Lauren Bacall: Her Best Style Moments
Lauren Bacall, model, actress and style icon of the 20th century, has passed away from a stroke at the age of 89.
And now magazines from Vanity Fair to Vogue are paying homage to her impeccable style.
“When Lauren Bacall strode into a room – dress shirt open and tucked into high-waisted pants, a long chain dangling below her braless sternum,” New York Magazine said today, “men practically flew from their chairs.”
Bacall, who was discovered by legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, was one of the first champions of sleek masculine style with a feminine edge.
She was a great favourite of designers like Pierre Cardin, who loved her tall thin silhouette, and was the epitome of the film noir femme fatale.
The iconic outfit for which she’ll probably be remembered most is the tailored skirt suit she wore to beguile Humphrey Bogart, later her husband, in ‘To Have And Have Not’. It was a famous outfit precisely because it could have been so unsexy in other hands – but her personality made it sizzle.
But off-screen her signature style was high-waisted trousers, often with a midriff-displaying top, and sleek, fuss-free gowns for evening.
Wanting inspiration? Her premiere style has always been excellent – her sequinned gown to the premiere of ‘How To Marry A Millionaire’ in 1954 was elegant without being over-the-top.
For pure sophistication, her blue suit from that movie, opposite Marilyn Monroe, was all sophistication (less so the wedding gown she wore to marry aforementioned millionaire). And if you want a masterclass in 1950s dressing, the entire wardrobe of her film Designing Women is worth ogling over.
And she was always properly accessorised – with pearls, a fur, a great jacket, ora t least her signature flicked hair.
What was your favourite Bacall look?
Images: Bacall’s best style moments.
Opening Ceremony Doing A ‘One-Act Play’ For NYFW
Opening Ceremony have never been ‘just’ a fashion brand.
And now the avant-garde New York fashion designers are staging a one-act play as their NYFW show in September.
It has a hefty pedigree, too. Spike Jonze, who also worked with Opening Ceremony on projects related to his films ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ and ‘Her’, is at the helm, and Jonah Hill is on board too.
Jonze and Hill are writing the play together, though Humberto Leon, one of Opening Ceremony’s designers, has been close-lipped about what it will actually be.
“We were really excited about [Jonze] writing an original script and seeing how this would take shape,” said Leon.
The master of runway-shows-that-weren’t was the late Alexander McQueen, who staged intricate performances that involved dancers, chess sets, two-way mirrors and other extravagances for his label before his death.
We presume the clothes will be on the stage somewhere, though whether they’re on the actors or not remains to be seen: they might be the backdrop, the characters, or something else entirely.
And there’s no word on whether the play will use models or not.
The show, which is on September 7, is sure to be a sell-out – though with most shows running at under 20 minutes in length, we hope Jonze and Opening Ceremony can keep the fashion pack’s attention with their drama.
What do you want the Opening Ceremony play to be about? A satire about Anna Wintour? A romp through New York fashion history?
Image: Spike Jonze for Opening Ceremony.
Audrey Hepburn’s Granddaughter Makes Modelling Debut
It’s the week for Old Hollywood style news. Audrey Hepburn’s granddaughter Emma Ferrer has made her modelling debut for Harper’s Bazaar in a shoot inspired by the style of her famous grandmother.
The whole shoot is a family affair, too. Emma, Audrey’s granddaughter via her eldest son, is being shot by the grandson of photographer Richard Avedon, one of Audrey’s greatest friends and collaborators.
And the shoot is great inspiration for melding Audrey’s timeless looks into a modern wardrobe.
For Breakfast at Tiffany’s, for instance – inspiration for a million Halloween costumes – Harper’s has put Ferrer in a broad-brimmed white hat with huge black check, updating the wide-eyed Hepburn’s look as she gazes into Tiffany’s windows.
When it comes to Funny Face, Ferrer is in cropped trousers and a black turtleneck, but her shoes – black brogues – are all 2014.
And Hepburn’s famous pared-back evening style, which was essentially created for her by Hubert Givenchy, is emulated in a Lanvin monochrome dress – though the long sleeves are definitely Ferrer’s style and not her grandmother’s.
Unfortunately Ferrer never met her grandmother in the flesh: she died before she was born.
What do you think of Harper’s homage?
Images: Emma Ferrer for Harper’s Bazaar.