The latest book by fashion historian, and now TV presenter Amber Butchart (A Stitch in Time on BBC 4 – second season please), is a comprehensively researched stroll through the best dressed folk ever to exist on the planet. The Fashion Chronicles: The Style Stories of History’s Best Dressed is laid out to be effortlessly readable, split into sections ranging from Ancient (and we mean ancient; basically like the first clothes ever) to 20th and 21st Century. Each entry gets a couple of pages of engaging historical notes and background justifying their inclusion along with a photo / picture or two. It works; it doesn’t feel like study or revision,……

The period is swinging, but the trailer is classy. Some official images have surfaced for X-Men: First Class. The sixties costumes vibe is not excessive, however. Hit-Girl owns this film like she would own your ass if you ever stepped to her. Here are some new character posters for Kick-Ass. Peppy costume design by Sammy Sheldon.

On 10th November, Julien’s presided over the sale of 800+ lots for their ‘Hollywood Icons and Idols’ auction, featuring movie costumes, props and assorted memorabilia. The auction’s big draw was a (not ‘the’; there were several) blue and white cotton gingham pinafore dress and original blouse worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. It exceeded lowest expectations selling for $480,000, perhaps not as much as hoped for bearing in mind it is such a well loved costume – top estimate was $600,000. Much of the bidding went this way, certainly high and above estimates, but nowhere near the record amounts seen at the Debbie Reynolds auction…

Watch the first trailer for Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows and burst with costume excitement. Less a costume movie and more a fashion one, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is typical of its naughty director Russ Meyer in all the best ways. Attesting that upbeat and silly often go hand in hand, Beetle Juice stands as one of director Tim Burton’s most cheerfully insane projects.

Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick brings Liberace back to life on stage and off. By no means intended as an exhaustive list, Clothes on Film ponder an overview of 2011 in costume. An exhibition of British costume design from films such as The King’s Speech and Pirates of the Caribbean opens at the Fashion Museum in July. Sherlock Holmes 2 costume designer Jenny Beavan chats exclusively to Clothes on Film about what to expect in the finished film. Costume designer Amy Westcott has finally been rewarded for her work on Black Swan with a CDG Award. For those of you lucky enough to live in LA, literally racks of costumes have…

Catch up with the week’s costume links. Fashion Fall Trends From big screen and small, Nathalie Atkinson analyses – with typical and unrelenting brilliance – inspiration for the fall fashion season. Ken Van Duyne, Assistant Costume Designer Chats about his way into the business and working with Julie Weiss. Piero Tosi The Italian costume designer (Death in Venice, The Night Porter) has been given an honorary Oscar. Well done, sir. Costume designers as brands Cassy Salyer looks at the increasing (and potentially controversial) trend for costume designers to produce capsule versions for the high street. The Bling Ring Video: The Cut meet costume designer Stacey Battat. Sleepy Hollow Costume designer……

Despite having watched Catfish at the 24th Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF), you will find no review of it here. There is not much to be said about Catfish without spoiling it for those who have not yet seen it – though there is a little. This is not a ‘twist’ movie; the narrative plays out pretty much as you would expect. Instead it is a deftly clever commentary on the nature of identity and how it defines our role in society. Catfish is about Nev Schulman, a New York based professional photographer in his mid-twenties, who corresponds with eight-year old artist prodigy Abby Pierce through Facebook after she paints…

Twenty-five years ago, costume designer Margot Wilson was a student living in Paris when she picked up a roll of red, moire silk fabric during a shopping trip to Milan. She didn’t know why, or what for; she wasn’t even a costume designer then, just a talented young fashion grad from East Sydney Tech on a six-month scholarship to France. When it was time to go home, she took the beautiful roll of fabric back down under with her. Fast forward three decades and a couple of dozen films later (including Lantana, Bran Nue Dae and Lawless), and Wilson has finally found a screen role for her magnificent weave –……

No round up last week because we were a bit busy, so this week is MEGA JAMMED WITH COSTUME GOODNESS. Puttin’ on the Glitz We teamed up with Amber Jane Butchart and The British Library to talk jazz age fashion and dandy gangsters. Further coverage to follow… Costume Test Images 50 of them to be precise, from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to Star Wars, Batman, and beyond. Noah Mad good interview/article by Tyranny of Style with Noah’s Head Textile Artist Matt Reitsma. There is absolutely no way you can care about costume design and not read this. Business of Fashion Costume designers, fashion designers, studios, brands, and a business venture 100…

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, Harvey Keitel Directed by: Stanley Donen Saturn 3 (1980) is sleazy vicarious voyeurism; a harbinger for the world today; where voyeurs do not need to see first hand to obsess, they just need the technology. Kirk Douglas stars as Major Adam, a research scientist living on a huge spaceship with just one companion, his lover and assistant Alex (Farrah Fawcett). When Bensen (Harvey Keitel) murders an assigned visitor and boards the ship, he assembles a ‘demi-god’ robot named Hector and correlates the machine to function alongside his own brain. As Bensen is obsessed with possessing Alex, his robot is programmed to feel the same way.…