"Alright, Alright, Alright"

Richard Linklater's 1993 film was not only a springboard to success for stars like Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck and Milla Jovovich.

It is a real feast for the ears of rock music lovers, as well as for the eyes, because you can find ready recipes for successful styles straight from the 70s, which have been triumphing for several seasons now.

I would like to point out, however, that I mean women's fashion, because for men's fashion, well - it was not a very happy time...

Five sixteen a.m.

I was inspired to watch "Dazed and Confused" by reading the book Greenlights,

in which Matthew McConaughey shares insights and memories from his life.

05:00 AM is a rather unusual time for watching a movie about an all-night party - or for watching any movie at all.

But for me, struggling with persistent pain after an unpleasant dentist visit, it was a nice time to escape the present and immerse myself in the climate of America a few decades ago.

The film is set in one day (and night) of 1976 in Texas, as a group of teenagers celebrate the end of the school year.

I will not describe the plot here, but before I move on to the main topic of the post, I would like to share a few impressions.

Cars!

1973 Plymouth Duster

1970 Pontiac GTO

1970 CHEVY CHEVELLE SS 454

You don't have to be a connoisseur to pay attention to these beauties.

From the very first shots you can't help but think "if I had a car like that in high school...", and then "if I had a car like that at all...". - and it accompanies you till the end, because this film is a real automotive feast.

Music!

The information about the time and place of the action gives some outline of what to expect in this theme.

However, the first seconds after pressing "play", when you can hear in the background

"Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith, dispel all doubts.

The musical layer is undeniably a showcase of this production and it is not surprising, because apparently as much as one-sixth of the budget was spent on buying the copyrights to the songs so that they could be used in the film, and Richard Linklater himself took care of their selection.

Deep Purple ("Highway Star"), Black Sabbath ("Paranoid"), Nazareth ("Love Hurts"),

War ("Why Can't We Be Friends", "Low Rider"), Bob Dylan ("Hurricane") these are just a few examples.

Combined with the beast on four wheels and the atmosphere of the summer break just beginning - poetry!

Debuts!

Casting specialist Don Phillips agreed to work on "Dazed and Confused" on the condition that he could hire only unknown actors.

In the book, Matthew McConaughey describes the twist of fate that led to him being cast as the charismatic Wooderson.

He was living in Austin at the time, and while he was at a bar with his girlfriend, a friend (bartender) informed him that a man was sitting nearby, working on a film being made in the area.

Matthew approached him and, in fact, at that moment the door to a great career opened for him.

The men quickly established a thread of understanding, spent several hours talking, and finally Don instructed him to report to the address in the morning.

The script was waiting for him on the spot, and after 10 days he participated in the casting and met with the director.

The actor mentions that the main inspiration for Wooderson's character was his brother Pat and a memory of him from his high school days.

I'm not surprised he got the part, as he convincingly plays a laid-back, self-walking guy who is synonymous with being "cool" to his younger colleagues, and his "alright, alright, alright" has become legendary.

The second example of an undoubtedly successful debut was Rory Cochrane as Slater.

Supposedly, to make him feel more into the role of a teenager still stoned with marijuana, the makeup artists put a lot of red powder under his eyes, and he was given a special herb that he smoked on the set, which made him a bit sleepy.

Ben Affleck played Fred O'Bannion, crushed by his own testosterone, unscrupulously teasing younger people.

He is one of the least likable characters, which means he did a good job and gave a believable acting performance, although the atmosphere on set and the subject matter of the film may have presented an additional challenge for him, as 5 years earlier, at the age of 15, he himself had a bad experience with marijuana (a dissociative panic attack) and has not smoked it since, only pretending to do so in the company of friends.

Fashion

Right next to cars and music, it was the stylizations that caught my attention and became the main inspiration for this post.

They can be a good starting point for creating sets straight from the 70s, especially since, apart from one blouse, the elements of clothing used in the film were indeed from those times.

Costume designer Katherine "Kathy" Dover dug through magazines and vintage stores in Texas and Los Angeles specifically for this project.

And as I wrote in the introduction - in this case I mean mostly women's styling, because I am not convinced that the men's fashion of that period should be a model to follow.

Below are 5 sets by me that are a combination of both items available in chain stores and designs from luxury brands.

I would like to emphasize that my aim was not to recreate 1:1 the sets presented in the film, but only to loosely take inspiration from the use of key fashion trends of the 70s, such as flared pants, ruffled blouses, large buckle belts, platform sandals and crop tops.

Shirt: Intimissimi - 49,90 €

Platform Sandals: Mango - 49,99 €

Hair Clip: MC Davidian - 17 €

Trousers: Liu Jo - 179,90 €

Bag: Michael Kors (Modivo) - 183 €

Sunglasses: Massimo Dutti - 59,95 €

Belt: Vanzetti (Zalando) - 19,95 €

Blouse: Liu Jo - 149,90 €

Ring: Hermès - 510 €

Platform Sandals: Liu Jo - 169,90 €

Belt: H&M - 14,99 €

Trousers: H&M - 19,99 €

Sunglasses: Massimo Dutti - 59,95 €

Bag: Massimo Dutti - 79,95 €

Shirt: Liu Jo - 119,90 €

Platform Sandals: Clarks - 107 €

Sunglasses: Sportmax - 250 €

Trousers: Ralph Lauren - 199,95 €

Belt: Marella - 107 €

Bag: Manu Atelier - 375 €

Watch: Bergstern Brilliance - 193 €

Sunglasses: Loewe - 290 €

Bracelet: Solar - 10 €

Hat: Levi's - 29,95 €

Ring: Alighieri - 325 €

Top: H&M - 9,99 €

Trousers: H&M - 24,99 €

Bag: YSL - 2300 €

Flip Flops: H&M - 49,99 €

Shirt: Ralph Lauren - 134,95 €

Flip Flops: Birkenstock - 80 €

Bag: Coach - 450 €

Shorts: Liu Jo - 129,90 €

Sunglasses: Coach - 150 €

AirPods/iPhone Case: H&M - 9,99 €

Bracelets: H&M - 34,99 € / 2 pieces

However, when it comes to the styling of the male characters:

First of all - I suggest leaving cowboy boots and belts with a decorative buckle in a place where they will work best, i.e. in Texas.

Secondly - oversized, patterned shirts and pants with flared legs, in turn, already had their 5 minutes in the 70s and I don't want to be so ruthless as to say that it was 5 minutes too much, but for sure ENOUGH and in fact, if we do not plan a costume party, it is better to leave them in these bygone times for the aesthetic good of the public.

But that's just my opinion, you can disagree with it of course.

There is also a lot of classic denim in the film (whether in the form of pants or a shirt), simple

t-shirts and the already cult models of sneakers.

These types of sets are actually not much different from those often seen on the street nowadays, because classics and simplicity, as we all know, is always cool.

Speaking of t-shirts, a treat for movie fans or the rock band The Amboy Dukes can be the purchase of one worn by one of the main characters - Wooderson: