A new A24 book proves directors have always had the best style

While directing Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola stood amongst white powdered wigs, embellished corsets, and plenty of pink robes à la française wearing a black zip-up skeleton hoodie. When she wasn’t wearing that, she was often in a white men’s button-up shirt by Charvet with dark-wash denim. While the aesthetic of the 2006 film and its elaborate, Academy Award-winning costumes would become visual confections for the coquettes of Tumblr and TikTok, the real style star was Coppola herself—or at least that’s what A24’s new book How Directors Dress would argue.

The coffee-table book, out this week, features 200 photos and explores what getting dressed for work looks like when you’re directing a film. It’s split into five chapters that focus on different kinds of clothing: Workwear, Climate Control, Buttoned Up, Red Carpet, and Louche.

In the introduction, British director Joanna Hogg writes, “There’s an invisibility to the role of the director. You’re trying to enter into a world you’ve created and be an observer within it. You want to bring out the best from other people—not be the focus of attention yourself … I don’t want to wear something that shouts, “She’s the director! She’s in charge!” No jodhpurs, no extravagant hats as some directors prefer. I want something very simple and work-a-day in order to move around quietly.” On the cover of the book she can be seen sitting with her arms crossed in her director’s chair, wearing a relaxed navy Yohji Yamamoto suit.

This essence or the ability to dress while being an inhabitant of a world you’ve created, while also trying to camouflage yourself into the background of it, is a far tougher feat than just looking good, as most actors are known to do. And yet there are barely any corners of the internet or literary spaces that document it in the same way the red carpet has been immortalised, until now. Alongside Hogg’s introduction there are also chapters by fashion journalists Rachel Tashjian and Lynn Yaeger, and an afterword by designer Yamamoto. Hagop Kourounian of @directorfits, What Artists Wear author Charlie Porter, and Screen Slate founder and editor in chief Jon Dieringer consulted on the project as well.

How Directors Dress is filled with the kinds of things you’d never know unless you were on set. Federico Fellini needed a fresh shave before appearing on set every day. James Cameron is partial to a motocross jersey. Wong Kar-wai wore the same kind of “true colour” lensed glasses as pilots who need to see well in direct sunlight. Ang Lee wore a baseball cap from Dairy Queen while filming Brokeback Mountain.

At a time where the entire fashion community seems obsessed with the idea of authenticity and personality, this book has clearly come at the right time, as a sort of new-age fashion bible. In the afterword, Yamamoto writes, “Each director has their own reason to wear something. While they’re making a film, they are in their natural setting: their styling is natural. When people wear something natural, it can’t look ugly.”

How Directors Dress is available now at A24 Shop for $40 (₹3,342 approx.)

This article originally appeared on hapersbazaar.com/us in June 2024

Feature image credit: Jacques Munch

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