The style of the 1970s and 80s has been working its way back into fashion for some time now. One of the key influencers in this trend is Brian de Palmas film Scarface from 1983.
Taking its cue from Howard Hawks’ 1932 original, Tony Montana (Al Pacino) is the titular Scarface, a Cuban immigrant whose violent rise to the top of the southern Florida cocaine industry mixes the outrageous with a stylised realism. For all its trashy excess, the filmmakers root the story in a density of incident and character detail, coupled with a relentless pace that never lets up over its almost three-hours running time. Doomed from the moment he attains power, De Palma emphasises Montana’s alluring yet repellent lifestyle, setting the explicit violence, initially at least, against a backdrop of pastel-pop visuals and bright sunshine.
Dismissed by critics on its release and failing to make much impact at the box office, critic Ken Tucker recounts how the movie gradually ‘got away from its [middle-aged, white] creators’ and became a hit among ‘largely young, black and Hispanic’ fans.
As the movie shifts visual gear from the opening impressionist sequences to the vivid expressionism of the second half, so Montana’s relentless pursuit of the trappings of wealth leaves him spiritually desolate and isolated. As screenwriter Oliver Stone has stated: ‘Luxury corrupts far more ruthlessly than war,’ a concept he explores in the film’s underlying critique of unbridled materialism and the dark side of the American Dream.
Michelle Pfeiffer as Elvira Hancock is a woman who goes from being the girlfriend of one gangster (Robert Loggia) to the wife of another when Tony takes over the drug business. Everything about her style - from the hair to the clothes - has become influential in fashion, and that is courtesy of costume designer Patricia Norris.
Though many costume designers in early Hollywood came from couture, Norris was self-made and had her own path. The single mother worked odd jobs to care for her 5 children, and eventually found work in the stockroom of the costuming department at MGM. She then progressed to being a costumer and ultimately a costume designer known for her rigorous research and historical knowledge of everything from architecture to fashion.
Unlike the early days of Hollywood with their long-term contracts, modern costume designers were not necessarily aligned with a studio. Instead they often had ongoing collaborations with directors. This describes Norris, who had a long-time collaboration with David Lynch and partnered with him on productions like The Elephant Man, Twin Peaks, and Blue Velvet. Something extra special about Norris is that she was also a production designer, which means that she really was responsible for the whole look of Lynch's work.
Even with these credentials, Patricia gave credit for the longevity of the costumes in Scarface to Michelle Pfeiffer as well as the producers and director. She insisted, "They knew exactly what they wanted." De Palma was a student of classic cinema and made frequent references to it in his work. What's really interesting is that we can see those references in the costume design as well. The original Scarface gave him a great starting point for what Tony's girl should look like. Elvira's silk bias cut gowns are also a nod to someone like Jean Harlow, who herself played a gangster's moll in 1931's The Public Enemy. In addition, there is another nod to 1946's The Postman Always Rings Twice with Elvira's all white suit.
Scarface has been a source of inspiration for the fashion industry for several years. Armani, Versace, and Donna Karan have all taken cues from the costumes for their designs, and many can be seen on the red carpet.
The blog Clothes on Film, has written on how the style of Scarface is crucial to the films storytelling technique. Tony Montana starts out with his initial costume of bright orange with surfing and palms pattern and as his status climbs, Tony progresses to white, cream and most unattractively, smudgy blue suits, often double breasted and unbuttoned with splayed collar shirts. “As companion Manny (Steven Bauer) notes when they are still dishwashing for a living, watching the high rollers driven in fancy cars with conspicuous clothes, it is all about “pizzazz”; you must wear your money.”
“Despite costumes in Scarface being representative of their setting (and climate), they still echo gangster fashions from sixty years before. Hollywood invented a look that has been referenced and subverted on countless occasions. Tony states that he learned how to speak English from Jimmy Cagney and Humphrey Bogart movies, so it is only natural that during his last coke-fueled hurrah, the “Say hello to little friend!” bloodbath, he is wearing a deep blue pinstripe, three piece suit similar to his mobster teachers in the 1930s/40s. Of course, Patricia Norris ensures that Tony is intentionally loud. With a plain linen shirt and white single breasted linen suit, strangely when Elvira is embarrassed to be seen with him, as Tony’s only real sartorial hit, he is portrayed as someone who could only dress tastefully by accident.”
“Scarface’s costume influence is indisputable. Even if the fashions themselves are rarely revived with much success beyond magazine photo shoots, the concept of conspicuous display remains a sure fire indication of wealth for those not discreet enough to enjoy it privately. Clothes in Scarface, for men and women, are the mark of success, however broadly this may be defined. The more money Tony made the more flamboyantly he had to flaunt it.”
Check out Clothesonfilm for more on fashion and Sacarfsce here https://clothesonfilm.com/scarface-dress-and-excess/
