© 2012, Clothes on Film 1 Jun ’12 Kelsey Osgood examines the religious and cultural significance of costume design in 2012 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, A Separation (directed by Asghar Farhadi). Perhaps for many observers, particularly those who live in liberal Western cultures, the concept of Arab and Persian religious uniform is symbolised by the simplicity of the black burqa. The pious pare down their clothing to the least colourful and individualizing garments in order to humble themselves before their God. As generally decreed by feminist scholars, women in religiously observant societies are those most affected by sartorial limits. But like most practices viewed as wholly restrictive,…

© 2012, Clothes on Film 1 Jun ’12 Kelsey Osgood examines the religious and cultural significance of costume design in 2012 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, A Separation (directed by Asghar Farhadi). Perhaps for many observers, particularly those who live in liberal Western cultures, the concept of Arab and Persian religious uniform is symbolised by the simplicity of the black burqa. The pious pare down their clothing to the least colourful and individualizing garments in order to humble themselves before their God. As generally decreed by feminist scholars, women in religiously observant societies are those most affected by sartorial limits. But like most practices viewed as wholly restrictive,…

© 2012, Clothes on Film 1 Jun ’12 Kelsey Osgood examines the religious and cultural significance of costume design in 2012 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, A Separation (directed by Asghar Farhadi). Perhaps for many observers, particularly those who live in liberal Western cultures, the concept of Arab and Persian religious uniform is symbolised by the simplicity of the black burqa. The pious pare down their clothing to the least colourful and individualizing garments in order to humble themselves before their God. As generally decreed by feminist scholars, women in religiously observant societies are those most affected by sartorial limits. But like most practices viewed as wholly restrictive,…

© 2009, Clothes on Film 1 Sep ’09 Jane Seymour was just 22 years old when she played white witch Solitaire in Live and Let Die (1973). Her wardrobe was a mixture of uniform (as tarot reader), casual (escaping the poppy fields, New Orleans airport) and sexualised (sacrificial peasant dress, various chemises). Most illustrative of her kooky characterisation however are the maxi-dresses. There is something intrinsically spiritual about a maxi dress; the way it flows and veils the body. It gels with the divine aspect of Solitaire and later, with a rapidly decreasing neckline, epitomises her sexual awakening by Roger Moore’s randy new 007. When we first meet Solitaire it…

© 2009, Clothes on Film 23 May ’09 Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood Directed by: McG The terminator, as represented first and best by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is an obvious signifier for brutish masculinity on film: black leather biker jacket, muscular build, modest dialogue. The irony being, of course, that he is a machine. In Terminator Salvation (2009) this iconic manifestation stays in place, but the clothes and actor change. Not for the first time this has occurred (Schwarzenegger isn’t the only actor to play a terminator after all), but in this film his replacement looks more or less the same. After the slim-framed T-1000 (Robert Patrick) and the…

© 2009, Clothes on Film 23 May ’09 Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood Directed by: McG The terminator, as represented first and best by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is an obvious signifier for brutish masculinity on film: black leather biker jacket, muscular build, modest dialogue. The irony being, of course, that he is a machine. In Terminator Salvation (2009) this iconic manifestation stays in place, but the clothes and actor change. Not for the first time this has occurred (Schwarzenegger isn’t the only actor to play a terminator after all), but in this film his replacement looks more or less the same. After the slim-framed T-1000 (Robert Patrick) and the…

© 2009, Clothes on Film 23 May ’09 Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood Directed by: McG The terminator, as represented first and best by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is an obvious signifier for brutish masculinity on film: black leather biker jacket, muscular build, modest dialogue. The irony being, of course, that he is a machine. In Terminator Salvation (2009) this iconic manifestation stays in place, but the clothes and actor change. Not for the first time this has occurred (Schwarzenegger isn’t the only actor to play a terminator after all), but in this film his replacement looks more or less the same. After the slim-framed T-1000 (Robert Patrick) and the…

© 2009, Clothes on Film 25 Dec ’09 Frankie Says Watch the HD trailer (redband too) HERE Surely worth a look for eighties fans, the trailer for Hot Tub Time Machine starring John Cusack recently arrived on the web. It’s Back to the Future, for drunk guys. The plot for Hot Tub Time Machine is completely mental and probably wouldn’t be attracting any internet attention were it not for the noteworthy cast involved (meaning Cusack and eighties survivor Chevy Chase). It does seem like an amusing idea however. A group of middle aged guys take leave of their boring lives for a wild night of drinking in a ski resort…

© 2009, Clothes on Film 25 Dec ’09 Frankie Says Watch the HD trailer (redband too) HERE Surely worth a look for eighties fans, the trailer for Hot Tub Time Machine starring John Cusack recently arrived on the web. It’s Back to the Future, for drunk guys. The plot for Hot Tub Time Machine is completely mental and probably wouldn’t be attracting any internet attention were it not for the noteworthy cast involved (meaning Cusack and eighties survivor Chevy Chase). It does seem like an amusing idea however. A group of middle aged guys take leave of their boring lives for a wild night of drinking in a ski resort…

© 2009 Chris Laverty. All rights reserved. 3 Jun ’09 Eastern Promises (2007). The setting: London. The location: burger joint. The outfit: Viggo Mortensen’s gorgeously cut black double breasted suit. It is simply exquisite. Black wool four-on-one double breasted suit with flap hip pockets and rope shoulders; white cotton-poplin turn-down collar shirt; black knitted tie. Mortensen’s mob infiltrator Nikolai is surely the best dressed Russki knuckle duster in the capital? On Viggo’s tall, slim frame the jacket appears elongated, helped by the high four on one button configuration (four buttons on the front of the jacket, one that fastens bellow the lapel line). It seems almost as though it should…