Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Dinner parties are making a comeback—call it nostalgia, boredom, the Mad Men effect, or just the great cycle of entertainment life, but people love their dinner parties again. If these dining get-togethers are a thing, then what to wear is a major subject. We've taken inspiration from dinner party scenes in six awesome films and channeled it into outfits to wear now.
1. Beetlejuice (above): This is an unconventional choice for our lead dinner party scene, but Tim Burton films always come with amazing and inspirational styling, and this film comes with a catchy and hilarious video. We think Charles Deetz' Shetland houndstooth wool coat is cool enough, but we've got two lady looks that come from the against-their-will-but-still-fun-as-hell dance scene, next.
1. Luxury "Regency" earrings, $450 at Far Fetch; 2. Isabel Marant long leather gloves, $310 (for a pair) at La Garconne; 3. Alexander Wang asymmetrical dress, $420 at The Outnet; 4. Sasa coral shrimp clutch, $495 at StyleServer; 5. Alexis Bittar drop hoop earrings, $125 at Nordstrom; 6. Halston Heritage bronze lame dress, $195 at Yoox.
2. Annie Hall: This Woody Allen classic is already renowned for its all-around game-changing styling. It's also great for its take on relationships and is realistically awkward Easter dinner scene. Watch Allen suffer through a meal with with freakishly stylish group that is the film's namesake's family.
1. Haute Hippie silk champagne blouse, $146 at The Outnet; 2. Tissue turtleneck, $30 at J. Crew; 3. Me and Kashmere paisley scarf, $173 at Otte ; 4. Coast wide leg trousers, $150 at John Lewis; 5. Spring Street silver leaf necklace, $58 at Nordstrom; 6. Day Birger Et Mikkelsen gauze top, $265 at Net-A-Porter.
3. Goodfellas: Goodfellas basically revolves around food—oh, and gangsters. But, as mentioned multiple times in the film, gangsters love their food.That results in several great dinner scenes. Two memorable moments in this critically acclaimed film are "dinner with Tommy's mom" (played by Martin Scorsese's own mother) and the "dinner in prison" scene. We've looked past the love of Adidas and aprons in the later scene to pull together some looks inspired by American gangsters enjoying a luxurious meal in prison, because who doesn't love a nice smoking jacket?
1. "Juin" t-shirt, $75 at Theory; 2. Calvin Klein cotton shirt, $71 at The Outnet; 3. Pave op-art multi-chain gold necklace, $198 at Coach; 4. >; "Paris" high-waisted cigarette pant, $175 at Reiss; 5.Tory Burch Burgundy smoking jacket, $495 at Net-A-Porter; 6. Fallon double chain bracelet, $225 at Barneys; 7. Lavavulin 16 year-old scotch, $80 at BevMo.
4. Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom: A reality of doing the dinner party circuit is the always-lingering possibility of gross food. The Temple of Doom demonstrates this quite well, and although Willie's glass-shattering squeals are unbearable in this scene, she does pull off the covered in sequins and dripping in jewels look quite well. While fan favorite Short Round and his, "Docta' Jones" are tragically under-dressed for this royal soiree, we have found an equally inspiring look from the film's opening scene to match.
1. Champagne beaded dress, $235 at Miss Selfridge; 2. Avant et Apres layered necklace, $398 at Charm & Chain; 3. Ralph Lauren tuxedo shirt, $329 at My Theresa; 4. Kate Spade "New York" faceted earrings, $98 at Nordstrom; 5. Elizabeth and James "Carnaby" wool blazer, $190 at The Outnet; 6. Chiffon flower pin, $38 at Nordstrom.
5. Rope: Alfred Hitchcock's 1948 film Rope is literally a dinner party over the course of an evening. The fact that it is still very watchable 60+ years later is reason enough for us. But the fact that it keeps the attention of digital-agers while taking place in just two rooms total, is near-perfectly filmed as if basically one continuous shot, and is one of the Master of Suspense's most suspenseful films, makes it a must-watch. Because it takes place in two rooms and is essentially a continuous shot, the clothing doesn't vary much, but hey, it's the '40s (Hello, Miu Miu). The film has a lot to teach us— from basic silhouette dresses and fun toppers, to the idea that maybe Nietzsche isn't the best dinner party conversation topic (or impressionable young psychopath classroom topic, for that matter).
1. Pleat shoulder dress, $320 at Reiss; 2. Mui Mui leather and net fascinator, $220 at Flannels; 3. Fallon tiered pearl necklace, $265 at Barneys; 4. Stainless steel collar necklace, $130 at Hannah Zakari; 5. Diane von Furstenberg Eleonora dress, $475 at Matches.
6. Hook: Imagination is key to good style, and the dinner banquet scene in 1991's Hook is all about it. It is the only dinner party on our list that doesn't even have real food (even the fake food is multicolored and repulsive), but what it lacks in cuisine, it makes up for in eccentricity. We've got two looks inspired by Lost Boys leader Rufio (we opted out of going for the leather shorts and crop top he actually wears) and our personal favorite, "Thud Butt," of the famed ball roll attack. Basically, these outfits are an excuse to look at yourself in the mirror and give a Bangarang! of approval.
1. “Arte” panel dress, $248 at French Connection; 2. "Collier Anil Marron," $175 at Antik Batik; 3. Yigal Azrouel leather moto jacket, $585 at The Outnet; 4. House of Harlow feather necklace, $185 at Les Pommettes; 5. Beret, $79 at Yoox; 6. Pom clip, $3 (for pack of 4) at Gymboree; 7. J. Crew "Elsa" striped jacket, $180 at Net-a-Porter; 8. DKNY tie front blouse, $290 at My Wardrobe.—Payton Wang
· All film posts [Racked]