Fashion in FIlm: Sex, Guns, and Berets in Bonnie and Clyde
One of the most notable aspects of Bonnie and Clyde is Faye Dunaway’s breezy, sophisticated style. If the legend of Bonnie and Clyde makes being an outlaw sound good, Dunaway makes it looks good. She spends most of the film in the conservative, classy skirts and sweaters you would expect of a woman in the early 1930’s, and you have to admire a woman who can rob a gas station without wrinkling her skirt.
 Most of us have heard the legend, if not the history, of Bonnie and Clyde.And some of us probably even envy them: throwing off the expectations of society, running off with your sweetheart, and getting famous in the process sounds appealing sometimes.
Well, aside from the part where they murdered over nine people and died in a violent hail of gunfire - that part is generally less appealing.
But nowhere are sex and violence more popular than on the big screen. 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde, directed by Arthur Penn and starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, is widely regarded as one of the hallmarks of film history.
Its climactic shoot-out, ending with both protagonists dead inside the iconic image of a bullet-riddled car, provide the violence. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway provide the sex.
One of the most notable aspects of Bonnie and Clyde is Faye Dunaway’s breezy, sophisticated style. If the legend of Bonnie and Clyde makes being an outlaw sound good, Faye Dunaway makes it looks good. She spends most of the film in the conservative (and classy) skirts and sweaters you would expect of a woman in the early 1930’s, and you have to admire a woman who can rob a rural gas station without wrinkling her skirt.
 But for a couple who are famous more for their publicity stunts than for their actual crimes, Faye Dunaway’s Bonnie adds a crucial 1930’s accessory that screams confidence as much as it does class: a beret.
The beret, however, is far from old-fashioned. It’s a go-to for anyone looking to add a touch of class to their outfit (just look at more recent style icons such as Cher Horowitz from Clueless and Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl), and it can be either dressy or casual.
Even though Bonnie and Clyde met their untimely end, the beret trend lives on. Don’t leave your getaway car without one.
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