Bold, androgynous, quirky and utterly distinctive … actor Diane Keaton is one of the most influential people in American fashion …
I desperately wanted to look like Raquel Welch (along with every other woman in the world in the late 1960s). She was an icon in more ways than one, but I could not get over her hair. The bounce, the curl, the height.
Mom and I loved to put an outfit together. We would assemble our idea, do my hair and make-up, and then head to the backyard (or even find some wall to pose up against in the neighbourhood) to take pictures. I miss my backyard photoshoots with my mom.
In the 1970s, I was finding my style and slowly finding my career. Though The Godfather was a huge success, it didn’t exactly put me on the map in terms of fashion.
I look back on Annie Hall and can’t talk about that movie without talking about the fashion, it was everything to me. I loved being able to dress like myself. My muses were the women of New York City who were walking the streets of Soho in baggy trousers and a blazer. I was layering pieces.
The Goodwill [charity shop] was our sanctuary. Mom taught my sister Dorrie and me to rummage for the best and alter if needed. We would spend hours hunting through racks for anything that had the slightest potential.
“A coat is my version of a ballgown. A coat is perfection. It is like a cellar. I am hidden. I can relax in a coat …”
By 1990, I began to wear a lot more suits and also found an obsession with cross necklaces, typically layered upon one another like a very devoted nun. I also threw in some bow ties and pocket squares.
The 2000s were an accumulation of all the things I learned about fashion through the decades. I incorporated a tie or two from the ’70s, some polka dots from the ’80s, my cross necklaces from the ’90s and absolutely nothing from the ’60s except for my black turtlenecks. I toned down the colours from the past and leaned into my instinct and love for black and white.
I have always had a rough time with skirts, especially if they are too short. (My knees are ugly). Even if they are below the knee, I put an obscene amount of tulle underneath it to make it wide. And I will never, never, never wear one without a belt.
A coat is my version of a ballgown. A coat is perfection. It is like a cellar. I am hidden. I can relax in a coat, which is a blessing for a person like me who tends to be anxious and worried most of the time. A coat gives me the opportunity to make my own decision about how my waist will look. I lock myself in with a nice big belt.
I started wearing hats as soon as I realised I hated my hair. A hat allows me to hide the worst part of the head. You know, that strange area from your eyebrows to your hairline. A hat is the final touch to a great outfit.
I don’t really like dresses. If I wear them, they are rarely form-fitting and usually with a belt.
There are so many wonderful things to love about a suit. The pants don’t have to be too tight. Neither does the jacket. I like my sleeves to go down long, to cover me up. Suits make me feel comfortable.
From: Fashion First, Diane Keaton, with foreword by Ralph Lauren, (Rizzoli, €36), out now.
