The Movie: “Drugstore Cowboy”The Setup: Actors Matt...

The Movie: “Drugstore Cowboy”

The Setup: Actors Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch (pictured above), James Le Gros and Heather Graham are caught in a downhill slide caused by pharmaceutical drug abuse combined with drugstore thefts in Portland, Ore., in the early 1970s.

The Look: Rather than play up the psychedelic colors and outrageous silhouettes of the era (remember elephant-leg pants?) costume designer Beatrix Aruna Pasztor chose somber simplicity for these flower children gone to seed. She explains: “I looked for shirts with long pointed collars,” the type Sonny Bono used to wear. Key pieces in various characters wardrobes are the thigh-length, double-breasted velvet coat that Lynch wears, a pair of plaid bell bottoms for Matt Dillon, and the roughed up suede hat worn by Heather Graham. These items irrevocably lock the movie into its time slot.

The Labels: Fortunately for designers and manufacturers of the not-always-flattering vintage fashions in the movie, the names on labels have faded with time and wear. “It wasn’t so tasteful a period,” Pasztor says about dressing in the age of longhairs. She found her best buys scrounging through sales racks at Salvation Army stores as well as second-hand shops in Portland, instead of resale shops. Avoiding bastions of antique chic definitely helped her modest costume budget. Pasztor claims that all of her second-hand purchases were priced under $10.

The Stores: Goodwill Industries and Salvation Army in the San Fernando Valley, as well as second-hand shops in Portland, provided the basics. When pressed to find specifics, such as a white stretch lace shirt Lynch wears over a black bra, Pasztor headed to Eric & Co. on Melrose Avenue. The store carries up-to-the-minute renditions of late ‘60s styles.

The Adaptation: For anyone interested in hippie fashion revival (as plenty of European designers seem to be, judging from recent collections by Giorgio Armani, among others) Pasztor recommends shopping second-hand thrift stores. In particular, look for velvet jackets, wild-patterned vests and bell-bottom pants.

The Payoff: There is something very appealing about the way bell bottoms look in this film. They serve as a very effective balancing factor for broad hips, as do shoulder pads, which seem to be losing position, after a decade of dominance in the fashion scene. With pads on the way out, maybe it’s time to reconsider those ankle-slapping pants.