One of the seventies’ more successful attempts to modernise fashions of the past. Lord Christopher Laverty 1 Comment 8 Feb ’20 5 Oct ’11 10 Dec ’10

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…

Seemingly on a par with Tron Legacy: the movie is the mechanising machine surrounding it. Yet apparently this is no simple case of ‘cash-in and run’, it never was. Disney grasped the mindset of Tron from the very beginning. The name means more than product; it is a lifestyle choice. One might assume that Disney, the entertainment behemoth who continued financing Tron creator Steven Lisberger’s ambitious digital project in 1980 would have taken over the reigns and demanded a gamut of merchandise options to make Lucasfilm weep. Not so, claims Lisberger. There was surprisingly little compromise in their creative/fiscal balancing act: There is a fairly unknown quote from Walt Disney.…

Sharply tailored, violent, sexy and all-round immaculate HBO drama Boardwalk Empire hits British screens for the first time on 1st February (Sky Atlantic). For those who have not already seen the show, what will undoubtedly strike first is, thanks to costume designer John Dunn and tailor Martin Greenfield, just how beautifully turned out all the gentlemen in 1920’s set Atlantic City were. This is a time when being a real man meant wearing a deep red carnation on one’s jacket lapel and stiff collars to rival a neck brace. Ruler of Boardwalk Empire is Atlantic County treasurer Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi), a former policeman turned corrupt politician running an alcohol…

We chat about why James Bond wearing a Tom Ford suit is almost a waste of time for the From Tailors with Love podcast. Costume on the brain? This won’t help. Michael Wilkinson Technology in costume design – BRILLIANT Costume Cafe podcast by Colleen Monroe. Sleepy Hallow Pilot costume designer Sanja Hays explains why Ichabod won’t be dressing in Gap tees anytime soon. Grand Theft Auto V Always indespesnible and relevant Tyranny of Style interviews GTA V costume designer Lyn Paolo, who also worked on TV shows Southland, E.R. and The West Wing. American Hustle Michael Wilkinson honoured for his work on a film we are jumping up and down…

With the release of Disney/Pixar’s latest adventure Brave (directed by Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews); featuring colourful tartan cloaks and the Tudor-esque dresses of its heroine Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald), it is worth considering exactly what role costume plays in animated film. Does this craft even exist for animation? Clothes on Film talk exclusively to simulation supervisor for Brave, Claudia Chung, about this process and whether or not costume truly has a viable, practical function outside of live action cinema: Educated at University of California-Berkeley, Claudia Chung joined Pixar in 2002 after interning for summer in 2001. Her first role was as rendering technical director on Finding Nemo (2003),…

What have you missed costume wise this week? Well…. Sandy Powell In conversation with Kinvara Balfour at the Regent Street Apple Store, 18th November. Scandal Lyn Paolo has no intention of becoming a fashion designer. Sleepy Hollow We’re a bit behind with this now but looking forward to a marathon catch up. Here series costume designer Kristin M. Burke answers fan questions posed on Twitter. Bad Grandpa Kristin Burke chats to costume designer Lindsey Kear about working without a script. The Great Gatsby Catherine Martin was initially worried the film would look like “a flapper themed 21st birthday party”. Thor: The Dark World Spoilers abound, but if you’ve seen the…

It’s all about the shoes in Stoker. Lord Christopher Laverty 2 Comments 15 Sep ’14 21 Oct ’10 24 Jul ’13

How Richard Burton’s character in Villain (1971) dresses to impress and intimidate. Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on Richard Burton is The Dandy Villain 16 Sep ’10 2 Nov ’17 15 Apr ’16

Jill Burgess analyses how the glamorous fashions of the 1930s thread their way through dual love stories in W.E (2011, directed by Madonna). Throughout W.E. two narratives are intertwined, first that of Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish), a lonely Manhattan wife married to handsome and philandering psychiatrist William Winthrop (Richard Coyle), second the infamous love story of Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough) and Edward VIII (James D’Arcy). Wally becomes fascinated with Wallis and Edward during the Sotheby’s auction of their estate in 1998. She visits the exhibit leading up to the auction every day, wandering among the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s possessions, taking solace from her own shaky marriage. Wally soon…