Wednesday, February 10 2010

Fashion & Beauty

Films that changed the way we dress

Tuesday June 23 2009

Annie Hall (1977): Diane Keaton wore all her own clothes for the iconic Woody Allen flick. Her mix of feminine and masculine outfits brought men's shirts, ties, vests and waistcoats into women's wardrobes and started a fashion phenomenon still being imitated by the likes of Keira Knightley and Kate Moss today.

Flashdance (1983): Say what you want about big hair and legwarmers, but Jennifer Beals had a generation of girls reaching for their scissors and sweaters in a bid to get her look.

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985): From black dresses with leggings, lacy bras on display, men's boxers paired with fingerless gloves, bracelets, beads and crosses -- a bleach-haired Madonna spawned a legion of wannabes when she played the downtown urchin, Susan.

Gilda (1946): There never was a woman like Gilda or indeed a look like hers until this 1946 classic. Just like Audrey Hepburn had Givency, Rita Hayworth's teaming with Jean Louis was a match made in heaven. Hayworth's wardrobe budget for the film ran to $60,000 but her black satin gown launched a priceless strapless look.

And God Created Woman (1957): Just six years before the film was released, bikinis were banned from the Miss World contest on grounds of taste and decency. Cue French sex kitten Brigitte Bardot's appearance in one and two pieces were suddenly in demand.

The Wild One (1954): Marlon Brando in a motorcycle jacket made leather dangerous and cool all at once.

Pretty in Pink (1986): Molly Ringwald was the teen queen whose fashion sense on and off screen inspired a generation of American girls.

The Brat Pack actress made customised clothing cool when she played Andie Walsh, a hard-up student with a flair for changing thrift store clothes into one of the New Wave design classics. In particular her pink polka-dot prom dress.

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