Get some seventies style from Dakota Fanning in The Runaways

Runaway with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning.

Today we take our girl bands for granted, but back in the 1970’s it wasn’t so easy. For The Runaways, forging a career in the male dominated music industry was hard work, but they did it and managed to become one of the coolest girl bands in rock and roll history. And now, with the help of some of the original members, they’re rise to fame has been chronicled in a new biopic simply titled The Runaways.

The relatively low-key film has gained a huge fan following due to its leading ladies; The Twilight Saga: New Moon co-stars Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning play rocker Joan Jett and sex kitten Cherie Currie respectively. Joined by Scout Taylor Compton as Lita Ford, Stella Maeve as Sandy West and Alia Shawkat as fictional bassist Robin, The Runaways work their way up from LA misfits to a successful career as rock’n’roll icons.

Based on Cherie Currie’s book Neon Angel, the story shows the bands rise to fame between 1975 and 1977, and ultimately her fall from it. After falling under the influence of manager and producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) the girls, promoted as ‘jail-bait’, began to lead the wild lifestyle of rock stars. During a tour of Japan two members leave the band, which is when Joan Jett steps up as lead singer to protect what has become her family.

As much influence as Kim might have had on the bands marketing or lifestyle, he certainly didn’t have a say when it came to their clothes. Joan Jett explains: “It’s not like Kim Fowley sat down and said, ‘Cherie, you’re gonna wear a corset. And Lita, you’re gonna wear shorts onstage.’ We would have laughed! Nobody told us what to wear. People like to think that that’s the case because if teenage girls are being sexual obviously men have something to do with it.”

“We’ve worked together from the very beginning” says The Runaways costume designer Carol Beadle of director Floria Sigismondi, the pair having worked on a couple of Marilyn Manson music videos together. This relationship and their interest in the subject matter meant that they could create an authentic feel to the costumes and the movie itself. Beadle says that a lot of research went into creating the costumes, but she also drew on her own experiences of rock’n’roll in the ‘70s.

On researching the costumes she says: “I wanted to get the real rock ‘n’ roll vibe. These girls, the Runaways, weren’t looking to the Brady Bunch for inspiration, they were looking at their guitar heroes. Cherie was a massive David Bowie fan, so I tried to think of that, and what her inspiration would be at that time. Joan wanted to be the guy, there wasn’t anything fluffy about her—and her inspiration was really just Suzi Quatro!”

With the seventies only being a few decades ago, there were still plenty of examples floating about in vintage stores for Beadle to use. She: “designed all of the costumes that they wore onstage in Japan, like the red and silver outfits, the corset, anything that was really specific and referential. I also designed Cherie’s outfit when she does her David Bowie act at the high school talent show, and the leather jacket and pants that Joan wears throughout the film.” And although she was creating iconic pieces that represent a real period in history, she was tempted to ‘pump them up’ at times.

But it’s not just the clothes that were a big part of The Runaways look, their make-up was also key in getting their looks perfect. With Cherie being heavily influenced by David Bowie, heavy eyeliner and glitter were obviously in high demand. The movies make-up artist Robin Matthews was responsible for the changing looks of Cherie and Joan, who dabbled with more glam looks before returning to their trademark black eyeliner. He reflects on the changing methods of applying make-up, laughing about how: “they would actually hold up a piece of paper to their skin and put their blush on against the paper to make the harsh line; this is how they brought out the cheekbone and accentuated it.”

The clothes in the movie ranged from high-waisted, wide-leg denim to cropped leather jackets to platform boots. And many of these trends are still around today; things like the jeans and jackets, platform shoes and corsets have all been seen on recent runways. And Beadle herself plans to launch a range of platforms inspired by the movie later this year, although Dakota Fanning will not be a customer. She kept a particularly cool pair of silver platform boots and says: “I’m just waiting for the right time to whip those out.”

And its Dakota’s character Cherie who we’ve been inspired by today, with her mixture of cool rock chick and simple seventies teen becoming the perfect mix for any front woman. She teams a pair of light wash high-waisted jeans with super-high brown wedges and a plaited belt. Add to that her aviators and an extremely cool red The Runaways band tee (remember to tuck it into your jeans) and you’ve got yourself a look a rock‘n’roll queen would be proud of.