Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver in The Year of Living Dangerously.
(Photo courtesy of MGM)
I’ve always had a thing for movie fashion.
The other day, I watched The Year of Living Dangerously for the first time and was immediately drawn to Sigourney Weaver’s wardrobe. The actress plays a young British diplomat stationed in Jakarta who falls in love with an Australian journalist, played by then-gorgeous Mel Gibson. The film itself is wonderful to watch—it even features Bembol Roco and Kuh Ledesma in supporting roles. But half the time, I found myself searching for Sigourney—and anticipating what she was going to wear next.
It’s not that her clothes were anything extraordinary. In the movie, Sigourney was dressed mostly in the relaxed, utilitarian daywear many Europeans favor when in tropical countries. She wore a cream short-sleeved shirtdress with an orange bead necklace in one scene and a cobalt polo that ties at the waist with a matching calf-length skirt and a straw hat in another. You got a little more glamor from her character whenever she attended a party: one night, a sleek strapless gown; the next, a plaid sweetheart dress. These were pieces you might find in your own closet—but they exuded just the right amount of sophistication to make you emulate the woman wearing them.
This happens to me all the time. I watch a movie, fall in love with the heroine’s wardrobe, and think to myself, “I could do that!” Or, if it’s a period film (which I tend to find more inspiring), I say: “I wish I was born in that era.”
It’s a testament to the fantasy that all films create. Movies have this escapist quality to them—they are stories you witness and take part in without actually being present, and which return you to the real world once the credits roll. The same thing goes for movie fashion—you see an outfit that captivates you, and even if it’s not your style or fit for present-day dressing, you live vicariously through the character who presents it so beautifully onscreen.
Here, for instance, are a few leading ladies whose wardrobes I’ve lusted over in the past years:
