hat | Clothes on Film

MINOR SPOILERS At a pivotal juncture during the Fathers & Sons episode of Godless (2017), the camera tracks into a pink ribbon tied on the back of young woman’s hair; a woman who is suffering from the onset symptoms of smallpox and unlikely to find recovery. Later in the episode we pan across dozens of freshly dug but unnamed graves each with it’s own crucifix. We don’t see the woman again, but on one of the crucifixes is tied a pink ribbon. Such is the power of even the slightest costume and accessory details in Godless, the narrative is informed by their very presence. Costume designer for Godless was Betsy…

In the very opening scene of Rocky (1976, costume designer Robert Cambel), we see the title character in the ring, bare chested, hands encased in boxing gloves, the picture of sporting violence and masculinity. But this is no more than a surface assumption. Not two minutes later, we see Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) shrug on his faded brown towelling dressing gown, with “The Italian Stallion” embroidered on the back, and things start to shift. This is not a macho film concerned with the fight alone, but an exploration of masculinity in all its guises – the assumptions, the pretence and the reality. Clothes play an important part in this, both…

Costume designer Mark Bridges described There Will Be Blood (2007) as his most challenging film, referring to the difficulties he faced in transporting costumes to the remote location in West Texas, after director Paul Thomas Anderson called for a new concept three days before a re-shoot. However these challenges seem to channel the themes of the film itself: hardship, isolation, and the determination to overcome any obstacle to fulfil a goal. Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a turn-of-the-century prospector, who receives a tip about a giant oil deposit under a family farm in California. The family includes Eli Sunday, a zealous preacher and faith healer who wants the money from…

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…

There is not man behind the mask; the mask is The Lone Ranger.

Oz is here and as far as fantasy costume is concerned, you are in for some surprises.

The glossy costume world of gangster squad is faithful to history, but not a slave to it.

Fascinating video about Hardy Amies costumes for 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The evolving costumes worn by Sandra Dee in classic sixties gender comedy A Man Answers.

A mishmash of sci-fi conventions and clichés cobbled together as something we have never quite seen before.

Doris Day’s last hurrah for 1950s fashion wearing some of the most exquisite costumes ever seen on screen.

The glamorous look of the mid-1930s threads its way through dual love stories in W.E.