Pierrot le Fou (1965) is a French film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, and you should definitely watch it; not only for the retro Techincolor hues, but for the style inspiration alone. It follows the events of a man who runs away with his nanny and former flame, Marianne (Anna Karina), as they travel further and further into the South of France in attempt to find Marianne’s “brother”, as well as in attempt to escape the Algerian gangsters she happens to be involved with. The movie is very stylistically strong, belonging to the never formally organized Nouvelle Vague/French New Wave movement. Radical experiments with editing and striking visuals make this film a classic example of European art cinema.
In Pierrot le Fou, Marianne wears a wardrobe full of skinny striped red and white tank tops, perfectly fitted white tees and little red dresses with childlike pilgrim collars. Intrinsically, her style feels very right now, but it’s also giving us a glimmer of hope in the form of escapism inspired aesthetics. How nice it would be to lay on the sand in the French riviera right now, on a runaway adventure.
With primary hues that almost pop off the screen and an unexpected mix of sartorial flair, the characters Godard has created in his films often have lasting impact on the fashion front. Anna Karina, may have been the star of this film, but the legendary director also worked with Brigitte Bardot and Jean Seberg to play the lead.
There’s something to be said too, of Marianne’s hair. The chunky fringe and stylized ’60s coif is the perfect inspiration if you’ve been debating getting bangs. It’s the ultimate French girl bob.
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