Two weeks of catch up for you. Phillip Boutte Jr. This is something special. Tyranny of Style interview costume illustrator Phillip Boutte Jr. featuring some of his fabulous digital renderings from X-Men: Days of Future Past. Wonder Woman Apparently ‘exclusive’ costume details for the Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice movie, which is due April 2016. Wonder Woman will look ‘badass’. The Best Movie Sunglasses of ALL TIME So says Vogue. Penny Dreadful Brilliant look at the show’s costume design with insight from Gabriella Pescucci. Love the French impressionists inspiration. Clueless This is kinda cool – clothes retailer Metail have introduced a Cher style style wardrobe selector. We have the…

In Malèna (2000, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore), set during WW2 in a rural Italian town, Monica Bellucci plays an impossible vision of beauty; a woman so striking she is immediately sexualised by all who lay eyes on her. Malèna’s reaction to the leering male gaze and subsequent scorn of jealous women is expressed through her hair, make-up and clothing. Our introduction to the character occurs with Malèna wearing a just-below-the-knee white dress, lightly padded shoulders, deep neckline incorporating dotted bow detail (this fabric is later reused for another outfit – she is a seamstress) to match black and white edging on the revers. Its tubular fit is reminiscent of the…

Levi’s® Spring Bottom pants are a most fascinating garment. Introduced in 1889 they are essentially jean trousers intended for Victorian (and later Edwardian) gentlemen. This is the first time Levi’s had focused their products on such an audience. Previously their stock in trade was miners and loggers, but this was a very early attempt by the company to branch out. Spring Bottom pants are a classic item of denim history, yet most folk have probably never heard of them. With this in mind we contacted costume designer Jenny Beavan recently and asked if she would consider putting them in the next Sherlock Holmes film. No-one was paying us to do……

Director Brian Helgeland’s Legend (2015) tells the based-on true story of Ronald and Reggie Kray: twins (both played by Tom Hardy), East End boys, racketeers, murderers, icons. The Krays were shaped during the 1960s, a post World War II boom for England. They came to symbolise the smartly dressed gangster for a new youth-orientated generation. They had money and they wanted to flaunt it – and that meant suits and a lot of jewellery. Costume designer for Legend, Caroline Harris, boasting over 20 years experience in both film and television with credits such as Mr Nice (2010), Red Riding (2009) and Fleming (2014), here chats exclusively to Clothes on Film…

From Chris Laverty’s regular column ‘Fabric of Cinema’ for Arts Illustrated magazine, here is an abridged version of the most recently published essay ‘A Migration of Talent’. The current issue of Arts Illustrated focuses on those that have moved across geographical boundaries to expand the scope of their work. It has long been the norm for costume designers from the UK to relocate, not necessarily permanently, to Hollywood. Their careers have been forged by the demands of the business they compete in. But what would have happened if, say, Sandy Powell (Shakespeare in Love), or Joanna Johnston (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) had never worked beyond these shores? How would their…

Spoiler warning: We examine the use of suits, iron or otherwise, in Iron Man 3 to conceal and recreate identity.

The Infinite Jewellery Co. have created a genuine diamond engagement ring as inspired by Bella Swan’s worn in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. It may not be the smartest way to spend £1,300. ‘Twihards’ are a hardcore bunch and good luck to them. It has been the same with Harry Potter, Star Trek, even the illustrious Toy Story – everyone remembers Buzz Lightyear Christmas, right? Yet surely even these loyal fans will see this ring as a cynical merchandising plug for their (or their parents’) hard earned cash. To get some perspective, however, it should be noted that there are several variations of this ring available. A ‘Fashion’ version for £40,…

Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Mia Wasikowska Directed by: Tim Burton When it was first announced that Tim Burton planned to direct the latest adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, most moviegoers were rejoicing as it seemed to be a match made in heaven. Burton’s gothic outlook would likely be used to great effect, knowing too that he would inevitably bring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter into the mix. Indeed what we expected with Burton’s version is what we’ve got. Though this is actually the main problem. The story focuses on 19-year-old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) who is faced with the unhappy prospect of marrying a stuck-up…

Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin bring us the twenties reloaded. We analyse exactly what Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin need to get right for their costume design in The Great Gatsby. Doris Day’s last hurrah for 1950s fashion wearing some of the most exquisite costumes ever seen on screen. Hugo is Scorsese’s monument to wonder and excitement. Here Sandy Powell exclusively explains her costume choices to Clothes on Film. On the eve of Boardwalk Empire: Season 2 commencing, we had a chat with the show’s costume designers John Dunn and Lisa Padovani. A prevalent theme in the first episode of Mildred Pierce starring is how domestic costume can be read…

This is a personal post about designing my custom made James Bond shirt. It is not an advertorial and wasn’t paid for. All photographs are of the final finished shirt(s) and taken by David Wade of Vogue Shot photography. There are now ample custom shirt makers online, but as a pre-existing customer of Deo Veritas what made this company stand out for me was a steadfast, almost stubborn desire to get everything ‘just so’. Seemingly no query or request is too much trouble. Bearing this in mind I tasked Deo Veritas with recreating a shirt I have always sought yet been unable to find off the peg or in my…