"The Great Gatsby" brings 1920's fashion roaring back into style
With its hip-hop-infused soundtrack and 3-D effects, the "The Great Gatsby" hitting theaters in South Africa on the 17th May is supposedly far from the version of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.
In the hands of Australian director Baz Luhrmann and his wife, Catherine Martin, who did the costumes as well as the production design, the film is a sensual banquet. At times it tempts and satisfies with its offerings. At others it makes you feel like you've had one too many rich desserts or flutes of Champagne.
For fashion lovers, "Gatsby" is a must-see. Miuccia Prada did the costumes worn by Daisy Buchanan (played by the blond-bobbed Carey Mulligan), and each one is more lavish than the next. From the enchanting dress Daisy wears when she meets Gatsby (portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio) to the crystal-beaded gown she dons for a big party, the looks are both true to the period and modern at the same time. Then there are the jewels from Tiffany & Co., some from the archives, some invented purely for the film. And for the menswear, Brooks Brothers opened its archives, and tailors re-created many designs. We expect a run on boaters, tie pins and spectator wingtips.
So why do the clothes these characters wore almost a century ago still appeal?
Because in the 1920s, the world was changing rapidly and a new generation was ready to embrace anything new. "It feels carefree and fresh. The movie isn't intended as a literal interpretation of the 1920s, according to Martin. "The book is set in 1922, it was published in 1925 and it foreshadows the Great Depression," Martin said. "We felt we could use anything within thee decade. "One of the things Baz said from the beginning was that he didn't want a nostalgic New York. He wanted to be absolutely true to the period but [to also] re-examine it and find things that could be surprising and refreshing."
Like the transportation. "The souped-up, fantastic cars are there because Baz wanted to be sure the audience understood it was a car culture," Martin said. "In the 1920s, cars were a status symbol and a means of showing your wealth." Clothes and jewellery did the same thing.
For the costumes, Martin decided that Daisy's clothes should reflect her Southern upbringing — "She was a trophy society wife." Daisy's friend Jordan Baker (played by Elizabeth Debicki), on the other hand, was a professional golfer. Her modern, urban wardrobe borrows from the end of the 1920s, when silhouettes were more sleek.
"You have to remember that by the 1920s, every sort of dress and neckline had been explored and worn — loose, fitted, strapless, one-shoulder, robe de style. We just reprised those," Martin said.
Martin said one of the things she loved about the collaboration with Prada was that, as a female designer creating looks for women, Miuccia has a strong point of view. Just as Coco Chanel, who put women in pants and bathing suits in the 1920's, and Jeanne Lanvin, who worked during the same time in Paris.
Prada created not only clothes, but furs, handbags and accessories in the company's Italian factories.
The costume designer hesitated to name her favorite looks in the film, but then confessed that she loved two that were difficult to make. First was the outfit Daisy wears to meet Gatsby, a lavender lace dress, hat and gloves.
The other is a crystal beaded dress that Daisy dons for Gatsby's party. It's like a wearable chandelier, an intricate web of clear crystals.
Daisy accessorizes the dress with a pearl-bracelet-and-ring combination and crowns the look with a platinum, pearl and diamond headband.
The Great Gatsby has had such a huge influence on fashion that a rep for the e-commerce site reported on fashionista that there has been an increase in searchers for Gatsby related women's clothing, headpieces and purses.
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