TBT: The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Directed by the Coen Brothers, The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) is one of those films that if I run across it while idly flipping channels, I will 100% sit and watch it. Costumed by Richard Hornung (who worked quite a bit with the Coens in the ’80s and ’90s), the costumes are superbly stylish for the late 1950s, especially everything worn by Jennifer Jason Leigh.

My favorite outfit worn by Leigh in this film. She wears a lot of masculinized outfits that are still extremely feminine, in order to fit in with the boys as a journalist, and yet she never sacrifices her femininity.

Can’t go wrong with a drapey blouse and pencil skirt.

Another outstanding example of this character’s balance between the masculine and feminine. Leigh is definitely taking notes from Rosalind Russell in *His Girl Friday* (1940).

Leigh is just so pretty in this film, I can’t stand it.

But she’s not the only one with some fabulous costumes. Anna Nicole Smith was perfectly cast as a blonde bombshell femme fatale character, and her outfits are an entire mood.

And this is such a gorgeous outfit on Smith. I wish I could find a photo of the whole thing.

Come to think of it, this whole film is an entire mood.

Me, one cocktail in and thinking I’ve got everything under control.

Two cocktails later and realizing I do not, in fact, have anything under control.

And this is me at the end of ever weekday, knowing I have to “clock in” again and write a Frock Flicks post after my mentally draining day job is over.

And then this is me, banging out the post and feeling like a badass.

Have you watched The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) recently? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

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5 thoughts on “TBT: The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)”

I first caught this movie without any expectation and was surprised and delighted by it.

I put this on my To Watch list when I read your WCW on Jennifer Jason Leigh…I hadn’t heard of it before, but it looks good. Those outfits are lovely! And it has Paul Newman too?! Moving it to the top of my list…

I worked on that film. Richard Horning is an amazing designer. (Another of his really good costume designs, modern dress but so perfect! “The Grifters”)
There’s this fantastic dress Jenifer Jason-Lee wears with a grosgrain ribbon criss-crossing around her bod from neck to kick-pleat. It’s so clever… the ribbon came around her at high hip level and hid the pocket openings. Alas, we had to take the pockets out because the Coen Bro’s wanted all her stuff really really tight. Also alas the dress is on camera for about a 10th of a second while she’s reading the ticker tape machine to check the sales of the hula hoop.
And it’s all in greys. The color scheme was very limited… grey at the Hudsucker Corp. … brown in the newsroom. Pastels for the kids getting out of school.

Here’s a funny story (probably already told you)
In line at the salad bar for lunch one day, my colleague Michael and I were in line across the salad bar from Paul Newman (such a great guy). The caterers had a bunch of bottles of salad dressing at the end of the buffet. Not one bottle of Newman’s Own! Michael said very loudly “Why are they serving us these inferior salad dressings!!!” Newman laughed.
Seriously folks… if you were catering a film you knew Paul Newman was in, wouldn’t run to the store and pick up a bunch of Newman’s Own stuff?