Russian Imperial Style: Anna K

The romantic saga of the ill fated Anna Karenina has played out on film, television and even operas --- this time around director Joe Wright envisioned a different twist and portrayed the epic on a "beautiful decaying theatre" in 1870's Russia via a soundstage at London's Shepperton Studios.

Wright teamed once again with production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spencer (the trio worked on the period dramas Atonement and Pride & Prejudice) who created the social worlds of St. Petersburg and Moscow in the late 1800s to period perfection in an exhausting 12 week timeframe.

The love affair hits theaters Friday, November 16th. Read more in my piece for The Hollywood Reporter, "$50 Million, 100 Sets and One Stage: The Visual Splendor of Anna Karenina."

Greenwood was influenced by the popular 1935 Anna K version starring Greta Garbo

Anna K's Vivien Leigh in 1948

Keira Knightley in the 2012 version

Shepperton studio set with copy of heaven room mural at UK's Burghley House

Russian Imperial furnishings for the master bedroom on the theatre stage set

Ice skating rink was one of the many different types of staged sets that included horse races, opera houses, ballrooms and train stations 

God is in the Details:  Period Perfect Accessories

Leo Tolstoy's novel of society and adultery also influenced Banana Republic's fall collection for 2012 Inspired by the work of costume designer Jacqueline Durran, the collection's key fashion notes are faux fur, lace, brocade and velvet in rich burgandy, merlot and black. The Holiday 76 piece line is available for both men and women.

Banana Republic's Anna K Fall collection above and below

Photo Credits: Focus Features, Banana Republic

The Perfect Cocktail: The Marriage of The Banana and Mad Men

Coming soon to a mall near you will be the sixties style fashions from AMC's popular hit series Mad Men. Emmy winning costume designer Jane Bryant teamed with the venerable retail chain to design a 65 item collection that includes everything from suits and dresses to men's hats and a leopard coat. I have always loved the tailored classics of the sixties and for those of us who love nostalgia, great lines and retro fashions, it's a closet godsend.

The collection sprung out of a friendship with Banana creative director Simon Keene and Bryant who clearly appreciate the intrinsic value of a good white shirt. And it's all here -- the two button men's suit, trench coats, high waisted skirts and leopard print pumps just to name a few. Items will range from 198.00 for a faux leopard coat to 450.00 for a men's suit. Information on the collection is  available on Facebook  and the AMC website and for those of you on Gilt Groupe, the fashions will also be offered here on Monday, July 25th for 36 hours beginning at noon - a full three weeks before the fashions hit the stores.

This is not the first time Mad Men mania has influenced styles -- Brooks Brothers designed a men's suit last year and Nailtini teamed with Bryant to come up with nail polish colors such as the Garden Party Collection below.

Throw on a cluster of pearls and leather gloves and you too can channel your inner Betty or Joan. Toss on a crisp white shirt and a trilby hat for a Sterling Cooper/Don Draper look when the collection hits stores August 10th.

Thankfully we have the Banana to remind us of all things Madison Avenue sixties as  Season Five series will not resume until 2012. Until then, get your fix with some Doris Day/Rock Hudson movies and Dean Martin television show reruns.

And speaking of Mad Men, stay tuned for my interview/Array Magazine cover story with the show's Bryan Batt (who played Salvatore Romano, closeted art director) and his upcoming design book big, Easy Style (Clarkson Potter, October, 2011). He is thoroughly charming, entertaining and very multi-talented and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend his first book/loving and hilarious tribute to his late mother, She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother as well as his New Orleans store Hazelnut. I just hope the powers that be at Mad Men (are you listening Matt Weiner?) bring him back on the show next year. As Batt noted, "Well Matt says my character is not dead" which is always a good sign.

Photo Credits: Banana Republic, Clarkson Potter