Mildred Pierce (1945) is definitely one of my favourite Joan Crawford films.
Directed by Michael Curtiz and adapted from James M. Cain's eponymous novel, the film, told in flashbacks and opening with a few gun shots ringing out, is a melodramatic noir story about a housewife and doting mother who, after leaving her husband, turns into an independent woman and a business entrepreneur, owner of a chain of restaurants.
This transformation is mirrored on the screen by Mildred’s wardrobe: as a housewife and a waitress Mildred wears cotton shirt dresses with aprons and printed uniforms (the trivia page for this film on the Imdb site actually states: "Shooting the early scenes, director Michael Curtiz accused Joan Crawford of needlessly glamorising her working mother role. She insisted she was buying her character's clothes off the rack, but didn't mention that her own dressmaker was fitting the waists and padding out the shoulders" - interesting bit of information...).
As soon as she gets her first restaurant Mildred transforms herself into a powerful woman and her wardrobe starts including suits, knee-length skirts, pin-striped jackets and dresses characterised by structured and broad shoulders (the classic "inverted triangle" silhouette) and oversized fur jackets.
The new wardrobe also includes geometrical patterns and architectural silhouettes that contribute to give a sense of strict order to Crawford's character.
American costume designer Milo Anderson - chief designer at Warner Brothers for 24 years between the early ‘30s and the ‘50s - was instrumental in creating Mildred's look.
Her clothes and accessories (veiled and decorated hats, clutches, gloves, bejewelled brooches and high-heeled sandals), but also her hairstyle piled on top of her head, match the ‘40s standards, though they are mainly employed in the film to highlight the protagonist’s rise from a working class milieu to an upper class status while they also hint at the fact that she has now become an independent and efficient entrepreneur, just like her male rivals.
The story also focuses on the power of material wealth: Mildred’s eldest daughter Veda (Ann Blyth), a key character in the film, is a materialistic monster constantly demanding new things from her mother and accepting to return to her only when she can promise her daughter a life of luxury.
Besides, Veda doesn't seem to have any limits to her greed and superiority and even despises people who work for a living.
Noir moods and ample shoulders à la Mildred Pierce may become rather fashionable next Autumn.
They were indeed re-launched by Miuccia Prada in Miu Miu’s collection.
Dresses, coats and jackets with exaggerated bold shoulders and with a nipped in waist prevailed in Miu Miu's Autumn/Winter 2011-12 collection, all matched with large purse-looking clutches à la Joan Crawford (as Mildred).
Even the flowery prints on some of the knee-length crepe dresses (View this photo) called back to mind maybe not Mildred’s look but the beautiful sophistication of her assistant Ida (Eve Arden - View this photo).
The ‘40s moods were evoked also by the hairstyles and the glittery gold and silver booties-cum-sandals that seemed to reference in their colours the glamorous lame and tulle gown Veda wears for her birthday - View this photo), while elements such as oversized bows, cummerbunds in contrasting tones and mink swags and harnesses reminded of Milo Anderson’s costumes for Andrea King as Brooke Gifford Ryder in Joseph Santley’s Shadow of a Woman (1946 - View this photo).
Though glamorous and dedicated to grown-up women, the collection didn't seem to be too new, yet it proved once again that cinema is one of the main inspirations behind Miuccia Prada’s collections.
In fact it would be interesting to look at this collection and at fashion in general through the main theme of Michael Curtiz's film, a young woman (Veda)'s thirst for wealth and its destructive consequences on her life and on the lives of the people surrounding her.
Maybe fashionistas could still learn a couple of things from Mildred Pierce, especially very young ones without any proper jobs or very little will to work, but with mysterious wardrobes full of extremely expensive designer clothes...
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