The Black Suit:

Masculinity in a Feminine World

In the film's opening scene, the viewer sees Melanie walking through the streets of San Francisco's Union Square. Wearing a black suit and carrying a clutch purse that resembles a "phallic rifle case"[6], Melanie greatly resembles the businessmen walking on the street with briefcases swinging at their side. It is rather ironic that Melanie parallels the men in this scene rather than the women. Union Square is the fashion Mecca of San Francisco and a woman walking around there would want to be dressed impeccably so that they would stand out in a crowd. Melanie does the exact opposite in this scene. She dresses like a man in a suit that, while it does compliment her figure, is rather boring. Unlike nearly every other woman in the scene, Melanie does not wear an elaborate hat. She is thus greatly at odds with the fashion of the other woman and isolated as a result.