It's a complete cliché for an educated, liberal, urbane 20-something to name Annie Hall as one of her all time favourite films. But, I'm at peace with being a cliché, so: I am completely obsessed with Annie Hall. The 1977 Woody Allen classic follows the dysfunctional relationship between neurotic comedian Alvy Singer and ditzy singer Annie Hall, as well as examining the curse of the chattering classes (educated, liberal, sarcastic and miserable). It also features some of the most hilariously cynical dialogue captured on film: "I feel that life is divided into the horrible and the miserable. That's the two categories. The horrible are like, I don't know, terminal cases, you know, and blind people, crippled. I don't know how they get through life. It's amazing to me. And the miserable is everyone else. So you should be thankful that you're miserable, because that's very lucky, to be miserable."Diane Keaton plays Annie to perfection - she and Allen once dated and the character is supposedly based on her. Keaton's own style permeated into the film as well. Her unique look - over sized men's chinos, waistcoat worn over a tie and shirt - has greatly influenced fashion since. Karen Walker's 2005 Liberal and Miserable collection looked to Annie's wardrobe for inspiration, with 1970s inspired velvet waistcoats, over sized hats, turtlenecks, buttoned-up shirts and high-waisted pants. It was this collection that first saw Walker introduce her now famous high-waisted jeans and the Skating Dress, and her signature over sized Annie sunglasses are named after the film. I own so much from this collection, and the more I look at it now, the more I fall in love with it. Like the film it was inspired by, I think it's pretty much perfect.
