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Saturday, June 4

Fashion designers and costume designers are artists responsible for creating clothing with style and purpose. But while fashion designers make clothes for the general public, costume designers make them for specific characters. While their goals and responsibilities are distinct, sometimes they’ve had to work together to make a film.

Stage Fright (1950)

Milo Anderson handled the costume design for this taut Hitchcock mystery, but Marlene Dietrich insisted on Christian Dior tailoring her exquisite wardrobe (her phrase “No Dior, No Dietrich” became famous). Her much younger co-star Jane Wyman was distraught because she felt she looked so unsophisticated by comparison.

Sabrina (1954)
10:15 PM | Sabrina (1954)

Edith Head won the Oscar for this Billy Wilder classic, but Audrey Hepburn insisted on authentic Paris couture courtesy of Hubert de Givenchy for the scenes after her previously shy character transforms into a sophisticate. Head neglected to mention de Givenchy in her Academy acceptance speech.

Saturday, June 11

Oftentimes a character’s evolution is a central theme of a film, and fashion is an important tool to highlight the changes taking place. Characters can be transformed through the right costume, helping to signify a new direction, perspective or purpose in their lives.

Now, Voyager (1942)

Bette Davis’ meek Charlotte Vale blossoms into a swan in this romantic favorite, with two close-ups on her shoes signifying the transformation. At first, she’s wearing thick stockings and flat, matronly shoes. Later, we meet a new, more confident Charlotte, now with a pair of stylish heels.

Tootsie (1982)
10:00 PM | Tootsie (1982)

Dustin Hoffman’s Michael takes an acting job pretending to be a woman named Dorothy, forcing him to live a life in which people treat him with less respect with more emphasis on clothing and appearance. He becomes a more sensitive person and develops an appreciation for women’s experience in culture.

Saturday, June 18

Actresses have been pushing gender boundaries with style since the silent era, often breaking through to establish broader fashion trends. Dating back to iconic costumes like Greta Garbo’s trench coat in “A Woman of Affairs” (1928), women in film have been tipping their hats toward progress for nearly a century.

Woman of the Year (1942)

Katharine Hepburn’s strong-yet-feminine persona, well established in films like “The Philadelphia Story” (1940), is perhaps no better on display than in this George Stevens battle-of-the-sexes comedy, with Hepburn’s Adrian-designed wardrobe featuring a selection of pants and even a velvet smoking jacket.

Annie Hall (1977)
10:00 PM | Annie Hall (1977)

While Ruth Morley outfitted most of the cast, Diane Keaton took on the style for her character, the titular Annie Hall, herself. And with an eclectic selection of men’s hats, vests, boots and (famously) ties, Keaton created a sensation that’s celebrated in fashion circles to this day. La de da.

Saturday, June 25

Fashion at the dawn of the 1970s evolved from the individualistic, hippie trend that dominated the latter part of the 1960s. Bell-bottoms, fringe, tie-dye and frays were all popular. As the decade wore on, disco music began to dominate culture and style trends.

Mahogany (1975)
8:00 PM | Mahogany (1975)

Diana Ross plays a designer who finds fame and fortune in this 1975 film. With an interest in fashion dating back to her days in The Supremes, Ross created the costumes for the film. While the results divided critics, the clothes had an undeniable impact in the world of fashion.

Taxi Driver (1976)
10:15 PM | Taxi Driver (1976)

This dark thriller gave fashion the rebellious military surplus designs by Ruth Morley for Robert DeNiro’s disturbed military vet, as well as Jodie Foster’s iconic upturned brim hat and Cybill Shepherd’s Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress, which set off a fashion phenomenon that continues to this day.

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