Friday, February 18, 2011

Film Fashion Friday: Fashion Show February: Designing Woman (1957)

Since I missed last week's post, for which I feel so horrible about, I am making up for this week by posting three films, Designing Women (1957), Roberta (1935), and Neptune's Daughter (1949). All of these films have fashion shows that are very similar and function in similar ways. Since next Friday is the last one in February, I will be doing three posts as well, two on films that are available on DVD and a post on some of the films that are not available on DVD that show on TCM frequently, but showcase fashion shows and are really wonderful! I will be offering copies for anyone who is interested. So, without further ado, here is Designing Woman. (Just as a side note, I cropped the screen shots to make them fit better with my formatting here on my blog).

Main Cast

Lauren Bacall.....Marilla Brown Hagen
Gregory Peck.....Mike Hagen
Dolores Gray.....Lori Shannon
Sam Levene.....Ned Hammerstein

Gown By Helen Rose
Directed By Vincent Minnelli

Synopsis
Mike meets Marilla on vacation and after a whirlwind romance, marry before returning to New York. Once back in "real life" the two realize that they have little in common: Marilla is a fashion designer who lives a fancy lifestyle, spending her time with actors and the elite, while Mike is a sports writer, lives a simple life. When Mike gets intertwined with the mob, mayhem ensues, causing Mike to go into hiding. How will the couple's relationship fair? Will the two end up together at the end or divided by their different lifestyles?


Fashion Review
While I have only included screen shots from the fashion show sequence, the entire film is packed full of drool worthy outfits, which is a trend we will see throughout this whole series. One would assume that the clothing designer in the film must be the model of example of the latest trends and what was to be considered the most fashionable, ergo all the beautiful pieces we can see Lauren Bacall wearing. The casting of Bacall is utterly fitting, being the trendsetter that she was in the 40s with the suit from To Have and Have Not (1944) being recreating by numerous department stores and sported by many young ladies. In this film, Bacall's clothing exudes elegance and showcases the height of 50s fashions, something many of us vintage gals strive to look like on a daily basis. Many times, Bacall looks as though she stepped out of a VOUGE or MCCALLS magazine, really bringing to looks that these fashion magazines present to females to the screen.

Helen Rose was the costumer for this film and no doubt, did a FANTASTIC job. If I could steal a movie's wardrobe, this would be among one of the films I would select. Rose is among some of the designers of Classical Hollywood that I wish got more recognition. Her work can been seen in many different genres of film and was able to dress some of Hollywood's most lovely leading ladies, including Lana Turner, Betty Grable, and of course Lauren Bacall. She worked with some of the greats in Hollywood, such as Walter Plunkett, and worked exclusively for one studio (MGM) for most of her career. Rose studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts before she moved to L.A. in 1929. Her first professional job designing clothes was for Fanchon and Marco. F & M supervised the costumes for selected musical numbers at Fox and they allowed Rose to do the designs for three of their films. After her work with Fox and F & M, in 1942 Rose moved to MGM where she stayed until her retirement, working pretty much only for them. In the 60s, Rose opened her own design business and staged traveling fashion shows, which is helpful to consider when thinking about her work here. Rose also had quite the wedding gown client list, creating gowns for Grace Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Elizabeth Taylor to wear on their big days.


Fashion Show Evaluation: Fashion Show as Promotion
The sequence itself is placed into the film in a very organic way, integrated into the plot as so it wouldn't disrupt viewers. The show is staged and filmed in a way that showcase the model's routines as promotion for the articles of clothing. The set is a lavish boutique set up with a runway and on either side chairs and tables for prospective customers to take a ganger at the latest designs. Each time a model comes out from behind stage, we are presented with a close up of her outfit, followed by long shots of her walking around, showing off the garment. There are also two audiences to contend with, the one on screen and the one off. The camera shows us the customers sitting, viewing the garments. We even get reaction shots of their opinions. However, the audience of the film itself is the second audience, as we too are viewing the fashion show much like the characters on screen are. The close ups and establishing shots of the model as she emerges from backstage is the "sales pitch" to the audience, the model is addressing the audience directly. This is where audience has the illusion or may feel like they are attending a fashion show, thus the styles are being promoted within the film.

In my next post, I will cover another aspect of how fashion shows function within the film, where the sequence is done in a similar manner. Check the post underneath this one for more on this.


Designing Woman is available on DVD and is widely available to rent.

29 comments:

Miss CherryBubbles said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Miss CherryBubbles said...

(Oops - had to delete the first comment for those dreaded typos!)

Hi Emily,

I've just given you the Stylish Blogger Award :) Although I may not comment often, I always enjoy reading your terrific posts!

Here are the rules for accepting the Stylish Blogger Award:
-Link to the person who gave you the award.
-Share 7 facts about yourself.
-Pass the Stylish Blogger Award on to 7 of your favorite bloggers.

And, oh my goodness, I've never seen Designing Woman - a situation I see now that I must remedy! I love Lauren Bacall AND fashion shows in movies ;)

Enjoy your weekend!
Miss CherryBubbles (aka Andrea

Lauren Hairston said...

I really really wanted to like this movie, but I didn't! Anyhow, the clothes are amazing.

Sarsaparilla said...

All three of these films look wonderful - and I found all of them on Netflix! Look forward to seeing them...

MarieBayArea said...

i love your recommendations

Unknown said...

golden state warriors
tiffany jewellery
dallas cowboys
michael kors outlet store
valentino shoes
jordan shoes
rayban sunglasses
nike air max 2014
cheap toms
lebron 12
kansas city chiefs
tods shoes,tods shoes sale,tods sale,tods outlet online,tods outlet store,tods factory outlet
parajumpers sale
san francisco 49ers
lebron james shoes,lebron 12,lebron 12 shoes,lebron sneakers,lebron iv,lebron 11,lebron 10
canada goose outlet
oakley
cheap uggs
nike running shoes
qqq1023

Unknown said...

0504wangjuan
nike air force 1
ray ban sunglasses
ray ban sunglasses
cheap mlb jerseys
links of london jewellery
pandora outlet
ray ban sunglasses
cheap ray ban sunglasses
omega watches
ralph lauren polo
cheap oakley sunglasses
ralph lauren outlet
hollister clothing
beats by dre
cheap nba jerseys
ferragamo outlet
reebok trainers
coach handbags outlet
rolex watches,rolex watches,swiss watches,watches for men,watches for women,omega watches,replica watches,rolex watches for sale,rolex replica,rolex watch,cartier watches,rolex submariner,fake rolex,rolex replica watches,replica rolex
michael kors sale
longchamp pas cher
louis vuitton sunglasses
cheap snapbacks
coach outlet
versace sunglasses on sale
ray ban sunglasses
nike air max
ferragamo shoes
swarovski outlet
nike air huarache

Unknown said...

ugg outlet
hermes belt for sale
ralph lauren pas cher
rolex watches for sale
michael kors handbags
oakley sunglasses wholesale
cartier uk
michael kors outlet
soccer jerseys
coach outlet online
michael kors outlet
oakley sunglasses wholesale
yeezy boost 350
basketball shoes
ugg boots clearance
air max uk
fitflops clearance
michael kors outlet online
fitflops outlet
michael kors handbags
coach handbags
ralph lauren outlet
tiffany outlet
kate spade uk
polo pas cher
mlb jerseys
mulberry handbags
beats by dre
ugg boots
tory burch outlet
cheap uggs
longchamp handbags
mulberry handbags
nike outlet store online
nike huarache
chanyuan0810

Unknown said...

ugg outlet
louis vuitton
rolex watches
cheap ray bans
moncler outlet online
michael kors handbags clearance
coach outlet store online
longchamp handbags
louis vuitton handbags
oakley sunglasses
chanyuan2017.02.11

chenmeinv0 said...

true religion
celine handbags
louis vuitton handbags
kevin durant shoes
omega watches
louis vuitton outlet
coach outlet
cavaliers jerseys
coach handbags
seattle seahawks jerseys
20173.4chenjinyan

Unknown said...

michael kors handbags
nike air max 90
nike blazer low
cleveland cavaliers jersey
michael kors outlet
michael kors handbags
michael kors uk
dolphins jerseys
nike store
oakley sunglasses

Unknown said...

kyrie 3
longchamp bags
cheap jordans
michael kors outlet
michael kors outlet online
nike roshe run
true religion
nike dunks shoes
kyrie 3 shoes
falcons jersey

adidas nmd said...

polo ralph lauren outlet
cheap jordan shoes
oakley sunglasses wholesale
gucci outlet
ugg outlet
rolex replica watches
oakley sunglasses
nike store
michael kors handbags
cheap michael kors handbags

Unknown said...

hugo boss suits
coach outlet online
cheap uggs
cheap oakley sunglasses
oakley sunglasses wholesale
ravens jerseys
ecco shoes online
ralph lauren outlet
dallas cowboys jerseys
michael kors outlet

raybanoutlet001 said...

true religion outlet store
polo ralph lauren
michael kors outlet
ugg boots
jordan 4
ugg outlet
michael kors purses
skechers shoes
michael kors outlet
ugg boots

raybanoutlet001 said...

michael kors uk
christian louboutin shoes
nike trainers shoes
san diego chargers jerseys
ugg outlet
carolina jerseys
ed hardy uk
snapbacks wholesale
nike outlet
ugg outlet

Unknown said...

qzz0416
ray ban sunglasses outlet
san diego chargers jerseys
kate spade outlet
coach outlet
michael kors handbags
chicago bulls jersey
giuseppe zanotti outlet
atlanta falcons jerseys
polo ralph lauren
coach outlet

Unknown said...

qzz0530
adidas outlet
true religion jeans
coach outlet
yeezy boost 350
ugg outlet
hawks jerseys
michael kors outlet
ray ban sunglasses
canada goose jackets
adidas nmd

Unknown said...

www0727



yeezy shoes
air jordan 4
jordan 4
air jordan 8
jordan 8
jordan shoes
jordan shoes
jordans
jordans
air jordan uk




4578 said...

0801jejeasics gel noosa tri 8 pas cher La nike air revolution sky hi noir et blanc pas cher raison pour laquelle les guirlandes de sampaguita sont devenues nike air max bw femme chaussures noir rose populaires est la raison de leur chaussure asics homme bleu utilisation comme offrande aux saints, que Air Jordan 3 Femme ce soit dans les églises chaussure air jordan pour petite fille ou les autels à la maison. new balance solde belgique Le Nike Air Power One nike air max 90 jacquard pas cher High est classé parmi les chaussures les nike internationalist dames bordeau plus chaudes de l'histoire de cette firme.

alee said...

This is such a cool blog, atleast content has a meaning unlike those useless blogs on the internet.Indian Freedom Fighters Quotes

Unknown said...

golden goose sneakers
pandora jewelry
nba jerseys
manolo blahnik shoes
ugg boots clearance
cheap jordan shoes
louboutin shoes
moncler online outlet
jordan shoes
ralph lauren outlet
wqr10822

Unknown said...

WWW1015
michael kors outlet
coach factory outlet
pandora
ray ban sunglasses
ugg boots
nike outlet
hugo boss
longchamp
ralph lauren uk
ugg outlet boots

5689 said...

zzzzz2018.10.24
oakley sunglasses
coach outlet
hugo boss
fitflops clearance
red bottom shoes
ralph lauren polo
ugg boots
ray ban sunglasses
ugg boots
bottega veneta

Unknown said...

adidas nmd r1
vans shoes
michael kors handbags
chrome hearts
yeezy boost
jordan shoes
off white clothing
mbt shoes outlet
paul george shoes
fitflops

Unknown said...

yeezy 500 blush
nike air force
adidas eqt
kobe 9
hermes belt
longchamp handbags
adidas shoes
coach factory outlet
air jordan shoes
adidas yeezy

cooking copy said...

If you are aiming to get the ultimate in fashion, wear an Anne Klein shades.occhiali da sole michael kors donna

UNKNOWN said...

i love reading this article so beautiful!!great job! fashion blog

stisat said...

find out this here try this web-site my sources internet my blog view website