There is only an infant amount of times you can watch certain films, but you do find the odd few that you could rematch on a loop and not get bored. For me I could watch Singin’ in the Rain on repeat till my eyeballs fall out of my head. Though musicals aren't usually my go to when deciding on what to watch but there's something about Singin’ in the Rain that keeps me glued to the screen. The highly saturated technicolour and glitz and glamour draws me in every time. Set in the Roaring Twenties and filmed in the fabulous fifties, Singin’ in The Rain’s fashion is a unique mixture of twenties cuts and styles mixed with bolder fifties colours created by Walter Plunkett. The world’s most beloved musical is also the glitziest with all the colour, sparkle, and decadent splendour that we now associate with the golden age of Hollywood Musicals. Walter Plunkett truly made the Hollywood Golden Age of film with the likes of his work in films like Singin’ in the Rain and Gone with the Wind. Plunkett excelled in designing glorious garments from researched as he lacked the knack of high couture, however this obviously didn’t affect the quality and designs.
The visuals of the film are simply stunning, that I could even watch the film with the sound. Scenes like ‘Broadway Melody’ are truly captivating and mesmerising. Famous ‘Broadway Melody’ scene is a non-stop Technicolour extravaganza with costumes to match. Flappers in bright tasselled flapper dresses sashay across the screen, showgirls move around Gene Kelly and dance in more 50s-style leotards. My particular favourite is the One of the most famous dresses in film history, Cyd Charisse is bewitching in this emerald green flapper dress. Instead of tassels the dress features long bejewelled panels from the neckline and from the waist. She is entrancing as she dances seductively around Gene Kelly with the panels of the skirt swaying side to side and wielding a cigarette holder like a dance baton. Each panel is cut to the waistline so there’s a lot of leg on show when she performs her famous dance. The outfit is finished off by chandelier earrings, a matching choker, bangles and shoes.
In contrast to the technicoloured, glamourized scene of ‘Broadway Melody’, I love the romantic and soft lilac and blushed pinks that are in the ‘Broadway Melody Ballet’. Cyd Charisse’s nameless character catches Gene Kelly’s eye in a white satin flapper dress with silver beaded embellishments, a chiffon cape pinned to her shoulders with diamond brooches and feathered head piece. Her dress then transforms into a ballet leotard with a chiffon skirt and long chiffon cape that both flow in the wind, creating a whimsical fantasy.
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