What may come to mind first whenever the visual aspects of the genre film noir are discussed, may be the dark atmosphere, the sharp contrast of light and shadow, and people in desperate situations whose actions echoed brilliantly the many original hard-boiled scripts and novel adaptations usually associated with the stlye.
One aspect halfway neglected, or at least mostly depicted in the definition of a pitiless femme fatal who also is easily identified as such by the outfit she appears in, is the equally unique costume design of those movies. The book at hand deals with chiefly that fascinating aspect and demonstrates how glamorous film characters were invented by dressing them up accordingly.
“Costume designers helped define the look of noir and did it so well that their influence lives on in film and fashion, where many costumes have become iconic. This accomplishment is impressive considering that the bulk of these movies were not big-budget hits, the designs faced challenges from rationing to pressure from the Motion Picture Production Code, and each studio had its own style voice and team of designers.”
When in 1941 the US entered into WWII, many raw materials were rationed, as rubber, metal, but also silk, leather and wool went into production for the troops.
In March 1942, the War Production Board and the Civilian Production Administration issued “Limitation Order L-85,” which had a huge effect on American apparel and fashion production of the 1940s. Not only were materials for industrial apparel production strictly limited, but also the details of women’s clothing from skirt hemlines, to stitching, pleating, pocket size, widths of waistbands and so forth were determined. Moreover, now just very few colors were available, as dyeing materials were limited too.
Men’s suits instantly came without cuffs, double-breasted suits were no longer made and the extra pair of men’s pants that came with the purchase of a suit were rejected as all of these details would cost precious materials, needed for war production. Suits and dress suits now became compact, short and streamlined, all to preserve materials.
During the war year, there were no fashion shows in Europe either (Paris was occupied by German troops) and important impulses for costume designers, and the entire fashion industry were no longer forthcoming. At that point, American women got their fashion inspiration from movies, actresses and their respective dresses and suits.
Anticipating such a development, for example, legendary Paramount costume designer Edith Head, fully aware of the morale building effect of movies in wartime and to promote rationing publicly, simply announced that all “designers are turning to cotton. Silk is out if style for 1942.”
Generally, the studio costume designers had to find a balanced attitude concerning the actresses they were providing with clothing for shootings, as the movies should, on the one hand, show current fashion, but also present realistic designs and materials for millions of women hungry for inspiration and latest styles. Since rationing meant industrial apparel production only, countless designs, dresses and gowns now were sewn at home by women who used anything from a tablecloth to used men’s suits and silk curtains to make their very own costumes, hats and blouses. As, contrary to popular belief, not only would men be eager to watch beautiful women in gorgeous outfits in the theaters, but actually mostly women were interested in new designs and haircuts of the female stars.
Film historian Kimberly Truhler (with a specialization in motion picture costume designers), well-known for her appearances in many fashion/film related documentaries, approaches the noir production years in four lager chapters, as every few years a fresh style or type of women was featured, if we relied on their costumes.
These alterations and new trends open up each chapter with valuable information, and many black-and-white pictures confirm it. In each chapter, prominent movies are introduced chronologically. Readers familiar with film noir literature are generally used to that.
The important difference here is Truhler’s approach in a fashion designer’s way, i.e. even if the individual film’s plot and cast are briefly mentioned, her focus is on what the actors wore in certain scenes and who designed it. As it is much more interesting to look at the outfits of the actresses (instead of men’s trench coats), naturally their dresses, suits, robes, hats, handbags, shoes and details are usually emphasized. This means that key scenes when, let’s say Gene Tierney, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Totter, Jane Greer or any other actress in equally breathtaking costumes enters the set, Truhler points to the respective designer, and the development the character went through to present itself in such a manner.
With 250+ black and white photographs, one gets a rather good impression of how central the costumes were for introducing the seductress and the femme fatal of that decade. Movie stills, promotional shots and many costume designers „in action” at the sets portray glamorous women who made films noir such an experience. (Some of the stars actually were “dressed to kill,” as the subtitle suggests.) Among them Betty Grable, Barbara Stanwyck, Ava Gardner, Veronica Lake, and Lauren Bacall. This explains why the genre had such an impact on popular fashion in the 1940s and 50s and still today certain celebrities copy that style.
Altogether, twenty famous movies were selected here, including The Asphalt Jungle, Dead Reckoning, Murder, My Sweet, The Shanghai Gesture, The Big Sleep, Out of the Past and Gilda.
Film Noir Style is a very pleasing 8.5 x 11 inches addition to any film noir library, and a visual feast for those interested in the high art of 1940s costume design.
Review by Dr. A. Ebert © 2020
Kimberly Truhler. Film Noir Style: The Killer 1940s. GoodKnight Books, 2020, 256 p.