This week’s world of costume design reduced to links and soundbites. Kristin M. Burke Costume designer Kristin M. Burke talks about her career. Love this interview and love Kristin. Brave Merida gets a rather shocking makeover by Disney. The Great Gatsby It’s out now so we can all judge for ourselves. In the meantime here is Catherine Martin talking about how she made the costumes ‘feel modern’. Sophie de Rakoff Legally Blonde and This Mean’s War costume designer Sophie de Rakoff discusses the misunderstood job of creating contemporary looks on-screen. X-Men: Days of Future Past Bryan Singer tweeting more pics of Louise Migenbach’s 1973 era costumes. Mad Men Catch up…

Director Brian De Palma has made movies heavily influenced by Alfred Hitchcock before, but Passion (2012) is the first one whose characters look like they stepped out of one of Hitchcock’s classic films. Karen Muller-Serreau’s bold and colourful costumes communicate the characters’ hidden desires and make watching Passion a sensory experience. This melodrama centres on two ad executives, Isabelle (Noomi Rapace) and her boss Christine (Rachel McAdams), who have a deadline to come up with an ad campaign for a new smartphone. In her sleep, Isabelle thinks of a great idea. Dirk (Paul Anderson) in typical pinstriped suit with Isabelle (Noomi Rapace) in even more typical black. The two other…

This week’s costume design news. Mad Men “She buys her clothes two sizes too small, more 50’s than 60’s.” – Janie Bryant knows her Joan. Yves Saint Laurent Costume designer Madeline Fontaine’s predictably difficult job costuming the immaculate biopic. …and sticking with Yves, HERE‘s Kate Muir’s article inspired by the film for The Times featuring Clothes on Film ed Christopher Laverty. Sunday in New York Another stunning analysis by Kay Noske, this time focusing on Jane Fonda’s enviable wardrobe as ’the only 22 year old virgin left in the world’. Hannibal Part 2 of Hello Tailor’s in-depth analysis. Even if you can’t be bothered to read the article (though you…

A slight but worth watching video about the costume and production design for frothy Walt Disney biography Saving Mr. Banks. If you have not seen the film it won’t spoil anything, and will probably get you wanting to dress in sixties suits and dresses again, like Mad Men did in the early days. Costume designer for Saving Mr Banks, Daniel Orlandi (Down With Love, Frost/Nixon), chats a little about his approach, which is how you might expect for a period movie where clothes are weaved into the narrative rather than absolutely intrinsic to it, i.e. show but do not ‘show off’ the era. Orlandi wanted the female cast to be…

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, Theodore Twombly, dictates a letter to…

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…

This week’s big fat costume design stories from around the web. The Great Gatsby No controversy apparently: Catherine Martin discusses working with Prada on The Great Gatsby. Revenge Multi-Emmy winning costume designer Jill M. Ohanneson talks about dressing The Hamptons in Revenge, “I recently made Nolan a lobster jacket, as a nod to Ryan Gosling in Drive.” Do the Right Thing Brilliant new supercut video from Daniel Reis the man behind Every Outfit Cher Wears in Clueless. This one features the vivid colours and patterns worn in shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and films such as White Men Can’t Jump and Do the Right Thing. The Great Gatsby…

While science-fiction and period costume can sell to collectors at auction for tens of thousands of dollars, the future of contemporary costume from the contemporary drama, comedy and thriller genres is unclear. Costumes from films set in the modern age are not valued as highly. Sourced from costume houses, high-street stores, and even actor’s own wardrobes, these pieces could be lost for good for future generations of collectors and fans if current mentality doesn’t change. Contemporary costume, even from popular movies, is surprisingly hard to trace. What has happened to George Clooney’s Aloha shirts from The Descendants? The film’s costume designer Wendy Chuck isn’t sure. “I have no idea where……

Something a bit different from our standard we liked it/didn’t like it review; here’s some style lessons learned from Hot Tub Time Machine’s costume designer Dayna Pink. Aviators are cool whenever: When loser gang Adam (John Cusack), Jacob (Clarke Duke), Nick (Craig Robinson) and Lou (Rob Corddry) transport back to Kodiak Valley Ski Resort circa 1986, aviator sunglasses are among the first sartorial giveaways on display. Lots of variations too, the standard wire frame with tints as popularised by Ray Ban, plus a bright red ‘shutter’ pair seen most recently on Kanye West. The closest Hot Tub Time Machine has to an out and out villain, Lou’s nemesis Blaine (Sebastian…

Trailer two for Shutter Island in pin sharp HD has hit the net. Leonardo DiCaprio and co revisit 1950s fashions under the discerning eye of director Martin Scorsese. Watch the trailer HERE Based on Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel of the same name and retaining its 1950s timeframe, Shutter Island follows two federal marshals, Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), as they investigate the disappearance of a mental patient from a creepy island facility in Massachusetts. Shutter Island promises to be a serious costume movie. Not just because of the enticing fifties setting, but also because Scorsese is someone who understands the important role clothes play in definition of…