New York City: Fashion in Film

I'm in New York for a few days, catching up with friends and doing a bit of work too - more of that later. But as I was walking around Central Park yesterday, I was reminded of the Jane Fonda movie Barefoot in the Park - one of my favourite films from the 1960s with Fonda and co-star Robert Redford in their prime. She looks amazing in this movie - slinky, energetic and with strawberry-blonde hair piled high on her head.

Here's a selection of movies set in Manhattan with very stylish heroines, from the 1930s to modern day:

Dinner at Eight was released in 1933 - a sharp social satire starring Jean Harlow as a brassy gold-digger draped in stunning Art Deco finery. 

A decade later Katharine Hepburn starred in Woman of the Year (1942), one of the first movies to show a new kind of emancipated heroine on screen, with Hepburn playing opposite Spencer Tracy as colleagues at the same New York newspaper. A professional woman's wardrobe was born: tailored suits, silk blouses and low-heeled pumps.

And then Hitchcock came along and invented the suspense thriller as we now know it. Grace Kelly starred in several of his movies, epitomising the glacial allure that he found so enthralling. Rear Window was released in 1954, starring Kelly and Cary Grant. Edith Head designed the costumes for the movie and a new kind of style icon appeared on screen for the first time: the Park Avenue princess.

The cocktail dress with pearl necklace combo has remained a uniform for decades, seen on the runway every season at Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera and in the wardrobes of legendary Manhattan socialite Nan Kempner as well as fictional characters such as Charlotte York from Sex and the City.

In 1955 Marilyn Monroe starred in The Seven Year Itch. Who knew that standing over a New York subway air vent would create one of the most iconic images of the 20th century?

The white halter-neck dress Marilyn wore in this scene sold for $4.6 million at auction last year. It's a classic bombshell look and we have a very similar dress in stock at the moment, to view in our online store please click here. 

Audrey Hepburn is synonymous with New York chic, thanks to starring roles in two beautifully shot films, Funny Face in 1957 and Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961. 

Funny Face is set the world of magazine publishing and photographer Richard Avedon was consultant art director. Kay Thompson plays the magazine's fashion editor - this scene is her vision for the new season's colour: 'Think pink!'

In 1960 Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon starred in The Apartment, a so-called 'dirty fairy tale of New York'. It was one of the first movies to tackle the taboo subject of adultery on screen.

Barefoot in the Park (1967) was a very different kind of movie - a lighthearted romantic comedy with the best-looking stars of the time: Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. Fonda epitomized carefree post-Pill sexuality and their chemistry leaps off the screen. I love this scene of the newlywed couple walking into the Plaza Hotel on 5th Avenue:

The following year Mia Farrow starred in Rosemary's Baby, directed by Roman Polanski. Mia plays Rosemary Woodhouse, a young wife who has just moved into a vast Gothic Revival 19th century building in Manhattan. The real-life location is The Dakota on the Upper West Side of Manhattan - where John Lennon used to live and the site of his murder in 1980.

Mia's elfin crop and doll-face make-up brought Twiggy's gamine style to the big screen.

Annie Hall was directed by Woody Allen and released in 1977. The film was a love song to the city of New York and created a new kind of urban style icon: Diane Keaton.

Annie Hall's androgynous wardrobe continues to inspire contemporary designers - in particular Ralph Lauren - and provided the theme for an editorial in Vogue Paris last year. Have a look at the pictures here. 

Desperately Seeking Susan came out in 1985, starring Madonna and Rosanna Arquette. A love-triangle evolves from the personal classifieds of a New York tabloid. 1980s style is the hipster gift that keeps on giving. 

I love this scene from the nightclub - reminds me of my early twenties spent at NagNagNag at The Ghetto in Soho!

No blog about New York movies would be complete without a mention of Working Girl. The real style icons from this film are not the protagonists, but supporting actresses Joan Cusack and Sigourney Weaver.

He doesn't stand a chance.. 

Clothes on Film wrote a great blog on the culture of power dressing in Working Girl - to read online click here.

Then Sex and the City came along. Manhattan was the fifth character of the series, with great attention given to the skyline and surroundings. Local landmarks, restaurants, parks, nightspots and even churches were featured throughout the entire series.

This is just a small selection of the many fantastic movies set in New York. Click through for clips of stylish heroines from Dancing Lady (1933), All About Eve (1950), How To Marry A Millionaire (1953), Sabrina (1954), Daddy Long Legs (1955), Bell, Book and Candle (1958), North by Northwest (1959), The Best of Everything (1959), Butterfield 8 (1960), Klute (1971) and The Way We Were (1975). 

I'm planning on doing a blog about style icons from London-based films in the next month or so. All suggestions welcome, please add in the comments.

Studio 54: how fashion fell in love with disco

One of the most iconic images of the 1970s is of Bianca Jagger riding into Manhattan nightspot Studio 54 on a white horse. The club finally closed its doors in 1991, but the legend lives on. Fashion, art, music and sex collided and the clubbing experience changed forever.

The 'disco look', further popularized by the release of Saturday Night Fever in 1977, involved sequins, platform sandals, wrap dresses and irresistibly wavy hair. This particular style is seen again and again in contemporary designer collections and I've noticed that customers are asking for more evening dresses from this period.

The fashion icons of the 1970s continue to inspire magazine editorials as well as the runway... 

Anjelica Huston (left) 

Lauren Hutton 

Diana Ross

Beverley Johnson

We have an original 1970s dress very similar to the one Beverley is wearing - to view in our online store click here.

Anjelica Huston 

Diane von Furstenberg in her own design, 1976

Cheryl Tiegs getting in the party spirit, 1975

Liza Minelli

The set design for Studio 54's New Year's Eve parties was legendary. One year event manager Robert Isabell ordered four tonnes of glitter to be dumped on the floor, creating a 4" thick layer which owner Ian Schrager compared to 'dancing on stardust'. 

In this short video Studio 54 regulars Michael Jackson, Truman Capote and Grace Jones explain why the club was so popular...

Sterling St Jacques & Pat Cleveland partying on Halston's balcony, 1975

Fashion designer Halston was a Studio 54 regular and his clothes became synonymous with the disco era. 

Halston with Anjelica Huston

In 2008 the label was revived by Harvey Weinstein, Tamara Mellon and Rachel Zoe. Marios Schwab and Sarah Jessica Parker were taken on as creative directors. The disco-luxe aesthetic remains... 

H by Halston, 2011

H by Halston, 2011

In 2010 a documentary about the designer was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival:

Fashion editorials became inspired by the disco sets of Studio 54...

Sequin dress by Biba

Jerry Hall in Vogue

Kate Moss celebrates her 34th birthday party 

Harper's Bazaar UK, Sept 2011

Disco-inspired gowns at Elie Saab

Lana del Rey turned up to the Met Ball earlier this year looking like a vampy disco goddess. We have a  very similar cape and dress - to get Lana's look, click here. 

Leelee Sobieski working the 70s glam look

We sold this original 1970s maxi dress to a customer earlier this year:

After the sexual revolution of the 1960s, the following decade brought about a self-exploratory and more daring sensuality. Magazines such as Nova claimed to be a 'politically radical, beautifully designed, intellectual woman's magazine'. 

This translated into more provocative fashion photography...

Jerry Hall for French Vogue by Helmut Newton, 1978

The rainbow make-up of the discotheque is still fashionable today, including the pointed manicure... 

Here's a 1970s make-up tutorial from the fabulous girls at Pixiwoo, filmed at the Chanel pop-up beauty boutique in Covent Garden earlier this year:

We have a fantastic selection of original 1970s evening dresses in stock at the moment... 

To view in our online store click here 

To view in our online store click here

To browse our full selection of 1970s evening gowns click on this link. To make an appointment in our central London please get in touch.

Disco-style accessories are still very popular. Charlotte Olympia's beautiful perspex 'Pandora' clutch has interchangeable fabric pockets to co-ordinate with your outfit...

Gianmarco Lorenzi's ridiculously over-the-top platforms, as seen on Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, Katy Perry... 

 

No post about Studio 54 would be complete without Anita Ward's disco anthem. Push back the furniture and start shakin' it!

 

oooOOOooo

Get the look: Lana del Rey at the Met Gala

Sultry chanteuse Lana del Rey was one of the best dressed at the Met Gala last week. The event has become the fashion Oscars and marked the opening night of the Schiaparelli & Prada exhibition. 

Lana wore a custom-made Joseph Altuzarra evening gown and cape. We have a silver sequin dress and dark violet velvet cape that are almost identical. 

This vintage sequin gown is in mint condition and available to buy here. We also have a vintage deep violet velvet cape in the boutique at the moment... 

The cape is fully lined in purple silk. To view in our online boutique, click here. 

Lana is no stranger to retro looks. Earlier this year she performed at the Mulberry dinner during London Fashion Week wearing a beautiful black dress with lace sleeves and sporting a serious beehive.

For a similar look, we have an original 1960s lace shift in our boutique at the moment. Click on this link to view online. 

Our new collection will be online very soon. To keep informed of flash sales and events, please sign up to our newsletter. 

Studio photography by Dani Riot 

The 2011 Met Costume Institute Gala

Film premieres and award ceremonies are excellent red carpet opportunities for film stars and celebrities, but the Met Gala is the event of the season for true fashionistas. Designers, models, stylists and historians fly in to New York from all over the world to be received by Anna Wintour, left, editor of US Vogue.

The Costume Institute contains more than 80,000 costumes and accessories. It used to have a permanent gallery space in what was known as the 'basement area' of the Met, however, due to the fragile nature of the items in the collection the Costume Institute does not maintain a permanent installations. Instead, every year it holds two separate shows organized around famous designers such as Cristóbal Balenciaga, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent as well as style doyennes such as Diana Vreeland, Nan Kempner and Iris Apfel.

The Costume Institute's annual benefit gala, co-chaired by Anna Wintour, is an extremely popular - if exclusive - event in the fashion world; in 2007, the 700 available tickets started at $6,500 per person.


This year the gala coincided with an exhibition on late designer Alexander McQueen, curated by Andrew Bolton (see photo above). Guests were greeted by a receiving line of actor Colin Firth, designer Stella McCartney, and Vogue editor—and gala organizer—Anna Wintour. Suzy Menkes wrote a very interesting review of the exhibition for the New York Times, read it here.

Now to the dresses! There were some fabulous outfits (and some real turkeys) but I've compiled some images of the best ones... specifically those which are vintage-inspired or chime with a certain vintage look.

First up is Isabel Lucas, wearing a 1970s-style coral pleated maxi gown by Louis Vuitton. What a great face.

Also working a strong 1970s look was Florence Welch, wearing a white gown with bell sleeves by Yves Saint Laurent. Have you noticed how Flo doesn't smile much for photos anymore?

This girl always gets it right: Margherita Missoni. She has a beautiful face and a very fresh look - just like Ali MacGraw. Here she is in Missoni:

Also channeling a vaguely 1970s vibe was hostess Anna Wintour. I really didn't expect her to wear something like this! It's Chanel haute couture...

Here comes Iman to show us all how it's really done. A vision of 1970s disco perfection in a bronze sequin jumpsuit by Stella McCartney:

Jennifer Lopez glammed it up with a red silk gown with feather shrug by Gucci. We don't really get to see her wear this colour very often - it looks fantastic and much better than her usual beige or black choices. She's still Jenny from the block though... the girl can't resist baring her midriff!

Working back through the decades, there were a couple of dresses that were very 1960s in style. Fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker wore a fabulous embellished maxi gown, complete with beehive hairstyle. Here is a photograph taken in her dressing room before she arrived at the event. Do I spy an empty bottle of Veuve Clicquot in the background? It's a blessed relief to know she's just like us and enjoys a few jars before going out on the town.

Here we have Bee Shaffer, Anna Wintour's daughter. She wore a very grown-up gown by Balenciaga, featuring a 'watteau' train that was a very popular feature for evening dresses in the 1960s. She looks great but it doesn't feel right for May - do you agree?

Next we have one of my favourite dresses of the evening: model Jessica Stam in a petal-pink tulle gown. The silhouette and fabric are typical of 1950s evening dresses, but the hem and accessories give the look a modern twist.

Actress Dakota Fanning wore a sensational couture gown by Valentino. This is a really elegant dress with exquisite flower details, but I think she needed a more sophisticated hair and make-up look to carry it off.

As usual, Salma Hayek was a vision. She was one of the honorary chairs of the Met Gala this year. We sold a dress very similar to this one a couple of months ago - it was so beautiful it didn't even make it on to the website as it was snapped up by a girl who came in to the studio before I had chance to upload it. It had exactly the same rose detail on the hip but was in a very pale apple silk chiffon, instead of the blush tone Salma's wearing.

There were quite a few guests working a strong 1940s look. One of them was Nicole Richie, with a Lana Turner hairstyle and a gown by Jason Wu:

Diane Kruger also wore Jason Wu. The embellished bodice is superb - but I wonder whether the skirt would work better without such a big slit?

Next up: Madge! I thought this was the best she has looked in ages. Not only does the colour work very well on her, but only a real fashion icon could carry off a star-embroidered train at an event like this. She's pop royalty and she won't let you forget it! Dress by Stella McCartney:

Here is Lucy Liu in one of my favourite designers, Vionnet. Her dress isn't particularly 1930s (in fact the hairstyle is definitely 1960s) but I wanted to mention the design house as their history is fascinating.

Madame Vionnet (1876-1975) was known as 'queen of the bias cut' and specialized in Grecian goddess-style gowns. Eschewing corsets, padding and anything that distorted the natural curves of a woman's body, her clothes were famous for accentuating the natural female form. Influenced by the modern dances of Isadora Duncan, Vionnet created designs that showed off a woman's natural shape. Like Duncan, Vionnet was inspired by ancient Greek art, in which garments appear to float freely around the body rather than distort or mold its shape.

Here's a wonderfully atmospheric picture of two models (the one of the left is Marion Morehouse a.k.a. Mrs e e cummings) wearing her designs. Photograph by Edward Steichen.

Actress Amy Poehler does a fine Jean Harlow impression with her J Mendel 1930s-style gown and hairstyle:

Here we have one of my favourite dresses of the evening: Maggie Gyllenhaal in Stella McCartney. The silhouette and draping is very 1930s but the blue sparkle gives it a 1970s disco twist. Maggie always looks so happy and relaxed - here she looks utterly serene. I guess the army candy helps.

Karen Elson looked sensational in a gold evening gown by McQueen. The silhouette of the dress is quite 1930s, but the fabric and shredded hem make it unmistakably contemporary. This sort of juxtaposition is signature McQueen.

And finally, here we have model Chanel Iman wearing a white embellished shift by Dolce & Gabbana. This was another of my favourites looks from the evening. It's quite hard to pull off high-octane glamour in a short, pale dress (especially when you're surrounded by guests in floor-length gowns) but she manages it!

Look at her beautiful 1920s hairstyle in this shot. Left to right: Chanel, Bar Rafaeli and Isabeli Fontana.

Whenever there is a big event involving beautiful dresses on a red carpet, we tweet photos in real time on our Twitter account - if you want to follow us please click on this link.

We love your comments so please do let us know whose dress you liked the best - or if you think we missed anyone out!

By the way....

We're having a big online sale in a week - 20% off ALL dresses with free UK P&P (with gift packaging) - please sign up to our newsletter so we can email you the discount code.

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