“THE VON BÜLOW MYSTERY”: CASUAL VS HIGHLY DRESSED – REEL

THE PITCH: AN UNSOLVED MYSTERY, A TRIAL WITHOUT TRIAL AND A SUSPICIENCE OF CLASS SPIRIT

Claus and Sunny von Bülow live in a luxurious home on the shores of Newport, USA. They are rich, heirs of the big bourgeoisie. One morning, Claus Von Bülow's wife is once again found unconscious. She sinks into a coma from which she will never recover.

Her husband is accused of having administered insulin to her without her knowledge, then convicted. A lawyer named Alan Dershowitz then takes over the case at the request of the convicted person and intends to unravel the mystery of this strange affair.

On paper, you might expect a police investigation or a trial film. Make no mistake: it will be something completely different. The narrator is none other than Sunny Von Bülow: she is in the hospital, in a coma and her ghostly presence adds to the dark aura that hovers throughout the film.

In the casting: Glenn Close , Jeremy Irons , Ron Silver And Annabella Sciorra . For those of you who know little or nothing about filmmaker Barbet Schroeder, let's say that he began his career with the French New Wave. His companion is none other than Bulle Ogier, a legendary figure in Jacques Rivette's cinema. It’s also a possible style icon to rediscover :

To go further: a meeting of the filmmaker with Virginie Despentes here . Barbet Schroeder's film confirms the flair and form of Jeremy Irons in those years. Instead, imagine his move to the 90s: “Faux-Semblants” in 1988 then “M Butterfly” in 1993, both by David Cronenberg. In addition to the game, we can admire his always well-regarded art of clothing .

We can also take a look at “Fatale” by Louis Malle in 1992, a film in which you will learn, among other things, how to combine a bandana and a turtleneck . Unthinkable? Not so sure.

That being said, the strength of the “Von Bülow Mystery” does not stop with the sole presence of the dandy Jeremy Irons. The rest of the cast is in tune and the film implicitly asks a question that you too are sometimes confronted with: what to choose between casual and very dressy?

WHAT YOU NEED TO SEE IN STYLE...

In “The Von Bülow Mystery”, two stylistic worlds coexist. On the one hand that of the Von Bülow family: tailoring art, posh style, sumptuous dresses, club ties and double-breasted blazers, attention to dressy knits .

On the other: that of the lawyer Dershowitz's clan, more readily oriented towards casual, sportswear and a more relaxed vision of clothing.

Between the two, we try to understand and get to know each other. How exactly can you trust someone you don't understand? That's basically the whole story of the film.

For our part, we can possibly start by looking at the way the characters dress, to try to see things a little more clearly. If the adventure tempts you, here are in any case three good stylistic reasons to (re)see “The Von Bülow Mystery”:

1. KNITS AND SUITS, IT’S A WORKING BUSINESS

It's not really a surprise: we regularly praise the merits of the turtleneck or high-neck sweater in an outfit. In the character of Jeremy Irons, this is obvious. If he still has a suit within reach , he sometimes abandons the traditional shirt-tie combo to pair his blazer with a sweater or cardigan .

This is a variation now known around the dressy style. It's timeless and a little less restrictive if you're not too keen on tie knots .

Note that on this subject, Jeremy Irons has an alternative that some will consider a bit connoted: the scarf, instead of the tie . If this apparent knit-suit sobriety bores you, you can add some fantasy through a pocket square or a more colorful sweater for example. To find out everything about the turtleneck, click here:

2. THE CHAMBRAY SHIRT, THE FAITHFUL ALLY OF ANY WOCKET

At the opposite end of the scale from the von Bülow family is the character of Alan Dershowitz, to be discovered with his children or with his students. That is to say, he is a father, a lawyer and a professor at the same time. He masters several stylistic registers but his preference clearly seems to be towards casual or even sportswear .

You will sometimes discover him in a suit and a trench coat but also in jeans, Converse and sweatshirt .

His signature outfit consists above all of an essential piece of the men's wardrobe: the chambray shirt. It is offered here in its US version with chest pockets, knitted tie, beige pants, probable herringbone tweed blazer, shoes in camel suede . Or more simply: with jeans.

If you are interested in pockets and shirts, you can of course dive into this article:

Note that the chambray shirt is not just a man's thing: we find it on the shoulders of Annabella Sciorra, among others, with sneakers and beige pants .

His character is particularly interesting to observe: pleated suit pants, jeans, skirts, Converse, T-shirts and overshirts . It’s certainly a little different from what we will find later in the series “The Sopranos”:

In “The Von Bülow Mystery”, she indeed displays deliberately casual outfits . In this she follows the path of her mentor and in fact, she is a bit to Glenn Close what Ron Silver is to Jeremy Irons: a kind of reversed stylistic mirror.

3. CASUAL VS VERY (WELL) DRESSED , THE ETERNAL MATCH OF STYLE

Yes, it’s a formula that you know well. And this is truly the hidden issue of the film. If the characters of Ron Silver and Annabella Sciorra are able to dig into the dressing room of the Von Bülow couple, it is difficult to imagine the opposite.

You might as well admit it: there is something irremediably snobbish in the attitude of this aging Jeremy Irons, an effect reinforced by his accent in the original version.

It's probably no coincidence: he's a man, cold, haughty and hated. His attitude and his way of dressing seem linked by a dark secret the end of which we will never really know.

In the meantime, let's be honest, it's a draw: these two registers each have their gimmicks and you are free to orient yourself towards one or the other or to mix the two according to the mood and your desires.

Note that this famous match can also be played for shoes. David had actually proposed a variation here:

... TO CREATE INSPIRING OUTFITS

1. TO DREAM OF ANOTHER LIFE

Who has never dreamed of princess dresses and white tuxedos ? It's an understatement to say that the Von Bülows display their social affiliation even in their clothes: impeccable tuxedos for him, sumptuous dresses for her . Just take a look at this pink model by Glenn Close which is inspired by floral art.

If this type of very chic outfit is a priori very far from our daily wardrobe, it is not impossible to taste it a little, if only through the grace of a future marriage:

2. TO BURN QUIETLY ON YOUR FILES

Who said that working from home necessarily has to be combined with sweatshirts and joggers ? While homewear is definitely on the rise, we don't necessarily have to follow the trends. For example, you can take inspiration from Ron Silver's more “old school” outfits.

For example, imagine a rather relaxed pair of beige chinos, a t-shirt, a likely velvet shirt and a pair of comfortable shoes that say Vibram on the sole. Isn’t life beautiful?

If velvet speaks to you, a little declaration of love here:

3. TO TRY A SLEEVELESS CARDIGAN

Yes, I know: it's not the most modern of clothes and it's a bit of an unloved one among the sweaters and cardigans family. And yet, why not try to reinvest it in your own way?

Jeremy Irons' outfit is quite logically in the theme of his character: pants certainly with pleats, moccasins also undoubtedly, scarf around the neck, formal shirt and thin sleeveless cardigan . A blazer or shawl collar cardigan for the road?

If you don't see any future in the sleeveless cardigan, remember this . A real filmmaker's touch, great actors and two visions of style that try to understand each other : that's it for the “Mystère von Bülow” program.