Fashion In Film Friday - Racing With The Moon

The 1984 film 'Racing With The Moon' starring Nicolas Cage & Sean Penn was a romantic drama set in California in 1942 & centered around the lives of two young men trying to get in their 'last flings' before heading off to war.  The characters played by Cage & Penn, 'Henry & Nicky', work together at their local bowling alley setting up pins.  After work one night, Henry heads off to see a movie and meets Caddie played by actress Elizabeth McGovern.  After following her home and seeing that she lives in a mansion, he immediately assumes that she is a "Gatsby girl" (meaning 'rich').  In reality, Caddie is living there with her mother who is a maid.

The term 'Gatsby girl' originated in the roaring twenties and defined the era that saw women becoming more rebellious (i.e. drinking & smoking) and it trailed into the mid forties gearing more towards defining women who were the 'haves' in comparison to the 'have nots'.  To be a Gatsby girl in the vintage 40's meant they you afford panty hose and perfume in spite of the fact that you were in the midst of the 'great depression' & in the throws of World War II. 

The 1940's Gatsby girls were modest yet still had the ability to produce a valid amount of sex appeal. Skirts/dresses were knee length or longer and necklines were modest & button down sweaters were 'in'. Maybe it came more from their attitude than from their clothing style? Either way, they made it work!  Maybe it was the allure of 'innocence' that was at an all time high from that point thru to the 50's?... 

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Fashion In Film Friday - "Pretty Woman"

The 1990 romantic comedy 'Pretty Woman' starring Julia Roberts opposite leading man, Richard Gere was a box office hit being one of the highest grossing films for that year.  The movie was originally intended to be a dark drama about prostitution in New York in the 1980's, having Roberts character, Vivian addicted to drugs.  Although not given credit for it, Pretty Woman's story line, in my opinion, was kind of jocked from the vintage 1963 comedy 'Irma La Douce' starring Shirley MacLaine & Jack Lemmon.

Personally, I don't fancy this film for it's overtly glorifying attitude towards prostitution as a career choice, although it's considered to be the oldest profession, if you want to call it that ah ha?!  O.k. now onto where fashion plays a part of today's blurb...  So of course, the hooker chic Julia wears for most of the beginning of this film is not what we're referring to when suggesting this is a movie that inspired fashion but rather the haute couture she wore at dinner with edward and at the polo match with him as well...  From the thigh high patent hooker boots to the floor sweeping, off the shoulder red evening gown, all credit for every single piece Roberts wore in 'Pretty Woman' goes to Marilyn Vance, a Brooklyn native who resides in Los Angeles to date.  Vance has been a member of the 'Costume Designers Guild' 30 years & had worked on the sets of Fast Times At Ridgemont High & Pretty In Pink.  Her clothing designs that transformed Roberts character Vivian from street walker to prima donna had everyone wondering..."Who designed that?"

The movie 'Pretty Woman' had an underlying sense of charm appeal from the get go, because the idea of the knight in shining armor coming to rescue the damsel in distress is always going to be every girls favorite fairy tale... 


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MOD Monday

Remember the moderately popular t.v. show of the late 60's produced by Aaron Spelling called 'The Mod Squad'?  It was a police drama about three young hip crime fighters that portrayed a multicultural society and dealt with issues such as racism and drugs.

From this show, spawned a pop culture mod fashion icon named Peggy Lipton, an American born actress who played Julie Barnes on the series.  Prior to getting the acting gig, Lipton signed with the Ford Modeling Agency & was successful in that career for print modeling but not so much in regards to making it on the cover of any popular fashion mag.

  
She was coming in at the tail end of the mod era that was flowing towards the style of the hipster chic & she fit in perfectly with her center parted blond hair, peasant blouses, floppy hats, scarves, bell bottoms & flower power.  She was the perfect haute couture hippie who's vintage style continued to reign well on into the 21st century.

Here are some ideas on how you can put together our own modern take on the vintage hip style...

Random Fact:
Actress Rashida Jones is the daughter of Peggy Lipton and music mogul Quincy Jones.

pics: siftingforartorialgold.onsugar.com , newshopper.sulekha.com , dvdtalk.com , photos.lucywho.com , chezgrae.com , allstarpics.com , eppylover.livejournal.com  thefashionspot.com