Season_Screen_TV_Review_№6-web SSTR №5 | Page 42

OFF-CAMERA | HOW TV SERIES DICTATE FASHION HOW TV SERIES DICTATE FASHION | OFF-CAMERA HOW TV SERIES DICTATE FASHION When any new idea of a film or a series starts to bud, every producer is already trying to determine the key to its inevitable success. Everybody bets on one’s own specific feature that will take the audience by storm. Some people are open to experiments and others prefer to rely on experience. Now we’d like to draw your attention to a tendency that is becoming more and more popular year by year. Due to this tendency, movies win Oscars and famous fashion designersget inspiration for new collections. It gave birth to a completely new caste of modern style experts. Nowadays housekeepers are the best critics and stylists. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” “Boardwalk Empire” In reality, in order to look more intelligent, approximately 60% of people tend to lie about reading classic novels! Special research team worked with 2,000 members of the British public to show the tactics people use to seem smarter. The most popular trick is to pretend you are a fan of classic novels. For this purpose, 42% of people use film and TV adaptations, or summaries from the Internet to feign knowledge of the novels. Remarkably, 50% of adults admit they do nothing but simply display books on their shelves without even trying to read them. The most honest members of the surveyed group, 3% even admit they hide yellow press and tabloids they are reading inside classic books, which perhaps should make them look more intelligent! As you may have already guessed, we’re talking about fashion. Yes, about the fashion that contemporary movies and series are dictating. Sometimes images turn out to be the factor of success every creator is dreaming about. The costumes come into particular prominence and eclipse everything, from the idea to actors’performance. In these days, it is especially important, because there is so much information around that our brains overload. A picture is the one and only thing that still can attract people and get their attention. The history of high fashion in movies dates back to the fiftieths. Everything started when legendary Givenchy won his Oscar for Best Costume Designin Sabrina. Don’t forget the ingenious Breakfast at Tiffany’s – that’s where the vogue of little black dresses began. Thanks to those movies, unsurpassed Audrey Hepburn became a fashion icon. There were so many experiments since that time (from bandages on naked bodies to extravagant and elegant costumes of the ladies of London). But in this article we’d like to pay tribute to the most bright, bold, stylish, and memorable images that, without a twinge of conscience, can say that they are making history. All the male members of the top-management chose Lucky Luciano from famous series Boardwalk Empire as their style icon. Men 42 | SEASON SCREEN TV REVIEW | ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 2016 “The Grand Budapest Hotel” “Gossip Girl” attempted not only to imitate the business acumen of this character, but also to try on his fashion. Even nowadays not every man looks so stylish. Of course, nobody is wearing boutonnieres, but chequered suits are still in fashion. What about women? Of course, it would be a mistake not to mention the iconic Sex and the City. Costume designer Patricia Field created bright, unusual, and memorable costumes for the main character Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker). All Carrie’s besties looks were also created by Patricia. Sex and the City had enormous influence on the world fashion. The show has created so many trends over the years. Among them are stilettos, great coats, flower pins, initial necklaces. And it is not the whole list! If you look at the latest Oscar winners, at first you’ll think that their fashion varies greatly from the oldest one. But if you pay more attention, you’ll see that it is still the good old classics. Yes, one would hardly wear the purple livery of the Concierge in The Grand Budapest Hotel, but classical costumes in the same tone are there in many men’s collections in 2016. A couple of years ago TV series Gossip Girl became the Bible of style for all schoolgirls and students. Banal story line wasoutshined bystylish and bright looks. All the girls dreamt about being like Blair or Serena. Each girl tried to pile up money to buy such beautiful dress or at least make it herself. Lead fashion houses (such as Valentino), in their turn, at once presented different variations based on school uniforms like in Gossip Girlin their collections. The actors of the series were the people who promoted them. While watching Game of Thrones or The Hunger Games you immediately imagine all these dresses on a red carpet. This is true, because Hollywood A-list stars and their designers use these films as a plentiful source of inspiration. Ordinary girls are waiting for a chance to wear similar dresses and to wow others completely. These ways of fashion are still popular. It won’t be a surprise if The Hunger Games wins the Oscar this time. If you’re creating a look, you should pay attention to shoes. Those ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 2016 | SEASON SCREEN TV REVIEW | 43