cinematic fashion: Taxi Driver

When one thinks about the 1976 film 'Taxi Driver", the last thing that comes to mind is 'fashion'. However, the main purpose of this blog is to explore how all things visual are related. What's a movie without fashion? That's the question I have wanted to explore. Fashion and styling is the silent director of a film. A shirt, a dress, an overall look of a character is the finishing touch on the character's lasting impression. So 'fashion' shouldn't be the last thing from someone's mind when thinking about any film because fashion is what keeps the ball rolling in movies. It plays a huge role in how a story is presented to the viewer's eye.

With that said, let's start to explore. Taxi Driver is a classic and dark Martin Scorcese film that explores the lower part of life. It follows a mentally unstable New York City taxi driver named Travis Bickle (played by Robert DeNiro). As he cruises around the city at all hours of the day, he's exposed to all walks of life especially those who are living less than decent lifestyles. Travis becomes obsessed with the morally corrupt part of life and decides he needs to 'do his part' to end it. He violently lashes out at society while trying to save a young teen prostitute named Iris (played by Jodie Foster)

Now, exploring Travis Bickle's wardrobe can absolutely be done (grungy army green jacket, infamous shaved mohawk, dirty white tank top, combat boots, etc.) but to be honest, Iris' is the most interesting. She's still a child, yet is working on the streets in not only an adult world, but a horribly corrupt adult world. Day after day, she's exposed to the worst, just like Travis Bickle seems to be. The two find peace in eachother, yet Travis uses anything but peace to try to save her. His intentions are good but his actions are violent. Iris seems aloof to all things that children should be afraid of. Her soul has somewhat been tarnished because of her lifestyle, and her style walks the line between woman and young girl. Playful but provocative, just like her character.