised the importance of fashion in films to
the extent that she proposed commissioning Couturier Givenchy to
design her film wardrobe for her. Little wonder then that she soon
became known as the world’s best-dressed women.
Finally, as the century drew to a close Robert Altman created a
film-fashion symbiosis – "Prêt-à-Porter" (1996) –
which was studded with film and fashion stars alike. The film gave
fashion a platform to do what it loves most of all – to play. And
at its high point presented a protest fashion show, which saw
fashion get back to basics and naked models parade along the
catwalk.
Complete program of Berlinale 2007: www.berlinale.de
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February 2007
