Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large
When I began working in fashion getting on for two years ago, I remember one of the first things I had to do was look at Resort 2012 trends. Casting my eye back over that work, one of my folders is called "Gatsby". At the time, there was much excitement about Baz Luhrrman's forthcoming new film adaptation of
The Great Gatsby which was being filmed at the time.
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| Carey Mulligan in The Great Gatsby (via telegraph.co.uk) |
Thinking back, I'm not sure there's been a single week for the ensuing two years that an excited "Get the Gatsby Look!" e-mail hasn't popped into my inbox. No wonder, in a way, that lots of us were over it by the time it finally premiered at Cannes Film Festival last week. Our and America's obsession with Downton Abbey has also significantly contributed to a stringing out of the glitzy flapper girl thing. Remember Ralph Lauren's 20s and 30s English aristo homage for AW12? That seemed to plug the lull between
on-set pictures of Gatsby filming,
confusion about release dates and then, finally, the marketing campaign and release. Phew.
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| Louis Vuitton Resort 2012 |
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| Ralph Lauren AW12 |
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| Prada AW11 |
Before I go making sweeping comments about
The Great Gatsby film, which I saw at the weekend, I should probably confess that I've never managed to read the whole book all the way through. I've reached about 2/3 of the way a few times but just found it so boring that I gave up. Seeing the film has made it my Summer's goal to properly finish and lay it to rest. It's also the best way to put paid to any actual desire, if there was any left anyway, to "get Gatsby style".
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| An original 20s flapper |
It might not sound like it, but I love a good flapper dress up. I once had tiered, fringed dress which was not only very 20s, but huge fun to wear. You can shimmy about creating swirls and swishes of fringing around you. Don't do this on a bus though. I did and rather embarrassingly hooked myself on to an unsuspecting elder gentleman from whom I then had to disentangle myself. Fun, fun, fun. The thing about
The Great Gatsby though, is that it isn't all great. The film and, from what I can gather, the book both leave a bit of a sour taste for diamonds, champagne, silk, fur and other lovely luxuries. Luhrmann doesn't stress the point but anyone with half a brain cell feels a bit grossed out by the end of the film at those excess things being ultimately associated with a quite horrible situation. If the film had ended an hour or so earlier than it actually does, then it would simply be a fun romp full of flowers, flappers, parties and pretty dresses. But it doesn't. I won't spoil it but those of you who know the story will see where I'm coming from.
Obviously, in the actual 1920s I'm sure there were lots of lovely, kind people who could also afford to charleston with feathers and jewels in their hair. History remembers them too. But for the moment, "Getting Gatsby Style!" feels not only old hat, but a bit awkward.
