I think one of the most interesting elements of the film was the use of Lily's wardrobe to reflect her methods. Aside from the fact that everyone wore really cute shoes back then, I noted a lot about her style that showed her state of mind as well as how she used everything she had as tools of her trade.
When she was a working girl (working for wages, that is; not a streetwalker), one of her first acts was to get a perm that was young looking and fluffy. She always wore dark dresses with white around the neck and wrists, like a Puritan, if considerably more sultry. This was to present to her male coworkers (i.e. targets) a subconscious image of chastity and innocence. She knew that image was everything, and what redblooded man would suspect such a pure young woman of ulterior motives?
Later, when she was legitimately a kept woman, she abandoned the pretense of innocence and concentrated on looking sultry and luxurious. She wore longer dresses, usually light colored to preserve the image of youth, and her hair got sleeker and her skirts longer as she got richer. Well, you've got to keep the mystery somehow.
This care with her wardrobe served to illustrate how she used every tool at her disposal to net herself her prizes; when she seduces a man from Georgia, she lets a slight twang creep into her voice. A slight touch of the hand; standing a little closer than strictly necessary; giving the target her full and direct attention; all of these work her toward her goal. Her eyes alone could be classified as weapons of mass destruction the way she used them on those men.
All she had was herself to exploit, and some really nice clothes.
I really love you blog post. I am kind of obsessed with fashion so I also definitely noticed that Lily used her clothing as one of her weapons of seduction. At work her clothes emphasized her innocent, virgin, "never had a drink in my life" front. This really attracted any man she turned her eyes on. Then once she already had them hooked, her true decadent style would come out in her dramatic, extravagant evening gowns. Besides the impact her clothing had on her character, her wardrobe was just amazing. It is really cool to see what styles from back then are coming back now, like backless dresses, high waisted and belted outfits, and t-strap heels. I loved her style and it definitely was a part of her character.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Lauren, Fawn, about the way that Lily uses clothes and tricks such as mimicking a character's dialect to get close to him. The movie points this out early on when we see Lily asking about where one of the secretaries got a permanent. Lily's conscious of style and is determined to show herself off to best advantage, even if it's a "Puritan" advantage.
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