by Kim Krizan
—Emmy Lou Eagan, played by Isabel Jewell
in “Marked Woman”
Anaïs Nin rightly called her clothes “costumes” as if she were an actor in a play, which in a way she was. And Dietrich spent most of her money on what she called “The Image,” which in her mind was largely comprised of highly stylized clothes. She was known to stand for hours in fitting consultations as her custom-made ensembles were pinned and re-pinned. If after a rendezvous in a new outfit Dietrich sensed that a sleeve wasn’t perfectly set, she’d tear out the damned thing and re-sew it herself in the middle of the night. In her chanteuse years she oversaw the arrangement of sequins on a dress, placing them one by one until she achieved the effect she was looking for. In short, Nin and Dietrich understood that a large part of their mythologies relied on rad wardrobes.
The fatal ladies that came before us knew a thing or two about the power of appropriate dressing, precious knowledge that seems to have been lost in recent years when in the interest of throwing off societal restraints, potentially stylish women also pitched out their sense. These days even weddings and—dare we mention?—funerals (which hold enormous potential for display and fanfare) seem to call for the dregs of one’s closet. It’s truly depressing when life’s rich pageant is costumed in crass message t-shirts, athleisure, and endless denim.
So study up. Helpful boxes throughout this book supply a comprehensive list that takes into account all those important events in a Fatale’s life (say, shooting one’s husband in a hall of mirrors or preparing to face a firing squad) for which appropriate attire will be required.
Appropriate Ensembles for Every Occasion
Visiting Her Boyfriend in Jail Immediately Before His Execution
Dress with matching hat. Dress has shoulder pads and a large cut-out
at cleavage with a big diamond broach.
Hat has veil covering face and two fur pom-poms on top.
Huge fur stole. Black gloves, envelope purse,
and black shoes with ankle-straps.
(As worn by Margo, played by Jean Gillie in “Decoy.”)
General Rules
The femme fatale is an adult, a grown-up, and adults tend to assume identities and don uniforms. And though she is not a doll, she dolls up. She knows the “Fatale’s Law,” which reveals the humiliating truth that if she wears scroungy clothes in public, she will run into an ex-boyfriend or her arch enemy. Better not to tempt fate.
No doubt the Fatale’s wardrobe is overflowing with cocktail dresses and gowns and beautiful, high-heeled shoes. For that reason the self-respecting femme should take the attitude that any day can be dress-up day. Even if the femme fatale works at a truck stop, she manages to dress with panache.
The femme fatale makes no apologies for being female and doesn’t believe that she has to ape men, their manners, or their clothing so as to get ahead in the world. Conversely, she knows that the androgynous look can underscore her femininity quite handily. Important: She does not dress like a man to obscure her femininity. Rather, she emphasizes her femininity through contrast. Capeesh?
When designing for the great Garbo, Adrian noticed that she wore mens-style clothing in her every day life, including turtlenecks and loafers. In the movies he soon had her in trench coats (fresh out of WWI’s battle trenches), men’s silk pajamas, trousers with V-neck sweaters and sneakers, yachting caps, and the cloche-style hat (which became known as “the Garbo”). Raging contrarian that she was, Garbo loved to attend glamorous film premieres wearing simple tweed skirts, sweaters, and berets. In later life, Garbo told friends she dressed only in slacks and packed sixteen pairs for one particular vacation. She also proudly claimed she was one of the first women to wear the polo neck (turtleneck) sweater, which in the 1920s was considered strictly menswear but is now a mainstay of every woman’s closet.
It was Ms. Dietrich, though, who really glammed-out the androgynous look, taking it into the realm of perverse cheekiness. She, like Garbo, was one of the first public figures to wear pants in America, but she also adored tuxedos, military suits, and military caps, and she had men’s shoes custom made for her to wear with her slacks. Somehow the effect was always devastatingly sexy, especially because she often counterposed it with slinky gowns and masses of jewelry.
Verboten
The femme fatale does not do dowdy unless she is masquerading as something other than she is so as to not call attention to herself. Going incognito can be one of her special tricks. In such a case, she de-glams, but she is aware of the fact that she’s doing it. Also, she knows that mystery is more intriguing than letting-it-all-hang-out exposure, which is an abomination to her sensibilities.
The true femme fatale is also a bit of an anti-princess. She was not spoiled and coddled as a girl, therefore she doesn’t do a lot of bouffant or billowing or pouffy or prim, and she is careful about overly crisp or stiff fabric, which can look prissy on her. She is not a prom queen, a debutante, a preppy, a spoiled heiress, or a society matron.
The femme fatale is also not a demanding diva who must advertise her wealth, fame, or importance with an aggressive display of labels and baubles, furs and attitude. Her closet does not rival the entire ladies’ clothing department at Bloomingdales. She is not dying for attention and she’s bored by ostentatious wealth. In fact, she wants something more illusive than attention or wealth, something unnamable.
Finally, the femme fatale is not the girl next door. She will never wear gingham, not even to a picnic. Probably the only time she’ll wear athletic shoes is when she is engaging in athletic activities, otherwise “Nyet!”
Here is Marlene Dietrich’s advice for dressing on a budget from her classic Fatale tome, Marlene Dietrich’s ABC :
Don’t ever follow the latest trend, because in a short time you will look ridiculous. Don’t buy green, red or any other flamboyant-colour dress. A small wardrobe must consist of outfits that you can wear again and again. Therefore, black, navy blue, and grey are your colours. Don’t buy separates. Don’t believe the sales talk that you can have five dresses for the price of one. And don’t buy cheap materials, no matter how attractive the dress looks to you. Don’t say you can’t afford a dress made of expensive materials. Save up for it. If you have one good suit, preferably grey (navy gets shiny), two black dresses, a black wool skirt, a couple of black and grey sweaters, you’ll be well dressed most of the year until summer, when you’ll wear simple cotton dresses. Another suggestion, don’t send your clothes to the cleaner’s all the time. Spot-clean and press them yourself. It’s worth it because they last longer. And while you’re saving for that good black dress, on your next date wear a black sweater and skirt. Nothing wrong with that as long as you don’t ruin the elegance of the outfit by overemphasis of the bosom.
I Love a Femme in a Uniform
The Cocktail Dress
When a woman enters the Fatale Army, they issue her her first cocktail dress. This is her uniform—standard issue. It might come from the mall. It might come from a fancy designer. Hell, she might find it at a garage sale for a dollar. Whatever—this is an adult dress and it is the mainstay of her wardrobe and this dress very well might be black. Otherwise known as the “LBD,” the little black dress was made—literally made—for the femme fatale and she should have one if not several. Crystal, the full-on fatal lady in “The Women,” stole sweet Mary Haine’s husband even though she was just a lowly shop girl and had a dreadful soul. What did she wear? A black dress. Dee-vine.
The Evening Gown
The femme fatale must have a long evening gown that is dramatic and glamorous—never frilly. And when she’s invited to a party and everyone else shows up wearing jeans and flipflops, she must make a grand entrance in her gown. That’ll show ‘em how it’s done.
A Killer Suit
Lana Turner always relied on perfect-fitting tailored suits in bold colors to look her best, both in the movies and out. Marilyn Monroe’s Rose Loomis wore form-fitting suits as she vamped her way through �
�Niagara.” And Linda Fiorentino’s entire wardrobe in “The Last Seduction” consisted of suit-y business attire in black, white, and gray. Here is David Hanna’s description of Ava Gardner’s kick-ass suit in his book Ava: Portrait of a Star:
She was dressed conservatively in a light gray suit with simple pleats in the skirt, a tight-fitting jacket and a polka-dot kerchief around her neck. She wore no hat. Her hair was pulled back but not so tightly that the evening breeze couldn’t catch it up. Over one arm she carried a simple cloth coat. Her hand held a black bag. Her smile was radiant.
The Simple White Blouse or Sweater
There is something perversely uniformy about a white or off-white top with a black skirt or black slacks. Let it be known Phyllis Dietrichson wore a white sweater when she went to seal the deal with Walter Neff in “Double Indemnity.”
A Pencil Skirt
‘Nuff said.
The All-Important Coat
Garbo’s Mata Hari coat had gigantic collar and cuffs and she wore it with gloves and boots: to die for.
Animal Prints
Don’t forget that when Mrs. Robinson, the original cougar, met Benjamin for a tryst in “The Graduate,” she arrived wearing a faux leopard coat over a little black top and an animal print skirt.
Heels
They destroy your feet. They keep your podiatrist in business. But they also terrify the populace with their intimidating clack-clack-clack as you stomp down the street. It’s amazing how much power a four-inch heel can have.
The Eastern Look
Orientalism is a cornerstone of the femme fatale’s taste. Serpent bras … sarongs … veils … Egyptian kohl around the eyes … a satin blouse with a Nehru collar and frog closures up the side … a snug Suzy Wong Cheongsam … Middle Eastern jewelry … a lounging costume with elaborate embroidery … geisha girl robes … a fan … chopsticks for the hair … Indian jewelry … a sari … Grecian sandals. The Eastern look is exotic and therefore a bit dangerous.
Time-traveling Fatales will certainly want to beam back to 1920s and ’30s Shanghai when the smoldering crossroads of sin was newly-filled with White Russians and beginning to be influenced by Hollywood, but still beholden to its magnificent history. According to Beverley Jackson in Shanghai Girl Gets All Dressed Up, “working girls” or “women with fathers, husbands, or lovers who could afford their upkeep” were always dressed to the nines while also known for “stepping unseeing over a ragged corpse dead from starvation and cold.”
The Envelope Purse
Every femme fatale worth her salt owns a black envelope (or “clutch”) purse—and possibly a whole wardrobe of envelope purses. Dietrich liked hers big because she thought tiny bags were pretentious.
The Right Hat
A veiled picture hat that obscures the face (think Alexis Carrington Colby) will wow everyone in the courtroom. A turban (a la Lana Turner in “The Postman Always Rings Twice”) will help convince the drifter to do the femme fatale’s bidding. A white hat that matches her suit (as did Michelle Pfeiffer’s in “Scarface”) will entice the high-rolling drug-dealer to blow away her current beau and make her his lady.
A beret dipping over one eye, a mannish fedora, a generous Russian-style winter hat, a lace veil … these are the things from which drama is made. A humongous sunhat is the only way to face the beach and a filmy scarf wrapped around the head and neck is the only way to survive a ride in a convertible. Garbo’s Mata Hari wore skullcaps, wide hair bands, turbans, and small cloche hats—and she had all of Paris at her feet.
Gloves
Remember, Gilda’s entire nightclub routine was built around the removal of long, black, satiny gloves.
Sunglasses
Sunglasses are the modern equivalent of the veiled hat.
A Killer Swimming Costume
A bikini, swimsuit, or sunsuit in white or black a la Lana Turner in “The Postman Always Rings Twice” or Rita Hayworth in “The Lady from Shanghai” is the femme fatale’s chosen apparel for a summer rendezvous.
Nightwear
The femme fatale has a veritable wardrobe of nightgowns that double as her loungewear, and she doesn’t think it’s a bad idea to have matching satin mule-type slippers to wear when taking late-night or early-morning meetings with her detective.
Lingerie
The femme fatale probably has a terrific lingerie drawer that holds, of course, the essential black bra and panty set. It is said that the real Mata Hari, believing that her breasts weren’t so great after having two children, wore a jeweled bra to bed when she had guests.
Jewelry
Phyllis Dietrichson wore her delicate little anklet rather effectively in “Double Indemnity” and it could be said that this strand of gleaming metal was the downfall of Walter Neff. Phyllis also wore huge rings—gigantic rectangles of gemstone—with almost every outfit. Crystal Allen’s barbaric necklace and matching bracelets were devastating against the backdrop of her simple black dress in “The Women.” And picture Dietrich without her strategically placed beads and baubles. It practically can’t be done.
Getting Dressed
The Fatale enjoys dressing and may even make a ritual out of it. Here is how Taylor Pero described Lana Turner’s dressing room in Always, Lana:
The first touches I noticed in this dressing room were the soft stereo music already playing and, beside a sumptuous couch on which Lana would relax between scenes, a table with a makeup mirror. This wasn’t just a makeup mirror, mind you, it was a tall, three-sided mirror that enabled Lana to inspect every inch of herself before she faced the cameras. I don’t mention Lana’s fastidiousness in a snide or derogatory manner: apart from being a natural-born perfectionist, Lana Turner is keenly aware of what her fans and peers alike expect from her. They want the epitome of beauty and glamour, and Lana would go mad if she thought she let them down.
Color Me Fatale
Though fashion designers dictate this or that revolting “in” shade every season, finding flattering colors that suit her complexion is a task the femme fatale takes most seriously. But when all else fails, she knows she can rely on the wisdom of the ages.
The modern femme fatale’s closet is probably an inky sea of black and that’s because she knows she looks simply fantastic in it. In fact, no Fatale dame doesn’t have key pieces in black, such as the crucial little dress, a good coat, sunglasses, gloves, high-heeled shoes, an envelope purse, the perfect hat, and a set of nice lingerie.
Fatales also like white. The better to disguise their dark natures? Lana Turner’s character Cora in “The Postman Always Rings Twice” wore almost nothing but white. In the first scene it was white shorts and a white midriff top. Later, for an illicit tryst at the beach, it was a white bikini. A white coat for murdering her husband? But of course! And, finally, a simple white ensemble for court. Kathleen Turner’s Matty wore white in all but one scene in “Body Heat” (and that was the one during which she met with lawyers after her husband’s death). Sharon Stone’s Catherine Tramell wore white sans underwear in the interrogation scene (during which she withered San Francisco’s entire police interrogation unit). In short, when she wants to be really bad, the Fatale wears white.
The Fatale is also hopelessly drawn to red, the color of passion, love, sex, hearts, anger, and blood. Why not get married in red and upset the whole community?
Purple, a complicated, twisted color, is both perverse and associated with royalty and, so it goes, the femme fatale loves it.
And let it be known that the movies gave birth to the concept of the neutral. Because films of the pre-Technicolor era were black and white, the colors black and white but also silver and gray and beige became chic and glamorous.
Finally, pastels must be used judiciously. They are employed most effectively when the Fatale flies incognito as a harmless woman. For example, Marilyn’s baby blue number in “Niagara”? Was it a ruse to appear innocent while heartlessly plotting to do away with her husband?
Tips for a Fatale Closet
/> There comes a time in every femme fatale’s life when she wants to kill off her entire closet. If the contents are sparse she doesn’t despair, for it’s wonderfully restful to be able to stuff all of one’s belongings in a suitcase and hit the road. Still, it’s very likely that our Fatale girl doesn’t have everything she needs, and this calls for some meditation—as well as a cocktail.
Consider: It’s very likely that the Fatale has gone shopping with the goal of knocking a couple of things off her list, perhaps practical items for work, and yet came home clutching an animal print bikini and a red evening gown. She thereby joins the ranks of all great femme fatales who harbor restless dreams and dangerous schemes. This is because sometimes an item of clothing can be a wish, a dream, a desire. It can be a talisman and physical symbol for a more exciting and glamorous life.
Let us consider the closet of one of the queens of restless dreams and take inspiration. Here is a partial list of Anaïs Nin’s “costumes,” as described in The Early Diary of Anaïs Nin Volume Four 1927—1931:
•“Tight-fitting dark blue velvet dress with enormous medieval sleeves slit to show half the arm”
•“Black velvet dress with black lace sleeves and black hat with veil over the eyes—and all my Florentine jewelry”
•“Gold lame’ turban ... to go with my gold lame’ dress”
•“Hair up and slick (with water), earrings, black velvet dress, and my shawl from Granada”
•“Black silk coat, coral silk dress, very tight-fitting, with a row of black buttons, and a three-cornered black hat with a veil”