When Rachel Beth Anderson, a documentary filmmaker, got the news that “Great Photo, Lovely Life,” had been accepted to the SXSW Film Festival, she was ecstatic. There was only one problem: She had no idea what to wear to the premiere.
Documentary filmmakers don’t typically discuss red-carpet fashion, because few documentarians earn enough to afford haute couture. In certain circles, it’s considered gauche for them to even focus on fashion.
“I always cared about style,” said Ms. Anderson, a director and cinematographer. “But in docs, especially being behind the camera, you’re supposed to be a fly on the wall and blend in.”
But Ms. Anderson knew from personal experience that an unflattering outfit could put a damper on a film festival experience. And since the “Great Photo, Lovely Life” premiere was a celebration of the eight years she’d spent making the film, Ms. Anderson wanted to look her best, so she reached out to Alexandra Blair, a stylist and clothing archivist she’d met a year earlier.
Ms. Blair steered Ms. Anderson toward an orange pair of pants from Courrèges, circa 1960s. “Bright colors, exaggerated lines, it was all in service of a modern, sleek look, a bright future for us all,” Ms. Blair wrote to Ms. Anderson, echoing the optimism that Ms. Anderson and her co-director, Amanda Mustard, were working to manifest through their story of overcoming generational trauma. The idea that clothes could subtly amplify her film’s message, while also making her look great, resonated with the documentarian. She got so much out of working with Ms. Blair, she felt inspired to offer similar services to her peers.
So with the help of Ms. Blair, Ms. Anderson created Field to Frame, a concierge styling service. With the women’s combined shopping skills and Ms. Blair’s extensive library of vintage attire, they offer high glam tailored to the budgets of the luminaries of the documentary film industry.
In the lead up to this year’s Oscars, the women are styling the director David Borenstein and the executive producer Robin Hessman, whose BAFTA-winning film “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” is nominated for Best Documentary.
The process involves more than trying on a few outfits. Ms. Anderson offers a free consultation, to get a sense of her potential client’s needs. Ms. Anderson and Ms. Blair screen their client’s film to identify themes that might be woven into a red-carpet look. For Ms. Hessman, Ms. Blair explored a blue and white Jean Varon gown that echoed the colors of the Russian democracy flag wielded by the protagonist of “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” before landing on X-shaped jewelry that evoked the symbol of a pro-Ukrainian protest campaign featured in the film.
The clients meet with the women to discuss the filmmakers’ aesthetic preferences and take measurements. For Ms. Blair, who refers to the idiosyncrasies of each client’s body as a “special measurement,” this is the most important detail of all, because it determines not only the size for a garment, but the specific era that offers the most flattering silhouettes for their body. Women with a lithe, willowy figure might be best served by the 1970s, for example, while a shorter, more buxom body shape tends to fare well with the 1950s.
The women retreat to their network of vintage suppliers to source a selection of items, and then set up a fitting session at Ms. Blair’s expansive Williamsburg loft, which, like Ms. Blair, is decked out exclusively in black and white.
Throughout each session, Ms. Anderson reflects with clients how a piece ties back to the themes of their film — an immigrant designer for Cristina Costantini to wear to Sundance for the premiere of “La Tierra del Valor,” her film about anti-ICE protests; a black-and-silver Thierry Mugler skirt suit for Jackie Jesko at the Tribeca Film Festival debut of “Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything.
Clients often wonder whether a particular selection might be too distracting or even undermine a film’s message. During his fitting for the Oscars, Mr. Borenstein was presented with five suits, and ultimately chose between two: a cream-colored Yves Saint Laurent suit, which he initially worried might be more appropriate for the director of “a fun vampire movie,” and a more staid, bespoke three-piece suit, which he thought might be too conservative. Ultimately, he chose the Yves Saint Laurent.
For Field to Frame clients, the experience is a revelation. “Everybody wants to have that friend who’s just perfect at creating an outfit,” Ms. Hessman said. As artists accustomed to the collaborative process of filmmaking, there’s a comfort in realizing that getting dressed for their capstone event can be a collaboration, too. “They were producers, honestly. This is creative problem solving,” she said. When Mr. Borenstein ran into a last-minute disaster with an outfit for the BAFTAs, Ms. Anderson stepped in remotely, booking him appointments at vintage shops and helping him style his clothing and accessories from 3,000 miles away.
Ms. Anderson also has an expert eye for picking garments that will look great in the photos and video clips of an event. “She wasn’t even just guiding me on fit or style, but on fabric and texture: ‘That’ll read so shiny if you’re in front of lights’ or ‘That’s going to wash you out,’” said Marilyn Ness, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, who was Ms. Anderson’s first styling client.
Once the looks are locked in, Ms. Anderson sends each client a “clothing passport” full of insights into each item, as well as an optional look book illustrating each outfit along with its individual components.
“I never expected I would feel so comfortable in a glamorous gown,” Ms. Hessman said, admiring herself in the black Vicky Tiel gown. She had anticipated that Field to Frame would make her look good. But she ended her session feeling good, too.
Ms. Anderson’s hope is that her colleagues will walk away from the experience not merely ready to rock the red carpet, but that they’ll have a whole new understanding of what it means to use clothing to send a message, and an experienced team to turn to the next time they’re preparing for a big event.
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