Part 2 of our detailed look at the costumes in Tron Legacy. After examining the overall creation and construction of the light suits, we have now moved onto specific design elements for individual characters. Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn The only son of Kevin Flynn, Sam is 27 years old, daredevil, rebellious and haunted by the unexplained disappearance of his father. He is sucked into the Grid while following up a mysterious message apparently sent from inside his father’s old video games arcade. Hedlund’s primary costume is a disc game suit. It was far and away the most difficult for associate costume designer Christine Bieselin Clark and her team to…

Since 19th July, The London Film Museum has been running an exhibition of props and costumes from 20th Century Fox movies to celebrate the studio’s 75th anniversary. Clothes on Film decided to make a visit, a bit late in the day, but we had a good look round anyway. There were not that many costumes in the Fox exhibition (certainly considering the history of the studio), but the museum itself has plenty more to see. Just to be in the same room as some of these memorable outfits is a thrill, especially from more recent movies where memories are fresh. With this is mind, here is our pick of Fox’s…

The perfection of a rose-tinted past, Doris Day’s costumes in Pillow Talk (1959) are some of the most exquisite ever worn on screen. They personify her immaculate character and symbolise the remnants of a dying era; opulence, optimism and the changing face of urbanised fashion. Costume designer for Pillow Talk was Bill Thomas, although, as became standard with Doris Day pictures, he was not directly responsible for creating her outfits. That job fell to celebrated costume/fashion designer Jean Louis, earning him a ‘Gowns By’ credit on the film. Louis was known for his stylish and often deceptively simple garments, including most famously Rita Hayworth’s strapless black sheath in Gilda (1946).…

© 2011, HBO 1 Feb ’11 Sharply tailored, violent, sexy and all-round immaculate HBO drama Boardwalk Empire hits British screens for the first time on 1st February (Sky Atlantic). For those who have not already seen the show, what will undoubtedly strike first is, thanks to costume designer John Dunn and tailor Martin Greenfield, just how beautifully turned out all the gentlemen in 1920’s set Atlantic City were. This is a time when being a real man meant wearing a deep red carnation on one’s jacket lapel and stiff collars to rival a neck brace. Ruler of Boardwalk Empire is Atlantic County treasurer Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi), a former policeman…

© 2009, Clothes on Film 31 Jul ’09 Though really nothing more than an extended, backlit music promo, Flashdance (1983, directed by Adrian Lyne) has garnered a considerable cult following in recent years. Savaged by poor reviews on its release, the film is now embraced as a musical and stylistic record of the second most hedonistic decade in western history. In this respect it is actually a stronger movie than, say, Wall Street (1986), and Flashdance even has a biracial woman as its star; unusual at the time, we should perhaps be grateful producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer didn’t opt for Goldie Hawn instead. The clothing in Flashdance can…

© 2009, Clothes on Film 31 Jul ’09 Though really nothing more than an extended, backlit music promo, Flashdance (1983, directed by Adrian Lyne) has garnered a considerable cult following in recent years. Savaged by poor reviews on its release, the film is now embraced as a musical and stylistic record of the second most hedonistic decade in western history. In this respect it is actually a stronger movie than, say, Wall Street (1986), and Flashdance even has a biracial woman as its star; unusual at the time, we should perhaps be grateful producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer didn’t opt for Goldie Hawn instead. The clothing in Flashdance can…

© 2009, Clothes on Film 31 Jul ’09 Though really nothing more than an extended, backlit music promo, Flashdance (1983, directed by Adrian Lyne) has garnered a considerable cult following in recent years. Savaged by poor reviews on its release, the film is now embraced as a musical and stylistic record of the second most hedonistic decade in western history. In this respect it is actually a stronger movie than, say, Wall Street (1986), and Flashdance even has a biracial woman as its star; unusual at the time, we should perhaps be grateful producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer didn’t opt for Goldie Hawn instead. The clothing in Flashdance can…

© 2009 Chris Laverty. All rights reserved. 5 May ’09 Based loosely on the real life theft of £12,000 of gold bullion from a moving railway train in 1855 (though in the movie the amount had swelled to £25,000), The First Great Train Robbery (1979) features a hefty slew of period costumes for its modest $6,000,000 budget. It is also Michael Crichton’s best film as a director, adapted from his own novel published in 1975. 1855, London: most definitely a time of gentlemanly excellence. Before the lounge suit took hold in the late nineteenth century, the frock coat (or variations thereof) and trousers, whether single or double breasted for formality,…

© 2009 Chris Laverty. All rights reserved. 5 May ’09 Based loosely on the real life theft of £12,000 of gold bullion from a moving railway train in 1855 (though in the movie the amount had swelled to £25,000), The First Great Train Robbery (1979) features a hefty slew of period costumes for its modest $6,000,000 budget. It is also Michael Crichton’s best film as a director, adapted from his own novel published in 1975. 1855, London: most definitely a time of gentlemanly excellence. Before the lounge suit took hold in the late nineteenth century, the frock coat (or variations thereof) and trousers, whether single or double breasted for formality,…

© 2010, Clothes on Film 11 Oct ’11 Clothes on Film are offering you the chance to win a Cowichan style Pendleton cardigan as worn by Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski. It will really tie your wardrobe together. Pendleton Woollen Mills made the original cardigan donned by Bridges as The Dude in the Coen Brothers’ classic The Big Lebowski. With a distinctive design based on the Chief Joseph blanket, it features a zip closure and cosy shawl neck. This 100% official re-release is also inspired by the Cowichan natives of British Columbia and knitted in lightweight 3 gauge wool. However, if you want a hole in the elbow like…