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Funny Face- Audrey Hepburn is NOT DOWDY
29 Plays19 days ago
I don't care who you are, there't not one person that thinks Audrey Hepburn is plain and ordinary and in need of a makeover. Any yet, here we are! This movie really makes you suspend disbelief, and not just because it's a musical.
Join us as we enter the world of high fashion in a way that only the French can do. And stay despite the weird weird age difference between Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn. And please- think pink!!
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050419/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_funny%20face
Music: Cassette Deck by Basketcase
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Hot Set' Podcast and Season Theme
00:00:00
Speaker
I'm Melinda. I'm Ariel. This is Hot Set, the movie podcast about costume design.
00:00:22
Speaker
Hello, friends. We are back. We are not quite kicking off season five. there's This is our second episode of season five. so but we are here. We are on a new adventure that we are just embarking on together. ah This season, we are focusing on movies that are about...
00:00:44
Speaker
clothes in one way or another. And a lot of times that's going to intersect with the fashion industry, but it's not, it doesn't have to
Overview and Surprises of 'Funny Face'
00:00:53
Speaker
be. i think this movie definitely falls into that category of intersection with costume design and fashion design, but you know, it's not a, it's not an edict. It's not a constant for this season, but today we watched the 1957 film Fred Astaire.
00:01:13
Speaker
funny face starring miss audrey hepburn and mr fred ecerre Directed by Stanley Donnan. And costumes designed by both the Edith head and a selection of costumes in the movie designed by Mr. Givenchy Paris.
00:01:41
Speaker
um and this movie is a musical i did not know that when we picked it i didn't know that either so when audrey hepburn turned slowly and leaned against like a bookshelf and yeah started talk singing i was ah little shocked like a no no Yeah. And then I thought about it and I was like, okay, no, but like I was aware that there is a stage version of this. So I guess I should have known.
Fashion Highlights in 'Funny Face'
00:02:14
Speaker
i think you and I both went on the same mental journey. Yeah. Just going like, I know that this exists.
00:02:21
Speaker
There is a book for it. Yeah. Did it start here? Oh, no. We're in it. The trenches. I know. They're they're singing. They're dancing. There actually was less singing and dancing than i would have maybe thought.
00:02:37
Speaker
it that There were long scenes of dialogue. Long scenes of dialogue. But I also, because this is such a May-December and Fred Astaire is the December.
00:02:49
Speaker
I felt like this was this was his Xanadu. o I'm blanking on his name. Yeah, Mr. Xanadu. I know who you're talking about, but I can't.
00:03:04
Speaker
But yeah, this definitely felt like... um Like they had the opportunity. Thank you. Thank you. ah I was like, I know exactly who you're talking about.
00:03:16
Speaker
He doesn't have a name as far as I'm concerned because I can't think of it. But no, it feels like that where it's like, oh, my God, we got Fred Astaire to say yes to this movie. Does it make sense for him to play this role? Absolutely not. But he's going to do it.
00:03:31
Speaker
And we're going to have him in so many sweater sets. Oh, my God. You could drown in them. And half of them will be around his shoulders and half of them will be buttoned at his waist. And what a time when we were acknowledging men's waists. Oh, my God. What time. the The pants are so high.
00:03:50
Speaker
the They are so high. They are so belted. They are cinched. The men are absolutely snatched in this movie. ah There's this shot where I think it's the the wedding photo shoot, which is like mid past the midpoint of the movie, i think. And they're outside of this little French Chapel on a little riverside and um a little creek side.
00:04:16
Speaker
And he is snatched to the gods. I wrote a note about it where I was just like, dear God, why would I look for the note? But I was like, what? What a time for wastes for men. oh my God. And women, to be to be honest. And women. But women were always focusing on wastes in the silhouette. True. But men, that's not usually a thing that we have seen, you and i growing up. Yeah. Because folks wanted the waist to disappear. And it made you look old if you wore your pants up at your actual waist. And people are very resistant to that now. And, like, there's just, you know, we're afraid of a man's waist. Right. But he's wearing this blue cardigan that is buttoned so that you can see his body going in at the waist. And I was just like, this is not something that you normally see.
00:05:09
Speaker
I'm just like, you do if you watch older movies more regularly. But like, oh, what a fashion thing that has come and gone. And we have not quite gotten back to the getting back to it.
00:05:23
Speaker
Yeah. like Everyone's in a while. Like ah I feel like a red carpet moment will have like a man and like a beautifully cut pair of like trousers, like a nice high waist. And every reaction is just like no one has ever looked better. But it doesn't like trickle down, you know?
00:05:41
Speaker
It really doesn't because like our comfort clothing, our clothing is focused on a fast fashion, mobwamp but also comfort and like speed of getting dressed, right? And like there's so many more tailored clothes that require a little bit more time to assemble.
00:05:57
Speaker
Yeah. Maybe because they also have 300 buttons. But like, you know, there's just different application. And so when you're wearing like active wear or super comfortable things, you're not really thinking about highlighting the waist. You're thinking about highlighting the chest or yeah the shoulders or the arms. Like there's just different focus on our collective eye.
00:06:18
Speaker
and but yeah, his little, his bloody little waist throughout this movie is ever present. Yeah. And I would say that that's like the overall impression that I got from like the totality of the movie is that all of the clothes in the movie, the focus is on like the cut and the shaping.
00:06:38
Speaker
And there's so much like minimalism and like really sleek lines that it's all about like expert like tailoring and expert like yeah shape. And that's like the focus of the movie seems to be like visually.
00:06:54
Speaker
In that arena. And it's my favorite. couple exceptions. Yeah, yeah, of course. I i love, yeah, so much of the Taylor Guinness and so many of the styles.
00:07:05
Speaker
And we'll get to my favorite part. But my two favorite parts. One is Kay Thompson plays like this... Ahead of a fashion magazine. yeah I have so much to say about her.
00:07:18
Speaker
I have a couple things too that I didn't freaking know. But she's basically like Devil Wears Pot up pink. Revolutionary. But her character always has...
00:07:30
Speaker
There are a couple features of her costumes that that trail through every scene she's in basically. But um she always has amazing collars. Yeah. And she'll have beading or embroidery or some sort of thing at the base of the
Scenes and Character Analysis in 'Funny Face'
00:07:44
Speaker
collar. and then very dramatic collars. But then she also has this very specific style of of jacket that has like a little sailor cut like in the back. Like that little flap yeah that I think of when I think of like a sailor's jacket.
00:07:59
Speaker
Like little outfit for like yeah what is that called? that It's just a collar, right? I don't – Yeah, I think it is because it's not really a part of the front. It's just in the back between your shoulder blades. There's like this looser – fla but It's like almost like if if anyone's having hard time picturing it, it's like you just literally think of that like classic like blue and white like sailor. But it's like yeah maybe if it was more you would maybe want to call it like a cape, but it's definitely the collar. Yeah.
00:08:29
Speaker
It's like a teeny tiny little cape reminder. Yeah, a little square. it doesn't even go to the base of the shoulder blades. It's like mid yeah upper or back. And I just that detail is in so many identical but different colored outfits. And I love it. But um my favorite, I have a favorite thing that happens in this movie. Please. you have something favorite that stands out?
00:08:55
Speaker
uh yeah i would say i do yeah oh hi i'm excited yeah why don't you and why don't you talk about yours hats there are hats everywhere there are hats that don't make any sense yeah in the best kind of way like there's one ah in the the first musical number wear pink um excuse me it's think pink think pink I'm so sorry. I'm ignorant. But think pink where there are like these women who are working in the office with Kay Thompson and she's explaining the color of the season is going to be pink. And they're all wearing these like pretty
00:09:36
Speaker
lovely out like costumes, but they're all just, you know, everyday like tailored clothing. yeah And some of the women have hats, some have like a scarf and a hat.
00:09:47
Speaker
And then they become the background dancers for the Think Pink. And they're wearing exactly the same thing just in pink. Yep. Down to like the hat and everything. And I loved that detail. um But they're like one of those women is wearing this hat style that I'm not super familiar with. But it's like,
00:10:08
Speaker
It's like a buckram beret, if you will, yeah where there's like kind of that curve over the top, but it's sitting flat on her head. There's no angle or anything. It's just flat. So it looks like a melted chocolate kiss. She has this like red and white check head scarf on underneath it. And everything she's wearing is like pretty beige and brown. And I was like, or no, no, She's in like a I think it's beige. But i was just like – There's a lot of beige, a lot of gray. There's so – okay. That Think Pink number, the color – have to read you what I wrote. Sorry. That
00:10:44
Speaker
The gray, white, pink, and beige combination because it's very color blocked. It looks like the pink ladies are wearing a pink version of what they're wearing in the office. But this color combo is a little like a banana pudding in Jell-O, visually speaking. Ooh, I like that.
00:11:00
Speaker
Yeah. Because it's like it feels so of the period where it's like, look at this. Look at what we can do. But it's like the combination of what was put together is a little bit like – Well, it's so fascinating because, i mean, first of all, like ah mag Maggie Prescott, our editor of the magazine, her office is like literally a dream. um yes And she's got like a barrel in the corner with bolts of just like solid color silk, I guess. Like it's just there. i mean, moving I would die. But the pink that she pulls out is more like a chaparrali, like shocking pink.
00:11:42
Speaker
But then when we actually go into the pink clothes, it's like full on Pepto-Bismol pink. Pepto-Bismol, thank you. Now that is a color reference that some people might not remember.
00:11:57
Speaker
Our house, when we moved into it, the people who were selling it, I think, I don't know if this paint had been there for a long time or if they just got it like super cheap just to kind of freshen up the walls. The whole house was Pepto-Bismol.
00:12:09
Speaker
Oh my God. Inside? So when there were other people, yes, inside. So when people were here at the showing, they were like, this house is pretty ugly. Meanwhile, we were like... It's just a paint color. You could take that away and change it, but it is Pepto-Bismol. Wow.
00:12:27
Speaker
Yeah, it was crazy. That color is very, very recognizable and like my stomach gets upset when I see it. Your stomach is supposed to be soothed by the Pepto-Bismol. No! You can't chalk away that kind of pain. so like Seeing that that was the pink that they landed on for the number was like, but there are so many other options. And it would have worked in a softer way with the gray and the white and the beige. Yeah. Yeah. Like, I mean, i I happen to be wearing hot pink pants right now that that was totally a coincidence. I was vibing with the film when I got dressed this morning, but i thought the shocking pink was lovely. and then it, yeah, when it got like toned down into yeah the actual color, I was like, okay. But,
00:13:22
Speaker
ah But I'm assuming it was like people were just so excited about color film. I feel like that was a huge part of all of this. And I mean, it would have been such an opportunity to go with the shopping, the shocking, not shopping, the shocking. I like shopping pink also. I will that. The shopping pink. Because they've had, they had like quite a few scenes with like these very, very saturated shocking electric colors yeah that are so lovely that it was like, who was responsible for this banana pudding and jello? Who had to do this? This was mean. Because like the first scene that we see Audrey Hepburn
00:14:02
Speaker
She's being overrun by these fashion folks who just decided that they need to shoot in a bookshop in order to make the models look smart, I guess. like I mean, that was that's musical logic if I've ever heard of so a spread is there There's like a statue in this first photo shoot.
00:14:23
Speaker
And Fred is trying to make the model look like introspective and like artistic. And she's like, yeah. And she sticks out her arm and he's like, you just stuck out your arm. That's not going to do it. So they cut. We're breaking into this like shop. Yeah. That's just minding its own business with one bookseller. Like you think we called them and asked permission? No. We got in the cab. Did we pay them for use of the space? No. We kicked out the bookseller who's going, get out of my shop and lock her outside because she's annoying.
00:14:55
Speaker
but And she's wearing a brown, the audacity. Disgusting. And it's Audrey Hepburn. Never have we seen a more hideous person. But I said, this photo shoot is the most American thing I've ever seen because it was just colonization in a nutshell. Just like, oh, look at this perfectly abandoned bookshop. Get out of here. And just and they throw all the books on the floor. they just vandalize it. It's crazy. And I was like, what is this? And how are we supposed to care about any of these characters? And then us stare the pictures.
00:15:30
Speaker
Ariel. The pictures. so so They look good. The pictures. It looks so good. And then Fred Astaire is being a little bit confronted by Audrey Hepburn. And he's like, well, I stayed behind to help put away some of these books. And she's like, just give them to me because you don't know where any of this shit is. And then he's like, oh, stop complaining and just puts his mouth on her mouth. And I don't even And I texted you that i screamed out loud.
00:15:56
Speaker
much And oh my note for that says, no It's like sometimes you watch a movie and it's like you can play. This is for for all the people listening. Play a little game with so with yourself while you're watching a movie, which is watch the movie until you get to the point in the movie where there's absolutely no way that the movie was written by anyone but a straight man. Because there will be something that happens in the movie that would not happen
00:16:32
Speaker
otherwise and that moment was that to because i said don't and he said because well okay i mean this movie is actually like a really uh amazing movie to be watching in like the discourse that is 2026 about women trying to have philosophical conversations with men and the men just being like but i thought you wanted to make out with me instead and And she's trying to talk to him about philosophy. Meanwhile, it's like made up for the movie and haha, it's funny. yeah But like, her character is taking it seriously. And
Fashion Show Comparison and Modern Influence
00:17:12
Speaker
he's like, well, I assumed that when you were trying to talk to me and engage with me about intellectual things, that you just wanted my mouth on your mouth. And that's what it was, too. Because like, listen, we've seen kisses where there's no chemistry. This was the kiss
00:17:29
Speaker
Of a parentified figure. Yeah, that was grandpa. And a youth. it's like yeah She was twenty in her 20s, in her later 20s. And there's like, I can't remember the age difference, but this man was born in 1899. Get your mouth. He is 30 years older than her. Older. 30 years.
00:17:49
Speaker
30 years. And like, listen, everybody has their own opinions about May, December. There are exceptions ah when you're old enough, all these things. But this movie did not create characters that actually had a romantic connection. no This was such a... this was such a And it should have been a mentor who then got with Kate Thompson's character, Maggie. the fashion magazine. Like it should have been that and then it would have been phenomenal. Like those things would have made sense. But like, no. What you
00:18:27
Speaker
and she said, why'd you do that? was like, that's a fair question. Why'd you do that? Who made you do that? And he leaves and she has her like, I want song like Disney moment. And it's just, it's her being like, wow, I, now all I care about is love. Like, and it didn't make any fucking sense. But that, what's funny is that that was actually where I was originally headed towards. But I'm out of practice, so I'm really taking the long route. But there's a beautiful moment where there's this hat that was discarded by the models and it's still there. So the the bookshop is in ruins.
00:19:06
Speaker
But the bookshop is all these old books that are like in earth tones and it's very dark. Like there's light in there, but everything is dark. And... Everything she's wearing is dark. She's got a black like turtleneck and a brown dress. And um this hat is like a flower. And like the ending, when she takes it off of her head and throws it on this little sofa, it settles like a flower because there's this like really lovely fabric that's like neon green. ah Beautiful. center of the hat is...
00:19:37
Speaker
yellow and then there's like an orange around it and it's all like um i can't even think of fabrics right now it's like a silk chiffon concoction on like a base yeah yeah and so it's like on her head it looks pretty nuts because she's not wearing the ah nuts outfit excuse me I'm the the proletariat. I'm the basic bitch of this So I'll say what I'll say. that It looks nuts. Because the way that she sits it on her head is just flat. you know There's no angle. There's nothing. There's nothing as tight. Ariel, she's not she's not wearing makeup. so she is She's ugly. She's hideous. her hair is natural. Disgusting. She's wearing brown
00:20:30
Speaker
youw ah So when she tosses the hat, it's like this loud color that comes through so clearly, these three colors. And you can see the the folds and the fabric and like the way the movement of it. And so it's like visually speaking, stunning. Yeah. Right. yeah And so it's supposed to kind of bring you in and be like, yeah, see, we seduced her in two fashion. um Because, of course, you know, i mean, it was so fascinating watching this movie because it was like, I didn't know anything about this movie beforehand. But I'm like, oh, there is so many parallels between this and The Devil Wears Prada. It's kind of insane.
00:21:13
Speaker
um i need to talk with the author of Devil Wears Prada about her influences. But I mean, isn't Cerulean Blue just the pink? Yeah. Precisely. One for one exchange.
00:21:26
Speaker
Precisely. But I feel like this there's a much more positive, like she gets pulled into the like fashion world and, you know, Fred Astaire decides that she should be the new it girl, like face of the magazine because she is beautiful, but she also has like depth, which like, I mean, that's a problem. We could talk about that. But yeah.
00:21:49
Speaker
the way that she gets treated in it is ah softer than other versions of the story that we have seen with, in some cases, with Audrey Hepburn, a la My Fair Lady.
00:22:02
Speaker
yes So it was kind of surprising because I was like, I did not know anything about this movie. And yet I know everything about this movie because this is well-worn plot territory.
00:22:14
Speaker
but I appreciated that They like bring her into the fashion world, but she's never like... fully seduced by the fashioniness of it she sees it as like a means to an end and she's fine with that and she's like very aware of like her own choices and what she wants out of it and i felt like weirdly it was a lot healthier in that way than a lot more contemporary movies so it was weird yeah because this never it never eats her up yeah it's her out She's like, oh, no, I want to go to Paris because I want to talk to philosophers and I want to talk to other people who think about things the way that I do. And if I go there, then I can do that and I can have this experience. Why not?
00:22:59
Speaker
Yeah. And like would i would say like Do we think Fred Astaire is kind of like the Stanley Tucci character from Devil Wears Prada a little bit? like Maybe a little bit more because they like end up together. but like She's got like the magazine editor and like the the photographer creative director. and They're kind of like telling her what to but it doesn't feel as like exploitative as other ones because I feel like she's not naive about
00:23:35
Speaker
stuff in the same way that like I feel like a contemporary movie would make the female lead much more naive or susceptible or something. I think he is like the Stanley Tucci where he helps her like walk through the world and like break stuff down for her. Yeah. She has a different perspective. Yeah. For sure.
00:23:52
Speaker
It's fascinating. um But overall, I felt like we had these like really intense pops of like color, but a lot of the costumes lived in this like kind of neutral color
Historical Context and Lasting Impact of 'Funny Face'
00:24:04
Speaker
palette. It was very gray, very beige, very black.
00:24:08
Speaker
And there was like some really good red moments. Yes. For sure. But it was very much more grounded in reality. So it wasn't just high fashion. Those were little pops. And even those, I felt like the more crazy colors were kind of like front loaded. then, yeah, like we had, I think, in the fashion show toward the end, one yellow gown with like a silver gown.
00:24:35
Speaker
Yeah. Throw kind of thing. There was a little bit, because there's sort of like two sections of like the fashion-y stuff. There's like, they do like a series of like photo shoots like around Paris in like various clothes. And there's like some green and there's like that red gown on the staircase. And...
00:24:57
Speaker
um I actually really, really liked her little white fisherman look when they were on the boat. It was like little pants. That was a really, really lovely look. It was great. It's like these little pants. I don't even think they were capris. I don't think that they were like short, but they were little white pants. Like this is where the pink came in because there was a pink band on her hat and I think like a pink little blouse or something, but it was white and pink and it was very, very lovely. And of course, you know, it's her. I...
00:25:26
Speaker
I made a note about that one too. And it wasn't even about the costume.
00:25:32
Speaker
He's like – he's giving instructions for fishing. Stop looking like such an amateur. yeah Do better. Yes. And she's like, well, I've never fished. I don't know how. And he's like, well, do it better. She's like, well, feels like it's caught on something. And he's like, okay, use that. And then she lifts it and there's a fish and she just looks at the camera like, whoa. That's the shot. Yeah.
00:25:51
Speaker
There's also a gown. He was coaching her in a very Tyra Banks kind of way where he was like, make your face better. Different. And you're like, I don't know what that means. yeah And then at the end, she starts taking over the coaching. Like there's um her...
00:26:07
Speaker
in this really lovely gown with like a rose on the bodice and um it's in front of a fountain and she's holding like a dove and she's like, yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm Cinderella. And the bird is the prince who will like transform as soon as I kiss him. And she just like is starting to take ownership over this stuff. And he's like, you don't even need me anymore. like Correct, sir. yeah Correct. Get out of here, grandpa.
00:26:34
Speaker
I actually wrote somewhere every time he kisses her, I get sad.
00:26:40
Speaker
I know. I just, I get sad because it just, it felt so unnecessary. Yeah. Because it, it, it, the characters don't really seem to care about each other that much. They care about each other in far more of a mentor, someone going through an experience and learning from it relationship. And it's like, it would have been so much better if it was that. know. So much better.
00:27:03
Speaker
But there are like, ah what did I want to say? Damn. I don't know. It's fine. I really didn't take that many notes to be quite honest with everyone. i'm the same. It's there weren't that many because like you said, a lot of the color palettes were pretty neutral compared to other things. So it was more in the details, right? But I wasn't really trying to be nitty gritty about it.
00:27:33
Speaker
And you could because like while there weren't like color feast after color feast after color feast, texture, texture, texture, there were silhouettes. yeah It was all about the silhouettes. And like they were so striking. yeah And i mean Audrey Hepburn is teeny tiny. Like, she's so small. She's crazy thin Like, not, you know, it just is She just is. She's a very slender person, like, all over. And
00:28:09
Speaker
the designs for the movie like really really really leaned into that like I think it's the wedding gown look at one point there's like a sort of like a half close up like waist up shot and you can see that there's like boning channels inside the bodice of the wedding gown and it's like those aren't doing anything there's not a single thing no they're just maybe helping to hold up the weight of like yeah the skirt
Final Thoughts and Transition to 'Blow Up'
00:28:38
Speaker
yeah Yeah. That might be it. Right. yeah Because there's nothing being suppressed no or really shaped unless it's the actual shaping of the dress itself, you know, like –
00:28:50
Speaker
Yeah. And that dress I do love. because Oh, it's beautiful. Yeah. goes down under her hips and then the skirt like poofs out but it's a short skirt like a tlength yeah skirt
00:29:09
Speaker
With a little tiny bow. Oh my god, the bow. In the center of the middle of the top of her head. Like. Like that is so 50s, 60s. I know. Nobody could look as chic in that bow as her. It so silly.
00:29:24
Speaker
It is so goofy. The little bow. It's so goofy. Where it's just like this little little innocent little thing. And it's just like, it's not ornate. no It's not super embellished. I don't know because of course the the quality of close-ups is different in older films than they are now so you can't really see the texture of like what's on the fabrics especially when it's like a slightly off white like that i feel like it was like an eggshell because the tool underneath was like bright white yeah but um it's like it's just a dumb little bow I know it's a little a little ribbon bow and it was like this this whole look is so perfect for Audrey Hepburn yeah it is like the quintessential
00:30:14
Speaker
Audrey Hepburn wardrobe and I believe i read that there was a movie a couple years before that Edith had had done where Givenchy had also made stuff for Audrey Hepburn specifically but he wasn't credited in the movie And so when this came around, like Edith had made sure that he got credited because because he wasn't credited in the previous movie, he wasn't eligible for any awards because his name wasn't on it. So that would have been Sabrina. Yes, it was Sabrina. It was Sabrina. This is this is her second credit. Yes.
00:30:51
Speaker
And so like, that's crazy, by the way, but it's like Sabrina, a funny face. I mean, she bo she right. And then we're going to go so like we're going to go into. Like the the run of movies that Audrey Hepburn did is actually insane. Like it's it's nuts. It's like the fourth or fifth one was what you mentioned. My Fair Lady. here My Fair Lady. There's also Roman Holiday, i think is after this. I think it's Roman Holiday after this. yeah Then My Fair Lady. And then she's going to do Breakfast at Tiffany's. Like yeah it's honestly insane.
00:31:25
Speaker
But yeah, it is really, really funny to put someone that is like the ideal of an era in the movie and be like this dowdy shop girl over here. And it's like the most gorgeous woman who is like the muse of a French couturier. you're like, yeah, okay, sure.
00:31:49
Speaker
All right. Oh, we'll teach her how to wear clothes. She's not wearing any brow gel. What a disaster. Like, disgusting. see ah So nuts. And so it was, like, really interesting to see...
00:32:03
Speaker
How – because, you know, if you're going to have a male lead opposite Audrey Hepburn, you have to find some kind of a balance, especially when she's being a model. And so when she's not a model, she's very, very simple, right? So it's like that shop girl look that we see her in is this brown dress that we see her in again later, I think. Yeah. And she's, like, very prone to, like, cigarette-like pants and beatnik turtleneck and, like, hair up, little bangs down. Like – Just very, very simple shapes. Yeah. Like she's not trying to wear the the tailored layered looks of a lot of other women. right It's not flouncy. It's not busy. lo It's not flouncy. It's not pleated. There's not like a belting happening. She's she's more for –
00:32:49
Speaker
Oh, this is form and function. And like I'm comfortable with it and I'm not – like it goes with her character that she's not trying to put all of this thought on what's on her body. She's trying to put all the thought in how she feels. Yeah. And so for Fred Astaire to be her opposite, like to to be her balance, if you will, He's got all these cardigans and he's very much like, I'm a photographer who does this for money. I'm very well well aware of that. And I'm dressing for my clientele and and dressing comfortably for those things. So he has like ascots and all these different ties. And he's got um this look that he dances in.
00:33:31
Speaker
ah past the midpoint when they're in Paris and they've had a day walking around where he has this kind of like light maybe tan yeah like a trench coat yeah and he's got a brown fedora brown shoes and like robin's egg blue socks and a robin's egg blue shirt that matches the socks and I actually paused it so that I could really appreciate that and make notes about it because um When I was learning about costuming for stage, you know, there are things that like when you're making choices for characters, you're deciding what the important choices are, right? Especially depending on your budget and how many hands you have to help.
00:34:17
Speaker
So you're not really, unless it's for a specific number or there's a specific intention behind it, going to pair socks that match other items yeah for each character. You're going to, if you do it, maybe save it as like an impact moment, right? So if it's like a number, okay, all these dancers are going to have that. Or throughout the show, this one person is going to have that. And it's going to be kind of like a quirky choice. Like we're choosing this for the character because of the character information.
00:34:45
Speaker
And so I was always taught to match the socks to the shoes yeah and the belt. Yes. And the hat. Yes. Those things match. And so those being, let's say, this isn't necessarily true, but like expanding if those are fashion rules, how freaking boring. Of course it can look...
00:35:02
Speaker
great, right? It can tie a look together. yeah But this was fun to see these perfectly matching things. And I don't know if this is true or not, but the the interior of the um trench coat was a red plaid. And there was definitely like a darker blue in there, but there was a light stripe of something that would catch the light every once in a while. And I just decided that that light stripe was the same blue. Yeah. the shirt and the socks. I have nothing to back me up on that because I couldn't say it clear enough. I can't confirm or deny. I have no idea. Neither confirm or deny. I was like, there's deliberation here. That's the same kind of deliberation as matching your socks to your shoes, to your belt, to your hat. It's just a little bit more fun. And
00:35:47
Speaker
I would say ah for me, like I am very attracted to more minimalism as a designer. I like that. But it it does require a lot of care for ah for fit and shape and like complimenting your actors because – People are not going to be like distracted by a million ruffles and sequins and whatever. So like you really have to nail it. ah Let's talk about that for second. You and I are very similar, I think, in that. Yeah. Where i wouldn't – like it clicked for me when you said that. I wouldn't normally describe myself as a minimalist because I feel like but when I've pulled for shows before, many shows, people like, damn,
00:36:32
Speaker
You pulled a lot. And it's because I'm focusing on the details. Yeah. Like the tailoring or the patterns. Yeah. Or the shades of color. For me, it's always going through a color filter first. of course. Before anything else. So it's the the language of the color.
00:36:49
Speaker
And the palette of of all of that. So like the textures, not talking about things that you can actually touch, but the visual textures and like the weave and everything. yeah Variety and like impact for the audience. Yeah. So in that way, i go ham. But whenever it comes to designing something that has flounces and glitter and like all these big things, which is so funny because I would love to be working on fantasy based things, but the fantasy based things I want to work on are more based in like a reality instead of like a high shining fantasy. Yep. um
00:37:23
Speaker
Like are a grounded versus, you know, just anything anywhere. yeah I'm a silver wizard. Like I want a great wizard. Yeah. It's weathered. Like that's what i i want. So it's like I just don't have that immediate filter in my brain of like where can we add all of these big things? I'm always looking for the smaller details. Yeah, me too. Yeah.
00:37:47
Speaker
And i because I feel like for most people, that's how you dress. Like that's how you assemble your wardrobe, because not everybody every day wants to be in a silver lame.
00:37:59
Speaker
I mean, and I'm so sad for them that they don't yeah want that. but It's not a bad thing at all, but it's just it requires a different level of effort and a different level of pairing things. Because if you have tastes that go high and loud and bright, then you have a lot of high, loud, bright things and you know your tastes and you know taste.
00:38:20
Speaker
your items and you know how to pair them but it takes a little bit more effort than if you have like a bunch of plaids and a bunch of neutrals and then you can just pair one to the other and you know it will suit Yeah. so it's like just different brains So I just, yeah, minimalism. I think that the sort of maximalist designs get the most kind of attention because they are really showy. They're super fun. Like what's not to love? Oh, they're eye grabbing. Yeah, it's great. You get carried away for sure. But it's like, I agree. Like the impact of –
00:39:00
Speaker
the costumes in this movie is how precise and like perfect absolutely everything is. And it makes sense that a huge chunk of the movie is designed by couturier because everything that Audrey is wearing is being tailored perfectly like to her and built from the ground up for her to highlight her body specifically because she's representing like an ideal and both as the character and just, she's a movie star. Like it kind of like two, two layers in that sense where like,
00:39:42
Speaker
Her character is being held up as like, we want this person literally in the fashion magazine to be like, this is the ideal woman. and then like you have Audrey Hepburn, who was held up in the public sphere as like, this is the ideal woman So...
00:39:57
Speaker
And then to have the balancing design be done by Edith Head is like, yeah well, you know that every stopgap is going to be full of something. Like if if we had bigger screen, like if we were watching this like in a theater size screen, I'd be like, pause, hold, like Minority Report style so that I can look more at the extras. Yeah. there were so there were so many opportunities for extras like all these audience members for fashion shows. um I mean, there's even couple of little TWA scenes, Parisians, who some of them for some reason have incredibly flat American accents, especially during the song period. about Paris? I don't know what you're talking about. They sounded very French to Fluent and French.
00:40:46
Speaker
They're talking about like American tourists and i was like, fellas, that's you. hold the mirror up. I don't know what we're talking about. But there're they're are like this is this This movie is an example of designers who very much are coming from a couture perspective and a tailored perspective, which I kind of think of as interchangeable. Tailored and couture go very hand in hand yeah for me. Yeah. um And so there's like an an understanding of each principal actor and their body type. And so everything that is touching them has very specific thought and detail behind it. And this is because this is in the era of Edith Head. This is the era where there are like no costumers listed. On IMDb there are a few. And I was like, it's amazing that we put Givenchy. It's just like...
00:41:36
Speaker
wardrobe, Miss Hepburn comma Paris. I know. It's like – Oh my god. and then underneath that – Understatement of the century. There four people who are listed specifically but then next to it, it says uncredited in parentheses. Yeah. So it's the era of people not really documenting um beat for beat.
00:41:57
Speaker
So that you could just look it up real quick. What the process was of everybody's costuming. And so it's like, there's just, this is this is not the only movie where this is the case. This is just a larger yeah movie. It's the era. And it's a it it's interesting in a movie that is so much about clothes. So much.
00:42:18
Speaker
To have just so many, like, nameless people that contributed so much and were, like, really in the nitty-gritty of building what must have been a huge amount of stuff for this movie. Must have been, because, like, there are...
00:42:35
Speaker
If you're watching this movie, you should really look at like each scene where you're seeing someone who's modeling each scene where you're seeing any of the principal characters talking. There's always some detail that didn't need to be there that is, and it's very deliberate and it's very, very well done. Like ah towards the beginning, when there's the model that Fred Astaire wishes like in her black gown, her collar on that dress is,
00:43:05
Speaker
People would want to wear that today. Yeah. It's beautiful. it's It's not limited to the 50s. Because there are a lot of collars where you see it and you're like, that is the 60s, that is the 70s. You can date it. This is a very artistic collar that looks gorgeous. Sculptural. Thank you. It's sculptural over the collarbones and like very unique. And it's like, that's gorgeous. Plus, it's held at the back by clothespin sticks. I loved that detail so much because like anyone who has had any experience with like a photo shoot, like that's what is happening. Like yeah and maybe you're pinning it like with whatever you got. Yeah. Like the model is putting on like their size and then somebody is going, i think now you'd probably use the big metal binder clips more than a clothespin because they're nice and strong. Yeah. But she's being clipped to the gods to make that thing look impeccable because. Yeah, just totally fit. Yeah. Like anytime you're looking at like clothes online, just keep that in mind that like the model is wearing the size that they're wearing. But then it's also like optimized because obviously like we're not tailoring something for a photo shoot. That's yeah going to be a few minutes where you're doing like tons. can't see their back. Yeah.
00:44:18
Speaker
In a photo. Right. Unless you're seeing the back and then you can't see the front. Like there's there's movie magic being applied. But I loved that because it really early on like set the tone that like we're going to kind of see how the sausage gets made with this industry. Obviously, it's still a musical. It's very lighthearted. It's very idealized.
00:44:40
Speaker
There's a lot of things that are not being talked about, but... ah It does give you a little bit of like the backstage, like how this stuff kind of got put together. Another piece of that is at the end, the big fashion show in in Paris, where we can see the little runway and then we see the backstage where...
00:45:02
Speaker
This is what I've noted is that there's one model, you guys, one, and it's Audrey Hepburn. I mean – Which is crazy that you would only have one model because that means that in between each look, what are you doing while she's There's like she's three to five minutes of just nothing while she's changing?
00:45:22
Speaker
It's pretty wild, the idea, like, that you don't have, like, five models just to to revolve. Keep it moving. You know? Yeah. Keep it moving. Keep the looks going. And, like, you can relish it. But the way that she was walking as a model really stuck out to me. Because we see it from above on one shot when she goes back. And it's, like, this little...
00:45:46
Speaker
mincing footsteps They're very small footsteps because she's wearing like not a full hobble skirt, but like a very smaller fit is straight fited down. And so she's got this little, little walk. And I was just like, that's not a walk that we see on catwalks. Now, when we think of a catwalk, we think of a very pronounced catwalk. dead-eyed yeah like mercenary walk, right? Stomping. And stomping. It's very, very pronounced and dramatic. And the height of the models really informs that like this is a supermodel versus like what modeling, i think, used to be for a while, which was like smaller and just literally sit around this model closely so that you can actually see all the details of the clothes and then you can choose Yeah. And so her walk was just like, oh, yeah, we used to do different things. That's like just the thought that it went through my head.
00:46:39
Speaker
And then that there was just one model. She goes backstage, runs to the dressers. With like five people chasing her. And they're like, are you ready yet? And she's like, almost. It's like a quick change. It's just like yeah like any quick change for stage. But one model and nothing to distract from. pretty nuts. Well, and it's it is interesting, especially because like – the the label of Givenchy still exists. So like, obviously this is like a fantasy, but you could compare it to a a runway show 2026, which what, 70 years after this movie?
00:47:13
Speaker
you know what seventy years after this movie And the difference in... expectations. Like I remember when I was still in school, which is, you know, over, you know, like 10, 15 years ago now, um just having, just like looking at like a runway show. Cause I had a professor that was really into fashion and just being kind of like, this stuff is kind of nuts. So like, this is yeah crazy and um being young and, you know, like learning about this stuff. and And he just kind of turned to me and he was like,
00:47:47
Speaker
Well, yeah, no one's buying this. This show is to sell handbags and sunglasses. And I was like, okay. Whereas like, this yeah, like it's it's just about mystique. It's about ah brand of like ah association, like building ah this desire to get anywhere near the brand by just having their name on like a pair of sunglasses. But like, The stuff in this movie is like you could order that dress and you would wear it if you were a fancy lady somewhere.
00:48:24
Speaker
But it's like the the the evolution of what a runway show is, even under the same label. Not about this specifically, but it comes up because of this.
00:48:36
Speaker
There's um this show called Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, which is the twenty s in Australia. And they have... an episode in the first season, I think, that's at a fashion house where the main character is like, let me take you shopping. And so they go shopping and it's a runway show, but the runway is a room yeah and it's just wealthy women sitting in the room and there are models coming through and showing the new collection, including jewelry, including accessories. And it's just what you said, it's shopping. But it was like, that was the function. And that that was a little bit...
00:49:15
Speaker
Yeah.
00:49:19
Speaker
people were shopping off of the model's bodies like just i want that one for sure and so like how how functional and now it's it's kind of like interacting with like high art a yeah bit Because it's – even those those examples that we're talking about were for wealthier people for sure. Like if you were at a certain economic level, you weren't going to any kind of runway show. But like these are even beyond that like astronomically so. So I don't know. just seeing evolution in that is – I know. Like the only time you would ever see somebody wearing something from like a contemporary like couture fashion show I feel like would be –
00:50:03
Speaker
on a red carpet for a specific event like the Met Gala, say. Yeah. and they probably have, i'm well, probably, they definitely have just remade that outfit to the size of the person wearing it because the one that was on the runway model doesn't fit anyone except that model because the size is so prohibitively small that, yeah you know, very few people ever in the world can fit into it.
00:50:33
Speaker
that like it's it's not about it's not about anything. It's not about clothes that you live your life in. Like those fashion shows in like the women had like sporting wear, day wear, evening wear, a gown for the opera. Like they they are obviously for a wealthy clientele, but they they were like, these are the things you might do in a given year yeah And here are the clothes you might do them in Here's your capsule for this time. Yeah. you can You can buy one of each of these and you'll be covered for every season. Right. yeah And like to kind of connect it to the women again because we really liked the the fashion show in the women, like the big fashion show, because they had sets, which was so fun. And like in this one, there was a set for an unsuccessful fashion show that had like plants and a water feature like while they're arguing behind a giant curtain. And um I just like loved that idea of like this like more theatrical kind of like organic thing happening. And it's not to say that the other kind isn't good. It's just like having more variety and having this kind of thing have a little bit more depth is just like that's exciting having something slightly different. yeah um
00:51:50
Speaker
There are – what is it? I have um a couple pieces – that like really the end of my notes that like really stuck out to me. One I really liked and one made me laugh.
00:52:01
Speaker
Um, the one I really liked is towards the end of the movie when, um, our, our love interests have to have like ah a fight, like breakup. Um, Audrey Hepburn is going to go to this, um, party being held by a philosopher that she really really wants to meet and stares character is like all he wants is you this is ridiculous like he's just trying to hit on you and she's like don't be ridiculous he's one of the greatest minds and he's like okay i wasn't born yesterday literally he wasn't born yesterday he was born in 1899 1899 like the horror like
00:52:36
Speaker
like
00:52:42
Speaker
Kate Thompson, Maggie, is going in disguise with as like a As a beatnik from Tallahassee.
00:52:53
Speaker
The accent work. Oh, my God. And she's got this black turtleneck underneath a red like waistcoat, like little vest with this neckline that I really love. And I actually really love that I'm ah i'm a sucker for vests. Like it's an obsession. I know this. And so this little vest is just like so lovely because I feel like I'm not even remembering it correctly now. It might have like a little flounce at the bottom. But just like the cut of it and the shaping of it is not what you think of when you're traditionally thinking of a vest because I think people have gotten very unimaginative with certain garments. Yeah. And like the cut and shape. And so this one just like has a lot going on for it that's really lovely. It looked really good on her. looked really good on her. Everything she wore the whole movie was yeah amazing, as it should be because she's the head of a magazine.
00:53:44
Speaker
But then the second one is at the end scene where Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn connect again. and she's run out of her fashion show. And he's like trying to catch up to her and figure out where she is. And she goes back to the chapel where they had the wedding photo shoot.
00:54:02
Speaker
And she's in the wedding gown. She's in the wedding gown. and she's It's like supposed to be night, I think. So it's like very specific lighting. And Fred Astaire has this...
00:54:15
Speaker
He's in the trench coat again. i think it's the same trench coat. But it reads as white yeah in the lighting. Yeah. And he's got like this red detail at the collar. there's just – it made me laugh because he looks like he's wearing a space captain uniform like some sort of like a heightened medical thing from the future. was like this was a crazy choice.
00:54:41
Speaker
But okay. I see that we wanted to pair them in white. Well done. And then the end of my notes say, and then they sailed away the end. And then they sailed away the end. I think my favorite look in the movie is actually surprisingly the scene where she kind of receives the makeover and gets like revealed to everyone. she's this...
00:55:06
Speaker
she's in this sort of like warm off-white satin, like long straight gown with this pale pink kind of like jacket piece over it. it's it's like very short in the front. I think it's above her natural waist and then it's like floor length in the back and all of it is just like masterfully cut and masterfully fitted. it's
00:55:41
Speaker
the pieces are like really simple, but they're so beautiful and they have this like beautiful kind of looseness to them that is so deliberate and so well,
00:55:55
Speaker
place like it just it hangs exactly right it has the exact like fullness and exact shaping and usually when there's a movie with like a movie makeover the sort of like makeover outfit is never my favorite outfit for whatever reason but that one was just like yeah okay yeah yeah you did it yeah and that was one where they pulled back a curtain and they were like oh yeah by the way this is audrey hapburn It's like, yes, we knew that. I know. It's like she was so beautiful before. And like, I don't know, they like put some lip gloss on her. Like you don't need to do anything. You don't need do a damn thing. You really don't. They back her hair and put like yeah this little beaded. Right. Which like i actually didn't love the beaded. I know. That was not my favorite.
00:56:44
Speaker
It was interesting. But like the slicked back hair and the gown it was like, and Audrey Hepburn walked in the building. Right. Right. And everybody's like, oh, my God. It's like she looked exactly like this before. She just had exactly the same. was just wearing a turtleneck. Like she was just referring to her as if she was like this disgusting street rat with like soot all over her face. And was like, she didn't even need to wash her face, you guys. I know. was ridiculous. She didn't even have to take off a pair of glasses so you would know she wasn't ugly. I know.
00:57:13
Speaker
Honestly, they could have put her in glasses at least. My God. At Yeah. But but yeah I mean, yeah. I mean, yeah. It's so silly to me when we have to pretend that someone who's like the most beautiful woman in the world is like dowdy. And like, okay. Hey guys, this is a visual medium. i can see this person. I know. Like, stop it.
00:57:36
Speaker
yeah But yeah, that was my favorite. i think. There's a lot of like pretty lovely fashion moments in this. I, the... i be I wouldn't say that I love the movie, but I love that I didn't have to really pay attention to the story because the story is not really that deep. It's thin.
00:57:55
Speaker
it's It's very thin. story is a thin inner and aud it's thinner than Audrey herself. The story's thin. And so that allowed you to just be like, well, it's a very short, it's not a long musical. yeah And so you can just be like, hey, I'm just watching the pretty clothes Rental. There aren't even that many songs. There's a couple like very fun dance numbers, which is to be expected with Fred Astaire and Audrey and her little ballet self in the movie. um But yeah, like it, uh,
00:58:26
Speaker
It's certainly what made me very aware of the dynamics at play between some of the characters, but it was not as egregious as other stuff. Yes. For sure. I definitely had like guttural responses, but they didn't linger on them. So I was like, oh, ph thank God. Yeah. But there was also a cool moment in um one of the first um musical numbers when they arrive in Paris and they all fib to each other and say, I'm so tired. I'm going to my hotel. and then they get into three different taxis and they end up at the same place.
00:59:01
Speaker
ah I was watching while Maggie, well, Kate Thompson, Audrey Hepburn were walking through the city k thompson has this like cloak coat yeah it's very big skirted and like big collar i loved it the matching everything and then audrey is we're personal audrey yeah but audrey hepburn is wearing like pants and a ah sportier jacket and like little loafers neither one of them is carrying a purse true True. And I was like, this totally makes sense if you're like, I just don't want to bother about accessories for my my characters in this scene. But I was also like, there is the possibility that they just had good pockets.
00:59:46
Speaker
Very likely. and they just didn't need to be carrying stuff. Like, what like what what would you have? Like, they don't have keys. They haven't, yeah you know. But like, you know, normally you put like a wallet. Of course, they don't have phones. But it's like you'd have a wallet. You'd have a map maybe. Yeah. Yeah. Like little things. We know Audrey doesn't have any makeup in there because she's so dowdy. She hasn't been made over yeah like there's There's nothing that they're carrying. They're just free to roam. I was like, dream look at them go. good for them.
01:00:17
Speaker
Oh, my. And they're American as a hell, Paris. Look at these American tourists, huh? Yeah. I mean, and yet, take me. Take me there, please. yeah But yeah, that was that would see if it was funny that was a funny little face.
01:00:35
Speaker
Okay, next up on our lineup for this fashion season is a movie called Blow Up, which is a 1966 psychological mystery wo um wow that takes us to Maud.
01:00:47
Speaker
London. So we are making a big jump in fashion, going from hard 50s to the 60s. And that's going to be kind of the progress is we're going to go up the decades. um But this stars Vanessa Redgrave.
01:01:01
Speaker
And a few people I don't know. so i we will definitely be experiencing a lot of things for the first time ourselves. And some of you listeners might be like, of course I know these names. Yeah.
01:01:13
Speaker
You uncultured swine. And we'll be like, sorry, i don't know. Sorry. That's just who we are. Start your own podcast. So if you would like to follow us along, ah have no idea where to watch it. So I can't help you. Okay, bye. Yes. Thank you for listening. Good luck, everybody.
01:01:31
Speaker
<unk> See you next time. Bye. Bye. Bye.