I know that none of you will be surprised when I confess that Audrey Hepburn is one of my major style influences, and in Funny Face probably more so than any other film. It's the story of a mousy bookshop clerk discovered by Fred Astaire (based on Richard Avedon, who recently showed at SFMoma) and Kay Thompson, who decides she's the new face of Quality Magazine. Naturally, she rebels and then has a series of incredible and inspired costume changes by Hubert de Givenchy, who designed nearly all of her incomparable costumes. In this film, the phenomenal skinny black ciggarette pants (which you might recall from a recent GAP advertisment) and the drop waist tea-length tulle skirt wedding dress with a bateau neckline take a leading role. And then, of course, this beautiful red gown.Just go rent the movie. The clothes are wonderful, and everytime she and Fred Astaire sing "S'Wonderful", I enjoy the most well-deserved happy tears.
You know I love Audrey, and I love this movie because of Audrey (and the fashion, of course), but honestly, Funny Face creeps me out a little. Fred Astaire is way too old, pretty girls can't be smart, the beatniks/ intellectuals are all a bunch of phonies, and let's face it, Audrey doesn't sing that well (**gasp!** blasphemy! i know..). But it is a landmark in American fashion history, and you did pick one of my fave pieces (second only to the black cocktail dress with the balloons in front of the Arc de Triomphe). So props to you, dear :)
ReplyDelete