Sorry Ladies, when we say New Wave we don’t mean feathered 80s bangs and Depeche Mode. If you don’t know, let us put you on to New Wave Cinema, a French film movement that people sit up and take notice of fashion’s importance to culture at large.

Emerging in the 60s, directors that were a part of the growing New Wave movement aimed to capture the every-day life of the average Parisian of the time period, an exciting time for fashion. The 60s was the breeding ground for the laid-back, distinctly French style that would become what’s known today as the “gamine” look, a casual combination of basics and classics that manage to look chic at all times. Because the 1960s was also a time of political rebellion in France, students and other young people (particularly women) were actively involved in shaking up the status quo and getting the government to change their outdated and unfair policies on education, immigration, and other socially pressing issues. Looking stunning was the last thing on a woman’s mind. Instead, she wore flats and breezy dresses perfect for protesting in, and donned schoolboy looks that were heavily influenced by political idols like Mao Zedong. The combination of classic cuts, simple fabrics, and basic prints (stripes and easy florals) became a favorite for Parisian women whether at work, at the supermarket, and especially in the picket lines.

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When Diane Keaton came in for her first meeting with the wardrobe lady on the set of Annie Hall in 1975, her layered, mannish look was so off-putting that the costumer slyly told Woody Allen “Tell her not to wear that. She can’t wear that. It’s so crazy”. Not one to shy away from eccentricities, Allen defended Keaton’s kookie garb, shooting back, “She’s a genius. Just leave her alone! Let her wear what she wants!” Little did the costume department know that Keaton’s look in the Oscar nominated film would set off fashion trends still followed today…

The story of a young, Midwestern woman trying to carve out a creative, and romantic, identity for herself in New York City during the mid 70s, Woody Allen created the character specifically for Keaton, his girlfriend at the time. In fact, most of the film is loosely based around their relationship, and the idea that love doesn’t always last forever.

Besides the Oscar winning film’s unique visual style – characters often break the “fourth wall” to address the audience directly, and takes are often long and focus less on action and more on talking – it also went to great lengths to portray the new, emerging woman of the time. This wasn’t the woman of the 1950s households who stayed home and baked cookies for her husband! Hell no, the new woman of the 70s was one who had been exposed to the wild and crazy free lovin’ of the 1960s, and enlightened by the Feminist movement at the same time. She wasn’t perfect, nor did she feel the need to pretend she was. She was smart, fierce, and free spirited, in control of her destiny and the world around her. Keaton’s Annie Hall is the perfect example of that. Lovable, quirky, eccentric, and interested in a million-and-one different things, female audiences fell in love with her Bohemian independence and stylish, androgynous threads.

Slouchy, widelegged chinos and tailored waistcoat vests were staples of Annie’s menswear-chic. Just as scattered as her speech was her layering of mens’ oxford shirts, ties, fringed scarves, and dresses n’ sweaters, that really set her apart from the average All-American look at the time. With her collar popped and an oversized blazer perched on her shoulders, Annie reached for her floppy bowler hat, laced up her vintage wingtip flats, and set out to tackle the world. Check out the lobster scene below, and you’ll quickly pick up on the fact that Annie was never afraid to be who she was! Log on to today’s hottest fashion hot-or-not sites, like lookbook.nu, and you’ll see about a hundred Annie-look-alikes keeping the spirit of the vintage-esque, masculine layered look that Keaton and Allen captured so brilliantly in Annie Hall, alive and kickin’!

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With neon brights, fanny packs, and bike hats making a return this Spring, it’s safe to say that Retro is the new black. From Fruiton in Las Vegas, to the Retro Kids in New York, it seems that everyone is trying to bring a taste of the old skool to fashion. When you think back to the era of Freshness, circa 1989-1993, a certain style comes to mind, one that celebrates bright prints, body-hugging spandex, and fly sneakers. This was the booming era of hip hop, and the era of a new breed of young, Black filmmakers who made it their mission to bring images of the urban life they lived to the big screen.

Directors such as Spike Lee, John Singleton, and Reginald Hudlin released a good number of films in the late 80s’ and early 90s’ that were not only blockbuster successes, but also positively portrayed themes such as urban life, love, and family. Even though these directors did focus on the nitty-gritty of day-to-day life in the hood, including race relations and gang violence, they still found a way to keep things light-hearted. One of the biggest ways these directors were able to show that the hood could still be fun was fashion!

Fashion heavily influenced the overall cinematic look and feel of these films. Kente and a slew of other African prints superimposed onto bright neons defined the ballers on the courts in White Men Can’t Jump. Wesley Snipes’ flipped up bike cap, in live colors, became a staple on and off the court. Similarly, House Party stood out more because of the Hedlin’s attention to detail– Kid N Play’s flat-tops were some of the highest I’ve ever seen, and Sidney (the female lead) was decked out in doorknockers and matching bright yellow harem-leg overalls. Peep her outfit in the famous “dance-off” scene below, can it get any fresher than this?!

Even better was when fashion became an active plot point. Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing used Buggin Out’s stepped on Jordans (the brand new 4’s, now christened the “Spizikes” because of their importance to the film) as the launching pad for exploring racial tensions in Brooklyn.

Come Summer ‘09, I’ll definitely be popping some of the 90s best into my DVD player to brush up on my Retro Fresh look. And you better hope my Jordans aren’t stepped on!