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The red carpet has been a barren place for fashion observers lately. As the SAG-AFTRA strike continues, actors have been absent from step-and-repeats (with the exception of those whoâve received waivers to promote their projects). While the norm has long been movie stars in high-glamour, head-to-toe runway looks, often from the brands they endorse, the sartorial spotlight has shifted a bit in recent months. Directors have had to be more present when promoting their work, whether at premieres or in photo shoots. As a side effect, their fashionâwhich often feels more functional, interesting, and less PR-managed than what weâre used to seeing on actorsâis stepping out from behind the camera, too.
âIâve always looked to direc tors over actors for personal style,â says Hagop Kourounian, who operates the popular Instagram account @directorfits
Thatâs one of the exciting things about following directorsâ style: They donât necessarily opt for the most on-trend, au courant piece. Theyâre shopping their closets, and their archives run deep. Directors are also dressing for a physical job, so they favor function: for every Sam Raimi in his impeccable suits, youâll see a Brian De Palma in safari wear, or Tony Scott in a fishing vest crammed with filmmaking gear. (âThat vest was originally designed for [storing] bait and tackle. Now, itâs being used in a totally different work setting, but it still is purposeful,â says Kourounian. âThatâs a thing of beauty, in my opinion.â)
The account has also tracked the way some directors go method with their on-set fashion, like Stanley Kubrick wearing a Vietnam-era army jacket for Full Metal Jacket. Greta Gerwig favors boiler suits, directing Barbie in the garment, including a bubblegum-pink version from Pistola. For the prom scene in Lady Bird, she wore a prom dress, just like the cast members. âShe said she was trying to do a little bit of cosplay to get her actors in the spirit,â Kourounian explains. âShe was one of them in that moment.â
The inspiration goes both ways, with directorsâ aesthetics spilling over into their charactersâ wardrobes at times. Kourounian notes that Bill Murrayâs character in The Royal Tenenbaums âis dressed identically to Wes Anderson in that era, down to the John Lennon-style circular glasses,â and that even the animated Fantastic Mr. Fox features a main character in one of Andersonâs signature suits. Sofia Coppola falls into this category, too: âThereâs this amazing photo of her and Rashida Jones on the set of On the Rocks: both of them are wearing the same identical green work pants, and theyâre hiked up in the same way.â
The visual precision directors bring to every part of their onscreen work is often reflected in their wardrobes as well. âDirectors, especially auteurs, are such creative, world-building people who have all-encompassing visions. Thereâs no way what theyâre wearing wasnât premeditated and meticulously thought-out.â Paul Schrader is a frequently featured fit god on the account. âItâs not like heâs just wearing something just to wear it, or because itâs popular. Itâs almost like a costume designer trying to build an outfit for a character. You can understand a lot about who he is through this very buttoned-up uniform he puts on.â
Asked about the directors he thinks are slept-on style-wise, Kourounian cites De Palma, whose aesthetic feels inspired by a previous generation of filmmakers, âlike a John Ford, John Huston kind of vibe. I guess even your favorite director has a favorite director.â A more obscure style icon is sexploitation auteur Doris Wishman, who sports what he calls âthese very chic, Old Hollywood-ish looks.â
The growing interest in filmmaker fits can also be attributed to the ever-expanding number of young cineastes. Kourounian, who lives in L.A., notes that many new repertory theaters have opened in the city over the past few years. Cinephile merch has become the new band tee, and every time Kourounian goes to the New Beverly Cinema heâll see someone in a film T-shirt; sometimes itâs one of the designs he himself has created. Fashion-y film merch is thriving, in part, because the official kind is often âprinted on the absolute worst blank T-shirt. Even if the design is cool, you would not want to wear it because the fit is trash.â
He doesnât see the momentum dying down anytime soon. After all, âeveryone I know somehow has a Letterboxd account now.â