Fashion in The Sun Also Rises Movie
The interpretation of the 1920s from a 1950s perspective is a very interesting construction. In the movie version of The Sun Also Rises, I noticed many small, unobtrusive differences that did not have any effect on my viewing enjoyment. Things like fashion are very small but interesting changes, while things like cutting long scenes or moving the book’s ending to before the movie’s conclusion are much bigger and more offensive to the viewer who has read the book. I was fascinated by the interpretation of the fashion but bewildered by the choice to change the progression of scenes; both reflect the influence of what I would like to call 50s neo-Romanticism.
As far as fashion goes in this movie, there was a very interesting contrast between Georgette’s costume and Brett’s apparel. It is difficult to discern whether the choice to make Brett’s clothing look as non-flapper as possible was a choice to make her seem less Parisian, or to make her seem less modern. I am ashamed to admit that I do not know very definitively whether Ava Gardner’s Brett was costumed to look more early 20s (pre-flapper), or more 50s. However, it appears to be a mix of the two. Not only do Brett’s fabric choices remind me strongly of fabric that would be chosen by a 50s fashion designer, the patterns are quite reminiscent of Christian Dior’s “New Look.”
While I could argue that this conflation occurs because of the cyclical nature of fashion, I rather think that it comes from a desire to define her as more acceptable for viewers because she comes from old money, not prostitute money. While Brett is morally no better than Georgette, she gets a pass indicated by her fashion.
