"She's perfect all over and yet she looks like nobody else."

For a while now, I've been meaning to tell you about a recent exhibit that I saw at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).  "Lauren Bacall:  The Look" celebrated the fashion and style of one of the most celebrated and beguiling leading ladies from Hollywood's golden age. 

As a young model and aspiring, but unknown, actress, Bacall was introduced to Diana Vreeland in 1942, and a year later, Vreeland put her on the cover of Harper's Bazaar.

Film director Howard Hawks took notice, and he cast Bacall in his film To Have and Have Not, which also starred Humphrey Bogart. 

Her sultry gaze and raspy, deep voice made her a star, and her subsequent marriage to Bogart cemented her status as Hollywood royalty.  Bacall's trademark gaze in the film, in which she'd drop her chin to her chest and look up from beneath her lowered eyelids, became known as "The Look."  As alluring as it was, she had actually done it as a way to hide her nerves while filming.  Which just goes to show that the old adage of "Fake it until you make it" totally works.

The exhibit started with a bit of background about Bacall, photos from books and magazines, playbills, ad campaigns in which she starred, and even a tutorial on how to get eyebrows like hers .

These were followed by a number of pieces from Bacall's wardrobe that she had gifted to the museum before her death last year.

This little pink number by Pierre Cardin was one of my favorites.  I'm not sure how easy it would be to sit down while wearing it, but perhaps it was the sort of dress that you wore out dancing, in which case sitting down wouldn't need to be something that you worried about.

 This was my other favorite:  the "Subway" ensemble by Norman Norell.  The sophisticated wearer could don the inconspicuous coat while traveling across the city by train, and then reveal the sparkly dress below once she arrived at the party.

Bacall was very secure in her personal style.  She knew what worked for her body and she stuck to it, favoring simple, but elegant dresses, tailored pieces, and menswear-inspired looks that flattered her tall frame.  She never let anyone dress her in anything that made her uncomfortable, and thus she exuded a laid-back sense of glamour and sophisticated ease.

Her sense of personal style and confidence in herself should serve as a lesson to all of us to celebrate and assert our own individuality.

Unfortunately, this exhibit has now ended, but there always seems to be something interesting on at the Museum at FIT, and admission is free.  Check out their current and upcoming exhibitions here.  And if you're interested in reading more about Bacall, her memoir is available here.  It's definitely been added to my reading list.

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