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Saturday, April 7
THE INFLUENCE OF OPULENCE
We open the film festival with a film that has influenced fashion designers for decades: Ziegfeld Girl from MGM in 1941. Its opulent costumes are designed by Adrian and are worn by some of the most glamorous actresses in Hollywood at the time, including Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner. The extravagant show dresses display an element of fantasy and beauty that went on to influence designers such as Bob Mackie, Bill Blass, and James Bidgood. In the 2009 documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor, designer Valentino memorably states: “I remember Ziegfeld Girl…Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Jimmy Stewart… You know for me, a young guy of 13, to see this sort of beauty… I think from that moment I decide: I want to make clothes for ladies.” Adrian’s designs in Ziegfeld Girl have influence on the 21st Century too – if you have ever seen the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show you’ll understand what we mean.
Ziegfeld Girl
Narrative Feature
Dir: Robert Z. Leonard, Busby Berkeley
Writers: Marguerite Roberts, Sonya Levien, William Anthony McGuire, Annalee Whitmore
Starring: James Stewart, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr
Costume Design: Adrian
1941, United States
Synopsis: In the 1920's, the Ziegfeld Follies were the biggest shows on Broadway, and every young woman in New York dreamed of becoming a Ziegfeld Girl. Being discovered by Ziegfeld opened the door to success, but not everyone got through without trouble. Three young women are caught in a whirl of success, opportunity, and temptation after making it into the Follies.
TAILORING THE MAN
With the advent of street style blogs examining the way men dress throughout the world, the past few years have seen a resurgent interest in the way men dress. The modern day dandy is absorbed in the details of line, fit, material and tailoring, considering every nuance until the perfect ensemble is achieved. Chris Floyd’s short documentaries capture this intimate process of how men get dressed, while the documentary feature Jack Taylor of Beverly Hills traces the unique history of Hollywood’s tailoring legend of yesteryear, Jack Taylor.
How I Get Dressed/The Way I Dress
Documentary
Dir: Chris Floyd
Starring: Patrick Floyd, Joseph Corre, Theo Hutchcraft
2010, United Kingdom
Synopsis: This series of short documentaries are portraits depicting different men and their approach to the daily ritual of dressing. “I was looking to film a quiet, dignified study of a gentleman at the most contemplative part of his day – the time he spends dressing and preparing to face the world – and not, as Joe Corre put it, 'poke around in my sock drawer.'"
Jack Taylor of Beverly Hills (112 min)
Documentary
Dir: Cecile Leroy Beaulieu
Writers: Cecile Leroy Beaulieu
Starring: Jack Taylor, Jason Schwartzman, Roman Alonso
2007, United States
Synopsis: Through candid interviews and precious hours spent in Jack's dynamic presence, this film documents the colorful life of Jack Taylor, who in his nineties works everyday with as much precision, wit, and panache as ever. He is the conummate craftsman, measuring, custom fitting, and perfecting suits made of the finest fabric and material—suits that have again and again brought out the best in men's fashion. This is more than the story of a fashion pioneer; it is a bittersweet portrayal of old Hollywood, detailing the demise of not only custom tailoring, but an era.
SPEAKER EVENT: TAILORING THE MAN
On The Pocket Square blog on the San Francisco Chronicle’s SFGate, Aaron Britt discusses the nuances of form, design, style, and all other matters male and sartorial. As a part of the FashFilmFest’s menswear block, Aaron will discuss current trends (and mistakes) in fit, tailoring,
and detail with FashFilmFest co-founder Annie Wilson.
Aaron Britt is a freelance writer and the senior editor at Dwell Magazine. In addition to writing and lecturing on architecture and design for Dwell, dwell.com, and Print Magazine, he writes the men’s style column The Pocket Square for the San Francisco Chronicle. He’s also written for the New York Times, Wired Magazine, Afar, Newsweek and others. Britt graduated from Amherst College in 2003 with a degree in English. He resides in San Franciso.
INDIE SHORTS
When the San Francisco Fashion Film Festival opened a call for Independent Film submissions, we had no idea of the breadth and creativity we would receive from filmmakers throughout the world. Provocative and intriguing, these shorts present different takes on how we definite fashion and what we would do to get it.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands:
Fine Dining, Fashion Victim, The Empty Desire, Trickery Cage, Gasp
London, United Kingdom:
Fantastic Man Series, House of Holland, Men or Man Series, Natural Beauty, Charlie Le Mindu, La Taille
FUTURISTIC HEROINES
Some of the most memorable costumes on film have come from sci-fi/fantasy films. In this pairing, we look at two stories set in futuristic societies where women are strong, sexy, and dressed (or undressed) accordingly. Roger Vadim’s playful Barbarella from 1968 offers a tongue-in-cheek take at the power of sex appeal in the year 40,000. With a striking style full of color and texture, Barbarella is a time capsule of 1960s pop, propelled by the stunning Jane Fonda, who always finds time to change her costume. By contrast, The Matrix from 1999 presents a dark palette of grays, blacks and greens to designate its futuristic world run by machines. The cyber-punk look of the characters developed by costume designer Kym Barrett, uses lean leathers and eyewear to consolidate the power of the human rebels. Carrie-Ann Moss’ character Trinity redefines the action-film heroine with her ability to be both sexy and a warrior in one.
Barbarella (98 min)
Narrative Feature
Dir: Roger Vadim
Writers: Jean-Claude Forest, Claude Brulé
Starring: Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg
Costume Design: Jacques Fonteray, Paco Rabanne
1968, United States
Synopsis: In the far future, a highly sexual woman is tasked with finding and stopping the evil Durand-Durand. Along the way she encounters various unusual people.
The Matrix (136 min)
Narrative Feature
Dir: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Writers: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
Costume Design: Kym Barrett
1999, United States
Synopsis: A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.
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