The week in costume stories and links. FIDM Gorgeous costumes on display from 2013 released movies. Tyranny of Style takes you there… Some more good FIDM photos at Frocktalk. Downton Abbey Insightful gallery notes by costumer Caroline McCall. Sure, baby boys in the early 1920s would’ve worn a dress, but that would definitely have confused viewers. How Wool is produced for Fabric Riveting Costume Cafe podcast with Franny Kansteiner of Gum Tree Farm and Organic Wool Works. Costumer of Awesome Second shout for this beyond hilarious, gif heavy tubmlr by an (unnamed) costume designer currently working in the business. The Walking Dead Another thorough interview with costume designer Eulyn Womble,…

Throughout much of Wall Street (1987), Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko dresses as sharp as a tack, wearing perhaps two really great shirts: the renowned ‘Gekko shirt’ in blue with white contrast collars and cuffs and an appealing variation on the Gekko, a pink and white Vichy check – again with white collars and cuffs. Both embody the corrupting authority of a 1980s power outfit: immaculate and comfortable, yet loud and in your face. Disrespectful. Douglas adopts the former signature look for his first big reveal as Gekko: Med blue shirt with white contrast turn-down collar and white French cuffs. Two-tone blue narrow stripe braces. It was costume designer Ellen…

Starring: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner Directed By: Brad Bird Ghost Protocol surges close to the complex spy shenanigans and intricate set pieces of the original film but comes up frustratingly short overall. Yet, even if this feels less a complete story and more an extended episode of television, it is still enjoyably daft fare with enough sci-fi tech and desirable clobber to keep you cooing until the credits. Even with Tom Cruise’s star draw as agent Ethan Hunt, the Mission: Impossible movies have always been about the team. Mainly because Ethan is not nearly as interesting a spy as James Bond or Jason Bourne, a point reflected by…

Innovative costume designer and art director Eiko Ishioka has died aged 73. Ms Ishioka will surely be best remembered for her Oscar winning costumes in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), which included Vlad III the Impaler’s (Gary Oldman) eye-popping suit of armour that resembled the structural configuration of human muscles and provocative Gothic dresses worn by The Brides. Tokyo born Eiko Ishioka also designed costumes for 2011 fantasy drama Immortals. Regular collaborator, director Tarsem Singh, known for his judicious use of extravagant headwear, employed Ms Ishioka to create an array of imaginative ensembles based on Greek mythology. A modest résumé of ten feature films takes nothing away from Eiko Ishioka’s influence…

Three international banners for Tron Legacy have just been released by Disney. The information drip feed for this film is relatively slow, but these do at least reveal some detail of the light suit costume. To be fair the Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn banner is the only new one. Here he is wearing a long twill weave coat with flared sleeves over his robe (which we must say seems entirely computer rendered in this image). Those light boots look amazing, however. Incidentally, Adidas have made some Tron inspired Stan Smiths to tie in with the movie, as well as two high-tops revealed at Comic Con in July. Unfortunately these…

Director Brian De Palma has made movies heavily influenced by Alfred Hitchcock before, but Passion (2012) is the first one whose characters look like they stepped out of one of Hitchcock’s classic films. Karen Muller-Serreau’s bold and colourful costumes communicate the characters’ hidden desires and make watching Passion a sensory experience. This melodrama centres on two ad executives, Isabelle (Noomi Rapace) and her boss Christine (Rachel McAdams), who have a deadline to come up with an ad campaign for a new smartphone. In her sleep, Isabelle thinks of a great idea. Dirk (Paul Anderson) in typical pinstriped suit with Isabelle (Noomi Rapace) in even more typical black. The two other…

From stills of this film alone you could easily be forgiven in thinking that I am Love (Io sono l’amore, 2009) was set during the 1960s. The designer clothes draped worn by lead members of the Recchi family, as selected by costumer Antonella Cannarozzi, are generally minimalist, in plain colours with little embellishment. I am Love is actually set in Europe around 2000, but its central characters are trapped as the well-heeled repressed of the sixties. Just as sexual, artistic and cultural expression was blossoming, the old guard struggled to make sense of this new world so regressed even more vehemently into their old one. The Recchi’s seem to live…

Although Tron (1982) is often cited as the first use of computer animation in mainstream film, there is far more to its significance than what we see on screen. As an artistic influence on everything from fashion to music, Tron has created a cultural cosmos we now term its ‘legacy’. All this thanks to a 29 year baby boomer who dared to dream idealistic… Creator and director of the original Tron, Steven Lisberger, freely admits that his film, the very idea in fact, was born out of hippie ideology; the creation of unity between the analogue and digital world: We were idealistic. The Gen-Xers are much more realistic, but at…

From what is a hopefully legit rendering published by ComicBookMovie, we have our first clear look at Chris Evans’ new costume for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Big changes are afoot for Steve Rogers, aka the Captain. First we had costume designer Anna B. Sheppard’s well received paratrooper style uniform for The First Avenger (2011). Then we had Alexandra Byrne’s slightly less well received, vivid red and blue streamlined version for Avengers Assemble (2012). And now we have this, Judianna Makovsky’s own interpretation for The Winter Solider: The Winter soldier costume by Judianna Makovsky. This new suit has more in common with The First Avenger than Avengers Assemble. Gone are…

Beginning in the late 1950s, into the 60’s, predominantly through the mid to late 70’s, then into the early 90’s, costume designer Stephanie Collie’s work for The Look of Love covers several distinct periods. This is the true story of King of Soho billionaire Paul Raymond (Steve Coogan) told via the many women in his life. Helpfully these women confirm to a specific body type which is still relatable as the model ideal today, i.e. very slender or the ‘no-body body’. This means that all the garments on screen look fantastic. They are costumes above all but still relevant as fashion; the 60’s especially still informs contemporary style for women’s…