We interrupt normal programming to ask a favour: Please vote for Clothes on Film as Best Male Blog in the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2011. This is a big deal for Clothes on Film; it is recognition for all those who work hard on the site creating original, focused content about costume in cinema (NB: the reason we are in the Best Male Blog category is because that’s where we were nominated). To vote all you have to do is enter your email address at the link below (you won’t get spammed), find Male Blog and then click Clothes on Film. Deadline for votes is 30th September. VOTE FOR CLOTHES ON…

Director Martin Scorsese once again teams up with regular collaborator Sandy Powell for The Wolf of Wall Street. This first trailer lays the costume ground rules: expensive bad taste and lots of it. The Wolf of Wall Street is based on the memoirs of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), tracing his involvement in a large securities fraud case and refusal to cooperate with the FBI. This all occurred during the 1990s boom and if the trailer is anything to go by, predominantly at the beginning of that stylistically redundant decade. Oscar winning costume designer Sandy Powell has gone to town with what looks to be her…

Depending on how clean you want to go into Man of Steel, you could skip watching this 13 minute featurette altogether. Of course we had to watch it because the re-designed Superman suit is mentioned. Take a look if you are curious, although with under two weeks to go until the film is released it is not long to go cold turkey. Michael Wilkinson and James Acheson are costume designers for Man of Steel. We still do not know how their responsibilities were divvied up. Did they work as a team? Did one take civilian wear and one hero/alien costumes? No idea until we interview them (HINT HINT). Only Michael…

The first trailer for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. This looks to take the story in a fun direction with newscaster Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and friends having disappeared as legend since 1970s San Diego now reassembled in 1980s New York. Before you can say ‘curly perm’ and ‘bouclé’, Ron is sporting a graph paper check suit and fur trim leather coat. Costume designer Susan Matheson (Step Brothers, Jack Reacher) has pulled out all the stops here. With a returning ensemble that includes Brick (Steve Carrell), Brian (Paul Rudd) and Champ (David Koechner) initially more than a little seventies dated (especially Brian who is rocking the badmutha undercover cop vibe),…

Despite having watched Catfish at the 24th Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF), you will find no review of it here. There is not much to be said about Catfish without spoiling it for those who have not yet seen it – though there is a little. This is not a ‘twist’ movie; the narrative plays out pretty much as you would expect. Instead it is a deftly clever commentary on the nature of identity and how it defines our role in society. Catfish is about Nev Schulman, a New York based professional photographer in his mid-twenties, who corresponds with eight-year old artist prodigy Abby Pierce through Facebook after she paints…

Jackson Pollock spawned a thousand imitators in the art world when he chose to work in denim jeans and a t-shirt. Referred to somewhat derogatorily as ‘Jack the Dripper’ by Time magazine, his paint splattered denim was copied by, among others, Max Ernst and Andy Warhol. Costume design for the film Pollock (2000) by David C. Robinson precisely recreates his most iconic workwear looks. At the start of the story as a struggling artist, Pollock (Ed Harris) is straightaway established as an outsider against the progressive backdrop of metropolitan New York. Fuelled by an alcoholism that he never recovered from, Pollock was eager to succeed although had yet to find…

Hating Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby will be easy. Every intermediate reader has read it and loves it and wants to protect it. I’ve read it dozens of times and devoted nearly 20 years to writing about Fitzgerald, his characters, and their clothing. I’ve long imagined Gatsby’s closet, Daisy’s pearls, and Jordan’s knitwear. I know what they look like to me. What I want to know is: “What do they look like to Baz Luhrmann and costume designer, Catherine Martin?” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s text goes hand-in-glove with visual interpretation: mascara-laden flappers sobbing as the party ends; a lilac tricorn hat tipped just the right way so you can’t see her…

Despite some seasonably miserable weather, the UK managed to avoid grinding to a standstill and hold the BAFTA Film Awards. Big winner of the night was The Hurt Locker for Best Film and Best Director; big winner for Costume Design was The Young Victoria. For all those who missed the red carpet arrivals, it was a typically regal affair in a sea of spectacular yet inappropriate dresses (we’re looking at you Audrey Tautou in pink blancmange Lanvin), lots of TV reporters running around looking lost and A Single Man director Tom Ford wearing his own Tom Ford tux. But to the important stuff – the awards. The Hurt Locker was…

Watch the Lady Dior film HERE David Lynch has premiered his sixteen minute commercial for Lady Dior and it is every bit as ‘Lynch’ as you might expect. Apparently David Lynch was allowed to do pretty much what he liked when creating this mini-movie providing it featured Old Shanghai, the Oriental Pearl Tower (incidentally Lynch did not know what this was beforehand) and, of course, the swish Lady Dior bag itself. Inspiration came from his own short poem. The rich and moody film entitled Lady Blue Shanghai is third in the Lady Dior advertising series, or chapter, or saga – or is it art? What’s obvious is that you do…

Time for a new Dual Analysis costume review with Kristin Burke from FrockTalk, and this time we have chosen The Big Lebowski. The reviews will be posted in the next few days, but for now read the transcript from our recent chat about the film. It’s got breakfast, weightlifting pants and feminism – the lot really. Chris Laverty (8.18 am, London time): Good evening. Kristin Burke (12.18 am, Los Angeles time): You might love some molasses cookies right now. They are warm from the oven. Chris: I’m eating an old banana for breakfast. I really would. KB: Ha-ha. GROSS. Old banana. Chris: Did you enjoy seeing The Big Lebowski again?…