In a Lonely Place | Gloria Grahame’s Stunning Femme Fatale Style

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Gloria Grahame models femme fatale style in the 1950 film noir In a Lonely Place.

In a Lonely Place (1950) an old film noir movie, is a love story with a doomed fate. Dixon Steele (played masterfully by Humphrey Bogart) is a witty yet temperamental screenwriter who falls in love with Laurel Gray, the femme fatale / girl next door played by Gloria Grahame.

When a woman is brutally murdered the same night she was seen at Dixon Steele’s house. He is investigated by the Police. Laurel Gray provides testimony that helps clear him. They fall madly in love over the ensuing weeks, but as she witnesses his frightening temper displays, she begins to doubt his innocence.

Jean Louis was the costume designer for the film. He was well-known for designing Rita Hayworth’s dresses in the 1946 film noir Gilda.

For In a Lonely Place, he designed beautifully feminine skirts and dresses to create Gloria Grahame’s femme fatale style. She favors sweaters with pencil skirts, dresses, and only occasionally, slacks, giving us a glamorous look at early 1950s fashion.

This post is all about the Femme Fatale Style Gloria Grahame wears in the 1950 film noir In a Lonely Place

Femme Fatale Style: 1950s slacks and sweater to provide testimony

The morning after the brutal murder, Dixon Steele is taken to the Police station for questioning as she was last seen at his place.

When Laurel comes in the give her testimony to the Police, she’s wearing slacks, a turtleneck sweater, and a checkered jacket that she will also wear later on the film, again with slacks at the beach.

She testifies that she saw Dixon Steele later that night at his place. Being his neighbor, she was able to see him from her window.

Femme fatale outfit to begin Laurel and Dixon’s romance

Laurel goes to visit Dixon Steele the next day wearing a turtleneck sweater tucked into a pencil skirt.

Femme Fatale Style: 1950s dress to spend the day together

By this time some time has passed, although we don’t know how much and Laurel and Dixon are officially a couple. He’s freshly inspired by her and is writing like crazy.

Here she’s wearing a long sleeved turtleneck dress that fits beautifully.

Full-on femme fatal style dress for a dinner date

This is early in their relationship when Laurel still trusts Dixon and they are madly in love.

She’s wearing a beautifully designed gown that is strapless with sheer sleeves and long pendant earrings.

Of course, Dixon is smoking (are there any Humphrey Bogart movies where he doesn’t?) and he offers her a smoke.

Femme Fatale Style: 1950s slacks and sweater for an evening at the beach

Dixon and Laurel spend some time with his friends at the beach. Everything is going well until Dixon finds out that the Police have been asking Laurel more questions about his involvement with the murder. In one of the first displays of temper that Laurel sees, Dixon becomes furious and dashes for the car, pulling out of the parking lot, forcing Laurel to run after the car. He stops and lets her in, and then proceeds to drive in a rage home.

Laurel wears what looks to be the same sweater and checkered jacket as she wore in the beginning of the film to provide her testimony, but this time she’s paired them with some light colored slacks.

Femme fatale dress to meet her friend

Laurel goes to see one of the friends that they had met at the beach. She tells the story of what happened after they left the others at the beach.

Dixon, driving in a rage had run into another car. When the other driver got out and angrily yelled at Dixon, Dixon has started to punch him and would’ve nearly killed him if Laurel hadn’t stopped him.

She admits to her friend that she’s scared of him.

We don’t get much a glimpse of her full dress here, but she’s wearing a striped dress with a sash around the waist.

Femme Fatale Style: 1950s style robe for breakfast

This is where the suspense begins to build in the film. Laurel has now witnessed some of Dixon Steele’s violent behavior first-hand and is becoming scared of him.

Here, she’s making breakfast in robe with fur accents. She wears this robe often during the film.

Femme fatale style for their final dinner date

And here we are, building up the finale of the movie.

Laurel has booked a flight to leave town, but it too scared of Dixon to tell him, so she gets talked into an engagement dinner with him, while nervously waiting for a phone call to confirm her flight, and terrified as to what Dixon’s reaction will be when he finds out.

She is wearing a classic femme fatale style black dress with an off the shoulder neckline, and large earrings again. We see when she stands up that she’s paired it with low, black pumps…proving you don’t need stilettos to be sexy.

This post was all about In a Lonely Place | Gloria Grahame’s Stunning Femme Fatale Style

What was your favorite outfit in In a Lonely Place? Did you prefer the sultry femme fatale style dresses or the more casual 1950s style dresses and slacks?

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Last updated: Sep 05, 2024