David Hurst said his biggest regret of
Sundance was not bringing his Crocs.
I wouldn’t call his bluff.
Although the IU senior screenwriting and
script analysis major looks simply spiffy when dolled up, he’s infamous for his
Crocs.
This week, Hurst opted for Timberland boots.
After all, this year’s festival is the snowy
ski town of Park City, Utah.
Hurst said the town reminds him of a college
town — sleepy until it explodes with the influx of Los Angeles and New York
residents coming for the anticipated schedule of premieres.
He described the out-of-town fashion as a
surprising mix of neon green and pink hair with the expected over-occurrence of
little black dresses.
Onscreen, costume designers have presented an
even more diverse wardrobe to adorn the endless plots of this year’s lineup.
Last year, my Chic of the Week pick was Bic
Owen’s Big Sur, which gave 1960s hues of blue an emotional depth with the tale
of Jack Kerouac’s breakdown.
This year, I wanted to write the fashion of
kick ass with one of Sundance’s most anticipated releases, “The Raid 2:
Berandal.”
However, the wardrobe was underwhelming and the
only lasting impression was the shock of how the film’s real-life stuntmen can
move that well in leather.
Stuart Murdoch’s “God Help the Girl” had a
tacky vintage vogueness that seemed to refuse to be refused.
It’s this year’s Chic of the Week’s Sundance
fashion film pick.
The film is Murdoch’s first feature and has
been a pet project of his for more than 10 years.
Its festival blurb claims three quirky
characters in fastidious James, posh Cass and the fantastical Eve.
Spanning one Glasgow summer, the film follows
the trio’s trek of starting a band.
It’s a Bohemian, mod musical that is a direct
result of writer/director Murdoch’s experience with his indie-rock band Belle
and Sebastian.
Though Belle and Sebastian’s style was
plagued by 1990s fashion, and not in the good way, there’s a bit more of a
technique in “God Help the Girl” with the help of costume designer Denise
Coombes.
Roughly put, Coombes is unaccredited in the
design world.
Nicely stretched, Coombes can possibly be
considered “underground” with her previous work in 2001’s “Strictly Sinatra”
and now “God Help the Girl.”
Lucky for us, this makes her wardrobe
relatable.
Coombes has had nothing handed to her. You
can tell each piece was sought after possibly from some vintage resale shop
sales bin.
But what we can see from the result is that
careful selections can make statements.
We see all three characters’ strong
personalities portrayed with pieces like mixed plaids, berets, vintage grey box
suits, cheetah blouses, ties and thick-framed glasses.
It’s tacky. It’s quirky. But it somehow
works.
Consider GQ’s “Guide to Suits.” We see a
return of plaid ties, cuffed pants, boxed grey jackets.
For ladies, we see brighter lipsticks,
track-line styled pants and collarless oversized coats.
It’s all a little tacky. But when you’re bold
enough to put it on, you will be surprised to find you pull it off.
Even Crocs sort of work with Hurst, though
that’s a very specific exception.
And though it may have taken “God Help the
Girl” 10 years to get it right, I think you should start now, whether you’re
pulling from couture or vintage racks.
So catch the film, catch the quirky vibes and
happy Sundancing.
Follow columnist Kel Collisi on
Twitter @kelcollisi.
