The wind blowing from the cinematic plane to the fashion world may be pointing to a new, gloomy and frightening version of the Barbiecore. Victorian inspiration and chiffon fabrics are in the lead.
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YAZININ TÜRKÇE VERSİYONU İÇİN TIKLAYIN
Director Yorgos Lanthimos is known as one of the faces of the wave of weirdness in Greek cinema, and while he refrains from publicizing his own work and believes in the freedom of individual interpretation; for many, Lanthimos’ cinema has been described as a catalyst for evoking disturbing emotions. As the acclaimed Dogtooth can attest, the Greek director’s new film Poor Things, which was finally released last month after a long period of curiosity, goes beyond human emotions and touches the world of fashion. Emma Stone’s portrayal of Bella Baxter, a feminist depiction of a female Frankenstein monster, won Stone the Oscar for Best Actress as well as the Oscar for Costume Design, makes the film’s interaction with fashion inevitable, especially considering the inability of moviegoers to avoid media status due to the ongoing intense excitement.
For many critics of cinematic fashion, what Poor Things offers to the style universe is a neo-form of Barbiecore: Maybe we are not in for a storm of similar magnitude, maybe Lanthimos and his team aren’t doing media studies on fashion like it is done with Barbie… But Bella Baxter, who can be considered a gloomy and frightening new Barbie, opens the chests of fashion’s niche approaches one by one and adds important details to the list of 2024 trends.
Time Traveling Chiffons
The costume design, finalized by Holly Waddington after years of work, participates in the story of Poor Things as an indirect narrator: One of the most prominent aspects of the costumes, which emphasize Frankenstein’s place in art in the details, is that they are a kind of ticket to time travel. While the main inspiration, the Victorian Era, interprets an extensive catalog between the 19th and 20th centuries, Waddington’s words suggest that the 1930s and 1960s are also present in the spooky Barbie’s style prescription. Preferring to synthesize the textures, colors and forms of the period instead of directly quoting from the chosen time periods, the costume team ultimately presents a selection of flounces, ruffles, stand-up collars and pastel colors to the fashion scene. The common complement of all these details is the chiffon fabrics that we have seen in the most popular show of recent times, Maison Margiela and Chanel Haute Couture with Molly Goddard.
For the 2024 season, in which maximalist fashion is gaining strength, it is easy to see a Miss Frankenstein-type interpretation of chiffon-tulle and ruffles. In the last months of last year, we had seen the signals that this fabric, which has increased its popularity, was playing number one with the discovery of Zimmermann by Generation Z and its tight embrace. The most striking advantage of chiffon can be interpreted as its lightness: In March, the bridge between winter and spring, the material is a stylish companion both with layering techniques on cold days and on its own on warm days, and its transparent appearance is rooted in transparent pieces, which have been a major trend in the last two years. For those who wonder if there are any problems with chiffon these days, when the vamp effect that stand-up collars, volans and padding will reflect on street looks is eagerly awaited, the most important dynamic is sustainability. The fact that the lifespan of this material, which is often produced from nylon and polyester, is not very long, may not be the most optimal choice for those who want to be involved in the green transformation of fashion. You can still see Poor Things while it’s still in theaters to be inspired by this out-of-the-box Barbie, who is rising without slowing down.
