Up In The Air: The Female Professional

I saw "Up In The Air" last night - overall I thought it was a really good movie (if not terribly uplifting). One thing that interested me was the depiction of two strong women at different points in their career (both corporate): Alex (played by the luminous Vera Famigla) is a 34-year old, confident, sexy (but not overt) business woman. Natalie (played by newcomer Anna Kendrick) is 22-years-old, fresh out of Cornell and determined to make her mark in the business world.

It was great to see a movie portray two women grappling with the same issues of professional life, family, and relationships, in different stages of their lives. And I thought their wardrobes perfectly reflected their differences.

Clothes: Natalie (left) falls prey to the safety of the suit that occurs for so many young professional women - blue or white button down shirts, bland black suits (pant and skirt suits both, likely from Ann Taylor or, if she's more ambitious, Brooks Brothers) and black heels - all cotton, all (I would be willing to bet) no-iron (although you better believe she still irons).

Alex, on the other hand, still rocks the suits but wears clothes that flatter, not hide, her curves. Instead of the button down oxfords, she wears professional but soft silk shirts in tones like purple and pink. Her look is warmer and less stiff.

Natalie, while attempting to look grown up and mature with her outfits actually, like a lot of the young professional women I see, actually ends up looking younger because she looks (a) uncomfortable; (b) like she's raided someone else's closet (or, more specifically, window display); and (c) has no sign of uniqueness in her appearance. Alex's wardrobe shows that looking comfortable (as well as unafraid of your body and sexuality) can actually make you look more professional, not less (assuming, of course, you still abide by some rules - skirts to the knee, not too many buttons undone, etc).

Casual clothes: Well, we never see Natalie in casual clothes, which is probably the point. Alex, on the other hand, manages to pull off jeans and a hoody and still look like a powerful and confident 30-something, not a teeny bopper. Fitted, tailored jeans, a cashmere-looking hoody, and just the right amount of cleavage make her casual and still pulled together.

Hair: One othe first things you notice about Natalie is her extreme hairstyle. Slicked back, stick straight, and in a pony tale, her hair screams "no nonsense!" while still giving off the impression of immaturity (I have mixed feelings about ponytails in the professional setting....but that's another post).

Alex is styled with a shorter hair cut (to the chin) which is both more appropriate to her age and on-the-road lifestyle, and is also softer, less severe, and somehow also more mature (without being "old").

Coats: When bundling up for the colder locales, we again see a difference in their age and styles. Natalie (probably still recovering from those Ithaca winters) wears a bland, drab, shapeless, down jacket over her suits. Alex, on the other hand, wears a stunning red wool coat, which manages to work over suits or jeans while she's playing in the show. This sort of "classic" wardrobe piece is the elusive treasure all us modern girls are looking for - unique but not garish, appropraite for casual or work wear, and, simply, drop dead gorgeous (I can't find a good picture of it online!).

Overall: I liked that I came away from this movie wanting to be a woman (in life and in the workplace) not a girl. Natalie is a wonderful character, but you can tell she will be a lot happier when she stops trying so hard to make the perfect life, to be the perfect corporate achiever, and let's her hair down a little (in fact, in the final scenes she lets down a tendril or two). I also appreciated that the movie (semi-spoiler, I guess) didn't force a sexual relationship between her and George Clooney and let a man and a young woman (for once) have a non-sexual mentor-mentee relationship. How refreshing!

And while Alex isn't perfect in many ways (as George Clooney learns), she does give a glimmer of hope as a beacon of confident, sexual femininity even in a sterile, corporate, and male-dominated world. She shows that what is truly powerful and attractive is a comfort with yourself and your age, a knowledge about what you want from your personal and career life, and, thank god, a splash of color and silk.