Everyone who wishes to has seen and digested Inception by now, and still the most popular topic of discussion is Jeffrey Kurland’s inspiring costumes. Introducing costume design to cinemagoers who perhaps never would have noticed the craft before, Jeffrey has truly broken down barriers with Inception. Very kindly, he has taken time out of his busy schedule to once again speak exclusively to Clothes on Film about his intended meaning behind the costumes, plus some further details about the outfits themselves. Clothes on Film, Chris: Were the leather jackets worn by Leonardo DiCaprio as Cobb and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur custom designed by yourself? Jeffrey Kurland: I designed and had…

Give us three minutes; we’ll give you the costume world. Amy Adams Current actress of the moment and friend of costume designers everywhere, Amy Adams, is to be honoured at this year’s CDG awards on 22nd February. Totò a colori Satin, peplums, artsy tortoiseshell spectacles and Sophia Loren with unshaven armpits. Superqueen explains exactly why we should all seek out Totò a colori. Game of Thrones Finally someone has realised it is ALL about the embroidery. The Great Gatsby Catherine Martin chats to HitFlix about “colour obsessed” Baz Luhrmann. Easy to Love Engrossing post by Kay Noske at Movie Star Makeover, all about Helen Rose’s fantastic colour combinations for Easy…

Part two of our essay looking at sartorial identity in Sons of Anarchy, featuring exclusive insight from series costume designer Kelli Jones. Catch up with part 1 HERE. The women of SAMCRO include porn stars and pole dancers, but the club matriarch is Gemma played by Katey Sagal, formerly known as Peg Bundy in Married with Children. Gemma is the Queen of this world so her look is regal rock chick, “to make her look badass without looking like a slut. This sexy mama bitch doesn’t need to TRY” costume designer Kelli Jones says. With her background in music (she has performed with the likes of Bette Midler, Gene Simmons…

Starring: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, James Cromwell Directed By: Michel Hazanavicius NB: We recommend you only read this review after having seen the film. The Artist paints a comfortingly nostalgic view of 1920s Hollywood, beginning with the conveyor belt production of silent films in their final years and then slamming head first into a wall of sound. Mark Bridges’ irresistibly pretty and readable costumes chronicle an era that, as The Artist implies, perhaps only ever existed in cinema. There are some actual 1920s era outfits and dresses seen in the film, though most vintage stock was too delicate for the leads. This is a movie that celebrates movies. It is…

Directed By: Francis Lawrence Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, Robert Pattinson Old fashioned and sentimental, Water for Elephants still has much to offer those in search of spectacle and matinee romance, not least for its readable costumes by Jacqueline West. Set during America’s Great Depression, the story gathers pace with an empathetic opening and initially captivating performance by Robert Pattinson as Jacob Jankowski, an as yet unqualified vet who, following a family tragedy joins up with a travelling circus. Unfortunately after this exciting set up, Water for Elephants settles into the predictable search for identity via discovering oneself; Jacob falls in love with circus performer Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), a glamorous…

The secret is finally out, and it had to be Vogue who made the announcement for their September issue, because this is not something that could just slip out under the radar: Miuccia Prada provided Carey Mulligan’s gowns as Daisy Buchanan for The Great Gatsby. Vogue interviewed Prada who exclusively revealed that she was not directly influenced by the story’s 1920s setting but rather tweaked her own designs (some 40 dresses) to be reflective of the period. Prada, who is granddaughter of the label’s founder Mario, has already worked with The Great Gatsby director Baz Luhrmann three times before, so her involvement should not come as too much of a…

Despite having watched Catfish at the Leeds International Film Festival, you will find no review of it here.

As curator of Entertainment History at the Smithsonian, Dwight Blocker Bowers spends his days surrounded by movie costumes and props from past and present, including the Lone Ranger’s mask and those famous red shoes worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Speaking recently to The Collectors Weekly, Blocker Bowers explains what his job entails, the most popular exhibits at the museum and why Carol Burnett wore a dress with a curtain road attached. Entertainment Curator… Blocker Bowers: I’ve been at the Smithsonian for 28 years—I never thought I’d stay that long! The first job I had was as a producer and annotator of recordings. We used to…

Ann Roth’s Emmy nominated costume design for Mildred Pierce has received considerable press, mainly for Kate Winslet’s richly tailored suits and Evan Rachel Wood’s glamorous Katharine Hepburn-esque lounge ensembles. Yet the show’s outwardly dowdy housedresses and waitress uniforms are just as interesting. Further to our earlier essay on the former, we shall analyse the displaced sex appeal of the latter. The sex appeal of the uniform, in this case Mildred’s plain white cotton waitress uniform, buttons at the front, trimmed in brown gingham with a simple rever collar, is entirely one-sided. Lecherous customers grope Mildred as if they have somehow earned the right. These men are aroused by Mildred’s uniform,…

Despite having watched Catfish at the Leeds International Film Festival, you will find no review of it here.