Betsy Heimann’s costume design for Reservoir Dogs (1992) spawned a legacy in pop culture and fashion that is still being felt today. Heimann and director Quentin Tarantino determined a cinematic sub-genre by redefining the appearance of the petty gangster. From shambolic to symbolic; a man in a black suit, white shirt and black tie walking in slow motion is possibly the single most memorable costume image of the nineties. Here, talking exclusively to Clothes on Film, Ms. Heimann describes how the Reservoir Dogs look came together: “I am very pleased that the narrow silhouette I created influenced and still influences men’s fashion” she offers. “I think that Quentin is responsible…

© 2012, Focus Features 25 Feb ’13 Now the main award ceremonies are done and dusted there is just room for a summary of the Best (or ‘Achievement In’) Costume Design award winners before we gratefully shut up about it all for another year. There were no surprises at all. Not really. See for yourself, but if you did not call Jacqueline Durran for Anna Karenina every single time you were just throwing money down the drain. The 15th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards: Excellence in Contemporary Film Skyfall – Jany Temime Excellence in Period Film Anna Karenina – Jacqueline Durran Excellence in Fantasy Film Mirror Mirror – Eiko Ishioka…

Perhaps the most mind-churning mainstream film of recent years, Inception is testament to the power of great costume design. Not only does it look sumptuous, thanks to all those 3 pc suits and silk ties, but because of costume designer Jeffrey Kurland and director Christopher Nolan’s commitment to clothing serving an implicit function, Inception is at least partially decipherable by what the characters wear. The screen is filled with costume clues to interpret. Jeffrey Kurland has been costume designer on thirty seven feature films, including Ocean’s Eleven (2001) and Collateral (2004), though Inception is his first collaboration with Chris Nolan. Here he explains exclusively to Clothes on Film his sartorial…

Jacqueline West is one of the most interesting costume designers we have featured at Clothes on Film. Her credits include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network and most recently Argo directed by Ben Affleck for which she is CDG nominated (Excellence in Period Film). Yet West did not set out to be a costume designer, instead forging a career in fashion during the 1970s. It was not until director Philip Kaufman hired her to assistant costume Henry & June in 1989 that she tentatively entered the profession and then continued to shine, essentially self-taught from books by the one costume designer she had heard of – Edith…

© 2011, Clothes on Film 19 Apr ’11 In this abridged version of a feature originally published in Moviescope magazine in December 2010, Clothes on Film take an overview look at how to ‘read’ costume design. Costume design remains one of the most misunderstood and underappreciated filmmaking arts. Far in excess of merely ‘dressing’ an actor for their role, costume design is discourse. A film can be read via costume; sometimes overtly, sometimes subtextually. Not just conspicuous sci-fi or period, but contemporary stories set within a familiar world in familiar attire. On screen even the most rudimentary item of clothing can take on meaning. 2010 was a boundary crossing year…

© 2013, Clothes on Film 21 Mar ’13 Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) is costume symbolic of its era; the entire film is filtered through a composite mix of tan and beige. Director Robert Benton opted for a permanent autumn in New York City, artistically maintained through its year long storyline. Autumn is interpretable as a transitional season, reflecting the three act journey of the three central characters. Costume designer Ruth Morley dresses Meryl Streep’s absentee mother Joanna head-to-toe in various shades of brown. Joanna’s appearance is regimented by control and routine, and nearly always finished by that epitome of late 1970s chic and impending yuppiedom, a three quarter length Burberry…

© 2007, Studio Canal 31 Oct ’12 Forgive the self-promotion as we draw your attention to Clothes on Film’s essay in the book Hollywood Costume edited by Deborah Nadoolman Landis, published to accompany her exhibition at the V&A. Even without the involvement of Clothes on Film editor Chris Laverty, we would still be recommending this publication wholeheartedly. Firstly, it is absolutely beautiful; the kind of text that university students will actually want to pore over for their coursework. That is not to say it is purely educational, but emphasis is strongly on the nitty-gritty use and conservation of costume. What gives the book a novel twist is Landis recruiting actual…

© 2013, Fox Searchlight Pictures 2 Mar ’13 Certain films come along where costume design is so essential to character and narrative, that to alter it even slightly would change the tone and perception of the story. Drive (2011, costume design by Erin Benach) is one example of this. The white satin scorpion jacket, tight indigo jeans and most importantly, leather driving gloves. Gloves were symbolic of The Driver’s intentions; when he slipped on the gloves he became himself. Stoker (2013, costume design by Kurt Swanson and Bart Mueller, aka ‘Kurt and Bart’) employs a similar concept – a costume sign – only here it is all about shoes. India…

Perhaps the most mind-churning mainstream film of recent years, Inception is testament to the power of great costume design. Not only does it look sumptuous, thanks to all those 3 pc suits and silk ties, but because of costume designer Jeffrey Kurland and director Christopher Nolan’s commitment to clothing serving an implicit function, Inception is at least partially decipherable by what the characters wear. The screen is filled with costume clues to interpret. Jeffrey Kurland has been costume designer on thirty seven feature films, including Ocean’s Eleven (2001) and Collateral (2004), though Inception is his first collaboration with Chris Nolan. Here he explains exclusively to Clothes on Film his sartorial…

© 2012, Focus Features 25 Feb ’13 Now the main award ceremonies are done and dusted there is just room for a summary of the Best (or ‘Achievement In’) Costume Design award winners before we gratefully shut up about it all for another year. There were no surprises at all. Not really. See for yourself, but if you did not call Jacqueline Durran for Anna Karenina every single time you were just throwing money down the drain. The 15th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards: Excellence in Contemporary Film Skyfall – Jany Temime Excellence in Period Film Anna Karenina – Jacqueline Durran Excellence in Fantasy Film Mirror Mirror – Eiko Ishioka…