On An Island With You

MGM's On An island With You, directed by Richard Thorpe, is not mentioned in the books of Hollywood history for being a good movie, but I think is a perfect watch for a lazy summer day.
Esther Williams, the Hollywood mermaid, stars this musical that is set in a Polynesian island during a movie filming. [If you work in movies this is a film for you too, some good gags, specially in a scene when the hair stylist is being rushed by the first AD to finish the main character's hairdo and she answers "I'll let you know when I'm ready"...]
The story is too predictable and moralist at a times (note that these are the 40's, when the Hays Code was still in full moon) but in general is a very amusing film, a 100% a chick flick.
The costumes, by Irene Lentz, executive costume designer for MGM from 1942 to 1949, are just gorgeous. I always speak of Edith Head as the great costume designer of all times but some day i must speak of Irene because she was another big time costume designer. Big big time.

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Bien es cierto que la película de la MGM On An island With You (no encuentro la traducción al español) dirigida por Richard Thorpe no aparece en los libros de historia de Hollywood por ser una buena pelicula pero yo la encuentro deliciosa para esas tardes de verano en las que uno esta tirado en el sofá y le apetece evadirse un poco.
Esther Williams, la sirena de Hollywood, protagoniza esta película que narra las venturas y desventuras de un equipo de rodaje en una isla de la Polinesia. [Si trabajas en cine hay algunos gags en este film que son muy buenos. Como cuando el ayudante de dirección mete prisas a peluquería para que termine el peinado de la protagonista y ésta le espeta: "Ya te avisaré yo cuando esté lista"...]
Y aunque a veces la historia peca de predecible y moralista, estos son los años 40, todavia pleno apogeo de la Ley de Hays, es una película bastante entretenida.
El vestuario corre a cargo de Irene Lentz, quien fuera Jefa de Departamento de Vestuario de la MGM de 1942 a 1949, la cual hace una labor exquisita teniendo en cuenta los años de escasez que corrian por entonces. Y mira que siempre hablo de Edith Head como "La" diseñadora de vestuario por excelencia, pero algun día tendré que dedicar un post a Irene que fue otra que creó más de un (y más de tres tambien) vestido memorable.

A New Kind of Love

A New Kind of Love is the story of Sam Blake (Joanne Woodward), an American fashion design thief who works for a popular department store in New York for which she "designs" clothing that she knocks off directly from renowned designers of the time (Lanvin, Dior, Balenciaga...).

In a trip to Paris to attend the shows of the biggest fashion houses and "steal" beforehand the designs, she meets Steve Sherman (Paul Newman), a sports journalist who has been sent to the City of Lights in order to calm down his ladies affairs.

A fashion chick flick movie in the line of Funny Face, not as big or important but yet as sweet and "real" when it comes to fashion matters. Quite funny the scene where she calculates the cost of a dress shown in a catwalk if made in a "sweatshop" back in America ...
Costume designs by our always fave, Edith Head.

A nice review here.












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Samantha (A New Kind of Love) narra la historia de Sam Blake (Joanne Woodward), una diseñadora de moda que crea diseños copiados directamente de los grandes diseñadores del momento (Lanvin, Dior, Balenciaga...) para un popular centro comercial de Nueva York.

Durante un viaje a las pasarelas de Paris para atender los diferentes shows y poder asi copiar directamente los diseños sin tener que esperar a que estos lleguen a otras tiendas de Nueva York, conoce a Steve Sherman (Paul Newman), un periodista deportivo que ha sido mandado como corresponsal a Paris para alejarle de la mujer de su jefe con la que ha mantenido un sonado affair...

Muy en la linea de Funny Face, una comedia romántica que no podía estar mas en voga que ahora que vivimos este período de pirateo sin fín..

La Reine Margot

I saw Patrice Chéreau's La Reine Margot for the first time when I was 15 years old.

My friend Inés and I were bored at home and decided to rent a movie. I remember the shock of seeing Isabelle Adjani in the cover of the VHS (yes ladies, there weren't DVD's yet!) so solemn and wonderful in a red brocade dress with white partlet. We didn't know a thing about the film but we rented it just because we liked the fashions in the cover.

The film was as shocking as was the look of the VHS jacket. You have this thing in your head that all movies from "old" times are kind of sweet and happy. You don't expect when one is like this, as bloody and violent, sexually charged and deep in the matters that was talking about. (note that we saw the "European" version of the film, 160 minutes instead of 138; the movie cut was due to a disappointing box-office performance in France and the criticism of the film as being too violent and often incoherent. source).

The film, based on the 1845 historical novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas father, narrates the years in the life of Margot de Valois, sister of the Catholic King Charles IX, when her wedding with the Hugenot King Henri of Navarre is arranged by the King’s mother, Catherine de Medici to "unite" Christians and Protestants in quite politically febrile years in the history of France.

The years to come will be a horror for the country because nor Christians nor Protestants will accept such a superficial show; what was supposed to forestall a conflict between the religious groups eventually metamorphosed into what would become known as the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, an event that signaled the death of 6,000 Protestants, irretrievably blackened Medici’s name and became an unsightly smear on France’s history. (source). Those were the days...

This has always been a very special movie for me, I probably can say this is one of the best movies ever made. For this reason it was a wonderful surprise when when i interviewed Zoey and Brian from Boudicca for milkshake chocolate mentioned La Reine Margot and its Costume Designer Moidele Bickel, as something to remember.




/// La primera vez que ví la película del director francés Patrice Chéreau, La Reina Margot, yo tenia 15 añitos.
Era un día de esos de aburrimiento total en casa con mi amiga Inés, cuando decidimos irnos al videoclub a alquilarnos una peli.

Si cogimos La Reina Margot no fue por otra cosa más que por la carátula de la cinta (ah... nada de DVDs todavia!). Nos gustó Isabel Adjani con su vestido rojo de brocado y su gorguera blanca, tan solemne y maravillosa.

Obviamente no teniamos ni idea de lo que íba la pelicula, pensamos que sería otra de esas ñoñeces a las que Hollywood nos tiene acostumbrados en las peliculas de época. Claro que se nos escapó un detalle: esta no venia de Hollywood.

La película nos dejó en estado de shock, fue una de las pelis más violentas y sexualmente cargadas que yo habia visto hasta la época, tratandose de eso, una peli de época. Claro que encima nosotras vimos la version "Europea" de 160 minutos en vez de los 138 a los que se redujo posteriormente por motivos comerciales y porque a los americanos no se les podia mandar tanta violencia a casa... fuente.

La pelicula, basada en el libro de 1845 del mismo nombre escrito por Alejandro Dumas padre, narra los terribles añs que siguieron a la boda concertada entre la católica Margot de Valois, hermana del rey de Francia Carlos IV, y el rey hugonote Enrique de Navarra.

Esta es probablemente una de las mejores peliculas que se han echo en la historia del cine en mi opinion. De ahi que cuando Brian y Zoey de Boudicca nombraron este film en la entrevista que les hice para milkshake chocolate y su diseñadora de vestuario Moidele Bickel como algo para recordar, se me quedó grabado.

It's This Time of The Year...

... when the windows at Bergdorf Goodman get at their peak.

This Christmas the work of American designer Tony Duquette inspired the people behind the windows display at Bergdorf Goodman.

Duquette was discovered in Los Angeles by one of the greatest pioneers in interior design, Lady Elsie de Wolfe Mendl, under whose patronage the designer was able to meet people in the movie industry (who knows who worked at the time too).
He created costumes and set designs for directors such Vincente Minelli and was a regular in designing for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (although not credited, he designed costumes for the famous film Ziegfeld Follies).

Tony Duquet designed interiors for actress Mary Pickford (she was her "matron of honor" at his wedding), for the Duchess of Windsor, Elizabeth Arden... and he was the first American to exhibit at the Louvre in Paris. Not bad, huh?.

Christmas 2007 at Bergdorf Goodman ...





/// Navidad es la época del año en que los creativos detras de los escaparates de Bergdorf Goodman se ponen de gala creando los escaparates más espectaculares y los que más atención acaparan. Este año ha sido el diseñador americano Tony Duquette el que ha servido de inspiración.
Tony Duquette fue descubierto en Los Angeles por la gran pionera del diseño de interiores Lady Elsie de Wolfe Mendl con la que tuvo oportunidad de entrar en contacto con lo mejorcito de la industria cinematografica.
Duquette trabajó como diseñador de vestuario y escenógrafo en diversas producciones para la Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (aunque no fue acreditado, el desarrollo diversos trajes para la famosa
Ziegfeld Follies) y trabajaria con directores de la talla de Vicente Minelli.
Tony Duquette diseñaría interiores para la gran Mary Pickford (quien fue dama de honor en su boda), para la Duquesa de Windsor, o para Elizabeth Arden... y fue el primer Americano en exhibir su trabajo en el Museo del Louvre en Paris... nada mal, no?.

Two For The Road

When Audrey Hepburn arrived for the first time to Hollywood to work in a movie, it was to play in Paramount's romantic film Roman Holiday in 1953.
Edith Head was head designer of Paramount at the time and so she was assigned to design all the costumes for the young (only 24!) Belgian actress.
This film meant the beginning of a very successful career for Audrey and the 5th Oscar for the American costume designer.

The following year the two women coincided in another project, this time Billy Wilder's Sabrina, and this time Audrey, more powerful and self confident than the year before, demanded her friend and French designer Hubert de Givenchy to dress her, fact that she continued demanding for many years.

In 1967 though, Givenchy's sophisticated costumes were not appropriated for Stanley Donen's Two For The Road, a road-movie that demanded more casual and comfortable cloths.

7 designers are credited as "costume designer" for this movie;
Marion Foale, Michele Posier, Mary Quant, Paco Rabanne, Clare Rendlesham, Ken Scott and Sally Tuffin.

I found some of the sketches that Ken Scott did for this movie, which shows the precision and the tiniest particulars that the wardrobe designer put into this movie's costumes. So different from nowadays "shopping" list for contemporary movies; it is so rare the chance for a designer to actually design the wardrobe instead of just buying whatever the market offers.




// Cuando Audrey Hepburn llegó a Hollywood para trabajar por primera vez fue para actuar en la pelicula Vacaciones en Roma producida por Paramount en 1953.
Edith Head era por entonces la diseñadora oficial de Paramount asi que le fue asignado el vestuario de la pelicula. El éxito fue tal que la diseñadora consiguio su 5º Oscar y Audrey se convirtio en una estrella de la noche a la mañana.
Al año siguiente las dos mujeres volvieron a coincidir, esta vez de la mano de Billy Wilder y su Sabrina. Esta vez Audrey pidio que su vestuario fuese diseñado por su gran amigo el frances Hubert de Givenchy.
Desde entonces la colaboracion entre Givenchy y Audrey fue continua, aunque en 1967, para la pelicula Dos en la Carretera, se decidio contar con la presencia de otros diseñadores, un total de 7 Marion Foale, Michele Posier, Mary Quant, Paco Rabanne, Clare Rendlesham, Ken Scott y Sally Tuffin, ya que el vestuario tenia que ser mas sport que los diseñados por el frances.
Encontré algunos esketches realizados por Ken Scott para esta pelicula, donde se puede ver que, aun siendo una pelicula "contemporanea", el diseñador tuvo la oportunidad de diseñar en lugar de comprar la ropa como por desgracia, se suele hacer actualmente.

A Punk Lady in 1944

And this lady is not other than the great Edith Head ...

I'm writing about this woman quite a bit in my latest posts without really explaining who she was. And maybe she is not as known as I might think, as not everyone has read the whole lot I have about her. (Actually I'm currently reading Edith Head's Hollywood by the designer herself and Paddy Calistro)

Some of you might "know" her face thanks to Disney's cartoon movie The Incredibles where she "played" the character Edna Mode.

Edith was the head designer at Paramount (although she would work for other studios as Universal or United Artists later in her career) for about 60 years and the first woman to succeed in a man's world: Costume Design. She is probably one of the most important costume designers in Hollywood's history together with MGM Gilbert Adrian, and the woman with more Oscars in her house (8 total).

She created Hollywood mythical outfits as Mae West's in She Done Him Wrong (this movie meant the beginning of Edith 's successful career), Audrey Hepburn's in Funny Face or Paul Newman and Robert Redford's in The Sting (this movie would give her the 8th and last Oscar in her career). She claimed to have worked on 1,131 films (Edith Head's Hollywood, page 163) in a time where costumes were actually designed and made, not bought as often happens nowadays. That's quite something!.

During World War II she was (and this is the point of my post's tittle), frequently quoted in magazines to advice women how to economize by sewing and designing their own clothing (those were rationing times ladies).
To support her own words she modeled in one of her DIY creations: she hand-painted safety-pins in a plain white blouse and used safety pins instead of buttons for the closing.

A : safety pins instead of buttons
B: hand-painted safety pins
C: you can't really see in my scan but she's wearing safety pins in her ears...

D: a safety pin keeps blouse and skirt safe in place

Hard times are hard and we wish they don't happen to us but we can't deny they are the ones to make our brains work...

Hookers On Film

10 magazine always surprises me with funny and very thoughtful articles.

In their issue #24 journalist Tony Marcus (A Whore's Life, pages 66-67) questioned the way we all "picture" a hooker, "what visually signifies a whore" in our images' code. Prostitutes are always recognizable, they dress in a very distinctive way. As Sheila Cousins (Graham Greene and Ronald Matthews) in her book "To Beg I Am Ashamed: The Autobiography of a London Prostitute" puts it, a hooker dresses the way she does because men need "their article labeled if they are to have the courage to ask its price".

Unfortunately, men are in general very predictable in their tastes so we all know what a man wants to see; legs and tits. Therefore, showing such attributes can be the perfect way to attract male attention (remember those Venetian courtesans in the XVI century?).

Fortunately, prostitutes use a wide range of attire possibilities, god bless them, as they are more free to mix stuff than anyone else. Hookers wear the most outrageous and avant garde pieces of clothing, they put together patterns, colors, shapes, fabrics and lengths in the most playful way.

As each decade brings its own fashion, that means a "street-fashion" is brought as well.
During the 50's for instance, a London prostitute would dress in a very specific way: "Their three-inch patent shoes, their shiny stockings, their ankle bracelets, their tier of fox fur round the shoulders, come close to being an uniform". (extract from "To Beg I Am Ashamed ...")

Films about or with prostitutes are plentiful.
Guy Dammann at The Guardian wrote a post about this too saying that prostitution is an unusually prominent theme in the history of film; because the majority of films use sex to control the emotional dynamic of the action, characters for whom sex has no further mystery are accorded a kind of magical power, a position of authority from which they can reveal to the other characters truths, about themselves or the world.

Fashion-wise, it's always interesting to me to see the different ways that costume designers use to dress these characters, and yet the common codes they all share.
Some instances:



True Romance (1993).-
This is one of my favourite movies about a hooker and I still wonder why it didn't get any nomination for the wardrobe of Patricia Arquette. Best dressed hooker ever.
The blue sun glasses that she wears during the film are still in our hipster collective-memory.

<<< Whore (1991)

Taxi Driver (1976)

Irma La Douce (1963)


Vivre Sa Vie (1962)
So French and cute.


Princesses (2005)
The harsh reality


Pretty Woman (1990)
those boots....


L.A. Confidential (1997)
The high class hooker



Scarlet Street (1945)
Her plastic raincoat is unforgettable


Midnight Cowboy (1969) - Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
The NY hookers


Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
The most stylish and famous hooker on film, Holly Golightly.