From Pandora's Box (1929) to Rebel Without a Cause (1955) to
Flashdance (1983), TCM Chooses Films with Widespread Impact on the
World of Fashion ATLANTA, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for
Fashion Week in New York, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is unveiling
the network's 15 Favorite Fashion Trendsetting Films. Movies have
long had a pivotal role in setting new fashion trends, while also
serving as inspirations to legions of designers. To assemble its
list, TCM's experts used guidance from two great contemporary
designers, Manolo Blahnik and Todd Oldham. TCM - which is
celebrating its 15th anniversary this year - chose a list that
includes such iconic films as Rebel Without a Cause (1955), which
featured James Dean setting a new standard in cool. "Even I had his
red biker jacket," Blahnik said. Other films made the cut because
of the work of someone behind the scenes, such as Edith Head, one
of Hollywood's greatest costume designers. "Edith Head was the
first at so many things," Oldham said. "She could change a national
hemline with her influential designs." Oldham also points out that
a movie's impact on fashion trends isn't always immediate, using as
an example the exuberant comedy Auntie Mame (1958). "While not as
influential at the time of its opening, it features one of the most
fashionably daring wardrobes on screen, always worn perfectly by
Rosalind Russell. Every fashion designer knows Auntie Mame." TCM
host Robert Osborne said fashion remains an integral part of the
images of many stars. "The greatest leading men and leading ladies
all had distinctive styles," Osborne said. "Today, we remember not
just the acting skills of someone like Cary Grant - we also know
him for his indelible fashion sense." TCM is revealing its list of
15 Favorite Fashion Trendsetting Films in advance of Mercedes-Benz
Fashion Week, which is scheduled for Sept. 10-17 in New York. TCM's
extensive ties to fashion also include an ongoing promotion with
Bloomingdale's. TCM's 15 Favorite Fashion Trendsetting Films will
be included in the network's ongoing selection of Dailies. This
feature, which can be found at http://www.tcm.com/dailies/,
provides a new ranking each day. Here are TCM's 15 Favorite Fashion
Trendsetting Films, listed in chronological order: Pandora's Box
(1929) - Louise Brooks once said, "A well dressed woman, even
though her purse is painfully empty, can conquer the world." That
could have been the motto of Lulu, the role that made her a fashion
icon for the ages. Brooks had been wearing her famous Buster Brown
haircut and dressing in the height of flapper fashion for years, as
had many other actresses, but her sleek hairdo and half-naked
beaded gowns were a perfect match for the amoral charmer in
Pandora's Box. In many countries, the severe black bob is still
referred to as "the Lulu." Letty Lynton (1932) - Joan Crawford and
the designer Adrian were a match made in fashion heaven. The young
designer's work on this 1932 romance about a woman fleeing a
disastrous love affair showed Hollywood just how much influence it
had on the way women dressed. For Crawford, Adrian created a
no-nonsense look that, while maintaining her femininity,
accentuated her athletic shoulders. Letty's white organdy dress
with shoulder ruffles was copied and sold to more than a million
women. And the broad-shouldered power suits Adrian designed for
Crawford created a national rage for shoulder pads. Little wonder
Edith Head once called Letty Lynton the greatest influence on
fashion in film history. It Happened One Night (1934) - When Clark
Gable had trouble keeping up the pace while removing his undershirt
in the famous "Walls of Jericho" scene, director Frank Capra
suggested he just remove his shirt to reveal a bare chest. The
scene was so sexy, men stopped buying undershirts, leading to a
rumor that one underwear manufacturer had tried to sue Columbia
Pictures. As if to make up for it, the clothes Gable did wear in
the film - Norfolk jacket, V-neck sweater and trench coat - rose in
popularity as men around the nation imitated Gable. After the film
took off at the box office, Gable decided that trench coats were
his good luck charm and wore them in any film he could. Pat and
Mike (1952) - While there really isn't a single Katharine Hepburn
film that established her impact on fashion, this 1952 comedy about
an athletic coach breaking into pro sports is the perfect
embodiment of her liberating - and at times gender-bending - image.
From her arrival in Hollywood, Hepburn defied convention and, for
some, morality by dressing like a man, claiming her high-waisted
trousers, pantsuits, men's shirts and loafers were simply more
comfortable. The look fit the feisty, independent characters she
played to perfection, revolutionizing fashion by freeing women for
more active lives with a greater range of choices. So great was her
influence that, in 1986, the Council of Fashion Designers of
America honored her with a special award. Rear Window (1954) - The
meeting of clotheshorse Grace Kelly and legendary designer Edith
Head was sure to produce fashion magic. This Alfred Hitchcock
classic established Kelly's understated elegance, which stood in
stark contrast to the florid, oversexed Hollywood designs of the
'50s. With Kelly perfectly cast as a fashionable socialite, Head
was able to create haute couture designs that didn't seem out of
place for everyday wear. From a pale green skirt suit with unfitted
jacket to the floral print dress with multiple crinolines, the
designs taught working women of that time how to be chic. Kelly's
little square overnight bag even prefigured the "Kelly Bag" that
Hermes would eventually name for her. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
- Fashion would have been the furthest thing from Jim Stark's
(James Dean) mind when he donned a t-shirt and red jacket for a
night of trouble. Thanks to Dean's smoldering presence in Rebel
Without a Cause, however, the two items became essential fashion
for any self-styled rebel. Filming in color, director Nicholas Ray
and costumer Moss Mabry decided that a red jacket, not brown, would
help the character stand out. Some sources credit Dean with the
idea. Regardless of who thought it up, though, the red jacket
became, as Variety editor Robert Hofler has described it, the
symbol of "a generation's despair." And God Created Woman. . .
(1956) - When Brigitte Bardot sunbathed wearing neither clothes nor
the slightest hint of self-consciousness in And God Created Woman.
. ., a new kind of sex symbol was born, a sexual rebel whose
free-wheeling approach to romance anticipated the hippie era of
free love. When she did wear clothes, though, she had the wardrobe
to match. The long-ignored bikini became an international
sensation. The ballet flats, cotton gingham beach dresses and open
necklines (the latter dubbed "the Bardot neckline") that captured
her sense of abandon onscreen were soon the rage. And her tousled,
up-swept hair, dubbed choucroute (sauerkraut), remains the height
of casual elegance. Auntie Mame (1958) - When John Galliano debuted
his new line for 2009, the combination of zany colors, exaggerated
silhouettes and exposed undergarments had many commentators
crediting Madonna as his inspiration. But The New York Times'
Sameer Reddy placed the influence earlier - on Rosalind Russell's
over-the-top costumes in the 1958 Auntie Mame. Russell's Mame
Dennis lives and breathes fashion (some commentators have suggested
the character resembles Vogue editor Diana Vreeland). Although not
very influential at the time, Australian-born designer Orry-Kelly's
innovative and daring wardrobe for Mame has since gone on to impact
collections and inspire young people to take up careers in fashion.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) - When Audrey Hepburn ate a Danish
while gazing at a Tiffany's window, the little black dress she wore
became the crown jewel in any woman's wardrobe. Created by her
favorite designer, Givenchy, it highlighted her slight figure with
simple, straight lines. That wasn't the only fashion influence
exerted by this classic 1961 comedy, one of the last films made
with a sense of old Hollywood glamour. As ticket sales soared, so
did sales of triple-strand pearl necklaces, sleeveless dresses and
oversized sunglasses. But it is the little black dress, dubbed by
Manolo Blahnik as "Divine!" and recently auctioned off for
$900,000, that established a new standard for elegance that endures
even today. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) - Initially, Faye Dunaway
wanted to wear slacks in Bonnie and Clyde, arguing that she'd need
mobility for the getaway scenes. When she got a look at Theodora
van Runkle's assembly of printed scarves, pencil skirts, knitted
sweaters and bias-cut dresses, she not only changed her mind, the
one-time model altered her entire approach to fashion, once saying
". . . until I met Theodora, clothes ... had just been part of the
job." Thanks to the anti-establishment comedy-drama, the "gun moll
look" took off, triggering a resurgence of '30s retro chic. Even
the lowly beret - once the sole property of Frenchmen and
struggling poets - became a hot fashion item. The Thomas Crown
Affair (1968) - When Steve McQueen traded in his usual casual duds
for tailored suits in this sexy 1968 caper film, the British
Invasion hit U.S. menswear in a big way. Top English tailor Douglas
Hayward created an assemblage of three-piece suits with two-button
jackets and suppressed waists that captured the character's
affluence and set off the star's lean frame to perfection. Even the
accessories - from his $2,250 Patek Philippe pocket watch to the
blue-lensed tortoise shell Persol sunglasses - were meticulously
chosen to create a timeless image of opulence. Although British
menswear had already been showcased at the movies before, it was
this film that brought it to American stores and continues to
inspire such designers as Ralph Lauren and Tom Ford. Shaft (1971) -
Considered the first "blaxploitation" film, Shaft mirrored the rise
of urban chic among young, working-class African-Americans. Former
model Richard Roundtree's wardrobe in the film captured the
sleekness and empowerment behind the new styles.
Three-quarter-length leather jackets and leather pants combined
with turtlenecks and other tight knits made him a fashion icon, the
ultimate "sex machine to all the chicks." Almost 30 years later,
Giorgio Armani would draw on the look with a collection inspired by
the release of the 2000 remake. Annie Hall (1977) - Diane Keaton
didn't have to go far to help create a look that changed women's
fashion in this Oscar -winning comedy; it originated in her own
closet. Her eclectic style - mismatched pieces of oversized men's
wear, from floppy hats to baggy chinos, with a Ralph Lauren tie as
the coup de gras - sent women running not to boutiques but to the
neighborhood thrift shop. It also triggered the renewed popularity
of women's slacks on a par with the craze created in the '30s by
Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn. Designer Ruth Morley was
not sold on the idea initially and tried to nix it. But when Keaton
showed up for shooting, director Woody Allen insisted, "She's a
genius. Let's just leave her alone. Let her wear what she wants."
Saturday Night Fever (1977) - The ultimate fashion icon of the '70s
was not of some charismatic actress or famous model. It was John
Travolta in his white disco suit, pointing to the heavens in the
poster for Saturday Night Fever. He originally wanted a black
leisure suit until designer Patrizia von Brandenstein explained
that white would catch the disco lights and help him stand out from
the crowd. Stand out he did and, for one of the few times in
fashion history, men came to the fore. The film inspired a flock of
polyestered peacocks in form-fitting clothes with electric colors,
open collars and a medallion dangling from the neck. With a pair of
platform shoes and a generous application of styling mousse, it was
the birth of a new type of glamour designed for working class kids
who blew off steam at the local dance club. Flashdance (1983) -
When the sweatshirt Jennifer Beals wanted to wear as
welder-by-day/dancer-by-night Alex Owens shrunk in the wash, a
fashion craze was born. Designer Michael Kaplan had to cut off the
top just to get it over her head, and the image it created on the
film's poster swept the nation. Activewear was in, but not the kind
worn on the playing field. Combining torn sweatshirts (specially
cut by manufacturers) with leg warmers, spandex pants, headbands
and hi-tops, Flashdance fashion made young women everywhere feel as
if they were headed to the nearest dance studio. And the feeling is
coming back today as the '80s revival has generated new interest in
the film, its leading lady and her trend-setting look. Turner
Classic Movies is a Peabody Award-winning network celebrating 15
years of presenting great films, uncut and commercial-free, from
the largest film libraries in the world. Currently seen in more
than 80 million homes, TCM features the insights of veteran
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Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. As
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acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular
programming events that include The Essentials, 31 Days of Oscar
and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also produces a wide range of media
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