It may be 2017, but the '90s are still going strong.
Jenny Slate's latest film, Landline, takes us through through nostalgia-filled 1995, before smartphones, social media, and Netflix even existed. The film focuses on members of the Jacobs family, who are all in the midst of their own existential crises. Based in Manhattan, we meet all of the members of the family: ad exec dad Alan (John Turturro), mom and EPA manager Pat (Edie Falco), rebellious teenager on the cusp of adulthood Ali (Abby Quinn), and older sister Dana (Jenny Slate) who is processing adulthood following her engagement to dependable Ben (Jay Duplass).
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According to Fashionista, the film tries hard to transport the viewers back to a time before technology and fast-pace of living firmly past the 2000s. But it's not just the subtle touches woven throughout scenes in props and references, but the fashion itself takes a nod to the decade. The costume designer said that Dana's style is "exposed to a little bit more of a mature '90s style," as she's "more straight-laced and bookish." With her '90s "bohemian" aesthetic, we're seeing a lot of earthy colors, natural textures, suede and baggy, stone-washed high-waisted mom jeans — but only if they are authentically vintage.
Sister Ali's fashion inspiration in the film comes straight from old Delia's catalogs, given the "baby doll grunge" looks of her chokers, Dickies overalls, knit beanies, and flare jeans that she's dragged all over the city from raves to fighting with her family.
For mom Pat, fashion inspiration came from a more presidential source — then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. In the film, she dons slightly softer '90s updates "of the big shouldered '80s power skirt suit, while emulating strong female figures that she admires."
How hard did the costume team have to work to find authentic vintage to bring their vision to life? Surprisingly, it wasn't that difficult. The vast majority of the costumes in the movie are authentic vintage '90s pieces, which also helped the actors get into their characters. "It helps inform the way you carry yourself and the way you feel," she told Fashionista. In addition to shopping online, local New York staples like the Brooklyn locations of L Train Vintage and Beacon's Closet were hunted for treasures.
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