regular lovers pt. 2: a tribute

i flipped through an issue of gq the other day that included a list of the 20 or 25 most stylish movies of all time. i agreed with most of the choices, but the film they forgot that i am absolutely obsessed with at the moment is claude lelouch's 'un homme et une femme'. the two iconic leads, jean-louis trintignant and anouk aimee, exude a simplicity and ease in their style. their characters are parents, therefore there is a practicalism and comfort that makes their clothes accessable and real, but there is also something very french and effortless about how they wear them.

i will admit that i have stolen ideas from trintignant's aesthetic in the film. i'm particularly fond of the green and navy plaid scarf he wears at the beginning of the film and the black button down paired with a comfortable and warm looking gray cardigan that he wears through most of the film. when he emerges on a racetrack from his red mustang convertible with square and very mod tortoise shell glasses and a dark chocolate coat with a touch of fur at the collar i can't help but be jealous i didn't think of it first. there's also a brief scene in which he wears the cardigan with a necktie, sweater vest, and the glasses and once again i found myself impressed by his grown up and put together style. he's an odd choice for a romantic lead and as a father because of his dark, inward, and elusive appeal that was appropriate in such films as bernardo bertolucci's 'the conformist' and roger vadim's 'dangerous liasons'. that cool works surprisingly in this romantic and bittersweet story.

aimee is an interesting contrast against trintignant. her square jaw and prominent nose are softened with that gorgeous mane of hair that she fidgets with habitually throughout the film. i love when her hair masks her face during a flashback scene where we see her washing her former husband's hair. she is oddly dressed up in such a casual and banal moment, clad in a sexy black cocktail dress. in the same sequence she looks equally stunning in a backless evening gown that is almost identical to that dress she wore to the castle party in federico fellini's 'la dolce vita'. lelouch's camera spends a lot of time on her quiet gaze. one of my favorite moments in the film catches aimee looking impossibly chic on a paris street in a shearling coat and mid calf boots. the scene then cross cuts with aimee sitting in a park, alone on a bench, thinking about something and trintignant's progress in a snowy race. her pensiveness is undeniably sexy and makes you believe that she's thinking of trintignant. aimee's perfected quiet stare underscores her glamorous and simple sense of style.

the clothes in the film have a function and purpose. they allow us to understand and emphathize with the characters. this is a film that is more about character than story. to be immersed in their brief love affair is all the more devastating and resonate when we know the characters, even if it's through their sartorial choices.