The 1970s are a scary decade because everything appears the same on the surface, cars, clothes, technology, so we can relate to what we see, yet somehow it has an otherworldly atmosphere. At times the seventies can seem like a strange, beige parallel universe where cholesterol was for sissies and sideburns mandatory (less so for women). With its most recent trailer The Conjuring, set in 1971, embraces this idea wholeheartedly. Warner Bros. are pushing The Conjuring hard – and with good reason. It is directed by James Wan who made the original Saw (2004) and even more impressively Insidious, which was officially the most profitable movie of 2011. If this…

Stars of The Lovely Bones, Michael Imperioli, Susan Sarandon and Saoirse Ronan meet Prince Charles. No Clothes on Film wasn’t invited, but we have got some photos. On Tuesday 24th November 2009 the Royal Premiere performance for Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones took place at Odeon Leicester Square in London. Here is what some of the important people looked like: Puffball: In the film Saoirse Ronan plays a young girl watching over her family from heaven. Disco: Co-star Rose McIver Tux: The Lovely Bones director Peter Jackson Underwear: Little Boots. Not in the film Heavy silk: Co-star Carolyn Dando Overcoat: Andy Serkis minus mocap suit for once Sequinny: Susan Sarandon…

Certainly the most memorable costume Diane Kruger wears in National Treasure (2004) is a luscious silk evening dress; particularly in regards to what her character puts it through. For this fun Disney adventure, Kruger plays National Archives curator turned fortune finder Dr. Abigail Chase. From blow drying the Declaration of Independence to searching an ancient cavern for Freemason gold, she gets more to do than merely follow Nicolas Cage’s ‘treasure protector’ Ben Gates around and scream whenever the bad guys pull their guns out. Abigail swinging from the back of a moving vehicle in an unashamedly flouncy gown is one of the more memorable images from the film. Moreover this…

A fortnight ago to the day, Clothes on Film creator and editor Christopher Laverty joined fashion historian Amber Jane Butchart to give one of two talks and a Q&A chat at The British Library in London. The subjects under discussion were, respectively, the unexpectedly colourful clothing of Prohibition era gangsters as portrayed in the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire, and the influence of movies and movie star style on fashion during The Jazz Age. After Christopher and Amber finished their talks to a delighted audience (they clapped), everyone reconvened to the elegant backdrop of the main library grounds to swig cocktails and dance the night away to Alex Mendham &…

MINOR SPOILERS Okja (2017) is the second film that costume designer Catherine George has worked on with director Bong Joon-ho. Their first together, Snowpiercer (2013), despite being lauded by critics (and featuring Chris Evans), only received a limited theatrcial run in the U.S. and no release at all in the UK. Unlike Okja, Snowpiercer is an out and out sci-fi fantasy set when most of the world’s population have been wiped out and those who remain live on perpetually moving train. Okja is still a fantasy, it revolves around a little girl Mija (An Seo Hyun) trying to save her giant ‘super pig’ from being harvested as GM bacon, but…

Christie’s auction house are selling several design sketches by the renowned Edith Head. Each are for roles played by Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock movies, one used in To Catch a Thief (1955) and three in Rear Window (1954). What an ideal early Christmas present. For yourself. From To Catch a Thief is a watercolour and pencil sketch of the black halterneck beach ensemble with wide brimmed hat worn by Grace Kelly as Frances Stephens. Estimated to reach £6,000 – £8,000. The most famous and popular designs from Rear Window are all available. First is a sketch of the extravagant ‘Paris dress’ Kelly wears as Lisa Fremont. It is an…

Seemingly on a par with Tron Legacy: the movie is the mechanising machine surrounding it. Yet apparently this is no simple case of ‘cash-in and run’, it never was. Disney grasped the mindset of Tron from the very beginning. The name means more than product; it is a lifestyle choice. One might assume that Disney, the entertainment behemoth who continued financing Tron creator Steven Lisberger’s ambitious digital project in 1980 would have taken over the reigns and demanded a gamut of merchandise options to make Lucasfilm weep. Not so, claims Lisberger. There was surprisingly little compromise in their creative/fiscal balancing act: There is a fairly unknown quote from Walt Disney.…

The what’s what and who’s who of movie costume design this week. The Vikings Joan Bergin chats about costuming The Vikings. VIDEO: We talked codpieces and nipples with Joan a couple of years back. Nina Forever Costume design for independent film. Imogen Loveday interviewed about her work in progress on Kickstarter funded project Nina Forever. Iron Man 3 Some pretty amazing Iron Man cosplay and some other fella with a cardboard box on his head. The Great Gatsby “We are not making a documentary”. Catherine Martin tackles the question of historical accuracy in The Great Gatsby. …And Miuccia Prada has her say too. Apparently Miu Miu dresses were ‘inadvertently’ worn…

Marina Roberti is the costume designer of the Italian box office hit Sole a Catinelle. She has worked in the US with the likes of Milena Canonero, Sandy Powell and Dante Ferretti… How did you become a costume designer? When I was a kid I was a bumbler at school. I spent all the time drawing and reading. My parents were kind of worried so they decided to enroll me at a fashion college in Turin, my home town. During my last school year they took us to Rome to visit the National Film School. Next year I decided to try and join the school. I thought I could never…

The first trailer for The Tourist starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp has finally debuted. Regardless of your sexual orientation, there is something for you here. Yet, although it may look gorgeous there is a slight concern that The Tourist is attempting that most troublesome of genres – the comedy thriller. Clearly the premise is a sixties throwback, with Johnny Depp as the unaware tourist of the title entranced by a ‘ravenous’ (watch the trailer) femme fatale played by Angelina Jolie. Thankfully, however, their clothes are not heavy-handedly retro, with costume designer Coleen Atwood instead choosing chic modern couture that exudes unattainable class. WATCH THE TRAILER HERE Towards the end…