Love Story Style: Camel, Faux Fur and Cable, the Ali MacGraw/ Jenny Look
When I have a lazy Sunday I usually have the TV on for company and hope I stumble onto a good movie. The bill of fare is usually pretty slim, so I keep a stash of movies for back up. This Sunday was pickins so I dipped into my emergency rentals. I have never ofically watched “Love Story” and that was part of my bucket list to see. I was familiar with the plot, cast, the ending and of course the line; “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” but I could not honestly add it to the rest of movies I have seen. I didn’t need any Kleenex, but I was struck by how Ali McGraw could have stepped out of practically any scene in the movie and into the pages of a current fashion magazine.
Maybe it’s un-American that I had never seen the movie but I did know that Ali McGraw’s character Jenny’s style was copied by women all over and reached iconic status when the movie came out. Several clothing lines and designers named garments and accessories after her and still do. Just about every costume could be worn today without missing a fashion beat. I found it fascinating, but it just makes perfect sense since the clothes in the movie reflect one of the fashion eras we are revisiting. Ali McGraw and Ryan O’Neal, who she mockingly nicknamed “preppie” in the movie, could easily be models in a current J. Crew, Banana Republic or even a Ralph Lauren ad. Not every fashionista can sport the long straight hair or freshly washed face, but most of the clothes have no boundaries.
The Ali McGraw, or Jenny look, can be worked with basics like; black tights, turtle necks, fisherman’s sweater and jeans, they are just as hot now as they were in the movie. The best part is these are items that never go out of style and most of us probably have them already in our closet. If you’re the other person in the world that has never seen this movie, I won’t spoil it with anymore gushing, but keep an eye out for the scene stealing, fluffy fur hat and camel coat.
Tracey