"When I get through with you, you'll look like... What do you call beautiful? A tree. You'll look like a tree." - Dick Avery in Funny Face, 1956
Funny Face is undoubtedly one of the most influential fashion films to date. Its plot carries through to modern films, such as The Devil Wears Prada, and the costumes adorned by the lovely Hepburn have stayed iconic through centuries. Everything in the film was aesthetically pleasing, especially its photo shoot screen grabs and the emblematic 50s filters that followed suite.
As visually entertaining as it was, there was something thoroughly unconvincing about the pairing of the 28 years old Jo Stockton (Hepburn) and the 58 year old Dick Avery (Astaire). Their relationship felt far too rushed and their chemistry too inconsistent and forced. It was also highly questionable how Jo, a woman who was strong on her beliefs of "empathicalism" and regarded the fashion industry as materialistic and revolting, was so easily swayed by a man who worked in said industry and his promise of Paris. This in turn poses questions on gender politics: did Jo throw every principle she had out the window merely for a man and did Avery intentionally exploit Jo's innocent intentions? Despite its shortcomings, Funny Face is still a fashion film classic for its modern day relevance, entertaining plot and catchy numbers.
