Denim in cinema has been popularised by some of the great screen icons of the twentieth century. From Marlon Brando (The Wild One) to Steve McQueen (Junior Bonner), Paul Newman (Cool Hand Luke) to John Travolta (Urban Cowboy), Grace Kelly (Rear Window) to Brigitte Bardot (And God Created Woman). Similar to the business suit, denim is a sartorial way of life that confers immediate personality on a person without them having to do or say anything; this personality has evolved through time and trends, though one facet remains intact: rebelliousness. Denim’s symbolism has been created on film from real life frontier mythology. Art imitates life; imitates art. At one time…

They have finally done it. After four years in development, Nike has recreated their famous Nike MAG trainers worn by Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II (1989). Thing is, at their current price on eBay you will be unlikely to ever actually see a pair, let alone own them. Nike has opted for eBay only auctions to sell these new pairs of which only 1,500 have been made. All proceeds go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to benefit sufferers of Parkinson’s Disease. Bidding is currently around the $5,000 mark and climbing fast. With just a few hours left until the first auctions…

Muddy looking fantasy fun. Some photographs from the recent So Dior exhibition at Harrods. Crazy, Stupid Love is every inch the ‘fashion film’, both in terms of narrative and costume designer Dayna Pink’s elegant menswear styling. Mark Bridges exclusively explains his costume choices for retro epic Boogie Nights. The Big Lebowski is brilliantly designed; the characters are concisely and efficiently illustrated, says KB from FrockTalk.com. Let’s tell you why The Big Lebowski costume design rocked in an almost completely non-subtextual way. Recently Clothes on Film chatted with Kristin Burke from FrockTalk about The Big Lebowski. We discussed weightlifting pants and feminism. Costume designer Janty Yates has taken time out filming…

There is a problem with the costumes in The Wolf of Wall Street, and it has nothing to do with the film itself but the coverage they have received. Namely, that this coverage is incorrect. Articles such as this one for Vogue France, or this for The Hollywood Reporter, or a ‘suit guide’ by Esquire, concentrate almost solely on Giorgio Armani’s contribution to the project with barely a mention of costume designer Sandy Powell. And this is the Sandy Powell by the way: 10 Oscar nominations and so well respected she has an OBE for services to the industry. It was Powell who costumed The Wolf of Wall Street, not……

Written, directed by and starring Adam Deacon, Anuvahood is the antithesis of grimy thrillers set on run-down London housing estates. This is a bright, vibrant film, its knowing costume design differentiating sharply between individuals and sects within the community. Anuvahood’s protagonist, Kenneth (Deacon), or ‘K’ as he longs to be known, is typical of his ilk. Someone who has watched one episode of The Wire and somehow thinks he is living the life, Kenneth aspires to be a gangster, or at least a gangster rapper. Dressed in cotton jersey tracksuits, wraparound sunglasses, even an ironic ‘Timmy Mallet’ (and Mallet’s Mallet) vest, Kenneth selects random style notes with no real clue…

Savile Row tailors Kilgour provided much of Cary Grant’s wardrobe for North by Northwest (1959). In all probability director Alfred Hitchcock left Grant to his own devices in selecting ensembles, just as he’d done on To Catch a Thief four years earlier. If this was in fact the case, Hitchcock was not so trusting with Eva Marie Saint’s wardrobe. Disliking initial design sketches for her look, he escorted Marie Saint to New York’s swanky Bergdorf Goodman department store, personally choosing her outfits right off the racks. She later jokingly referred to Hitch as her “one and only sugar daddy”. As for Cary Grant, by this stage in his career it…

Costume designer for Running Scared (2006), Kristin M. Burke, has kindly chatted to us about her contribution to the movie. Being a long time friend of Clothes on Film, she opened up her big book of anecdotes specially. For anyone even remotely interested in costume design this is essential reading. Running Scared (directed by Wayne Kramer) is a restless action thriller; an enjoyable, if visually exhausting and violent fairytale. Paul Walker stars as Joey Gazelle, a low-level mob hood frantically searching for a ‘hot’ weapon he was supposed to stash, while pursed by crooked cops and an impatient mafia family. Vera Farmiga features as Joey’s loyal yet independent wife Teresa,…

We visited Brooks Brothers to check out their costume display from The Great Gatsby. In a week of exciting trailers, the first for director Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby must surely be the most thrilling of all. This might be the most famous and copied outfit Grace Kelly ever wore.

Interviews with directors and costume designers The near future romance Her, written and directed by Spike Jonze, whose widely diverse resume ranges from the world of music videos to MTV’s Jackass to major motion pictures, brought together a creative team that costume designer Casey Storm refers to as “friends first, and co-workers second.” Storm and production designer K.K. Barrett create a soft, comfortable world of tomorrow. Shot on location around Los Angeles and Shanghai, Barrett avoided familiar locations to create a world that is accessible but not overtly recognisable. Our first introduction to the world feels very familiar. Seated in an office in a simple button up, Joaquin Phoenix’s character,…

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……