Cinema Connection--Lauren Bacall Inspires 1940s Peplums and Houndstooth for Fall

It seems I am forever pronouncing the influence of classic cinema on today's fashion.  Two trends for Fall/Winter 2012 offer further evidence of this--the peplum and houndstooth pattern.  The peplum--a short overskirt or ruffle attached at the waist--made a real resurgence this season.  It is such a strong trend that it also appeared on the runways for Spring/Summer 2013, and I suspect it will still be in fashion beyond that.  It is surprisingly figure-flattering when done right...its length can conceal a few flaws and it adds curves for more slender girls.  I find that the peplum is at its best when it simply skims the body and its volume is under control.

Houndstooth is another look that's on trend now...the pattern has been seen in everything from coats and dresses to clutches and pumps.  Along with the peplum, houndstooth originally found tremendous popularity in the 1940s.  Film led fashion at that time, and both of today's trends can be traced to a couple iconic moments from the great Lauren Bacall.  In her very first film To Have and Have Not (1944), costume designer Milo Anderson created a fitted checked suit with a peplum jacket to serve as her primary outfit in the movie.  And Anderson's Warner Brothers colleague Leah Rhodes then took and tweaked the suit years later for Bacall in The Big Sleep (1947) by updating the costume in a houndstooth wool.  These looks are now seen all over fashion runways, red carpets, and celebrity street style.  Take a look at just some of the cinema connection and fashion influence of Lauren Bacall.

ABOVE: Runways from Fall/Winter 2012 thanks to Shefinds.com

Lauren Bacall's original fitted checked suit from Milo Anderson in 1944's To Have and Have Not

Modern peplum suiting on Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Hudson, Victoria Beckham, Blake Lively, and Elle Macpherson (above)

and the peplum is popular on dresses, too, as seen on Rihanna, Scarlett Johansson, Emma Stone, and Blake Lively again

Thanks to BetweentheDitches.com (above) and SodaHead.com for use of the images

Houndstooth is also huge for Fall and a trend inspired by Bacall in Leah Rhodes for 1947's The Big Sleep

Modern interpretation from Stop Staring (right down to the black beret, above)

and on Selena Gomez, Gwenyth Paltrow, Gwen Stefani, and Evan Rachel Wood

Cinema Connection--Fall Trends Showcase Influence of Kay Francis' 1930s Style

Though we're still in the month of August and heat waves continue to hit us all across the country, both Hollywood and the fashion industry are starting to look with real excitement toward Fall.  Celebrities are already hitting some red carpets in outfits from the upcoming (cooler) season and magazines are each announcing the trends you need to know for Fall.  Many of the trends have to do with color--deep purples, rich reds, glittering gold, and the perennial black are all emerging in different ways on runway after runway.  Military style is also big, so look for olive and khaki color-wise with details such as added pockets, buckles, and belts.  

As I have discussed on GlamAmor, menswear is another of the style highlights this season with inspiration ranging from Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year (1942) to Diane Keaton in Annie Hall (1977).  Art Deco style is also on trend...still in full swing from last Fall when Oscar-winner The Artist made such a splash, continuing through Spring, and now appearing on this Fall's runways as well.  Much of the reason is a combination of Downton Abbey fever and Baz Luhrmann's greatly anticipated The Great Gatsby, whose Prada-filled wardrobe was destined to be seen onscreen in December.  Unfortunately, it's not to be...its premiere was recently postponed to the Summer of 2013, so I would wager the Deco trend will be seen in design at least another season.  If not even longer.

When people discuss Art Deco design, it often ranges from the full-on flapper 1920s to the Streamline Moderne of the 1930s.  Both, right now, are hot.  Silhouettes from the 1930s are some of my personal favorites for evening and Kay Francis, whose glamorous and sophisticated style I just highlighted, is one of my inspirations.  Apparently, I'm not the only one.  Ralph Lauren (above) and Michael Kors are two designers who also know their film history well, and both show inspiration from Ms. Francis this season.  Kay was known for her body-conscious gowns that plunged deeply in the front or back (sometimes both), and you can see this influence in their Fall 2012 collections.  It's no wonder I love so many of their pieces...these are yet further examples of the ongoing influence of classic cinema.

ABOVE:  Ralph Lauren pairs feathers with black bias-cut silk and

Kay Francis in the original by Travis Banton for 1932's Trouble in Paradise

Michael Kors shows a plunging black halter gown for Fall

Silver, gold, and black in an Art Deco masterpiece by Ralph Lauren

with a plunging front and back worthy of Kay

All gold--one of the hottest Fall trends--seen in sequins at Michael Kors

Ralph Lauren shows another trend for Fall--purple--

in a one-shouldered column, a favorite silhouette of Kay's

Red and more red--yet another hot Fall color--at Michael Kors with a classic 1930s fur collar 

Cinema Connection - Katharine Hepburn Style Inspires Modern Menswear for Fall

There is no question that one of the great icons of style is Katharine Hepburn. What few appreciate is how much of her style started on the inside, the result of an empowered upbringing from progressive parents in New England that carried into a lifelong self-confidence. She was well known throughout Hollywood as an independent woman who spoke her mind as well as a talented athlete. One only need watch Pat and Mike (1952) - reportedly one of her favorite films with partner Spencer Tracy - to see evidence of both. But it's in 1942's Woman of the Year where Kate's innate sense of style really first came to the fore. 

From her earliest days onscreen, costume designers delighted at dressing her fit 5'8" frame in elegant evening gowns. Her style really started to evolve with Kalloch for Holiday (1938) and then of course Adrian for The Philadelphia Story (1940). Woman of the Year is filled with more extraordinary gowns and dresses featuring his signature fit, draping, and detail. The black off-the-shoulder gown is particularly well known and influential today, but Kate also glides around in a longsleeve floor-length gown that is pure Adrian. The dresses in Woman of the Year still act as the gold standard for modern designers, such as Jenny Packham whose Fall runway was filled with ensembles inspired by Kate and the 1940s. 

But as many know, it is the menswear from Woman of the Year that was revolutionary. This was, after all, World War II and a time when women were starting to enter the workforce en masse. The strong suiting in the movie was so ahead of its time and the starting point for our modern career wear. 70 years later, the design has changed precious little in fashion. The costumes served as the model of inspiration for Giorgio Armani with his power suits of the 1980s and continues with other giants like Donna Karan and Miucia Prada today. This is especially true of offering pants as an option for women - virtually unheard of in the 1930s and 1940s - because Kate rebelled and led the way with her own uniform of a tailored blazer, blouse, and slacks. Now it's simply considered a classic look. And her iconic smoking jacket and pants from the film is a particularly strong influence for Fall. Even I was surprised by the sheer number of variations available this season. Of course Yves Saint Laurent was the first to be inspired by the style in the creation of his own iconic Le Smoking in the 1970s.   

Woman of the Year is one of my Style Essentials since it represents some of the most iconic costumes in film that continue to influence fashion today. It's also an example of a star who brought her own strong sense of style to the audience both onscreen and off.  Whether you now wear trousers, khakis, jeans, leggings, or even joggers as loungewear, you can trace most of that back to Katharine Hepburn. Menswear is one of the biggest trends for Fall/Winter 2012, and you can see much of that influence starts right here.

ABOVE:  Katharine Hepburn on set circa 1941 and

Giorgio Armani's modern take on Hepburn style for Fall 2012

One of the most iconic looks from Woman of the Year is her smoking jacket and slacks,

which inspired Yves Saint Laurent's own iconic Le Smoking and countless other designers

Yves Saint Laurent's Le Smoking captured by Helmut Newton (above)

and its evolution within the brand from the 1970s to the present

Ralph Lauren's smoking jacket (above) 

and Chloe's smoking jacket-inspired look both in time for Fall

Katharine Hepburn is known for suiting, whether with pants or skirts...

silk shantung suiting from Miu Miu Fall 2012 (above)

Tory Burch's tipped skirt suit is a modern take on Kate's in Woman of the Year

Strong shoulders and stripes from Rodarte's Fall 2012 runway also remind me of Kate

The timeless Hepburn uniform included a tailored jacket, blouse, and pants

and Donna Karan does her own sleek look for Fall

 The same type of look with a skirt by Donna Karan (above) and Rodarte

The influence of Kate can be seen everywhere in the Rodarte Fall 2012 collection, including gowns

Though Woman of the Year is known for suiting, it also includes an iconic off-the-shoulder gown

that inspires a lot of design including one on Jamie-Lynn Sigler at the 2012 Golden Globes

Another draped masterpiece from Adrian on Katharine
seems to be an inspiration for one from Jenny Packham for Fall

Even the patterns in fabric from Woman of the Year are influential -

its geometric window pane pattern made it into several outfits in Christian Dior's Fall collection

 Power suiting inspired by Kate - Giorgio Armani gave us THE look of the 1980s (above)
and 2012's colorful cavalcade of modern menswear on the Prada runway