Want another look at Janty Yates’ costume design for Robin Hood? Thought you might. Lord Christopher Laverty 9 Comments 24 Jul ’13 7 May ’10 27 Oct ’09

Twenty-five years ago, costume designer Margot Wilson was a student living in Paris when she picked up a roll of red, moire silk fabric during a shopping trip to Milan. She didn’t know why, or what for; she wasn’t even a costume designer then, just a talented young fashion grad from East Sydney Tech on a six-month scholarship to France. When it was time to go home, she took the beautiful roll of fabric back down under with her. Fast forward three decades and a couple of dozen films later (including Lantana, Bran Nue Dae and Lawless), and Wilson has finally found a screen role for her magnificent weave –…

This is not The Cabin in the Woods. There are no big sartorial clues in Much Ado About Nothing for a switcheroo mid-point that makes you go “ahhh…now I get it”. Nonetheless, director Joss Whedon’s always inventive costume designer Shawna Trpcic could not resist the urge to pepper his film with subtle meaning. Plus everything on screen is contemporary set but shot in black and white. In costume terms it is a far tougher job to be seen and yet not seen, and even more so without the use of colour. Delicate application of fabric and pattern is vital. “I squinted at colours as I laid out photographs of the…

MINOR SPOILERS First Man (2018) is not a movie overly preoccupied with fashion, And why would it be? The focus of the story is astronaut Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and his journey to become the first person to ever walk on the surface of the moon. Armstrong wears a lot of button down shirts, short sleeve checks, neutral slacks, the odd dark single breasted suit for formal occasions – largely dour attire for a dour man. He also wears a space suit, several of them. However, outside of Emilio Pucci’s involvement in designing the logo for the Apollo 15 flight in 1971, fashion rarely intersects with the requirements of surviving…

Goldmember (2002, directed by Jay Roach), the final film (so far) in the Austin Powers series again shifts its timeline. However, rather than a negligible, though comparatively significant, jump from late to very late 1960s, here we dive into that most raucous of decades – the 1970s. And then back to 2002 (do keep up). For costume designer Deena Appel (pictured above, bottom left with Jay Roach) it was a wildly ambitious undertaking. Not to mention the film also features a well-known music and movie star, just about to launch into the stratosphere: Beyoncé. Speaking exclusively to Clothes on Film and closing out our epic in-depth look at the Austin…

Black Swan costume designer, Amy Westcott, BAFTA and CDG nominated for her work on the film, puts the record straight on controversy surrounding herself and Rodarte’s contribution, exactly what her role comprises, and how she feels about that Academy Award snub. Amy Westcott worked with Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky previously on The Wrestler in 2008, plus has been costume designer on over twenty features and seventy episodes of TV series Entourage. Here she talks exclusively to Clothes on Film: Clothes on Film, Chris: Are you aware of the controversy surrounding yourself and fashion house Rodarte (the Mulleavy sisters) in the press; that they should be credited alongside you as…

The leggy lure of Bombshell. Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on Bombshell: Below the Belt 21 Jul ’12 23 May ’20 1 Aug ’12

Directed By: Joseph Kosinksi Starring: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde Displacement of identity via corruption of the soul is the message at the heart of Tron Legacy. On premise alone this film has an incredible opportunity for depth and introspection. The Grid is a fascist state. Factions are separated via colour; costume differentiating allegiance, either to leader of the regime, CLU, (displaying red or yellow) or Grid dwellers, those passive or awaiting a rebellion (in white or blue). As CLU is fashioned in Kevin Flynn’s own image, director Joseph Kosinski employed cutting edge digital ‘sculpturing’ to ensure Jeff Bridges could play opposite himself aged twenty years younger. For the…

When Arnold Scaasi opened his couture salon in 1964, he soon became a couturier to the stars. He was already a favoured designer for Barbra Streisand when he famously dressed her for the 1969 Oscars. Streisand was up for Best Actress for her movie debut in Funny Girl and was established as something of an ‘individual’; usually described as ‘kooky’, she was completely different from anyone else, an innovator of style, and challenging and changing the ideas of beauty. So it is no surprise that when it came to her clothing choice for the Oscars, Streisand resisted the usual protocol of an evening gown and instead opted for a most…

Costume designers face a quandary: keep contemporary set films up to date, but ensure that they do not appear hideously outmoded in the future. In short they need to create a look that is both fashionable and timeless. Not an easy task. With this in mind consider some predicted winter/fall trends in women’s and men’s wear. If you spot any in this season’s movies there is either a seriously forward-thinking costume designer at work, or one who is going to regret his/her choices in the future. The great Edith Head once got caught showcasing what she thought would be the latest fashions in a film then lived to regret it;…