The history of cinema features quite a few films that at some point include a catwalk show of some sort. That Touch of Mink (1962), directed by Delbert Mann, featured a short private runway for example that takes place for Cathy Timberlake (Doris Day) at Bergdorf Goodman.
The film revolves around the vicissitudes of Cathy (Doris Day), a young woman with morals from the small town of Upper Sandusky, who dreams about two things in life - a job and a proper wedding.
Cathy isn't that lucky, though, and things get more complicated when she meets wealthy playboy businessman Philip Shayne (Cary Grant), a man only interested in escapades and fleeting romantic affairs.
Philip tempts Cathy by inviting her to Philadelphia and Baltimore and then arranges a trip to Bermuda. Cathy manages to avoid falling into Philip's traps, though at times she does so with tragicomical results.
The luxurious mini fashion show takes place before the couple head to Bermuda. After Cathy agrees to go on the trip, Leonard, a stylist from Bergdorf Goodman, turns up at her door to outfit her for the adventure.
It is worth remembering that, while the costumes for this film were designed by Rosemary Odell, Norman Norell also created some of the most exclusive pieces seen in this movie, and Leo Ritter designed Doris Day's furs.
Among the designs showcased during the fashion show - lovely coats, functional dresses, sequinned evening gowns - there is also one very interesting mink coat.
Now, this is not a post on furs, so let's focus not on the mink coat per se, but on another detail: the coat features indeed a silk satin overcoat in four different colours - navy blue, ruby red, emerald green and soft beige (Cathy will choose a very apt shade - neutral beige, hinting at her morals and her purity - for her Bermuda adventure...).
What's so interesting about this? The fact that one design could be transformed into four different ones, just by adding a light three-quarter sleeve coat in a different colour.
At the end of last year we have often seen designers relaunching compact collections of designs inspired by Bonnie Cashin's Seven Easy Pieces.
Yet but nobody seems to have thought about this cinematic solution, offering us one piece (it could be a practical coat and definitely not a real fur coat...) that could be altered with a strikingly elegant overcoat.
So the lesson for today could be approaching the new year with a more compact wardrobe, but also with a more clever and functional one, maybe with a cinematic twist about it, inspired by the design in "That Touch of Mink", a movie that is also worth rewatching for its comical scenes offered by the main characters, but also by Philip's financial manager, Roger (Gig Young), and Cathy's roommate, Connie (Audrey Meadows). Sounds like a great plan to enter the new year - great fashion and lots of laughs!
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