제로베이스원 ZEROBASEONE In Bloom / Roxane Gay Strange Gods / Olga Broumas Love Lines; Beginning with O / Annie Hall (1977) dir. Woody Allen / Mary Oliver Wild Geese / Keaton St. James Two Boys / pinterest / エンティーム &TEAM Firework
(a repost of my 5-15-22 Reddit post for posterity)
So, the first time we see Mary as The Widow Bonnet, her wardrobe has changed significantly. While living with Stede, she dressed in fairly conventional, vaguely 18th century clothing. After her emancipation, we see her wearing clothing that leans very heavily toward a more modern menswear aesthetic: darker, textured suiting fabrics, plain shirts, and ties. Her looks immediately made me think of Diane Keaton's iconic style, which is so famously highlighted in the movie Annie Hall. After a long search through the snippets of showrunner interviews and the costume department Instagram posts/comments and failing to find any reference to inspiration for Mary's costumes, I decided to make the case myself.
After tracking down a number of screenshots of Mary and Keaton, I am more convinced than ever that Christine Wada was inspired by Keaton and Annie Hall in particular. It makes sense as a source of inspiration: Annie starts out the movie uncertain, lacking confidence, allowing herself to be steered by the man she is dating, following a path chosen by someone else. Later, she gains confidence, independence, and thrives on her own while pursuing a career as an artist (singer). Diane Keaton famously styled her own character for that film and has maintained a signature look incorporating a lot of the same cues throughout her life: menswear in a neutral palette, often slightly oversized or loosely tailored pieces, including ties, waistcoats, and blazers. Mary seems to have a very similar aesthetic in her post-Stede life, which tracks with her journey--coming into her own ON her own and reveling in her independence. Mary is absolutely thriving when Stede returns, and like Annie, she isn't going to be drawn backward and subsumed into her old relationship or patterns.
The vest and tie signature look:
You cannot possibly argue that anything about this is coincidental:
These looks are less direct, but there's an obvious through line: