Vogue magazine first highlighted Diane Keaton’s singular genius in its 70s culture page, praising her appearances in 1974’s Sleeper and the following year’s The Godfather: Part II. It’s a really great movie in every sense of the word.” But it wasn’t until 1977, after the release of both Annie Hall and Looking for Mr. Goodbar, that the magazine properly introduced her to its readers as the “Female Super Special Star of American Cinema.” Ta.
“She is the queen of absent-minded exclamations, indecisive sentences, and fading silences,” declared Vogue’s December issue. “Diane seems to value self-apology. That is, until you see her work on screen or sing a song (she is said to be cutting an LP), and then she has Without a doubt, she is considered the best. Diane Keaton’s dither is all about the strength of the American woman. Oscar, your name is Diane.
Although her LP never materialized, Vogue magazine’s Academy Award predictions would prove accurate. Keaton won the top award at that year’s ceremony for his Giorgio Armani tailoring, which featured pale pink peonies on the collar. She gave her verdict on the outfit in Rizzoli’s recent book, Fashion First: 80’s…”
Of course, this outfit reflects the style of her on-screen role as Annie, whose “heart-breaking, chapline-neck, baggy pants and vest look” is meant to retain the “rich hippie” vibe of her later years. It resonated with an entire generation of people who wished for this. As Vogue magazine said, the 60’s. What is the key to achieving aesthetics? In a word, vintage.
In an August 1978 interview with the film’s costume designer Ruth Morley, the magazine said, “Even before the advent of the Annie Hall style, the popularity of thrift store clothing was widespread.” . “A few years ago, Ethel Skull made headlines in New York when she showed up at a swell gathering wearing the coveralls of an authentic ESSO craftsman. The rock stars were dressed in a slightly schizophrenic style cast off from other environments. Lifestyles in general became much less formal, and individuality in clothing seemed to symbolize the now cliche adage of “doing your own thing.” Women’s hard-won independence is reflected in their search for a more personal and less authoritarian style. ”
Keaton has been a Goodwill fan since the early ’60s, calling the LA branch his “sanctuary” as a teenager. “My mother taught my sister Dolly and I to look for the best and change it when necessary,” she writes in Fashion First. “Other people’s junk was now our perfect treasure. When we got home, we packed up our outfits for the rest of the day, discussing when we would be heading back to the Friendship Hall.” After leaving Santa Ana College and moving to Manhattan. Even before heading to , she had developed a unique taste. That’s evidenced by her request to wear a bowler hat to prom. “My mother said, ‘Diane, see you next time.’
As Keaton turns 79 today, Vogue looks back on her life in style.
