And the Losers Were...

While the award winners are at the core of next week's Academy Awards celebration, the red carpet fashions always run a close second. Much will be written, photographed, critiqued (and knocked off the day after) about Hollywood's version of fashion week. One thing continues to puzzle me -- with all the loaned jewelry, couture dresses and stylists available, why are there so many disasters and missteps? To paraphrase Sanford Blatch in an old Sex and the City episode, "it's fashion roadkill."

Here is a walk down memory lane to some of the most controversial appearances on the red carpet. And it begs the question, what were they thinking?

Barbara Streisand wore this "at first glance it's conservative but on second look it's see-through" number when she accepted her 1969 Best Actress award for Funny Girl. As it often happens in these cases, the outfit gets as much coverage as the win! Arnold Scassi was the designer.

Cher is a perennial favorite on the worst dressed list and perhaps she likes it that way. One thing is for sure -- she will always be covered in the press. According to the LA Times, Cher wore this Bob Mackie number in protest of the Oscar dress code. Her ostrich-feather headdress reportedly weighed 50 pounds.

John Galliano of Dior designed this backwards tuxedo suit for Celine Dion in 1999. Sadly this was not interesting from the front or the back but certainly drew attention.

Christian Lacroix concocted this gown for Uma Thurman and it does nothing for her whatsoever. It appears to be a combination toga/shirtdress/mess.

Lara Flynn Boyle was skewered by the fashion critics for her pre-Black Swan ballerina ensemble.

Kim Basinger wore this homemade frock at the 1990's show. The white satin gown had cryptic lettering down the arm of the sleeve that was no doubt influenced by Prince (who was her boyfriend at the time).

Gena Davis often lands on worst dressed lists and 1992 could not have been a worst time to be singled out as she was nominated for Best Actress for Thelma and Loiuse.

Angelina Jolie took her cues from the Addams Family's Morticia in 2000 and went total Goth in this Versace gown. She took home the Oscar for Girl, Interrupted.

In terms of sheer originality, I actually rather liked this dress worn by Lizzie Gardner that was made of gold American Express Cards.  Gardner is a costume designer and won for her work in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1990. Amex used the photo in their ads with the tagline "You Only Need One in Your Wallet."

And last but not least, singer Bjork in yet another ballerina got bad look. At least the bird wasn't real. Enough said.

More to report next week as we hear the phrases "You look amazing" and "Who are you wearing"ad nauseum!

The Gatsby of Agents

Superagent  Ed Limato passed away last July and was blessed with loyal, dedicated clients. His roster while at William Morris and ICM included Michelle Pfeiffer, Steve Martin, Richard Gere, Denzel Washington and Steve Martin just to name a few. His Oscar parties were legendary -- so much so that Variety's Peter Bart coined him "The Gatsby of Agents."  He was a throwback to the days of Old Hollywood, acting as a full service hand-holding agent. He talked a reticent Gere into starring in Pretty Woman, landed Pfeiffer the Scarface role that put her on the map and conducted damage control due to the overactive mouth of Mel Gibson.   "Great legends," he infamously said, "are usually people who die young because they didn't live long enough to spoil their image."

His Coldwater Canyon estate -- known as "Heather House" -- was built in l936 by actors Dick Powell and Joan Blondell and later owned by George Raft. Apparently his screening room was named "Marlene Dietrich and the game room was lined with Hirschfeld caricatures from the old MGM commissary.

A.N. Abell Auction Company will auction some of Limato's incredible treasures this Sunday, February 20th. (You can see the exhibit now  through the l9th from 9 am - 4 pm). Some of the items include gifts from his clients:

Vasily Kafanov: Winter Scene Landscape (Lot #475)
This was a gift from Michelle Pfeiffer when she filmed Russia House. Very fitting!
Estimate 2500/3500

Roman Scene Capriccio - Attributed to Antonoi Joli (Lot #274)

Old Masters painting was a gift from Mel Gibson.

Estimate 20,000/25,000

Antique Mallard Decoy (Lot #146)

Richard Gere presented Limato with this during the filming of An Officer and A Gentlemen.

Estimate 400/600

Marlene Dietrich Signed Photographs (Lot 599)

From Limato's personal collection.

Estimate 700/1000

For more details, see the auction's website here.

And many thanks to the Wall Street Journal for their piece Highbrow Trivia, Elle Decor's Designed for Drama and Variety's Pros Setting Vetting coverage on my book Designs on Film! Also check out my interview on LA's NPR KCRW station along with their very interesting piece on The Black Swan.
Most appreciated!

Photo Credits: A.N. Abell, The Inside Pitch (Limato shot)

CatWomen

Actress Anne Hathaway has not only added Oscar host to her resume, she has also joined the ranks of Catwoman, signing on for "The Dark Knight Also Rises" last month. (Story has it she beat out Keira Knightley and Jessica Biel for the role). The film is directed by Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale returns as Batman. Here are some of the many women who have previously bared their claws on both the small and silver screen as the infamous Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman:

Anne Hathaway

Julie Newmar was the first woman to don the catsuit, starring in television's Batman in 1966-1967.
Her costume emphasized her hourglass figure and  now resides in the Smithsonian.

Model Lee Meriwether joined the Dynamic Duo in the 1966 film version of Batman...

while Eartha Kitt soon followed in the feline role for third and final season of the television show.

Michelle Pfeiffer took the role to the screen in 1992's Batman Returns and the scene where she voraciously laps up milk is priceless. Annette Bening was slated for the part but her pregnancy intervened. Pfeiffer was excellent as the mousy secretary who is thrown off a building by her boss (Christopher Walken) and brought back to life by a herd of feral cats.

Halle Berry did not fare so well with the critics for her turn as Patience Phillips/Catwoman and won a Golden Raspberry in 2004.  At least she looked the part.

For now, I am looking forward to Anne's appearance on the Oscars. That could potentially be a much harder role than Catwoman!

The Contenders

I just got back from Los Angeles for a week of book promotion events and was honored to attend the Art Directors Guild Gala for Excellence in Production Design awards last night. The event was held at the Beverly Hills Hilton (same place as the Golden Globes), red carpet, celebs and all.  Designs on Film was honored and the evening was magical. 

The awards went to Inception, Black Swan, The King's Speech, Saturday Night Live and Mad Men among many others. Congrats to all! I will post photographs and blog  at a later date as jet lag is setting in!

In the meantime, here is my two cents on the Oscar race as covered by Variety. You can read the article here.

Before They Were Films, They Were Sketches

Tom Walsh, President of the Art Directors Guild and I had the pleasure of being interviewed by
Susan Stamberg of NPR's Morning Edition this past week. The show focused on Designs on Film: A Century of Hollywood Art Direction and the NPR website did a wonderful accompanying piece on their website "Long Before Computers, How Movies Made Us Believe."

I love film art and thought you would enjoy a few renderings from the book. Above is production designer John De Cuir Sr.'s barge design for Cleopatra and below is the centerpiece set for Dr. Zhivago, the ice palace. Shot on set in Spain (and in the summer no doubt), production designer John Box literally placed wax on everything inside the dacha while a prop man dutifully followed him with a bucket of cold water and splashed the wax. Hence the look of ice cycles and one of the most memorable sets in Hollywood history.

Production designer Stephen Gooson's designs for the lamasery in Lost Horizons -- built and shot on the Columbia studio ranch. The film's version of Shangri La was built to scale in two months and the designers were strongly influenced by Buddhist buildings and the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Production designer William Cameron Menzies designed over 2000 sketches for the storyboards for Gone With the Wind. The watercolor of Tara below is by artist Dorothea Holt Redmond. Tara cost $12,000 to build on the Selznick backlot and telephone poles were wrapped to resemble trees. Sorry to spoil the grandeur of Tara.

Chinatown restaurant scene with Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway above and continuity sketch below. The period film was designed by Richard Sylbert.

If you are in the Los Angeles area this week, I will be signing books on Thursday, February 3rd at Barnes and Noble, 1800 Crans Avenue in Manhattan Beach from 11-3 PM and Book Soup on Friday, February 4th at 7:00 PM in West Hollywood. I will also be speaking at the Beverly Hills Women's Club with a book signing to follow on Thursday evening at 6:30. For more information see their website here.
Whew!

Photo Credits: Columbia Pictures, Paramount, MGM, Twentieth Century Fox, Art Directors Guild

Congratulations Are in Order

The Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Costume were announced this morning and several of the lucky winners will soon be clearing space off the mantel. And yes, above is Vivien Leigh finding a spot for her Oscar for Gone With the Wind (1939).

And the nominees are...

Best Costume

The King's Speech:  Jenny Beavan, Costume Designer

This nomination was totally expected as the costumes are impeccable, well designed and researched and most importantly, not distracting. Of special note were the King's bespoke suits and the Queen Mum's hats. (I am also hoping vintage fur was used). This is not Beavan's first time at bat as she brought home the gold for A Room With a View.

True Grit:   Mary Zophres, Costume Designer

The perfect costume can immediately help an actor get into character and Zophres's designs for Rooster Cogburn's overcoat, Lucky Ned's wooly angora chaps  and La Boeuf's buckskin were as realistic as possible.  As Jeff Bridges notes, "You didn't have to do much acting to feel as if you were in those times."

The Tempest:  Sandy Powell, Costume Designer

Powell's  courtly attire gives a lush feel to the Julie Taymor's adapation of the Shakespearean play. Powell won her third Oscar last year for her period designs for The Young Victoria (prior awards include Shakespeare in Love and The Aviator).


Alice in Wonderland: Colleen Atwood, Costume Designer

Actors Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen) and Anne Hathaway (White Queen) were almost unrecognizable as they were transformed into characters of the beloved Lewis Carroll classic.  Colleen Atwood wanted a more authentic look with Elizabethan and Victorian references in the costumes.

I Am Love: Antonnella Cannarozzi, Costume Designer

Cannarozzi collaborated with Jil Sander and Fendi for sheer perfection. The tailor made suits, Swinton's tangerine sheaths, Berenson in mink cape and Hermes were very fitting for this period drama of a wealthy Milanese family at the turn of the century.



Best Art Direction

The King's Speech: Eve Stewart, Production Designer and Judy Farr, Set Decorator

The Academy loves a period film and this nomination is certainly well deserved. Stewart had the

difficult  task of designing the world of the royals and commoners on a budget. From Logue's shabby/chic artist's studio to the stately rooms of Buckingham and Balmoral Palaces, Stewart and

have created some of the most memorable interiors of the year.

Alice in Wonderland:  Robert Stromberg, Production Designer and Karen O'Hara, Set Decorator

The Academy also tends to award fantasy films and this year proved to be one of the most fruitful with director Tim Burton's Alice and Wonderland leading the pack. Designed by Robert Stromberg (who won for last year's highly inventive designs for Avatar), the effects are pure "Burtonesque", alot of colorful digital eye candy as seen in Wonderland the Underland (think beneath the rabbit hole).

Inception: Guy Hendrix Dyas, Production Designer and Larry Dias and Doug Mowat, Set Decorator

Is it a dream or is it reality? That was the challenge Dyas faced in designing the sets for Inception who literally conceived the plans on the walls of director Christopher Nolan's garage. From the dream city built by Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) in his own mind to the Japanese castle, 20th century architecture played a major role.

True Grit:  Jess Gonchor, Production Designer and Nancy Haigh, Set Decorator

No swinging saloon doors here, Gonchor and   meticulously designed a post Civil War town (Granger, Texas became Fort Smith, Arkansas) to represent "America on the uprise" which meant brick buildings with awnings and balconies.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part One,  Stuart Craig, Production Designer and Stephanie McMillen, Set Decorator

The ceremony will be telecast on Sunday, February 27th. Good luck to all!

Photo Credits: The Weinstein Company, Magnolia Pictures, Miramax, Walt Disney, Paramount, Fox Searchlight, Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures

A tip of the hat to the movies

Be it a chapeau, bowler, cap or bonnet, a character in the cinema is easily identified by the hat they wear. Think of Indiana Jones sable fedora,  Bogart and his Borsalino, Garbo making a point in Ninotchka (and starting a major trend), Bonnie's beret, Eliza Doolittle's over the top Edwardian number or Samantha's straw beach hat on steroids worn in Sex and the City and you get the picture.

Such is the topic of the "Cinema with a Hat: Borsalino and Other Stories," a unique exhibition in Milan that explores the connection between headgear and the movies. The exhibition tells the relationship of the hat and its ability to arouse emotions -- fear and seduction for example -- as well as making a show-stopping fashion statement on screen. Much of the displays are also devoted to Borsalino, a name synonymous with the classic men's felt hat.

Audrey Hepburn's Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady

Faye Dunaway in Bonne and Clyde

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones

Humphrey Bogart

Kim Cattrall in Sex and the City

The exhibit at the Triennalle di Milano runs now through March 20th so if you can't get away/snowed in/totally unfeasible/no time, I suggest watching Suzy Menke's interview for the New York Times below and enjoy!