Darkness Falls
Black lace, red lips, below-the-knee skirts, gloves, and plunging necklines: Fashion celebrates ’40s films noir with its darkly glamorous collections, setting a dangerous, decadent mood for the season. By Varun Rana
If this season were to have a brand ambassador, Malèna, from the cult Italian movie of the same name (2000), would be it. Signora Malèna, played by Monica Bellucci—the young, disturbingly beautiful wife of an army officer away in WWII—unknowingly stokes the fantasies of an adolescent boy and is accused of adultery. Seductive, mysterious, feminine, strong, and bearing the stamp of period drama, it’s a mirror to Fall 2013. It’s as if the entire fashion industry took part in a shared dream of a tormented, glamorous femme fatale harking back to the Hollywood of the ’40s and ’50s. Jane Greer, Gloria Grahame, Rita Hayworth, Ann Savage, Barbara Stanwyck, Teresa Wright, and Lauren Bacall are the heroines—along with Marlene Dietrich—whose characters have inspired this season’s key looks.
It is between six key shows that the entire season’s obsession with noir can be encapsulated. At Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci put up what is being called the lineup of Fall 2013. Through the resurrected, embellished sweatshirt, dangerous leather jackets, and seductively transparent, embroidered skirts, the designer captured the dark-glam feel the best. At Bottega Veneta, Tomas Maier paired black driving gloves with belted cocktail dresses and heeled brogues (points for androgyny), which he sent out with a slick-and-pouffed hairstyle that instantly recalled the ’40s. Gucci’s Frida Giannini, inspired by Hitchcock heroines, sent out skirt-suits in oxblood wool and decadent gold jacquards, and mixed shimmering silks with lacework and feathers that brought a fatale opulence to the looks. Miuccia Prada, with her models who had just stepped out of the shower (unkempt, wet hair, fresh, dewy skin, and red lips), showcased a more everyday, Woody Allen-esque side of noir through off-shoulder cuts layered either atop sweaters or under tweed overthings. She maintained the glamour with beaded skirts worn under a croc trench or a fur jacket, and the key pieces in her show were the belts that cinched flared frock-coat dresses and fitted skirt-suits alike. Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz showed his take on noir through belted silk-jacquard dresses, cinched jackets, and leather jacket-silk skirt combos that would have looked ideal on Ingrid Bergman in an Alfred Hitchcock thriller. And Marc Jacobs encapsulated similar, darkly seductive characters in the négligées he sent out layered with embellished trench coats at Louis Vuitton, playing on risqué innerwear elements as outerwear.
While previous seasons that have riffed on glamour have been about making an entrance, this one is more about getting ready to stylishly off anybody who gets in your way. Think arsenic and silk gloves. Or according to net-a-porter’s fashion director Holli Rogers, lace, one of the most important factors in the making of the trend. “It instantly creates a darker mood, and when combined with subtle details such as pleating, peplum shapes, accentuated waists, and mid-lengths, you’re immediately transformed to a world of grown-up glamour.” Take for instance the guipure nets that the otherwise-sporty Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler sent out towards the end of their show (their nod to the trend), or the embellished, red Chantilly frocks that made a statement on Dolce & Gabbana’s ramp (Malèna would wear these in black).
Other ways in which designers have played on noir is through the use of below-the-knee skirts (Dior, Marc Jacobs, and the flouncing, full-circle ones at Rochas), and deep V necklines (Roland Mouret, Elie Saab, and even Céline showed a few). The leather jacket, another noir staple, has taken a modern avatar and evolved into the newly refined styles seen at Marni, Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane, and Balmain. Caroline Blomst, the star bloggerturned-designer who captures Stockholm’s street style in carolinesmode.com (move over, Scott Schuman) is a fan. “Leather jackets instantly recall a dark feel, and at the same time are wearable, everyday pieces.”
The belted waist is also a common thread that the runs through most collections that play on the dark side. And this, according to Cecilia Morelli Parikh, co-founder of multi-
“Lace instantly creates a darker mood...with accentuated waists, and mid-lengths, you’re immediately transformed to a world of grown-up glamour.” Holli Rogers
designer store Le Mill in Mumbai, is one of the easiest ways to wearing this trend. “I think accentuating the waist is a great lesson (this season). A lot of our clients are shy about their waistline, but I cannot emphasise enough how playing it up is flattering for almost every body type,” she says. Parikh lists Philip Lim, Alexander Wang, and of course Prada as the go-to names while looking for style inspiration.
However, if red lipstick and lace isn’t for you, “the trend can literally be interpreted as just ‘wear black’, which can actually be quite novel in India (where colour is thought to work best),” Parikh adds. And there is no shortage of that this season. Even something as simple as pairing your day blacks with long gloves or single-sole pumps can do the trick. Want more options other than just black? Net-a-porter’s Rogers lists a coat. “It is a great investment, and accessorising your outerwear can be a simple way to wear this trend—simply add a waist-cinching belt for a touch of Hollywood glamour.”
For makeup, the more minimal the better. Take a cue from Balenciaga, where models had a pale, neutral face. Or even Hermès, where the models looked impossibly natural. “Personally, I would add really dark nails: Dark burgundy or dark purple. And I’d keep the rest of my makeup fresh and light. That adds drama but is still very wearable,” says Blomst. However you choose to wear it, the secret lies in selecting pieces that hint at noir without being costume, like a jacket dress cinched in with a belt. After all, it’s easy to fall for a beaded gown, while a true femme fatale knows to mix period accents like gloves with a modern slim skirt for her own perfect take on noir.