‘Sator’ From The Tailor and Cutter forum takes a look at the superior costume design of Edwardian set British classic, Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949). Kind Hearts and Coronets is a delicious Ealing black comedy starring Dennis Price as Louis Mazzini, distant heir to a dukedom, but with eight members of the D’Ascoyne family standing in his way. He vows to avenge the premature death of his beloved mother who dies in poverty after being ostracised by her family for marrying below her station, after eloping with an Italian opera singer. Mazzini sets out to murder his way to the Dukedom of Chalfont, with each of his victims played to…

The subtle differentiation of character through costume design in Moon. Contributor 2 Comments 25 May ’10 19 Jul ’13 22 Jan ’16

The first trailer for Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes update starring Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson is online and it looks, well, lacking. Watch it HERE. Not lacking in excitement; there are more explosions and fist fights here than the average Jason Statham movie. Yet one vital ingredient appears to be missing – Sherlock Holmes is not wearing his deerstalker cap and Mac Farlane cape coat. Apparently none of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books specifically state the great detective ever donning a deerstalker cap. However he wore a cape, as many stylish Victorian gentleman would have at the time, especially for travelling. Obviously…

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer Directed By: James Watkins Victorian was a transitional age between classical romance and practical industry. It eventually gave way to economic upheaval in the Edwardian era, when Gothic mystery became less important than socialism. Clothing too was on the cusp of change. Frock coats and heavy lace dresses would soon be lost to ceremony, imbuing them with a theatricality that performs especially well in the horror genre. From recently resurrected production company Hammer, The Woman in Black is more accurately a ghost story; though do not think for a second that will dampen your fear. It won’t. Estate lawyer Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe)…

“We are stardust, we are golden”, sang Joni Mitchell of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, held August 15-18th 1969, at a dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York. The irony was, she wasn’t even there. A further irony follows in that whilst a myriad of psychedelic colours are synonymous with the Woodstock nation, one of the most revered choices of dress, clearly shown in the documentary Woodstock (1970) is a simple white leather fringed lace-up tunic-style vest and bell bottom trousers. It is worn by one of the first female rock stars, the lead singer of Jefferson Airplane,…

The merest glimpse at Seth Rogen’s costume for The Green Hornet has turned up online. And it is a glimpse. For those unfamiliar with The Green Hornet, and let’s be honest he is perhaps not that well known outside of fan circles, the premise is classic crime fighter lore. Brett Reid is a newspaper publisher by day, but by night he dons an eye mask and leather gloves to become vigilante ‘The Green Hornet’, ably aided by his chop-socky manservant Kato. The Hornet possesses no superpowers and is not even that strong in a fight. Though he does have a couple of gadgets, namely a gun that fires knock out…

As Contessa Teresa ‘Tracy’ Di Vicenzo in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Diana Rigg embodied a complex and charming, if sadly terminal ‘Bond girl’. Decked in glamorous, era-specific trends by Marjory Cornelius, Rigg’s costumes were subtly symbolic of her tomboyish nature, culminating in a memorably daring wedding ensemble. Glamour and symbolism were director Peter Hunt’s idea; he intended a return to the more distinguished Bondian elements of dress and production design as established in Goldfinger (1964). Acknowledged for his dapper style on set, Hunt even sent new 007 George Lazenby to his own tailor. Lazenby’s Bond is one of the sharpest attired in the series, principally because he reflects…

Welsh born costume designer Lindy Hemming started her career in the theatre, conceding she hardly watched any movies at all until moving to London. Yet several decades later Ms. Hemming has designed for such hugely successful features as Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) and won an Academy Award for Topsy Turvy (1999). Of course her tenure with Pierce Brosnan as James Bond (and one for Daniel Craig) is well known, much like her role as Christopher Nolan’s regular costumer for his Dark Knight trilogy. Having long been intrigued by Nolan’s unique vision, particularly after Memento (2000), Ms. Hemming was thrilled to…

Contributor Birdie McAra explores the fantabulously non-male gazey world of Birds of Prey. A new trailer for Daniel Radcliffe’s Guns Akimbo has arrived and it’s hilarious. MINOR SPOILERS For all the inevitable chrysalis transformation of singer Ally (Lady Gaga) during A Star is Born (2018, directed by Bradley Cooper), the most subtle, yet real sartorial reflection of character belongs to her mentor and lover Jack (Cooper). Costumed by Erin Benach (Drive, A Place Beyond the Pines), Jack is the epitome of the casual rock star. Stage wear, day wear, evening wear, drinking wear, sleeping wear – it’s all the same. His simple clothes mask a mind so damaged it can…

We chat to costume designer Caroline Eselin-Schaefer about her work on terrific new Amazon comedy, Troop Zero.