Tippi Hedren in The Birds
Tippi Hedren in The Birds
The quintessential Hitchcock blonde is cool on the surface, cracked underneath and no matter what, perfectly polished and impeccably styled. And top of the list is usually Tippi Hedren, the bombshell blonde that starred in two Hitchcock classics: The Birds and Marnie. Even though it’s been decades since either film showed on the big screen, the image of Hedren — cool, collected and coiffed — lives on today in the latest collection from the design duo at Badgley Mischka.
Hedren’s character, Melanie Daniels, is known for her mint ensemble, which while utterly chic, does little to protect her from the barrage of avian attacks in the film. (Incidentally, for those who might not now, Hedren’s daughter is actress Melanie Griffith.) The look also included light blue eyeshadow and perfectly styled hair, forever cementing the image of the Hitchcock blonde into the minds of moviegoers. The simple, modern look resonated with the film’s fans and countless fashion magazines and designers after its debut. (Every mag from Vanity Fair to Vogue has re-created Hedren’s look in editorials.) And though she wears one outfit for the majority of the film, Hedren’s look has branched out to spawn entire collections, as evidenced by Mark Badgley and James Mishka’s fall 2013 runway show.
Badgley Mischka Fall 2013
Badgley Mischka Fall 2013
For their newest runway show, Badgley Mischka showed an entire Hedren wardrobe. What would her character Melanie wear during the day? Menswear-inspired suiting done up in exploded houndstooth and exaggerated pinstripes would fill her closet — at least that’s what they dreamed up. And sleek shifts finished with luxe fur? Those would be perfect for romantic rendezvous between two lovebirds. But the finale, which included beaded gowns with Deco-inspired embellishment would be what Tippi herself would wear to red carpet premiere. And though the collection was inspired by vintage looks and ’60s styling (models even sported seafoam eyeshadow), the floor-sweeping gowns that closed the show were pieces we would be happy to see a modern day screen siren wearing. While there were no birds, per se, we predict that this collection is one that will take off, especially since the designers have opted to shine the spotlight on their main line and eschew their combination Badgley Mishka-meets-Mark and James (the designers’ lower-priced contemporary line) collections of seasons past. Confidence, it seems, goes hand in hand with staying as cool as a Hithcock blonde.
Photos courtesy Style.com and Hitchcock.net
