SPOILERS THROUGHOUT Having recently finished a six week, six episode run on the BBC, John le Carré adapted spy drama The Little Drummer Girl was divisive in terms of audience reaction. Some found the plot impossible to follow, others revelled in the cloak and dagger shenanigans of twenty-something Charmain ‘Charlie’ Ross (Florence Pugh), a low level actress drawn into a high stakes mission of infiltrating a Palestinian revolutionary group in 1979. The show’s costume design by Sheena Napier and Stephen Noble inspired equal division. While most enjoyed the eye-popping period ensembles and how they exemplified character, just as many were left confounded by their conspicuous presence. One thing that cannot…

If you have played The Last of Us on Playstation 3 it has likely ruined video gaming for you. The world created is so vivid and believable that every game afterward just feels dated and empty. Throughout, The Last of Us is unwaveringly real, full of seemingly inconsequential details such as every weapon or object you carry being attached or able to fit into your character’s backpack. Contrast this with Grand Theft Auto V where a rocket launcher appears out of your trouser pocket and it’s clear that if game developers really want to create a living, breathing parallel to reality they need to treat it as reality – no…

Directed By: Rob Marshall Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush This fourth entry into the Pirates of Caribbean franchise is frustrating, dark (literally) and only occasionally thrilling. For the reason a Pirates movie normally redeems itself, this one fails; Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow has finally become the irritating wiseass who just won’t leave the party. Early on, Jack is a lovingly familiar presence. Following a pursuit through 18th century London, he sheds his recognisable silhouette of billowing linen-silk tweed coat, stripping to an equally billowing linen shirt. As most of the film is set on land, costume designer Penny Rose has ensured he is more rock ‘n’ roll…

A new web documentary analysing the look of James Bond has been released to coincide with the Designing 007 exhibition in London. It is well worth watching as costume designer Lindy Hemming, a veteran of five Bond films, discusses her approach for both Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig; essentially that Brosnan’s suits were deliberately ‘European’ and Craig’s were intended to ‘pull him in’. There are further notes from David Mason (Anthony Sinclair tailors) and Ritchie Charlton (Douglas Hayward tailors) as to why they believe Bond is still such a sartorial icon. Anthony Sinclair have recently undertaken remaking Sean Connery’s midnight tuxedo with turnback cuffs from Dr. No (1962) to display…

Costume design comes in three main forms: visible (the 1950s, Dior inspired gowns in Anna Karenina for example), invisible (the impeccable yet subtle military uniforms in War Horse) and subtextual – those apparently commonplace costumes that actually possess a hidden meaning, a concept employed most effectively this year in horror satire The Cabin in the Woods. The film’s costume designer Shawna Trpcic created a subtle reversal for the main characters – five archetypes from horror movie folklore. Think of the teenage victims in Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th; they are all variations of the underwear flashing tramp, the bespectacled academic, the jock in his Varsity…

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo Directed By: Joss Whedon A worrying trend has emerged with heavily hyped, big budget movies: to proclaim them either genius or turkey. Gone is the middle ground. While Avengers Assemble may be far removed from turkey, it is not genius; it is a witty, well-acted sci-fi adventure bolstered by a great deal of novelty factor. The near impossible task of cramming six unique comic book personalities into a coherent narrative is made to look easy by director/co-writer Joss Whedon. Everyone gets a role to play. Captain America (Chris Evans – really into the part now) takes command, Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.)…

La Femme Nikita (1990, directed by Luc Besson) is a neon action thriller; a very silly, very enjoyable movie concerning an ex-junkie put to work as a French government sleeper assassin. Backed by an industrial electro pop score, sound and visuals converge alongside the protagonist’s cool couture – specifically a little black dress that re-defines the use of such a garment on film. As of its time as Laserdiscs and virtual reality, La Femme Nikita is about transformation by fashion – similar in subtext to Pretty Woman, that enduringly fluffy romantic fairytale also released the same year. Where as Julia Roberts’ heroine Vivian abandons the world of prostitution to become,…

Somewhat misleading as nowhere is this photo officially tagged as being ‘Catwoman’; officially this is our first shot of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises, on a Bat(cat?)pod, wearing what appears to be a proto-Catwoman costume. The suit, as designed by Lindy Hemming, seems to be a one or two piece, with separate wedge sole boots and past the elbow gloves, constructed of some kind of dimpled, rubberised neoprene – certainly not leather. It looks functional, perhaps with the intention of being waterproof or insulated against cold. The headgear is pure function too, we assume. Externally at least resembling a type of LED or night vision…

It has been a couple of weeks since this trailer surfaced, but having missed it then we feel it’s worth a post now. For anyone remotely interested in period costume, Rush looks to be something of a seventies-fest. Rush (directed by Ron Howard) tells the true story of Formula One drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) focusing on their intense and dangerous track rivalry. It is set in 1976 and features a wardrobe of era favourites such as fur trimmed coats and head-scarves for Olivia Wilde as model Suzy Miller and ringer tees for Hemsworth. Wilde does look incredible in this period, her hair and make-up…

Jennifer Garner’s costumes in 13 Going On 30 (2004) are some of the most fun for a romantic comedy of recent years. In a plot which sees gawky teenager Jenna Rink (Garner) flash thirteen years into the future to find herself editor of Poise fashion magazine, it is unsurprising if the clothes she wears are somewhat…ahem….‘colourful’. At the start of the film, when Jenna is indeed 13, there is an array of 1980s fashions on show, including pale dyed denims, bejewelled off-the-shoulder tops and colours so bright they are practically luminous. Costume designer Susie DeSanto (Miss Congeniality, 2000) really went to town. When time jumps forward, however, and Jenna is…