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……

Just because it’s Friday, here are four glossy images from Tim Burton’s upcoming version of Alice in Wonderland. Beautiful costumes by Colleen Atwood.

Fred Williamson as Tommy Gibbs adopts the gangster codes of 1930s cinema in blaxploitation classic Black Caesar. Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on Black Caesar: Blaxploitation Gangster 25 Oct ’13 1 Jan ’10 9 Nov ’12 Costume designers need to create a look that is both fashionable and timeless. Not an easy task. Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on Winter Fashion Trends: Possibly Coming to a Screen Near You 26 Mar ’10 12 Mar ’10 6 Jun ’09

What a busy twelve months it’s been for costume design. Really though, this art, or craft, or business (Deborah Nadoolman Landis insists it is definitely a business) gets more talked about each year. 2013 was especially exciting however as it seemed every month something even more thrilling arrived to fawn over. In the last few weeks alone we have had The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Sleepy Hollow, and now American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street on the horizon. Dipping back further, it was Stoker that got us excited about subtext, The Great Gatsby that slammed the lid on that twenties revival once and for all, and Behind……

Betsy Heimann’s costume design for Reservoir Dogs (1992) spawned a legacy in pop culture and fashion that is still being felt today. Heimann and director Quentin Tarantino determined a cinematic sub-genre by redefining the appearance of the petty gangster. From shambolic to symbolic; a man in a black suit, white shirt and black tie walking in slow motion is possibly the single most memorable costume image of the nineties. Here talking exclusively to Clothes on Film, Ms. Heimann describes how the Reservoir Dogs look came together: “I am very pleased that the narrow silhouette I created influenced and still influences men’s fashion” she offers. “I think that Quentin is responsible…

Spoiler warning: The costume clues and details of Star Trek Into Darkness. Lord Christopher Laverty 1 Comment 22 Apr ’10 13 Nov ’09 28 Nov ’14

Clothes on Film chatted with Darren Aronofsky about the challenges of portraying perfection in Black Swan, method acting and The Wolverine.

Costume colours in House of Cards are symbolic of vulnerability and power. Lord Christopher Laverty 1 Comment 14 Nov ’16 20 Jun ’14 24 Apr ’13 Catherine George’s costume design demonstrates how we read physicality on-screen. Lord Christopher Laverty 2 Comments 23 Dec ’09 20 Aug ’10 21 Oct ’11

Well known and respected Hollywood costume designer, Theadora Van Runkle, has died. Bonnie and Clyde is a great example of how the simple addition of a hat can say a lot about a character.

It’s all about the shoes in Stoker. Does costume design exist in animated film? Simulation supervisor for Brave, Claudia Chung, discusses its creation, processes and role in the finished movie. Michael Caine created Jack Carter, yet his immaculate blue mohair suit was more than a little responsible for creating the myth. The blue towelling playsuit in Goldfinger is typically remembered as Bond’s one sartorial disaster. Yet it might be worthy of reconsideration.