The 1945 cinematic adaptation of Mildred Pierce, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring, of course, Joan Crawford, is a very different beast to the 2011 HBO mini-series starring Kate Winslet. In all honestly it is not as good, but more significantly it is very different in terms of costume. Interestingly enough the mini-series, which is evidently a period piece, is closer in terms of historical accuracy than the near contemporary set Crawford version. This is not the be all and end all, because while Winslet’s Pierce may feel more real in terms of costume and setting, Crawford’s is arguably more fun. If for no other reason than to exemplify how…

Amongst staggering aural and visual assault, perhaps one of the quietest aspects of Dunkirk (2017,… Despite being set in the present day, the world of Brigsby Bear (2017, directed by… Daphne du Maurier’s original novel My Cousin Rachel apparently does not specify the exact period… MINOR SPOILERS Like any film with an extended period of time between the original and… MILD SPOILERS The hoodie has as much to say about it’s wearer as, say, the… Friday 6th May sees the release of Florence Foster Jenkins, the 1944 set true story… Or when your costumes look like a building. Odile Dicks-Mireaux’s designs for High Rise (2016)… Twenty-five years ago, costume designer…

Director Peter Jackson’s big budget King Kong (2005) remake is set in 1933 (same as the original). This is slap bang in the middle of America’s Great depression, tasking costume designer Terry Ryan with creating looks that replicate the obvious poverty of the time plus the go-for-broke ensembles adopted by many people for glamorous night time events and parties. Ryan costumed King Kong heroine Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) in two distinct categories: New York attire and film within a film outfits, i.e. those worn on board the ship to Skull Island and while on the island itself. Ann’s New York look is largely in keeping with the era; although with…

Trailer two for Shutter Island in pin sharp HD has hit the net. Leonardo DiCaprio and co revisit 1950s fashions under the discerning eye of director Martin Scorsese. Watch the trailer HERE Based on Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel of the same name and retaining its 1950s timeframe, Shutter Island follows two federal marshals, Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), as they investigate the disappearance of a mental patient from a creepy island facility in Massachusetts. Shutter Island promises to be a serious costume movie. Not just because of the enticing fifties setting, but also because Scorsese is someone who understands the important role clothes play in definition of…

There is not man behind the mask; the mask is The Lone Ranger. Building character with the costume design of Pacific Rim. The costume evolution of Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. Analysis of Shawna Trpcic’s subtle costume signifiers with input from the designer herself. Lucinda Wright talks costume in The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: The Murder in Angel Lane. World War Z neatly demonstrates the art of breaking down and distressing costume. The costume evolution of Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones. Man of Steel costume designer reveals fascinating insight about the film. Second and final part of our retrospective of The Grifters with insight from Mark Bridges. Superman’s…

The following is an expanded article Clothes on Film editor Christopher Laverty wrote for men’s… Fred Williamson as Tommy Gibbs adopts the gangster codes of 1930s cinema in blaxploitation classic… If you’re not watching BBC 2’s gangster western Peaky Blinders, stop reading now and seek… Filmmaker and costume designer Sophie Black recounts her personal interpretation of Heathers, a film defined… Costume designer Ann Roth’s template for Working Girl (1988, directed by Mike Nichols) is especially… Fabric of Cinema is Clothes on Film editor Chris Laverty’s regular column in design journal… Let’s get this straight: Peaky Blinders is not Boardwalk Empire. It’s a post World War… Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) is…

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT Having recently finished a six week, six episode run on the BBC, John… MINOR SPOILERS First Man (2018) is not a movie overly preoccupied with fashion, And why… With Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), costume designer Deena Appel created one of… MINOR SPOILERS Movies that feature contemporary fashion, particularly high-end and particularly for women, are a… MILD SPOILERS Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) is far and away the most ‘A… Author Caroline Young has just released a fascinating new book entitled Hitchcock’s Heroines (published by… SPOILERS For anyone with an eye to costume, The Avengers: Infinity War (2018) seemingly takes… The Levi jacket worn by…

From Chris Laverty’s regular column ‘Fabric of Cinema’ for Arts Illustrated magazine, here is an abridged version of the most recently published essay ‘A Migration of Talent’. The current issue of Arts Illustrated focuses on those that have moved across geographical boundaries to expand the scope of their work. It has long been the norm for costume designers from the UK to relocate, not necessarily permanently, to Hollywood. Their careers have been forged by the demands of the business they compete in. But what would have happened if, say, Sandy Powell (Shakespeare in Love), or Joanna Johnston (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) had never worked beyond these shores? How would their…

After her flimsy pink slip on Skull Island, this is the second most significant outfit Naomi Watts wears as Ann Darrow in King Kong (2005). As simple as evening wear gets (though strictly in the context of the film it is stage wear), Ann’s white gown is authentically period accurate; 1930s was the couture decade to introduce evening dresses in their now familiar form. That a plain cut-on-the-bias dress such as Ann’s could be worn at any formal party function today without raising so much as a martini glass demonstrates the far-reaching influence of thirties designers; major names such as Gilbert Adrian and Edward Molyneux; those who prioritised simplicity and…

As Little Junior Brown, Nicolas Cage puts in the kind of over the top performance that was in vogue during the early nineties (see also Robert De Niro in Cape Fear, 1991). Cage himself admits that muscle-bound gangster Junior is ‘larger than life’, so why not the same for his fashion sense? Kiss of Death was made in 1993/94 and released in 1995, but even taking this into account Junior’s monochrome wardrobe is still blatantly outdated and vulgar. For most characters in the movie fashion is dictated by circumstance. Put upon ex-con Jimmy Kilmartin (David Caruso) wears clothes that are anonymous and cheap. His new wife Rosie (Kathryn Erbe) makes…