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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Fashion in Film: Sabrina

Well, this is very late, isn't it? I hope you're having a lovely week. I'm starting my Christmas preparations earlier than ever this year, so life has been a little nuts, but we keep calm and carry on. Anyway, enough chatting, on with the show.

The other day, I was feeling a little down, and so to cheer up, I compiled a mental list of my favorite romantic comedies. Of course, the movies that immediately came to mind were the Meg Ryan rom-coms of the 1990's. When I asked my much-classier mom, she replied with Sabrina. This opened the floodgates in my mind to an era where films were glamorous, gentlemen were dapper, ladies were classy, and fashion was fabulous.

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Sabrina was made in 1954, and the wardrobe has 1950's written all over it. It's a little difficult to pin down one specific costume designer for this film, especially because there isn't one credited. And there isn't one credited because no costumes were actually designed for this film. According to this excellent costume analysis, Edith Head was originally supposed to design the costumes, but Audrey Hepburn asked to wear some actual Paris couture to fit Sabrina's story. She met with Balenciaga, who was too busy to see her, and in turn sent her to Givenchy. Givenchy was also too busy to design costumes, since he was working on a collection at the time. Audrey, being the amazing fashionista that she was, selected and styled her own outfits from Givenchy's line. In a manner of speaking, it really did take a village to get the costumes for the film together.

In the beginning of the film, Sabrina wears simple, childlike outfits.

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As we can see here, Sabrina is wearing a printed dress with a long sleeved, high-necked black top underneath. Her hair is worn in a ponytail with a bow on top. Obviously, this costume is meant to give off a shy, youthful vibe. The thing that interests and slightly confuses me about this costume is that though it's intended to be dowdy and young, it still really fits and flatters Hepburn's figure. This is typical of Sabrina's pre-Paris outfits: they're sweet, demure, and young, and yet she still manages to look amazing in them. Maybe this is to show how Sabrina is ready to grow up. Maybe it's just because Audrey Hepburn would look good in a brown paper bag.

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After a life-changing trip to Paris, Sabrina returns to her childhood home with a new outlook on life and a new style.

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Sabrina's sleek peplum suit, black heels, and white hat are super sophisticated. Not to mention the iconic Audrey Hepburn pixie cut. This is where the fun really starts with the costumes. We get a taste of everything, from the full-skirted "New Look" dresses of the early 1950's to the polished straight lines of what we'll see later in the decade. But of course, the Sabrina outfit that takes the case is the gorgeous black and white ballgown. You know the one I'm talking about.

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This dress seems to encompass everything that was great about 1950's evening wear. We've got a strapless neckline, amazing embroidery, and a beautiful full skirt. The skirt is what's really interesting about this ensemble, it appears to be a straight ankle-length skirt with a removable, fuller skirt at the back. The high-low effect that this brings is what makes this dress special.

Among all of the beautiful, put together outfits, there's one that particularly stands out, and that's the casual outfit Sabrina wears while boating with Linus.

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This is the polar opposite of every post-Paris outfit Sabrina's worn. The plaid shirt, white shorts, and bare feet are a far cry from her put-together suits and ballgowns. There are still some hints of style to it, though, like the shirt being tied to be more tailored, her amazing hair, and some pretty fantastic earrings.

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Another pretty famous costume from this film is the little black dress worn in some promotional images and near the end of the movie. Sabrina pairs it with a fun sparkly hat and black gloves.

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This dress was reproduced and emulated by many designers in the 1950's, as well as by modern Hollywood enthusiasts. It's so simple and classic, and the hat adds a little bit of whimsy. I think it shows Sabrina's maturity mixed with her still-present spirit.

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That wraps up Fashion in Film for this week. Before I wander off into the sunset, I've got a question I want to run by you. I've been thinking of moving my blog series updates to Monday. I'm so busy during the week these days that giving myself some time over the weekend to work might boost my productivity. Let me know, times are a'changing!

1 comment:

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