The Great Gatsby (2013) is one of those films that you must acknowledge a relationship between fashion & film. The Roaring 20’s brought many new things out of the shadows and into mainstream culture. Of which, class and elegance ascended to the top of the period's mind. If you have seen the film then you have an idea of what's to come. If you haven't then I suggest using your downtime to experience the joys and sorrows of Mr. Gatsby. From my directing, styling, and modeling experience I understand that fashion always comes full circle. This means that fashion trends prominent in this film have seeped their way back into the industry. I picked three of my favorite characters from the film to describe their style, personality & presence.
I have to start with the main character Jay Gatsby, the man himself. He wears the most expensive style of a suit: the double-breasted three-piece. His fit isn't complete without the cane and pinky ring. The sophisticated man who sports a color palette of tawny, grey, and light blue. His shoes are of the 2 tone variety, which thankfully will never go out of style. Men didn’t want their suits to fit tailored tight to the body and Jay sticks to that script as you can see throughout the film.
Myrtle Wilson, the fierce, some would say desperate, woman. She is constantly looking for more, and the character's in the film describe her as “ The Other Woman". However, her style screams, “ I don’t care what you think!" which is uniquely bold & vampy. One of my favorite things about Myrtle Wilson is her donning a Betmar Balsa Wool cloche. This dame loved loud colors and knew how to wear them. While men may have disappointed her without having wads of cash, this devilish dame never disappoints us during the movie.
Finally, I cannot write about this movie without talking about Daisy Buchanan. She's the Damsel in Distress, the love of Jay Gatsby’s life, and a timeless sense of style. Her style embodies all of the 20s with allusions to wealth, class, elegance, taste, glamour, and even a beautiful summer day. During the film, she dons lace/nude dresses, pastels, fur, gloves, and an exhaustive list of accessories. Colors for her are off-white, summer modes, embellishments, expense AND entrance. Her style is one of my favorites not only because of her superior taste and buying power, but the clothes compliment her temperament as well. Overall, the film knocked these costumes out of the park with the help of Prada, Brooks Brothers, and Tiffany & CO. With heavyweights like this helping design, it's no wonder the film is so closely tied to the fashion industry. My only critique is there weren't enough minutes of the film to fill my need for more.
Grade: A+
Note from the Editor: Welcome tastemakers to our new weekly column: Fashion & Film. Each week tune in as we dissect films with award-winning costumes that make the best designer's swoon. We'd love to get film suggestions for future columns and enjoy the read with our new contributing writer, Nicholas Wolf.