video | Clothes on Film

Actually that title is a tad misleading – it’s all the clothes worn by Lee Marvin as kick-ass-tough-guy-on-a-mission Walker in Point Blank. This is the second video in a new Clothes on Film feature breaking down costume design in sartorially interesting (or just way cool) movies and, in some cases, television.  Costumed by Margo Weintz, Point Blank is stone-cold neo-noir thriller, one of the best of its kind, focusing on Marvin’s Walker and his score settling against those who double crossed and left him for dead on an abandoned Alcatraz island. The film is known for its sharp suits, which are all covered in the video, but also for some…

As a new feature for Clothes on Film, we will uploading regular videos (say every couple of weeks) to YouTube examining the costume design of new and classic movies, plus selected television and trailers. This is mainly because Clothes on Film’s creator and editor Christopher Laverty (waves) has been busy on other projects (ahem, buy the book) and has not had the opportunity to update the site as much as he’d like. Returning to more regular posting, it felt like a change was needed as there are already over 400 articles currently on here. Hence the idea of video. There will be some written articles added, but for the most…

Netflix have released a short featurette about costume design for The Alienist, giving an overall glimpse at the work of Michael Kaplan and his team in putting together the era of 1896, New York. What is enticing about The Alienist, apart from the fact that it’s brilliant whodunit telly, is that it is set outside of England, which is so often the preserve of dramas such as these. This is NY style at a point in history when those with money were about to get a whole lot more. Expensive, in other words, and if you had deep enough pockets your taste in fashion would echo this. Check out the…

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 &…

Here’s a link to a video Clothes on Film editor Chris Laverty shot for men’s style journal Mr Porter as part of their Ask the Experts section. The topic is denim jackets in movies, from Hud (1963) to Back to the Future (1985) to Drive (2011), with a potted history of the garment thrown in for good measure. It is about three minutes long and definitely worth a watch, even if we do say so ourselves.

For HBO Sessions part 2, Clothes on Film editor Chris Laverty was invited to discuss the costume design of Boardwalk Empire.

Clothes on Film editor, Chris Laverty discusses the costumes of Mildred Pierce for filmed HBO Sessions.

Video: Clothes on Film chat exclusively to costume designer Joan Bergin about her extraordinary work on The Tudors.