cotton | Clothes on Film

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 only be subdued with the bottle. Jack lives in t-shirts (plain, dark or neutral colours), untucked shirts (dark or a green graph-check), brown calf leather jacket,…

We may have to eat our words, but as it stands 12 Years a Slave is unlikely to win the Best Costume Design Oscar. It does tick some of the necessary boxes: it’s period (mid 19th century), features both crinolines and cravats, and is part of the popular ballot. Yet being as the protagonist spends most of his time in just an increasingly distressed tunic shirt, the Academy may just feel costume designer Patricia Norris has really not worked hard enough. Flippancy toward the Academy aside, 12 Years a Slave remains a wonderfully rich costume experience. Every fibre leaps off the screen with detail and feeling. The cool weave of…

World War Z neatly demonstrates the art of breaking down and distressing costume.

Django Unchained costume designer Sharen Davis exclusively explains her work on the film.

French costume designer Anaïs Romand discusses her work on House of Tolerance (L’Apollonide: Souvenirs de la maison close).

Catherine George’s costume design demonstrates how we read physicality on-screen.

Michael Caine created Jack Carter, yet his immaculate blue mohair suit was more than a little responsible for creating the myth.

Anuvahood showcases urban wear swagger. If you want to belong, you must fit in.

Does Japanese period costume reflect on contemporary fashion? We appraise the hipster style of Norwegian Wood.

Lucinda Wright talks to Clothes on Film about her contribution to The Suspicions of Mr Whicher starring Paddy Considine.