If there's anything William Banks-Blaney doesn't know about fashion, it's probably not worth knowing. The man behind William Vintage, the Marylebone boutique that's favoured by the fashion elite, he's regularly called upon to dress the likes of Amal Clooney and Tilda Swinton for the red carpet, and is impressively well-versed in sartorial history.
Now, William has put his fashion knowledge to good use as the host of Lights, Camera, Fashion!, an online miniseries for BBC Arts. Telling the stories behind four of the most iconic style moments in cinema history - Catherine Deneuve's 'schoolgirl' dress in Belle Du Jour, Audrey Hepburn's infamous little black dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Diane Keaton's off-beat chic in Annie Hall and Alicia Silverstone's Clueless tartan suit - it's the perfect accompaniment to a stylishly curated Netflix 'to watch' list. And with the series arriving online this weekend, what better excuse than to quiz the 'King of Vintage' on the most fashionable films in Hollywood history?
Have you always been interested in the role of fashion and costume in cinema?
I’ve always loved that wardrobe moment in a movie since long before William Vintage existed, but increasingly it’s been something that I’ve really started to notice. It’s the best way of seeing what fashion does today, and beyond that I think it’s an amazing signifier of our times. When I was making the show, it was lovely looking back at the four films. I know them like the back of my hand, but to really look at them moment by moment and focus on the fashion within them was amazing. It’s not necessarily about a particular actress or performance: part of that magic is a really fantastic head of wardrobe, because you can find a character and add layers to her story through clothes, just as much as you can through the script.
In Lights, Camera, Fashion! you've focused on four brilliant fashion moments from cinema history. How did you narrow it down to four?
They’re examples of four absolutely fantastic designers or heads of wardrobe who really knew the pace that a film had to have and what the clothes had to say about a character. But more than that, they’re films about four very different kinds of women, at very different stages in the life and from very different times – I wanted to show that the importance of wardrobe didn’t just apply to one particular type of character.
Did you learn anything about the films that surprised you?
The only one that really surprised me was Alicia Silverstone’s outfit in Clueless – the yellow tartan suit. It’s very easy to forget that the film really and truly created that very sweet, Valley Girl look. When Amy Hecklerling wanted to write about this alternate idea of high school, she went to try and find the perfect outfit and it didn’t exist – so she made it herself, then artifice became reality.
Aside from creating a character, what else can costumes tell us?
Lights, Camera, Fashion! came about after I spoke at the Hay Festival about my book 25 Dresses, which is all about how fashion is so closely tied to the empowerment of women, and the increasing freedom of women over the last fifty years. When you look at it from the perspective of history, fashion tells us everything we need to know about the story of women. The films I chose really do chart a very specific social moment – clothing is important in creating a character, but it can represent so much more than just one person.
Which costume designers do you admire today?
The two that immediately spring to my mind are Sandy Powell and Joanna Johnston. They are so talented and have such a wide, encyclopaedic knowledge of fashion no matter what period they’re working in, no matter what the subject. Just look at Sandy Powell’s work in Carol, which was referencing such a specific fashion moment – the way she layered the wardrobe for the two women and everyone around them was extraordinary. Joanna Johnston did The Man From UNKLE – another throwback film – and absolutely nailed it. We worked with her on that – there’s a fantastically camp scene where Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer are fighting over a dress, which is one of ours. It’s quite an unusual moment for two Hollywood heartthrobs!
How does your work with William Vintage support what they do?
It’s always interesting to see vintage being used as a direct inspiration point – we’re often working with really talented people when they’re trying to recreate a very specific moment. It’s quite rare that we would lend pieces for a film. Unless it’s a significant plot point within the film, it’s much more practical for the head of wardrobe to take inspiration from it or recreate it, although we recently had two really strong looks in Diane Kruger's film, The Infiltrator. They’ll often find a piece of ours which really encapsulates the mood of a film, then use different elements of this garment. What they’re effectively doing is building a new collection, but sometimes there can be 1,000 wardrobe changes for 100 people. It’s a vast undertaking.
Fashion wise, what was the first film that really inspired you?
It has to be Belle Du Jour. I remember watching it in my teens and being so completely blown away by it as a film. Then, when I was making the series, I saw with an older pair of eyes what might have drawn me to it, and how it was far more than the plot. That’s the first film where I really remember such sharp attention to detail running throughout it. It’s very elegant and there’s isn’t just one look – there are so many standouts. Each one is completely different and they really chart the rise and fall of Catherine Deneuve’s character – I think it’s amazing to be able to convey that just through changing the shape and colour of what she wears.
Who would you choose as the best-dressed characters on screen?
I’d have to go from the sublime to the ridiculous. It’s impossible not to choose an Audrey Hepburn film, even though I know that’s fairly expected – Breakfast at Tiffany’s has to win it, and that film is of course in debt to Givenchy. It’s very easy to forget that there’s so much more than just the little black dress: every single piece of clothing she wore was haute couture by Givenchy. On the other end of the spectrum, I’m having a bit of a Dynasty revival period – that very polished, glamorous moment. You have to take your hat off to [costume designers] Bob Mackie and Nolan Miller for really defining the Seventies and the Eighties. More recently, there’s Amy Adams’ character in American Hustle. That film really conveyed Seventies luxury which people often forget exists – it’s a super-sexy, really sensual look, with such beautiful fabrics.
Lights, Camera, Fashion! will air on BBC Arts from 18th November. www.bbc.co.uk/arts
READ MORE: 12 Of The Most Fashionable Films In Cinema History