Christie’s auction house are selling several design sketches by the renowned Edith Head. Each are for roles played by Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock movies, one used in To Catch a Thief (1955) and three in Rear Window (1954). What an ideal early Christmas present. For yourself. From To Catch a Thief is a watercolour and pencil sketch of the black halterneck beach ensemble with wide brimmed hat worn by Grace Kelly as Frances Stephens. Estimated to reach £6,000 – £8,000. The most famous and popular designs from Rear Window are all available. First is a sketch of the extravagant ‘Paris dress’ Kelly wears as Lisa Fremont. It is an…

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.…

The what’s what and who’s who of movie costume design this week. The Vikings Joan Bergin chats about costuming The Vikings. VIDEO: We talked codpieces and nipples with Joan a couple of years back. Nina Forever Costume design for independent film. Imogen Loveday interviewed about her work in progress on Kickstarter funded project Nina Forever. Iron Man 3 Some pretty amazing Iron Man cosplay and some other fella with a cardboard box on his head. The Great Gatsby “We are not making a documentary”. Catherine Martin tackles the question of historical accuracy in The Great Gatsby. …And Miuccia Prada has her say too. Apparently Miu Miu dresses were ‘inadvertently’ worn…

Marina Roberti is the costume designer of the Italian box office hit Sole a Catinelle. She has worked in the US with the likes of Milena Canonero, Sandy Powell and Dante Ferretti… How did you become a costume designer? When I was a kid I was a bumbler at school. I spent all the time drawing and reading. My parents were kind of worried so they decided to enroll me at a fashion college in Turin, my home town. During my last school year they took us to Rome to visit the National Film School. Next year I decided to try and join the school. I thought I could never…

The first trailer for The Tourist starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp has finally debuted. Regardless of your sexual orientation, there is something for you here. Yet, although it may look gorgeous there is a slight concern that The Tourist is attempting that most troublesome of genres – the comedy thriller. Clearly the premise is a sixties throwback, with Johnny Depp as the unaware tourist of the title entranced by a ‘ravenous’ (watch the trailer) femme fatale played by Angelina Jolie. Thankfully, however, their clothes are not heavy-handedly retro, with costume designer Coleen Atwood instead choosing chic modern couture that exudes unattainable class. WATCH THE TRAILER HERE Towards the end…

The international trailer for Black Swan starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis brings anticipation to the max. Not just a costume fest, but a costume fest with meaning, who could not be excited by this film? No need for us to cover the plot again or recap the incredible costume design by Amy Westcott and Rodarte sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavy. After Christmas we will publish an interview with director Darren Aronofsky discussing fractured identity and how costume can form part of a filmic narrative. Until then, for those in the United Kingdom who have not seen the film (we have, sorry!), this enticing trailer will just have to do.…

Glasgow born fashion designer Holly Fulton is to contribute ten outfits for Sarah Jessica Parker in the Sex and the City sequel. Not bad going as the film is likely to be a ninety minute catwalk with occasional rudies. Created for Fashion East, Holly Fulton’s outfits are delicious vintage inspired soup with a garnish of insanity. Maybe not what one would immediately expect for the glitzy ra-ra world of SATC. Fulton herself, though, would disagree. Speaking to British Vogue: “I like to associate my designs with women who are distinctive individuals and wear them in their own way, so it’s a brilliant opportunity for a new designer like myself to…

Costume stories for the festive season. Shame that none of these have anything to do with Christmas. Bronx Bombers on Broadway Let’s all go to the theatre.Tyranny of Style has published an eye-opening interview with Bronx Bombers costume designer David C. Woolard. Having worked in theatre first hand, CoF got just a little bit nostalgic. The Innocents (1961) GORGEOUS gothic costume sketches. Patia Prouty Banshee and Justified’s costume designer talks about her work on both shows in this superb interview for True To Me Too. Punch-Drunk Love Girls Do Film get all caught up in colour. American Horror Story Lou Eyrich left Glee to costume killer nuns and aliens. She…

Clothes on Film were granted a private tour of world-renowned Angels the costumiers. The glamorous look of the mid-1930s threads its way through dual love stories in W.E. Win a pair of tickets to see Madonna’s controversial costume fest W.E. at The London Film Festival on 23rd October.

NO SPOILERS Real and mythological, figurative and literal; monsters of all kinds abound in Sky Atlantic’s new period horror series Penny Dreadful. We might expect a skulking figure in a top hat and frock coat to be scary, though who would have thought a bustle and redingote could be so terrifying? Well, step forward Eva Green as enigmatic Vanessa Ives. Not hero nor villain, but a dead eyed clairvoyant who definitely shouldn’t be invited to dinner parties. Eva Green as Vanessa Ives. Green’s costumes are tinged with arachnid symbolism, such as webby lace and orb-like patterns on her frocks. One of the show’s promo posters (HERE) has Green in a…