FROM A FOR DRESS TO Z FOR ZAZOU

M for Fashion: with Giulia Rossi to discover the most fascinating connections between fashion and culture

FEBRUARY 2024 - GAZE

"Fashion is a language that changes continuously, a complex and articulated language, made up of words that one would like to enclose in a list, number and classify, in order to better understand"

This concludes the volume signed by Giulia Rossi – with an introduction by cultural journalist Lara Crinò, a historic signature of the L’Espresso group – and published by Pendragon in 2023. A book designed as a “dictionary”, to collect entries from A to Z through which to account for the myriad interconnections of fashion with culture as a whole. Many, too many terms to mention, and references to cinema, music, video clips and literature, which create cultural short-circuits with fashion. That’s why, with the help of Giulia Rossi, we have selected some excerpts from this very enjoyable book designed “as a starting point, a method to train the mind to break down fences and connect the dots to create new figures.” Happy reading.

A for Dress Movie Atonement by Joe Wright (2007), based on the novel of the same name by Ian McEwan (2001)

HABIT

The opening of this “dictionary” is the most questionable choice of all, the most representative dress in relation to a film or a work of art in general. Difficult because of the multitude of possible examples, impossible because of the diversity of suggestions that manage to connect clothes and stories, variously told. The dress proposed here, the green one worn by Keira Knightley for Joe Wright’s film Atonement, based on the novel by Ian McEwan and created by costume designer Jacqueline Durran, is considered one of the best in the history of cinema. The dress is the protagonist of the capital scene of the story, the one that can mark the destinies of the characters forever. Durran created this dress after studying the fashion of the time, the thirties of the twentieth century, and designed it with a wide neckline, train and bare back in full Paquin style (the French maison founded in 1891). A costume, that of Atonement, that has made history, for the narrative power it releases and the charge of sensuality that it brings to an already intriguing character. […]

L for Luxury Film: Mary Harron's American Psycho (2000) based on the novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis

LUXURY

A theme that lends itself to multiple declinations, but which actually has one and only one or only definition: luxury derives from the Latin luxus, a masculine noun with the fourth declension that variously indicates lust, debauchery, lasciviousness, pomp, splendor; and finally, excess, unruliness. In today’s sense, luxury is what it is, but it is not shown, it is not flaunted. It is something visible only to those who, ultimately, have access to it. In literature and cinema, this is not the case.

There could be many references, given the breadth of the theme. […]

There is a feature film that explores the theme of luxury in an interesting way: American Psycho by Mary Harron, based on the novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis (1991). The protagonist of the film is Patrick Bateman, a successful young man who works at a Wall Street financial firm in the 1980s. Bateman leads a life of excessive luxury, surrounded by expensive material possessions and a circle of equally wealthy friends. The film uses the symbolism of luxury in a very crude and grotesque way, highlighting the most pathological aspects of this phenomenon. The characters in the film move in extreme luxury environments, wear designer clothes and drink expensive champagne, but all this never seems to bring them real happiness or satisfaction. […]

"T for T-shirt Film: Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard (1960)"

T-SHIRT

It is a polysemic garment capable of interpreting different meanings depending on the wearer and the historical moment. The t-shirt is the blank canvas on which to write, it is an evergreen that never goes out of fashion and becomes passe-partout for many styles. In an intellectual version with the New York Herald Tribune logo, it is perfect to dress Jean Seberg, the young protagonist of the cult film of the Nouvelle Vague, Until the Last Breath by Jean-Luc Godard, in which she plays Patricia. […]

U for Uniform Movie: Elvis by Baz Luhrmann (2022)

UNIFORM

We often hear about the “allure of the uniform,” that strange and sometimes inexplicable appeal inherent in military clothing. From the blue and white nautical pattern to the camouflage trousers, military clothing has always been one of the biggest trends in fashion. Although born as a symbol of conformity, the uniform puts the wearer on a pedestal, becoming an indicator of the power conferred on the person himself. The initial purpose of uniting and homogenizing turns into its opposite. An ordinary person who wears a military garment becomes original, special and above all different from others. […]

If we talk about the complete military uniform, we cannot fail to mention Elvis Presley’s transformation after spending two years in the US army. It was March 24, 1958 when “The King Of Rock’ ‘n’ Roll” enlisted, and two more years passed before his return. In Baz Luhrmann’s latest film, he is perfectly portrayed at the time of his repatriation, dressed as “G.I.” (a slang used by American soldiers to refer to themselves) from head to toe, surrounded by screaming fans, captured not only by the appeal of the star, but also by the allure of the uniform. […]

by Giulia Rossi

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