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

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

Claus and Sunny von Bülow live in a luxurious mansion on the coast of Newport, USA. They are rich, heirs of the upper middle class. One morning, Claus Von Bülow's wife is once again found unconscious. She falls into a coma from which she will never recover.

Her husband is accused of giving her insulin without her knowledge and is 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. Think again: it will be something else entirely. 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 hangs throughout the film.

The cast includes Glenn Close , Jeremy Irons , Ron Silver and Annabella Sciorra . For those of you who know little or nothing about filmmaker Barbet Schroeder, let's just say that he began his career with the French New Wave. His partner is none other than Bulle Ogier, a legendary figure in Jacques Rivette's cinema. She'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 Jeremy Irons' flair and form in those years. Imagine instead his passage in the 90s: "False Appearances" in 1988 then "M Butterfly" in 1993, both directed by David Cronenberg. In addition to the acting, we can admire his always well-regarded art of clothing .

You can also take a look at Louis Malle's "Fatale" from 1992, a film in which you will learn, among other things, how to pair a bandana with a turtleneck . Unthinkable? Not so sure.

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

WHAT TO SEE IN STYLE...

In "The Mystery of Von Bülow", two stylistic worlds coexist. On one side, that of the Von Bülow family: tailoring, high-end style, sumptuous dresses, club ties and double-breasted blazers, attention to dressy knits .

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

Between the two, we try to understand and tame each other. How can we trust someone we 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)watch "The Mystery of Von Bülow":

1. KNITWEAR AND SUITING ARE A ROLLING BUSINESS

It's not really a surprise: we regularly extol the merits of the turtleneck or high-neck sweater in an outfit. In Jeremy Irons' character, it's obvious. While he always has a suit on hand , he sometimes abandons the traditional shirt-tie combo to adjust his blazer with a sweater or cardigan .

This is a now-famous variation on 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 little 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, it's here:

2. THE CHAMBRAY SHIRT, A FAITHFUL ALLY IN EVERY WARDROBE

At the opposite end of 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 at the same time a father, a lawyer and a professor. He masters several stylistic registers but his preference seems clearly to go towards casual or even sportswear .

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

His signature outfit is mainly composed of a must-have piece of the male wardrobe: the chambray shirt. It is offered here in its US version with chest pockets, knitted tie, beige pants, blazer in probable herringbone tweed, camel suede shoes . 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 tailored pants, jeans, skirts, Converse, T-shirts and overshirts . It is certainly a little different from what we will find later in the series "The Sopranos":

In "The Mystery of Von Bülow", she actually wears casual outfits . In this, she follows in her mentor's footsteps and, in fact, she is to Glenn Close what Ron Silver is to Jeremy Irons: a kind of inverted stylistic mirror.

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

Yes, it's a formula you know well. And it's truly the hidden stakes of the film. If Ron Silver and Annabella Sciorra's characters are able to go and dig into the Von Bülow couple's wardrobe, it's hard 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.

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

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

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

...TO CREATE INSPIRING OUTFITS

1. TO DREAM OF ANOTHER LIFE

Who hasn't dreamed of princess dresses and white tuxedos ? It's an understatement to say that the Von Bülows display their social standing 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.

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

2. TO WORK QUIETLY ON YOUR FILES

Who says working from home has to mean wearing a sweatshirt and jogging pants ? While homewear is definitely all the rage, you don't necessarily have to follow trends. For example, you can take inspiration from Ron Silver's more "old school" outfits.

Imagine, for example , a pair of rather relaxed beige chinos, a T-shirt, a shirt in probably velvet 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 THE SLEEVELESS CARDIGAN

Yes, I know: it's not the most modern of clothes and it's a bit of an unloved item in the sweater and cardigan 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, loafers also probably, scarf around the neck, formal shirt and thin sleeveless cardigan . A blazer or a 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 the program for the "Mystère von Bülow".