BABYLON, WHERE FASHION RULES

Vertiginous. Breathtaking. Breathless. Over the course of three hours, Babylon, the new feature film from the Franco-American director Damien Chazelle (known for La La Land and Whiplash), takes the public on a frantic whirlwind. At the heart of the film, the characters portrayed by Diego Calva, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, experience the reality of cinema. This rhythmed fresco revives the early days of Hollywood, of silent films coming up against new technologies, but not just that. Between wild, decadent parties, Babylon highlights the collective portrait of three characters blinded by the light of the projector, who are ready to do anything to succeed, even if that means descending into darkness. 

With a plot that begins in the early 1920s, viewers could expect a straightforward dive into the roaring twenties, in the style of de Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby. But that's not exactly what you get. With Damien Chazelle, the exploration of the era is passionate, excessive, confusing. There are epic parties, where elephants wander in, where ether and other drugs are currency. There are naked bodies, wild orgies. In this festive hullabaloo, the aesthetic of the 20s is interpreted by the director in a contemporary way. 

Forget retro, fringed Charleston dresses! In Babylon, Margot Robbie - alias Nellie LaRoy - wears mini dresses with plunging necklines, and backless sequined crop tops. The film even flirts with anachronism, sometimes fully reinventing the looks from the 20s.

At the start of WWI, the 20s were more than a breath of fresh air in terms of fashion, they marked the start of a revolution. Symbols of newfound freedom, dresses were shorter and bodies were revealed. It's an idea that Damien Chazelle ran with, if we explore the heroine's wardrobe.  

A certain demure look is a strong symbol of the Roaring Twenties: That of the garçonne. Camped up by Li Jun Li, Lady Fay Zhu represents this liberated woman who plays with gender codes in her cabaret number. In the film, the character exudes a confident sensuality and glamour. In high style, with a suit, gloves and a chignon, gender lines are blurred marking the delicious, delicate aesthetic of the scene support this inspiring figure of the times. 

Mais si les figures féminines ont une place proéminente dans l'œuvre de Damien Chazelle, il est impossible de passer à côté de Brad Pitt, en Jack Conrad, ex-acteur vedette sur la pente descendante et Diego Calva, alias Manny Torres, jeune passionné qui compte bien se faire sa place dans l'univers du cinéma. L'un a connu la gloire et les soirées les plus folles d'Hollywood, l'autre, plus modeste, en rêve. Veston, smoking, nœud papillon et bretelles à bouton sont les indispensables de l'époque pour fricoter avec le gratin du cinéma et s'y faire une place. 

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