Et Tu, Sweatpants? – The Movies

The silver screen has a long and sequins-smattered history of facilitating the perpetual stylistic dialysis of the masses. No, not in what Blake Lively or Uma Thurman wears to the Oscars — for as inspirational those shimmery stars may be, I'm talking about the celluloid and digital, the magic of the movies themselves. Films don't exist as isolated cultural experiences. They are instead half-hazy reflections of the time and context in which they are made, mirrors of the ideals within a particular cultural moment and the dreamily projected aspirations of their audience. Okay, okay. So I'm a film major, you caught me, but it's true:  film is art, and art is inspiration.

Anthropology aside, 2011 is already proving to be a brilliant year for fashion.  Likewise, the last few months before the New Year saw an incredible influx of poignant and well-crafted cinema, much of which has influenced the latest tactile trends. However, mainstream-cotton candy-fluff with terrible execution and pedantic writing is just as likely to inspire a runway revolution as any Cannes nominated film. The inspiration the entertainment industry has to provide is not in its critical acclaim, but in its visual lexicon, the inherent stylistic palate that seeks to permeate both runway and sidewalk.

So what did the filmic frames of 2010 set the stage for? Feather and lace. Femininity with a hearty side of psychosis. Alice and Wonderland and Black Swan now serve as the inspiration for the trend that mixes Victorian delicacy with just the right amount of madness. Unlike Mia Wasikowska's unfortunately bland, perhaps even sedated portrayal of Alice in Tim Burton's film, Lewis Carol's Alice is a curious, ingeniously creative and dangerously adventurous girl with an obsession with the absurd. For me, the costumes in the film were the only thing that mirrored this duality of feminine experience, the embrace of beauty and fragility with an equally necessary hardness and resilience. Black Swan, with costume design by the brilliant team at Rodarte, furthered this idea with a powerful fragmenting of the female identity. The result? Pale blues and pinks, layers of lace, delicate beading and feathers, gray and black, tulle and full length skirts paired with plunging necklines, pale lips and dark eyes, thigh high socks with heels and boots.  Dress up lingerie for day wear with an undershirt and jeans if you feel like channeling Emma Stone in Easy A. It's all about balancing your inner tea drinking socialite with your lusty badass ballerina on ecstasy. The best combination out there? Alice + Olivia's Francesca pink feather skirt with a grey tank, black stilettos and a chunky necklace. Add a leather Jacket if you want even more Black Swan than White. Take risks. Me? I'm still attempting to garner up enough courage to wear pointe shoes as flats.

And then there was Tron. Yes, Tron was a horrible movie, but just like Alice and Wonderland, it was a complex and innovative visual experience. On the other side of the sci-fi genre comes Inception, which with its exploration of the subconscious is a minefield of creative inspiration. Add them together and what do we get? For one, form fitting and monochromatic cut-out dresses are gracing the racks of Versace and Urban Outfitters alike, shifting sex appeal away from the traditional hemispheres and to alluring peeks of skin elsewhere. Get out your protractors, people — geometry is making a huge comeback. And for the true daydreamers out there, Christopher Kane's "Galaxy Dresses," which are prints of actual photographs taken in space, were sold out nationwide at the end of last month. So how does this translate for the average girl who doesn't have two grand to drop on a glorified piece of fabric? Think shapes and space, light and sparkle, sequins, rhinestones and constellations; if you don't believe me just look at Louboutin's Marlene heels from this years Winter collection— the declared "it shoe" of 2011 is aflame with glitter (cue consumerist drooling).

Last but not least I give you True Grit. With fourteen year-old Hailee Steinfeld as the boyish Mattie Ross, the power of the runway rough-and-tumble returns; it's the official comeback of the tree climbing Tom Boy. Yes, it takes a two second walk around campus to be reminded that feathers and tight black dresses aren't exactly every girl's cup of tea (or shot of whiskey in this case) and True Grit offers a glorious alternative to classical gender constructions of the cloth. The Wild West begs us to wear more neutrals, beige with browns and rusty desert reds, Native American/New Mexican style prints and slouchy boyish trousers. Bowlers and combat boots ala A Clockwork Orange are on the rise, as are suspenders if you feel like going a little Annie Hall.

As always, there's something for everyone, and always room to make it your own. Grab some popcorn and let the transformations begin.