Fashion and film actresses 50-60s

Fashion, like any social phenomenon, is inextricably linked to all facets of our daily life. This connection is two-way, the influence is mutual, and, perhaps, nowhere is it traced so clearly and so naturally as in the field of the film industry.

Not only costume designers work on the images of the heroes of any film - people who are responsible for the availability and working condition of costumes, but also costume designers, whose duties include creating images that correspond to the time, place and plot of the film. And some of the films are also produced by world-renowned designers and couturiers, which makes watching them aesthetically pleasing and useful for sophisticated fashion connoisseurs.

You can talk and write a lot about the fashionable outfits of the heroes of films and TV series, today I would like to dwell on the charming new look style, praised by Christian Dior and which received the greatest development in the 50s - 60s. It was the post-war era, women were tired of being harsh, strong and masculine (and men were tired of seeing them like that) and desperately longed to be fragile and sexy. Their desires were heard and embodied in outfits that accentuated the wasp waist and lush bust and hips (known as the hourglass silhouette), in flying flared skirts, flirty accessories - long gloves, pill hats, thin belts, stockings and shoes.

This style inspires admiration among our contemporaries: figuratively speaking, we live in an era of war - a war of the sexes, in a world where there are too many strong women and infantile men, in a world where everyone is dressed in unisex and casual. And the thirst to be fragile, weak, “flower”, naive and beautiful young lady still lives in our hearts. That is why films in which the heroines are dressed in appropriate outfits are so pleasant to watch and revisit.

These films, of course, include the 1957 film "Funny Face" with Audrey Hepburn in the title role. Among other film awards, this film also received an Academy Award for Best Costume Design. Thanks to Edith Head (costume designer) and the incomparable maestro Hubert de Givenchy - the dresses and costumes that sweep before the viewer's eyes throughout the entire musical simply cannot leave you indifferent.

Another positive musical, this time modern, but telling about the same time era - "To hell with love!" starring Renee Zellweger and Evan McGregor. Even taking for granted the fact that this film is to a certain extent ridiculed of the naive painted "puppetry" of the 60s, it cannot but evoke sympathy. A light and positive film, in which the main role is played not even by the actors, but by the costumes, decorations and accessories - bright, colorful, positive and replacing each other, like a festive fireworks.

The goal of ridiculing some unnaturalness and "postcard" of the images we are discussing is set in the film "The Stepford Wives". But - that's bad luck! - achieves the opposite goal, and the images created for the heroines of Nicole Kidman, Glenn Close and other residents of the bourgeois province cause undisguised admiration and an unbridled desire to imitate the entire female half of the audience.

I would like to conclude this brief review with the TV series Pan Am, which tells about the working life of flight attendants of the elite airline Pan American. In my opinion, Ani Crabtree, the costume designer, deserves the highest marks for the authentic, historically accurate, yet incredibly attractive outfits of the heroines.In the mass consciousness, flight attendants, along with waitresses, nurses and teachers, are already leading the list of the most sexually attractive female professions, and complemented by impeccable suits, tight-fitting dresses and flirty accessories in the style of the 60s, they do not leave even the most severe and discerning critics a chance. ...

Enjoy your viewing and inspiration for creating your favorite images!