May 15th – Day One of Cannes Film Festival 2013
There is only one film coming out this summer which evokes so much excitement from the fashion industry. This of course is the highly anticipated adaptation of the Great Gatsby, or just Gatsby in this case. A film adaptation was inevitable because of the sheer amount of emphasis on the 1920’s recently. Almost every single designer has dabbled in the romance and drama of the ‘Roaring Twenties;’ Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, Ralph Lauren and Etro have all taken inspiration from the decade recently, and with The Great Gatsby epitomising the opulence and glamour of the decade it is easy to see why the film has already amassed £33m at the box office.
The film is created by director Baz Luhrmann, who also made Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet, and it stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Isla Fisher; all of whom were present at the 66th Annual Cannes Film festival. Each of the actors were wearing something decidedly different from their costumes in the film, there wasn’t a hint of the 1920’s flapper dresses we have become so accustomed with seeing them in on film posters, trailers and magazine advertisements that we seem to be inundated with recently. On the red carpet, Carey Mulligan looked very classy in a backless pink couture Dior gown, her hair was long in comparison to the 1920’s bob she adopted for the film. The men looked very smart in suits, but with no hint at a bow tie or anything else that could be construed as twenties, Dicaprio choosing even to go without a tie at all at the feature film jury photo shoot.
Isla Fisher wore a stunning red Oscar De La Renta dress at the red carpet even the night before, contrasting with the crisp white Dolce and Gabanna she wore to the actual festival. Carey Mulligan again steered clear of the 1920’s for this event, instead wearing a black all in one jumpsuit, something which would have been frowned upon in the twenties.
The Great Gatsby is a risky endeavour, but Baz Luhrmann it seems enjoys a challenge, and at introducing the classics, it appears he was a success. I myself am re-reading the novel in preparation for the film release and at the festival it was revealed that the book has sold more copies in the last week than in the authors entire life.
