Always halfway between the fan film and the auteur film, Quentin Tarantino revisits the grindhouse genre “Boulevard de la mort”, on the roads of Texas and Tennessee. Hold on to your seat belts: everything here is linked to a cinema story, starting with the clothing!
(Cover photo credit: “Boulevard of Death” by Quentin Tarantino, tribute
THE PITCH: A MAN, WOMEN AND THE ROAD STRAIGHT AHEAD
Austin, Texas USA. Three young friends hit the road for a girls' weekend. They stop at a bar and meet a strange stuntman on the way back. His name is Stuntman Mike. Special sign: he wears a silver jacket .
He also has a scar on his face and a "deathproof" car. As the trailer suggests: “he has charm, he has style” . Except that the trip with friends will quickly turn into a nightmare.
If you haven't seen "Boulevard de la mort", there's no point spoiling the surprise for the rest of the adventure. It's pure Quentin Tarantino: movie references everywhere, a bit of action, plenty of sunshine, irony and, above all, a lot of talks.
This is even one of the particularities of his cinema: his characters love to talk about everything and nothing. “Boulevard de la mort” is no exception to the rule at all. You will also find stories of crazy killers, stunts and long, breathtaking car chases, all made in the old fashioned way, with a deliberately vintage grain of images.
If you ever
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From left to right: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosario Dawson, Zoë Bell and Tracie Thoms in “Boulevard of Death,” 2007.
When it was released in 2007, “Boulevard de la mort” was presented with “ Planète Terror ” by Robert Rodriguez. In the cast of this sideways Tarantino: the always amazing Kurt Russell, stuntwoman Zoë Bell and actresses like Mary Elizabeth Winstead,
None of this is really innocent. It's a real film buff's cast, with, in line with the previous diptych "Kill Bill", a large place given to the heroines. That's all ? No !
Because for what interests us, this love of cinema is obviously found even in the outfits and clothes . The costumes are by Nina Proctor. She is a regular in Robert Rodriguez's cinema and you will also find her in the “Planète Terror” team.
WHAT YOU NEED TO SEE IN STYLE…
If we except the very “badass” character of Kurt Russell, men's fashion does not carry much weight here. So, the black and white western shirt of the bar owner played by Quentin Tarantino will not attract crowds.
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Quentin Tarantino and his western shirt in “Boulevard de la mort”, 2007.
On the other hand, the outfits of the many women in the film tell us more about the style and intentions of the filmmaker. Two rooms, two atmospheres? The first is deliberately voluptuous and hyper-feminine: fitted t-shirts, mini-shorts, leather belts and simple flip-flops .
It highlights a certain sartorial carelessness inherited from the “California Dreaming” model . In fact, for regulars, you will find in “Once upon a time... in Hollywood” a not so distant style at Margaret Qualley, here alongside Brad Pitt and his yellow Hawaiian shirt:
The second is more nuanced, more assertive too and reveals boots, jeans and camo patterns. The resort spirit gives way to adventure. These two groups of girls have an almost opposite character, here highlighted by the choice of style and clothing .
Caricatural approach? Maybe. But as costume designer Stephanie Collie pointed out about the series “ Peaky Blinders ”, the profession sometimes uses small stratagems to help the viewer better understand the characters.
We can finally see “Boulevard de la mort” as a treasure hunt: the interest of the film also lies in the little winks that Tarantino slips into his dressing room . Three good reasons to rewatch “Boulevard de la mort” for clothing?
1. A SILVER JACKET LIKE NO OTHER
What if the Ryan Gosling of “Drive” hadn’t invented anything after all? Stuntman Mike played by Kurt Russell does not wear a souvenir jacket but his outfit has nothing to envy of that of the famous driver by Nicolas Winding Refn.
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Kurt Russell, his silver jacket and Rose McGowan in “Boulevard de la mort”, 2007.
Information about his locker room is contradictory. We don't know much about this character who came out of nowhere. Some people think of a black American Apparel t-shirt, combined with a black Levi's 501, brown snakeskin cowboy boots and a pair of black Ray Ban glasses .
As for the emblematic piece of the film, it is a silver satin-type jacket inspired by racing jackets , full of badges with “husky” or “icy hot” inscriptions. It is the most unique item of clothing from “Boulevard de la mort” and it adds to the already long list of cult items of clothing worn by Kurt Russell in the cinema.
Remember the random leather pieces displayed in John Carpenter's "The Thing" or "New York 1997". If the “Boulevard de la mort” jacket ever haunts you, you will find replicas of more or less good quality quite easily on the web. If you still prefer the driving of Ryan Gosling, a little reminder here:
2. COLOR, VERY CASUAL AND ENDLESS SUMMER
As noted above, “Boulevard de la mort” is full of colorful female characters, on the border between girly trends and the Riot grrrl musical movement . Two teams in the casting therefore: one willing to relax, the other rather adventurous.
Despite these very distinct character traits, the women in the film clearly have one thing in common: a sense of color. Kurt Russell only lives in black and silver. That is to say a world separates them. It doesn't really stop at the world of clothing.
We regularly invite you to add color to your outfits, especially in summer , because the season lends itself to it. This is pretty much what the girls in “Boulevard de la mort” put into practice: yellow, pink, green, purple and even unicorns for the rainbow.
If the first group of girls quite unanimously favors the lightest and summery outfits , the second appears to be a marriage of more cosmopolitan influences. Here and there he borrows a few little tricks from the men's wardrobe, from the military register , and even from very American traditions affiliated with sport.
You will see cowboy boots and belts, camouflage patterns and even
Away from group phenomena, Rose McGowan's character opts for jeans and a floral patterned blouse . You can see it in the photo above.
If floral patterns appeal to you, some other examples are the Ultimo Buscadero '. This is a reference to American filmmaker Sam Peckinpah and his 1972 film “Junior Bonner”, with Ida Lupino and an actor that lovers of the style know well: Steve McQueen.
Same thing with the t-shirt of his colleague Jordan Ladd, above in the photo on the right. This is an explicit reference to the film “Faster Pussycat!” Kill! Kill! » by Russ Meyer in 1965.
And what about that of Sydney Tamiia Poitier, on the far left? The “Austin Hot Wax” logo on his clothing is directly connected to a more obscure film: “ American Hot Wax ” by Floyd Mutrux in 1978. There are others. Quentin Tarantino also has fun drawing from his own repertoire, “Kill Bill” in particular.
The nods don't stop at the clothes. Kurt Russell, for example, wears a watch strap identical to the one
Along the way, the more observant will perhaps also note the presence of turquoise rings. Similar designs can be seen in Benoit's video on Native American jewelry . If necessary, some other practical advice here:
… TO CREATE INSPIRING OUTFITS
The most intriguing association is possibly that attempted by Rosario Dawson. It's also one of the key outfits in the film. But you will better understand the meaning of this formula during the viewing, when one of the girls asks him to give her her leather belt... She tells us it is a Prada belt, but that is not the most important.
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Rosario Dawson in “Boulevard of Death”, 2007.
Because this belt adds a touch of strong character to an already unique outfit. Look instead: a sleeveless pink t-shirt flocked with a unicorn, a pair of cowboy boots and a strange gray bottom , very fluid.
Is it culottes? Short, loose pants? It is sometimes described here and there as a “harem pant”, a garment originally inspired by the Middle East and introduced to France at the beginning of the 20th century .
As the Instagram post above suggests, this outfit works without you expecting it. It's also what we all secretly hope for in style: the unexpected. The rest of the film should logically surprise you just as much.
