Give thanks to throwback style with a film fashion feast

Late autumn isn’t usually a time for celebrating fashion.

When the temperatures drop, everyone just bundles up in their puffiest coats and knit caps. And of course, when Thanksgiving rolls around, everyone readies for the feast by preparing their baggiest sweats and elastic-waist pants.

But while we’re all dressing for the cold and the cornbread, we can still look to the silver screen to remind ourselves of the heights of filmic fashion and cinematic style.

In addition to the late-season Hollywood also-rans and holiday classic re-releases that you can always expect at this time of the year, OKC theaters are hosting a selection of gems old and new that spotlight some of the most gorgeous historical fashion stylings from across decades past.

But make no mistake; these aren’t heartless throwaway showcases of style over substance. These beautifully dressed films are woven into the very fabric of 20th-century war and power dynamics, and each boasts a celebrated director and a legendary lead.

‘Blitz’ – Harkins Bricktown: Now playing, Oklahoma City Museum of Art: Opens November 22nd 

It’s tough to think of World War II—perhaps the most trying and devastating period of the 20th century—as a focal point for fashion, but in recent years, the looks and styles of that time have taken off once again for their simplicities and sharp silhouettes.

A full display of film costumes designed by the iconic Edith Head during the war period of the 1940s was even a particular standout (and staff favorite) at OKCMOA’s far-reaching Head exhibition this past summer, reigniting a passion for the period’s looks once again.

The brand new “Blitz” returns that style to screens in all its glory through the eye of Oscar-winning writer/director Steve McQueen, the mind behind “12 Years a Slave.”

This feels like a lock for a Best Costumes Oscar nomination, with the Academy famously going crazy for historical throwback fashions and the radiant and always powerful Saoirse Ronan nailing the 40s heroine look.

Of course, while the breathtaking period costume and McQueen’s own reserved stylishness bring the world of 1940s England to pulsing life, the story of “Blitz” is decidedly not one of fashionable fun.

Ronan carries the film as a single mother attempting to protect her son during the continuous terror of the “Blitzkrieg,” the multi-month bombing campaign of London carried out by the German air force during the darkest days of the war.

McQueen has already proven how well he can mine deeply personal and the emotional depths of history’s deepest scars, and Ronan has proven repeatedly that she’s one of the most compelling, chameleonic, and skilled performers of her generation.

For showtimes, tickets, and more, visit harkins.com and okcmoa.com.

‘Phantom Thread’ – Rodeo Cinema Film Row – November 25th 

Moving forward now to the fashion of 1950s London, the Edmond Film Society and Rodeo Cinema on historic Film Row are presenting one of the recent landmarks of movie style.

Perhaps the modern masterpiece of cinematic fashion, writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread” places its focus squarely on the style and beauty of its costumes and styling, even as the story beneath the clothing is much darker and more complex.

The unmatched screen presence of Daniel Day-Lewis stars as the most respected and acclaimed fashion designer of his time, the famed (and entirely fictional) Reynolds Woodcock in what is, to date, still his most recent role, even after seven years.

Generally soft-spoken and valuing quiet above all else, Woodcock is also notoriously temperamental and prone to outbursts of anger and insult.

He gets away with it all because of his astonishingly gorgeous clothing creations that have taken him to the heights of London’s high society.

But when a newly hired young woman oversteps her bounds and begins to willfully disrupt his perfectly designed world, Woodcock’s carefully constructed power begins to tear and unravel.

Anderson deftly and stunningly uses the world of fashion design as a backdrop to his story of the costumes and conformities in which we wrap ourselves, and to explore the fragility of traditionally expected power dynamics.

It’s a quiet, deceptive, and even intriguingly strange film, and the beauty and mystery of its fashion proved so powerful that the great Day-Lewis even vowed to leave acting behind to continue exploring fashion design for real.

For showtimes, tickets, and more, visit rodeocinema.org.

‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – December 19th through December 22nd 

Stepping into the 1960s now, we hop from England to France for one of the inarguable pillars of European fashion on film, Jacques Demy’s immortal “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.”

The story of young love interrupted by war, time, and creeping adulthood, Demy weaves the tale into a romantically pained musical for the ages outfitted in the most fabulous and vivid styles that have continued to cause a stir for generations.

Broken into three acts spanning a decade between the 50s and 60s, it all starts simply with the daughter of an umbrella shop owner falling for a mechanic and facing objections from her mother, would-be usurpers of her suitor’s love, and the lurking Algerian War.

Told entirely through the sweeping music of composer Michel Legrand and Demy’s lyrics, the undying legacy of “Umbrellas” has remained its vibrant, groundbreakingly colorful cinematography and, of course, its costumes and revolutionary styling.

Even young, modern movie masters have continued to praise and parse the eye-popping costuming and styling of Demy’s film. 

Greta Gerwig named it as a major influence on the look and fashion of “Barbie” and Damien Chazelle openly cited “Umbrellas” as perhaps the single biggest inspiration for the style and costumes of his Oscar-winning “La La Land.”

For showtimes, tickets, and more, visit okcmoa.com.

Catch Brett Fieldcamp’s film column weekly for information and insights into the world of film in the Oklahoma City metro and Oklahoma. | Brought to you by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.