Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) exits the car in Bodega Bay. She walks into the general store, her legs and hips restricted by the sleekness of her Adenine Green pencil skirt. This restrictive ensemble does not allow her to take more than a few swift steps per stride, yet she has captivated the attention of everyone around her, including us in our seats. We have seen this tactic used by Hitchcock time and time again; enter Kim Novak, Grace Kelly.
The same skirt in various shades meant to restrict the woman wearing it, becoming an unwanted display of a woman’s behind. Trying to convince the audience that these women cannot possibly be in charge because they can barely walk. What was meant as a strategic move guided by Hitchcock and facilitated by costume designer Edith Head, actually became a symbol of liberation.
By the 1950s, any progressive forward movement that we felt during the war years of women’s liberation was lost the minute every GI came home. Suburbs were built, shiny space-age appliances entered our homes to distract the idle hands of women now out of work, and a newfound “masculinity” swept the nation in the world of film through Westerns and Sci-fi. However, Hitchcock, a man whose approach to directing his female leads was more hurtful than helpful, actually ushered in a new wave of female liberation on screen. This is the catch 22 we see consistently within his work. How could a man who was so vile towards his blonde leads be giving them the substantial roles that actresses craved at that time?
These were evocative women commanding the screen, albeit through the male gaze, but they were the ones solving the problems and taking control. Most of my credit for this will land on the shoulders of none other than Edith Head. She was the head of Paramount Costuming (1924-1967) and Universal Costuming from ’67 till the late ’70s. Edith understood the female figure and how to use garments that would enhance their performance and tell the story in the process. It is well known how Hitch used various tactics on and off-screen to bully and taunt his female stars and altogether ignore his male leads, but in working with Head and having complete trust in her, a style movement was created that is still used today.
Around the same time in fashion history, rationing from the war was at an end, and in 1947 Dior ushered in the “New Look.” Nipped in waists and wider skirts with structured tailored jackets. More fabric could be added to these garments because repurpose and reuse was no longer the prevailing sentiment. This style of wide skirts with layers of tulle and crinoline dominated most of the decade, well into the early ’60s. Women who wanted a more subtle or clean line opted for sleek pencil skirts, made famous by the Blondes in Hitchcock’s films. We see these women running, climbing, fighting off evil, and cleaning up the messes that their male counterparts have dragged them into. Of course, we see beautiful sexualized women, but more than that, we are seeing women imbued with power. Carrying themselves with the confidence that comes from wearing clothing that feels like a second skin. Idealized femininity, curves, and a “wiggled walk” make for the perfect exterior to fake out men who underestimate the capability of the woman before them.
For the Hitchcock Blonde in the face of sexism and abuse (sometimes not only in the story but in real life), the pencil skirt is used as a tool for liberation. As this garment carried us into the 21st century, we saw a shift in clothing’s gender norms and a reclamation of this hyper-feminized garment. Most wearers in the right pencil skirt and heels can be seen commanding the podium ( à la Michelle Obama) or at the helm of any board meeting.
What was once a garment designed by men to restrict and keep the wearer tamed, has now become a symbol of power. Men like 61-year-old Mark Brayan, who has been wearing pencil skirts and heels to work now for the last four years, and gender non-binary people have adopted and embraced the power of the pencil skirt. It befits the wearer’s individual lifestyle and communicates to the world exactly how they want to be viewed. Pencil skirts have continued to liberate its wearers, and we should be thanking the Blondes that came before us for making this look effortless.
