To many costume fans Grease is the best movie ever, and who are we to argue? So in celebration of Grease Sing-a-Long coming to selected Vue cinemas this month, we have FIVE goodie bags to give away. Go Rydell! If you in any doubt as to the legacy of Grease then check out our costume articles beginning with ‘The Pink Ladies’ HERE (it’s not all about the poodle skirt). This newly restored print of the film promises to reveal every inch of Danny’s attitude and Sandy’s sewn-in stretchy pants as the gang revel their way into cinema history. The best thing about this Sing-a-Long version? The clue is in the…

Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin Directed by: Edgar Wright There is a current trend for reviewers to place a much hyped new movie into one of two categories: masterpiece or rubbish. Proportionality seems to have disappeared. You must love a film or hate it. Middle ground is for wimps. So forgive this particular reviewer in taking precisely that stance, for while Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is imaginative and breathless; it is also frustrating and derivative. In other words it is good, not great. What frequently saves this film from drowning its audience in a wave of cool-speak and random segues (Seinfeld reference? In 2010?), is hero…

As the UK is missing out on the Iron Man 2 world premiere thanks to that giant ash cloud, we shall endeavour to cheer ourselves up with a few images from the film everyone has probably seen already. Iron Man 2 is one of costume designer Mary Zophres’ biggest productions to date. Although, the rumour goes, she did have a staff of twenty five assistants on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), so is obviously used to pressure. Working from a template established by original Iron Man’s costume designers Rebecca Bentjen and Laura Jean Shannon, she has created an already memorable looking set of principals. Disregarding…

The From Tailors with Love podcast hosted by Peter Brooker and Matt Spaiser should already be on your regular poddy playlist, and now fluffy haired, 70’s serial killer styled editor of Clothes on Film, Christopher Laverty, has joined the duo as a (hopefully reoccurring) guest. Peter is a James Bond aficionado with an excellent blog and Instagram account of Bond news, finds and even outfit recreations. While Matt is arguably the living authority on everything that James Bond has ever worn. He’s written a couple of must-read pieces for Clothes on Film (here and here) and his own blog The Suits of James Bond is unmissable for anyone with even…

British actress Emily Blunt garnered a Golden Globe nomination this week for her fine work on The Young Victoria (2009). As such we are presented with the perfect excuse to run a revealing interview with the film’s costume designer Sandy Powell. Sandy Powell is no newbie to the world of costume design. Having won an Academy Award for Shakespeare in Love (1998), she has also worked with producer of The Young Victoria, Martin Scorsese, several times too, notably on Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator (2004, again an Oscar winner) and 1950s set Shutter Island which is due out later this year. Evidently period costumes are Powell’s niche, but she is…

Levi’s® Spring Bottom pants are a most fascinating garment. Introduced in 1889 they are essentially jean trousers intended for Victorian (and later Edwardian) gentlemen. This is the first time Levi’s had focused their products on such an audience. Previously their stock in trade was miners and loggers, but this was a very early attempt by the company to branch out. Spring Bottom pants are a classic item of denim history, yet most folk have probably never heard of them. With this in mind we contacted costume designer Jenny Beavan recently and asked if she would consider putting them in the next Sherlock Holmes film. No-one was paying us to do……

MINOR SPOILERS For all the inevitable chrysalis transformation of singer Ally (Lady Gaga) during A Star is Born (2018, directed by Bradley Cooper), the most subtle, yet real sartorial reflection of character belongs to her mentor and lover Jack (Cooper). Costumed by Erin Benach (Drive, A Place Beyond the Pines), Jack is the epitome of the casual rock star. Stage wear, day wear, evening wear, drinking wear, sleeping wear – it’s all the same. His simple clothes mask a mind so damaged it can only be subdued with the bottle. Jack lives in t-shirts (plain, dark or neutral colours), untucked shirts (dark or a green graph-check), brown calf leather jacket,……

SPOILERS For anyone with an eye to costume, The Avengers: Infinity War (2018) seemingly takes few evolutionary leaps. This makes perfect sense when we consider the timeline following particularly significant events of Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Black Panther (2017). Infinity War costume designer Judianna Makovsky (previously on board for The Winter Soldier, 2014; Civil War and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, 2016) has crafted a combination of instantly familiar looks for a jam-packed canon of characters where nobody wants to be missed, but nobody should stick out above anyone else either. It’s a real balancing act, which is something we are should sure Thanos himself would appreciate. Judianna……

Well known and respected Hollywood costume designer, Theadora Van Runkle, has died. A real legend of the industry, costume designer Theoni V. Aldredge, has died. Shocking news that costume designer Michael Dennison has died suddenly from a brain aneurysm. Award winners from the CDG included Monique Prudhomme for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Sandy Powell for Young Victoria. Part two of our chat with costume designer for Running Scared, Kristin M. Burke. If you thought part one was interesting, this will blow your socks off.

Costume’s big stories for the week. Ender’s Game Brief interview with Ender’s Game costume designer Christine Bieselin-Clark – she worked on Tron Legacy with Michael Wilkinson and is a nice person. Gilda Fascinating, clued-up read by Girls do Film (no relation). FIDM More than 120 television costumes on display. Salivating. …and then read this wonderful, in-depth Tyranny of Style review and have a heart attack. House of Cards Costume designer Tom Broecker got in contact to say how much he enjoyed our article. How cool. Gives us an excuse to promote it again, too. Sean Parker’s wedding Costume design – that’s right – costume design by Ngila Dickson (The Lord…