Last night my housemate Sam and I watched Annie Hall. Now, this is one of those iconic films which everyone references and makes grandiose statements about, like: 'the film that established Woody Allen as a pioneering film-maker and introduced the world to flashback narrative' etc etc. So it is fair to say that my expectations were astonishingly high and I was prepared to have a quizzical look of disappointment on my face as the credits rolled. I was very very wrong. This was one of the best films I have seen in a very....VERY long time. No special effects, no pretentious actors or elaborate costumes, just plain and simple witty, intelligent dialogue and raw, unaffected charisma (on the part of Diane Keaton mostly). There were so many classic quotes about sex, racism and male/female relations which both shocked and amused me, not to mention the beauty of the New York setting, the seriously retro cool VW beetle convertible and of course THE STYLING!
Annie Hall is always referenced as the primary instance of androgynous chic/women wearing men's clothing and looking, not just sophisticated and suave, but quirky and really quite sexy in an offbeat way. The main costume which is referenced is this:
Chinos worn high-waisted with a brown leather belt, long-sleeved white shirt, tightly knotted spotty tie and black waistcoat with only the top button done up (genius styling)
- the look was completed earlier in the film with Diane's hair tied up in a loose bun and covered with a slightly broad rimmed floppy black hat.
I love this look for the take on masculine tailoring but there were plenty of other subtle but really effective ways that Diane wore mens clothing.
Bad image, but you get the general idea. Hair in a a loose high bun with a pale pale blue men's short-sleeve shirt with the collar turned up and white, slightly high-waisted cotton shorts.
Later in the film there is another great variation on a men's casual suit, where Diane wears chinos again with a thin brown leather belt, but with a maroon based checked shirt buttoned all the way up with a dark grey oversized blazer. That's the thing I love about the styling on this film, that it plays with gender roles and proportions- Diane wears several blazers but none of them are fitted, they are all oversized. Likewise with the dresses, like the white boho maxi dress she wears in the 'break-up' scene.
Throughout the film there is a consistent colour theme as well. Diane is always wearing neutrals or muted tones of dark purple and maroon. She wears a lot of beige, white and black which, again, plays on the men's tailoring theme. Layering is also key- she rarely wears just one item, it is always layered with a waistcoat, blazer, scarf or additional top.
It is obvious that the Annie Hall styling is still prevalent today, even in new season collections of high fashion. You only have to look at the neutral minimalism of designers like Hannah MacGibbon at Chloe and Phoebe Philo at Celine to see the impact the film still has.
Check out the styling from Chloe's advertising campaign (this is from the April issue of Bazaar)- layering, high-buttoned shirts, thin leather belts, muted colour palette....
More oversized, high-waisted, high-buttoned masculine tailoring at Chloe.
And again at Celine!
So, the big lesson to be learnt from Annie Hall, Chloe and Celine is that it is more than ok to work masculine tailoring if you're a woman! Just bring the look up to date with a modern piece such as a leather tshirt or shorts, and pair with some killer heels. We don't need to go all out by accessorizing this look with manish brogues or loafers.
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