• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.197-202
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• 2007

The femme fatale image presently observable in various fields is reproducing its image through repetitive imitation, change and application, in particular, through 'movies' which have a greater ripple effect on the public than any other mass media by incessantly producing a countless number of images. This study aims to figure out the intrinsic meaning and the characteristics of the image of femme fatale, understand the modern expression of it in movies and finally shed light on its image represented in Korean movies. For this study, the literature and internet materials related to the image of femme fatale in the movie "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" and the general concept of femme fatale were comprehensively surveyed. The femme fatale image which is represented in this movie is classified into 4 images ; disguise & mystery, retribution & cruelty, enchantment & beauty, salvation & redemption. The findings of this study provide an insight into how the femme fatale image is expressed in movies, the mass media which has a gigantic ripple effect, and provide the momentum to recognize the need and significance of understanding the femme fatale image represented in Korean movies.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1-15
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• 2011

Femme Fatale in Film Noir is a wicked woman character who seduces the male partner to a ruin. In the film, the dress style is of extreme importance for the personality creation of the character as well as the development of the plot. With this background, I have looked over the Femme Fatale dress style that appears in the movie . First, it expresses Femme Fatale which stresses the feminine trait by a dress style with enlarged chest and hip parts and long, slim silhouette with tight waist and knee line. Second, the Femme Fatale with pretended purity presents narcissistic satisfaction like a saint virgin by wearing a neck-high one-piece dress embellished with frills, but the use of mirror represents self-alienation and the vanity of purity. Third, the Femme Fatale with its military dress style presents authoritative sternness which leads seduced male into ruin with its destructive power. Fourth, wearing jersey type or knitted wear that sticks to the body presents sensual Femme Fatale. Fifth, the tulle, chiffon, and white handkerchief used for the creation of grotesque Femme Fatale represents harmlessness and prohibition of immoral behavior, and the black gloves, pillbox, and the number on the tulle present her uneasy psychological state from the fear of being discovered after murdering her husband. On the other hand, the see-through tulle presents alluring sensual beauty. Sixth, the combination of the dialogue in the final sequence and drapery type as in Greek goddess represents the saint virgin of salvation who acknowledges her own fault and returns to her purity again. In addition, accessories and others made from shining material represent hidden conspiracy through simple dress and contradictory dynamics, and shoes embellished with bonbon, etc represent sexual implications in connection with male.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.11-25
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• 2008

John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) is a painter renown for his romantic beautiful femme fatale images in the late 19th century in England. The purpose of this study is to examine the fashion in Waterhouse's femme fatale images. Waterhouse displays the devilism of femme fatale by the symbols of a wicked woman. He emphasized how wicked she is by means of water such as lake, river, and sea as well as symbols associated with demons such as forest, cave, naked woman, long hair, a monster-headed woman looking like an animal, water lily, and garden. On the other hand, he illustrates the woman's style as an image of a typical feminine beauty. Expressing naturally a fine-curved, immature girl's body with marvel-like white and clear skin in a kneeling down or crouching passive rose and depicting it as an innocent and fragile feminine image, he created a passive and lovely image of a young girl. With her eminent beauty and sex appeals, she lured men into danger. Words such as evil, women, and death had been used in describing her as femme fatale to emphasize her wickedness as well as to deliver the meaning across from the inside and to the outside. They also described her as a type of woman with body posture and fashion corresponding to the sexual ideology during the Victorian Age. His description of this fashion image was to show that femme fatale's fashion, which represents attraction and fatality, does not necessarily translate to an active fashion style that emphasizes sensuality. It also tends to minimize resistance and feelings of being threatened. Therefore, it allons us to acknowledge that even girlish body with innocent and frail-looking fashion can be a form of femme fatale, and that fashion styles is essential in forming the image of femininity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.56 no.7 s.106
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• pp.96-104
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to analyze the makeup done to two female protagonists in the film, 'Chicago,' and explore how this makeup - nonverbal communication means - is realized in the area of makeup presentation for femme fatale and how it is societally accepted. Makeup varies by the femme-fatale types, and the general female population can apply these for images they want to express. In the future research, it might be interesting to examine specifically which femme-fatale images are preferred in Korea and the makeup and clothing of Korean stars who primarily influence these images.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.15 no.3 s.68
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• pp.431-445
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to analyze and theorize the characteristics of femme fatale in fashion illustration since 1980. The method of this study was to analyze the documentaries for theoretical studies about femme fatale and the visual characteristics in fashion illustration works since 1980. The results of this study were as follows: Femme fatale expressed in the general realm of art was icon of fatal and seductive eroticism in late 19th century. She is composed of diverse images like mythology, exoticism, fear and sensuality. The characteristics of her image in fashion illustration were expressed into de-body image by union of animal and female body, or machine and female body, duplicity of death and sexuality, sexual decadence or abnormality and powerful masculine taste. First, de-body image by union of animal and female body, or machine and female body was expressed in transformed mythical image or bizarre and demonic image, grotesque image linked by picture of female body and painting of animal image, and cyborg image linked by machine and realistic female body by digital media. Second, duplicity of death and sexuality was expressed in juxtaposition by sexual pose, body and something metaphorical and symbolic depiction and de-constructive depiction of death. Third, sexual decadence or abnormality was expressed in fetishistic style, obscene depiction of cheap and hedonistic sexuality, masochistic depiction like antisocial and diseased sex appeal. Forth, powerful masculine taste was expressed in man's face, body, pose, masculine fashion, man's role related to crime and threatening weapon, etc. As mentioned above, femme fatale in fashion illustration was expressed in diverse images by fashion illustrator's point of view. Although she was originated by men's fantastic vision, she brings a catharsis to human being. And she is also recognized as new paradigm and positive cultural sign in our times.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.155-161
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• 2011

This thesis, concerning Femme Fatale Images Costume Form in paintings viewed from DeLong's Theory, analyzed frequency and traits on the basis of DeLong's Form Observation Theory and drew out the result as followings. First, Costume Form was mostly open, whole, planer integration, rounded, and indeterminate. The styles were similar each other. Second, surface structure was expressed by line & shape, color, texture, and pattern of which color had the highest priority. Next, line & shape and texture had the priority in order. They were expressed through intereaction. Third, the traits of Costume Form were a similar color harmony or large light and darkness contrast+soft quality+interaction by ambiguous line & shape. So, Femme Fatale Image in paintings was expressed by soft and pure images and erotic images.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Costume Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.56-57
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• 2004

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.16-33
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• 2004

Up to now, image of femme fatale has undergone constant transformation to be inherited and developed through various genres of movies. With few exceptions such cases have represented sensuality of women by costumes with the most distinctive and exaggerated sexuality. Temptresses in movies are mostly drawn as extravagant and gorgeous one or a gloomy and dreary woman. Such an image is reinforced with make-up, hair style, accessories, attitude and manner of talking. The movie 'Chicago' is a musical film that crosses the boundaries of reality and fantasy with dancing and singing. Its lighting, stage setting, powerful and sexy dancing augmented already exaggerated and sensual costumes. Following is the analysis of costumes for two heroines as images of femme fatale. Strong contrast of color among black, red and blue on see-through & stickingly tight body suit signifies liberal mind and arrogant charisma of Velma. The contrast, haughty gestures, cropped black hair and thick makeups represent sex appeal, aggressive image, and fearlessly determined character of femme fatale. Roxie wears decent dresses in front of public and gorgeous stage costume in fantasy to convey two images of bad girl and angel. Her body suit, showing off lustering materials and dazzling bead decoration, is rather loose but still displays her bodyline to emphasize sexiness for representation of desire in fantasy. Chastity and innocence are implied with the decency of dresses in reality. They were specially chosen to draw public sympathy and indicate cunning disguise of Roxy who desperately wants to realize her desire. These dauntless costumes, which sufficiently express inside aspirations of Velma and Roxie later denote open and realistic social yearning rather than fatal desire hidden behind sensual beauty. It doesn't exist as imperfect, unrealistic and socially disdainful ambition as the image of femme fatale of paintings and movies did before in history. Femme fatale is expressed with deep cleavage, silk dresses that explicitly display bodyline, sexiness of mesh stockings with garter belts. All of these won't be utilized as a negative tool to seduce and destroy someone anymore but rather, they should represent rightful and fair nature of humans such as men's curiosity who secretly steal a look at them or female sexuality that women spontaneously want to show off.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.721-730
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to analyze the tech fatale fashion image in female models of mobile advertisements and to find the fashion characteristics. The tech fatale emerging as new culture code is a compound word of the femme fatale and technology. It is characteristics of the femme fatale, the post digital culture and the female leadership. The findings of the study were as follows : The tech fatale types were the independence, the transformation and the tradition. The independence was a self expression, appealed to visual image, was showed the coating fabric, denim, space look and street fashion and reflected the creativeness and digital generation. The transformation appealed to sexuality and was showed luster fabric, exposure, body-conscious, glam look. The voluptuous beauty represented the pride of the post digital generation. The tradition appealed to emotion and was showed pale color, simple line, soft texture fabric and a feminine Image. The meanings of tech fatale were the imagination, the public, the duality, the game, the purity and the recurrence. The formative characteristics reflect the mind of post digital generation who is against authority and pursues the human being worth such as the identity establishment and the pure emotion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.56 no.9 s.109
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• pp.14-23
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to identify the esthetic features of femme fatale character fashions, which are shown in Movie . The feature of evil femineity is the attribute of evil which brings men to ruin by the dangerous, cunning, and cruel trick, and is expressed in black color, red color, and slash fashion. This fashion shows the dark reverse side of women's sexual desire in relation to anxiety, evil, and death. The feature of sensuality evokes physical pleasures or desires, and maximizes the exposure of sexual regions by tightening or loosening women's body. In the fashion expressing this feature, the forms are fit or loose silhouette. and the colors are black and red. and the materials are soft. This fashion seems to deconstruct the past concept of sex consciousness and emphasize the independent and autonomous femineity. The feature of positiveness combines feminine elements with masculine elements in relation to power elements. This feature is expressed in tailored suit and trousers, with few patterns and details, and in black color and gray color. This fashion reflects the aggressive, challenging, and independent femineity, and expresses the potential defense for the weakness and danger of female body. The feature of purity expresses the earnest and truthful mind, and is expressed in the soft and light one-piece dress, the elegant suit, and the pink color and black color fashion. This fashion shows angel-like and reliable womanly beauty, but at the same time shows women's attribute which changes their behavior and thinking every moment, so that this fashion shows women's double-sided attribute which combines women's weakness and violence, or tenacity and conflict.