Thursday, January 31, 2013

The Style Essentials--Iconic Costume Design that Continues to Influence Fashion

The Style Essentials is my series of the most iconic costume design in the movies that continue to influence fashion today. These movies show some of the best examples of costume as an art form, but also designs that changed fashion from the time they were first seen onscreen and act an ongoing source of inspiration for modern designers. Because I now teach a college course on the HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM and do frequent presentations around Los Angeles, many have asked to know the movies I include on this elite list. Of course it was difficult to limit my favorites and have much more costume design knocking on the door, especially from the prolific 1940s and 1950s. But there are reasons behind each of the selections, which I share in essays and photoessays you can see through the links below. Together these movies are exceptionally good at tracing the evolution of fashion and continued relevance of classic cinema.

Please note that The Style Essentials are focused on women's style, though some men--Clark Gable, Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, among others--are inseparable from their co-stars and make their own strong showing on this list as well. Take a look at my series on iconic Men of Style for even more.

No need to commit anything to memory...you'll now find this master list of The Style Essentials on a permanent page on GlamAmor as a resource for my class as well as anyone else who wants a point of reference. How many of your favorites do you see?

ABOVE: Louise Brooks in Pandora's Box (1929)