That Little Black Dress

A look at the role movies have played on fashion.

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Historians believe it was Coco Chanel who launched the idea in the 1920s for that “little black dress,” a garment so versatile and simple that it could be worn for most any occasion and was a required staple in every woman’s closet. The idea held true for several decades. But by the 1960s, youth was taking a very different stance on fashion, and the “LBD” (as the little black dress became known) was being pushed off as stodgy and from a generation past. It wasn’t until the slim, sophisticated, and strikingly beautiful Audrey Hepburn appeared in a Hubert de Givenchy creation in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s that this notion was altered. From that point on, the LBD came back - and has stayed - in vogue.

Such is the effect of films on fashion. Hairstyles, accessories, even lifestyle are all moved by the power of great costuming in motion pictures. For example, nearly everything worn by Audrey Hepburn in the movies she appeared became celebrated fashion trends. Remember the shoulder-tied boatneck dress she wore in the film Sabrina? That style is often referred to, even today, as “the Sabrina neckline”. If you can recall the empire-bodiced evening gown she wore in My Fair Lady it’s likely you also remember a litany of dresses that appeared on the catwalk the year after, all imitating the same cut. Funny Face gave rise to cigarette pants and ballerina flats. And so it goes.

But other films had this effect too. This site will explore the many roles motion pictures have played on the world of fashion. Surprisingly, it touches not just women’s clothing, but menswear fashion too. Read on to learn more.

Below is a list of potential sub-categories for this site and what they might highlight:

Films About Fashion

• Sex in the City
• The Eyes of Laura Mars
• The Devil Wears Prada
• Rear Window

Movie Fashion Trends

• Annie Hall
• Desperately Seeking Susan
• Flashdance
• Sixteen Candles
• When Harry Met Sally
• Clueless

Sidebar: “Classics” – The Seven Year Itch

Period Films and Their Effect

• Dr. Zhivago
• Bonnie & Clyde
• Almost Famous
• Gladiator
• Grease
• Marie Antoinette

Menswear Inspired by the Movies

• Urban Cowboy
• Wall Street
• Pretty in Pink
• Clueless
• Top Gun
• Saturday Night Fever
• American Gigolo
• Rebel Without a Cause
• Shaft

The Big Role of Accessories

• Cleopatra
• When Harry Met Sally
• Bonnie & Clyde
• Dr. Zhivago
• Desperately Seeking Susan
• Pretty in Pink
• Sex in the City
• Gladiator

Sidebar: “Classics” – Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Behind the Scenes

• Edith Head
• Hubert de Givenchy
• Cecil Beaton
• Milena Canonero
• Theodora van Runkle

About the Site

• Conceived for Web Publishing I course
• A little about Sheila