From Here to Eternity

Let’s learn to dress like they do in the movies. You never know – you may be able to outdo style icons like Audrey Hepburn or Nicole Kidman.

Edith Head is a legend in the U.S. film industry, but she never stepped before the camera. Her legacy continues in a dazzling array of colors and innovative designs in classic Hollywood movies. In her more than 40 years as film’s most celebrated costume designer, she won eight Oscars, more than any other woman.

Her talent is up there for all to see, such as in the winsome love story Funny Face (1957) with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire, Anything Goes (1956), starring Bing Crosby and legendary French entertainer Zizi Jeanmaire, and many more. If not for the fashion, these classics are certainly a better cinematic bet than all those underwhelming B-movies.

More gorgeous creations are to be found in the Oscar-winning feature Gone With the Wind, The Thomas Crown Affair with a picture-perfect Faye Dunaway and, of course, Audrey Hepburn and that little black dress from Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

From the few movies I mentioned, it’s clear that fashion does not only belong to runway models. The ability to combine fashion into a storyline representing a particular period is essential for any designer who wants to make it to the big screen. Personally, I think it’s a very rare commodity in Indonesian films, but it may have more to do with the failure to keep up with current trends. 

I recently watched the French movie Priceless (Hors de Prix) and was intrigued by one of the scenes where the leading lady wore a purple gown. Purple is an in color in fashion at the moment, and the movie tapped into the trend and how the public is adapting it to their lifestyle. It makes the film completely “up-to-date”, something we in the fashion world are always seeking.

We also must recognize that Priceless was made months before the color purple came into fashion. It’s this kind of sensitivity to trends that costume designers need. Although films and their fashions are a snapshot of their time, they become timeless through their sense of style.

When we get ready to step out every day, be as careful in composing your look as a costume designer is in putting together the wardrobe of the stars. Hopefully, your look will inspire the viewer to think of Beverly Hills, not the Beverly Hillbillies.

+ Samuel Mulia

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