Whenever I require an inspiration for colour in fashion, I constantly come back to my beloved movie ‘Down with Love’. This frivolously yummy and very funny movie, starring Rennee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, has itself become a bit of a retro movie. It is a spoof on the Doris Day and Rock Hudson comedies of the 60s.
The bubbly blonde and the dark, handsome guy, with the ‘girl trying to work hard to get somewhere’ kind of story line. It certainly makes a very deserving ‘chick flick’, perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon. However, the main attractions for me are the costumes. Make no mistake, this is certainly forward thinking in terms of the whole vintage thing. I guess the craze about ‘Mad Men’ really started with this movie.
The costumes were designed by Daniel Orlandi. I am extremely impressed with the fact that it had no real vintage clothing at all. All of the costumes were complete re-designs, fitted and turned into the funny colorful feast of a movie. The whole movie is a nonstop extravaganza of fashion display, overloaded with rainbow colors, beautiful fabrics, and matching outfits. I adore the ensemble of a pink and white wool jacket, over a super-fitted wool dress, matching the color of the jacket and topped with a pair of white gloves for style.
Daniel Orlandi would have to have read through all the literature from the many years 62-67 to illustrate his inspirations for the movie. “We didn’t wish to use vintage outfits on Renee, or any one of the extra fundamentals, simply because we didn’t wish it to look shabby,” says Orlandi, who rather applied antique fabric for most of his designs. “We had hoped the outfits to seem fun and striking, not campy.”
It definitely does not look ‘thrift shop’, in fact the cut and fit for both actors are simply amazing. Apparently, he intentionally designed the garments with lots of vibrant colors, even though they were not traditional colors for a blonde. I think the bright colors agreed with Renee very well, reflecting on her character and the comedy plot. The riot of colors, lavender, lime, fuchsia, snow-white, magenta and ice blue are certainly a feast for the eyes.
Don’t be timid to copy the fashion of this movie nonetheless. Almost all the properly coordinated garments, unquestionably set everyone who put on a GAP tee shirt and jeans to shame. We can always lighten ourselves up with a vibrant coloured scarf, a suited dress with tidy tucking details, or a set of flamboyant pumps. We must always in no way be timid of color, in the end we can still put on the traditional black coat. Get out there and dress in those colour and indulge your friends to a colorful feast.
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