Fashion Meets Film: The Virgin Suicides

Director Sofia Coppola has become a bit of a buzz name in the fashion community lately, with her quirky,  elegant style garnering a steady stream of adoration from fashion’s most high. Marc Jacobs made her the face of his fragrance campaign back in 2002, Dior sought her out when it came time to direct a commercial for their Miss Dior Cherie perfume line, and she released a capsule collection of handbags and shoes for Louis Vuitton. She’s currently storming the Chateau Marmont, the infamous Hollywood celeb haven, to film her latest flick, Somewhere.  In a nutshell, Coppola has been keeping herself busy lately!

The Virgin Suicides

We here at M.I.S.S decided to take a look back at the rising star’s directorial debut, the visual tour de force The Virgin Suicides. Based on the novel of the same name,  the film tells the story of the five teenage Lisbon sisters who, one by one, commit suicide in their middle-class Detroit suburb. Set in the 1970s,  Coppola does an amazing job of capturing the Lisbon sisters’ awkward transitions from the innocence of girlhood to the confusing - and overwhelming - stage of womanhood.

Like any good Coppola film, she pays intense homage to the period the story unfolds in through fashion. The costuming painstakingly recreates each funky detail of the 70s, from the boys’  velvet bell bottomed suits to the girls’ billowy sleeved maxi-dresses. Holly Hobbie paisley-inspired floral prints run rampant on the girls skirts, and their A-line, Chevron print dresses are nothing short of 70s spectacular. Their casual digs are just as vintage, with the sisters donning track shorts,  striped crew-neck Ts, and pastel colored spaghetti strap tops. Shearling coats, vacation blazoned Ts, and chenille boxy striped sweater vests all make retro fabulous appearances as well. Coppola makes a constant effort to let fashion speak for the girls, as they fluctuate  somewhere between tomboyish, little girl looks and a more provocative, skin-baring style of a grown woman.

Coppola does an amazing job of capturing the Lisbon sisters' awkward transitions from the innocence of girlhood to the confusing...

Coppola made sure that The Virgin Suicides is all about recreation...

When the girls dress up for the prom, Coppola uses the dresses to convey the girls excitement. To them at this awkward stage of teendom, dressing up in flowing prom dresses is what really makes them women. Similarly, when Lux (played brilliantly by a very vulnerable Kirsten Dunst) says good night to her date Tripp Fontaine after an especially PG-rated date with the family, her kiddish T shirt and bellbottoms give her the appearance of a confused Cindy Brady who doesn’t know her role. But when she sneaks out to Tripp’s car to experience a sexual rush of womanhood, the T is gone and Coppola has clad her in a flowing, adult nightgown in a reddish pastel. Tres sexy, and definitely very, very adult. Check out the clip below to get an idea of what I mean, and enjoy a steamy moment!

Coppola made sure that The Virgin Suicides is all about recreation. Recreating the suburbs, recreating the 70s vibe, recreating the fashion, and recreating the awkward, and sometimes painful, transition that we all go through as we realize that we have to put aside being a little girl and try to become more of a woman. Everyone, including all of us here at M.I.S.S, can appreciate that.

Side note: Coppola used her industry connects to hook up the soundtrack as well, with everything from 70s classics to this dope song by Air, “Playground Love.” Peep the vid below!

Lady Dior: The Lady Noire Affair

Back in December Marion Cotillard began her role as the face of the Lady Dior bag in the “One Woman, Four Cities,” campaign.  As an extension of the campaign, Dior is creating a six and a half minute film entitled The Lady Noir Film starring the Oscar winner.  In a move paralleling the Chanel No.5 films, Dior has paired a director with a lady that is his muse, in this case, Marion Cotillard and Oliver Dahan, the director of La Vie en Rose.

Lady Dior: The Lady Noire Affair

The Lady Noir Film is a Hitchcock-esque, film noir thriller featuring Cotillard as a femme fatale, a role that suits the French actress.  Galliano stated: “We wanted to capture the glamour, the intrigue, the heroine and the mysterious allure that radiates around her, Marion has brought the Dior woman to life. She is incredible.”  The Lady Noir Film debuts tomorrow on the Lady Dior website.  For clues to solving the mystery, follow Lady Dior on twitter and watch the trailer below.

Costume Institute Gala: Rihanna in Dolce & Gabanna, Kate Moss in Marc Jacobs, Posh in Marc Jacobs

Last night was the most important night in fashion - the Metropolitan’s Costume Institute Gala. More important than the Oscars? Yes. We’re talking about all the fashion heavyweights - models, designers, and the celebrities who wear their clothes all come together to celebrate the Costume Institute’s new exhibit. This year, the Gala was hosted by Marc Jacobs and Kate Moss - appropriately enough, as the theme was “The Model As Muse.”

Movie stars, designers and their muses came dressed to impress and what follows below are highlights from the red carpet. Trends included lady tuxedos, big shoulders, gold and lame and lots of blue in an assortment of shades from midnight navy to 80’s teal. One of my favorites was Rihanna in a lady tuxedo by Dolce & Gabanna with gorgeous exaggerated shoulders and sleeves complete with bow tie. Another favorite was Stella McCartney’s lace jumpsuit - it’s something that I really need in my life - now (because I go to so many galas, haha).

Costume Institute Gala: Madonna in Louis Vuitton, Liv Tyler/Kate Hudson/Stella McCartney all in Stella McCartney, Kirsten Dunst in Chanel

Louis Vuitton had a strong showing with Madonna, Leighton Meester and Kerry Washington all sporting looks right off the runway. The Double C’s were also spotted on the red carpet with Kirsten Dunst, Diane Kruger and Anna Wintour all sparkling in Chanel Haute Couture. Model muse Sasha Pivovarova wore a gorgeous feather coat by Giambattista Valli that overshadowed the dress that she wore underneath - and that’s ok. She was a great example of picking one piece to shine and letting it be the focal point with understated accessories.

There were many gorgeous looks last night and I’ve chosen my favorites to show you. You can see them all on the Style website. Let us know your favorites! Take the survey below and/or leave a comment.

Most images from Style
Images of Rihanna & Posh from People

Openhouse is a venue in SoHo NYC that hosts pop-up shops, events, and fashion shows. The folks at Openhouse will be sharing their love for fashion this Thursday, March 26th by hosting the Save On Style sample sale! You’ll find dresses, tops, tees and more from major designers like Gucci, Ungaro, DSquared and good ol’ Uncle Karl.

SOS SAMPLE SALE @ OpenHouse Gallery in Soho, NYC
Thursday, March 26th - Sunday, April 5th.
The sale runs from 12pm - 8pm each day.

One of the most highly-regarded collections of American and European costume is to be transferred from the financially-struggling Brooklyn Museum to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The move will allow for garments to be properly cared for and exhibited after a lengthy period out of public view, as due to the cost of exhibiting such pieces the collection has been in storage for more than a decade.

Two pieces from Charles James.

The 23,500 piece collection is to be integrated into the Met’s Costume Institute. Amassing over more than a century of collecting, it includes a definitive collection of Charles James material, as well as signature pieces by both American and international designers including Elsa Schiaparelli.  It’s big win for both the museums and fashion enthusiasts - by combining the Brooklyn collection with the Met’s current pieces we’re given an extensive timeline of fashion history.

Largely assembled from the closets of grand ladies of Brooklyn and Manhattan, the newly-named Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection will be a definite must-see for anyone interested in how fashion has progressed over the years.  Click here for an in-depth read about the collection and acquisition.

Above Top: Pieces from the Met’s Costume Institute collection include from top left: Yves Saint Laurent, two dresses from Courreges, two outfits from Rudi Gernreich, platforms from Ferragamo.

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I was one of the many, many people glued to their TVs to see what the celebrities (and their stylists) decided they should wear to the Golden Globe Awards.  There were gorgeous gowns, dazzling jewels and coiffed coifs.  Dior seemed to score big with many leading ladies wearing gowns by John Galliano for Dior.  But the biggest trend of the night was in the hair category - so many bangs in face!  I didn’t mind it, more annoying was the constant moving of the hair from the face.  As usual, there were the people that looked great, and people who I just looked at and wondered:  “Really, you have THAT much money and THAT much access to couture and diamonds and THAT’S the best you could do?”  One of my favorite looks of the night was Susan Sarandan in a black tux paired with a corset and long diamond necklaces.  Here’s a brief breakdown of my favorites, trends, and WTFs?

2 Favorite Dresses (minus the silly expressions):

Evan Rachel Wood in Elie Saab & Kate Beckinsdale in J. Mendel

It comes as no surprise that 2 of my favorite dresses would be black and white.  Wood’s dress is evocative of Chanel to me and is glamorous and age appropriate and a good choice for an award’s show.  Beckinsdale’s dress was my favorite of the night for pure dramatic effect.  The neckline was gorgeous and she carried it beautifully.  I didn’t love her earrings but she was smart in skipping the necklace and going with big earrings.  I hate when people feel like they need to junk up their decolletage in a strapless dress with a necklace.

3 more favorites:

Kate Winslet in YSL, Eva Mendes in Dior, Maggie Gyllenhaal in Lanvin

I love Kate Winslet - she’s smart, funny, strong and a “Dame” in the making.  Her choice in dress reflected her personality - it was sleek, sophisticated and strong.  Eva Mendes was beautiful in Dior (though I was surprised she wasn’t in Calvin Klein - you know, the perfume deal . . .) and her necklace was pretty though I don’t know if I loved them together.  And Maggie Gyllenhaal looked fresh, young and independent in her Lanvin gown.  I thought all 3 ladies had nice hairstyles - I’m a big fan of up-dos for fancy occasions and their coiffs were modern and not stuffy at all.
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Marion Cotillard, the Oscar-winning actress for her portrayal of Édith Piaf in La Vie en Rose, is the new face of the Lady Dior handbag. I was online and found this video of the “behind the scenes of the photo campaign” with Marion Cotillard photographed on the Eiffel Tower by Peter Lindbergh.  This is the first of four parts of “One Woman, Four Cities,” the name of the campaign.  The first part, set in Paris, is set to a hopelessly romantic song complete with soulful singing and violins swooning. Casting Marion Cotillard, an internationally recognized French woman is a smart move for the French luxury goods company. Who better than a woman born in Paris and famous for portraying one of France’s greatest gifts to music? Shooting on the Eiffel tower gave the photos depth, and is immensely appropriate since the pattern on the Lady Dior bag mimics the pattern of the iron facade of France’s most famous icon. The video is only 3 minutes but gives you a great glimpse of the inner workings of a high fashion photo shoot from John Galliano standing by the photographer, to the masters of hair and makeup. My favorite part was seeing the prop stylist polish the letter charms on the Dior bag and placing them just so. You can see the whole campaign and the end result of the shoot and an interview with Marion Cotillard here.

via Social Media (re)loaded

It seems like the line between fine art and fashion is getting blurred more and more.  Just this month you could visit the Chanel Mobile Art Museum in NYC, hop over to your nearest Louis Vuitton for a Takashi Murakami bag and fly to San Francisco for the YSL exhibit at the de Young Museum.  It seems like Dior wanted to get in on the art exhibit action and recently opened an exhibit in Beijing featuring the works of 21 Chinese contemporarty artists inspired by Dior fashions.  No word on whether this exhibit will travel but I hope it makes its way stateside.

More pictures after the jump.  Image Source
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Last week I was excited to share my thoughts on Sofia Coppola’s ad for Miss Dior Chérie.  I finally found a clip of the commercial - you can view it here.  It’s only 30 seconds, so take the time out to see something short and sweet.

If I was a rich girl, I would get many shiny, happy baubles from Dior Joaillerie. They have the most delicate and beautiful rings embellished with enamel and precious stones. My favorites tended to have flowers and many had curved lines and intricate details that brought to mind Mucha’s Art Nouveau masterpieces. There are so many wonderful pieces to choose from that I had a hard time narrowing it down.  They are so gorgeous, so necessary - I want them all!  Check out my favorite pieces from the Dior Joaillerie Collection after the jump.

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