10

don’t dismiss the power of a man’s shirt …says Tibi founder Amy Smilovic of the lesson she learned from 1986 movie 9½ Weeks ‘I first saw this right before I moved to New York City in the ’90s. The pencil skirts, the trench coat, the paper-bag trousers – Kim Basinger works in a gallery in Manhattan in the movie so of course she became my icon – minus all the S&M! There’s a scene where she’s holding these balloons. She is wearing a trench and skirt, her mix of masculine and feminine is the holy grail for someone like me. If you see my collections you can see the influence, in the ease in which she throws on a man’s shirt. Film is a great place to connect fashion because you can communicate so much through it. When the characters are dressed well you can almost have a silent film because the choice of clothing can speak volumes.’