Decade of Excess

The whole decade of the 1980s had a huge influence on A Nos Amours, other than just in the specific ways I showed in previous posts. Large prints, loose and boxy shirts, sport coats, metallics, stripes, pastels and bright colors, puffy sleeves, high-cut jeans and layering are important aspects of the 80s fashion scene. Check out some of these screenshots to see for yourself how '80s the film really was.

Dressing like the typical '80s teen, Suzanne was the perfect character in a great film to show the French fashions from the 80s. Her drapey skirts, mid-height heels, and boxy tees all worked to portray a teen trying to make her own way during a time of her life when everyone around her was trying to hold her back. What she wore was one thing in her life she had complete control over, and it was obvious that she was aware of that. She knew what to wear to get what she wanted- from men, from her friends, and from her family- even if she was still trying to figure out what exactly she did want.

Growing Up Fast

What Suzanne wore while out with her friends and with boys sure was opposite of what she showed her family while hanging out at home. Suzanne's style evokes the sexy insouciance of youth in revolt, and the stripes, knits, bright colors, and metallics (which were also a big part of her younger sense of style) were worn often, in body conscious shapes accentuating her womanly form she was so proud to bear.

The movie opened up with his shot of Suzanne. Though you can't see much of her clothing, she's giving off a rebel-without-a-cause vibe and it's already known by the audience that trouble is brewing.

On her first tryst with her first boyfriend during summer camp, she's wearing an '80s mini skirt and striped, wide-cut ringer-tee top. The shapes of both pieces evoke a youthful yet confident mood- exactly where Suzanne was mentally sitting.

At the party where she meets the American that leads to her fate, she's dressed very sexy for a 15 year old girl. Her slinky one-shouldered dress- with striped accents!- gives off a sultry vibe the '80s is known for.

Note: These screenshots show an error in the movie! In one part of the scene, her dress is black and white striped along the one-shouldered neckline, while in the other part she is wearing a black skirt with a black and white striped one-shouldered top. Whoops!

Her other party outfits- one from the beginning of her bad-behavior spiral and one when she's finally matured- are the perfect outfits to identify the decade she's grown up in. The stripes (again!), leather, metallics, bright colors, and womanly silhouettes are so very '80's, just like Suzanne's screw-all attitude.

Home Front

The main character, Suzanne, in A Nos Amours finds herself exploring her own limits with boys and men as she grows up in the 1980's, but needs to stay the same little girl her family knows her as while she's at home. Suzanne's at-home wardrobe is as slovenly and girlish as her street clothes are provocative. In order to keep these personae of herself separate, she dresses very sweetly at home, and a bit more risque while out socializing, which will be explored in the next post. 

The bright colors, loose fits, and layers shout to her mother, father, and brother that she is still young and playful. She stays covered up and innocent in her house to avoid suspicion, even just pulling at the neckline of her sweater to cover up a potential hickey from her secret boyfriend.

Reds, browns, and pinks were most popular with Suzanne. A huge trend for youth during the '80s was chunky cardigans and heavy jackets, which is obviously very apparent in Suzanne's at-home ensembles, like her fur trimmed leather bomber over the baby pink sweater she's wearing just above.