The Arbiter of Taste you might not have thought of.

His designs are meticulous - from location to font to the way a daughter dresses like her mother in Hermes, the suits - immaculate grey flannel, bottle green velvet, double-breasted tan corduroy (and the duck-egg blue rubber, of course), the stationery and the modes of transport - bicycles, ships, trains, garbage trucks and tunnels.

Naturally I am talking about Wes Anderson, but you knew that, didn't you?  For years I have been a fan of his films, since I saw the Royal Tenenbaums in the Screen cinema on my own one afternoon in Dublin in 2001 and was captivated by the dry melancholy of his characters and the fabulous, slightly timeless, slightly retro wardrobe and set designs.  

Max Fischer's wonderful style in Rushmore has been cleverly discussed (and translated for girls!) by Lost in the Forest, but there are endless other characters each deserving of a dedicated blog post - Margo Tenenbaum of The Royal Tenenbaums, with her neatly fitting fur coats and her wonderfully odd bedroom with the dramatic Scalamandre wallpaper, Steve Zissou of The Life Aquatic with his red wool cap and custom stationery from Smythson, Peter Whitman from The Darjeeling Limited in his suits designed by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton (who also supplied the wonderful luggage) and wonderful oversized tinted spectacles... where to stop?

Details like the yellow fonts and 20 year old TRS-80 computers in the lab on the Belafonte in The Life Aquatic (thanks to  Starring the Computer for the id!) contribute to the strong eighties feel, but each film also appears to be set today. 

Now, of course, we have the Fantastic Mr Fox, which you will of course have already seen, with the suitably fantastically attired Mr Fox in a double breasted thick corduroy suit (no loafers for him though - a fox has to be quick on his feet - although normally you could write a blog post on shoes in Wes Anderson movies alone).  I won't review the film for you - it goes without saying that I loved it - style, script, plot, music and animation - all of it was wonderful.

 

I should really attempt a series of posts on Wes Anderson, each dealing with a different aspect of his design, rather than present you with a mangled series of short thoughts here.  I know from experience that long posts do not keep readers' attention, so I will not occupy any more of your morning pointing out details now.  Perhaps I will come back to you in a couple of weeks with a post on recreating the Anderson look in your own home or wardrobe...

Which is your favourite Wes Anderson movie?  Why?

Comments

[lapagefrancaise]

I too have adored Margo Tenenbaum's look since I first saw the Royal Tenenbaums. Her fur coats like you said, also the straight hair, the barrette, the heavy eyeliner, the dark purple toenail polish, the constant sullen expression. I also thought Angelica Huston's topknot held in place by a pencil was endearing. But it's so true that the retro men's fashion in Wes Andersen's films is so great.

[Alice at SimplyTheNest]

Ooh, I think I may have found a new favourite blog. Love your writing.

OK, so in terms of styling, my favourite Wes movie has to be Darjeeling - I adore the colours (what great cinematography), and also the mountain of luggage.

But my favourite just in general is Life Aquatic - awesome cast, awesome script, awesome plot. It's the little scenes that make the movie for me - for example, the scene where Bill Murray demonstrates the helmet with the piped in music. So funny.

Yes, please come back with the post on re-creating Wes style in your home - that sounds fantastic!

[lisa]

I love all his movies but for my fave I think it must be RUSHMORE!
I loved it's sweetness, and Jason Schwartzman together with Bill Murray...swoon.

[d i a n a m u s e]

Hands down, The Royal Tenenbaums.

Did you know that both Mr. Anderson's and Mr. Fox's suits are cut from the same corduroy? I learned this important tidbit from a recent piece on Wes Anderson in The New Yorker. I adore the man.

[Tawney--A Chichi Life]

I've heard about Wed Anderson's movies and seen a few of the advertisements, but haven't seen any of the films...yet. I definitely need to see them. Loved reading your post.
-Tawney

[Miss Cavendish]

My fave is The Life Aquatic, partly because it's so existentially silly: like a Camus book made into a comedy. And I am forever amused with the name that Bill Murray tries to give his "son"--which I cannot remember, oddly enough, but I think it's Kingsley . . . Not that Kingsley is silly on its own, mind you, but in context . . .

[lisa]

miss cavendish...

i think you are right about The Life Aquatic & Camus. And it's a great one for the Portuguese David Bowie soundtracks...
I've read where The Fantastic Mr. Fox has a great soundtrack too.
Another must buy for the car.