The final outfit for analysis from To Catch a Thief (1954, directed by Alfred Hitchcock) encompasses and challenges the absolute femininity of Grace Kelly, here playing wilful blueblood Frances Stevens. After suffering an embarrassing verbal defeat by mademoiselle Danielle Foussard (Brigitte Auber), in simply donning a coral pink top and pleated skirt with driving gloves, Frances is back in control. This particular ensemble, or rather the skirt, was a request by Grace to the film’s costume designer Edith Head. Keen at this point in the story to restore what she saw as a more ‘womanly’ inference to Frances, trousers, or even Capri pants, were not considered enough. Yet this is…

We have teamed up with ace movie t-shirt maestros Last Exit to Nowhere to find the coolest dressed character in the movies. As the season of generosity is upon us, we have FIVE t-shirts to give away to FIVE separate winners. That’s an über trendy film t-shirt, of your choice, on your lucky body. Happy Christmas. As we said, what would like to do is find the coolest dressed character in film. Now, what we basically mean by this is whoever, he or she, exudes the most amount of self-assurance on screen. As an example, consider Cousin Eddie (played by Randy Quaid) in the image above from National Lampoon’s Christmas…

Happy New Year everyone! Life Without Zoe, The Canyons Two well researched and well written posts by Superqueen. This site is always worth a scoot around. 12 Years a Slave Costume Designer Patricia Norris is 82 years young. Cancel your retirement. The Most Iconic Costumes of all Time Marilyn’s dress in The Seven Year Itch? No, frankly. Ellen Mirojnick The Costume Cafe podcast with a lady we adore here at Clothes on Film. Inside Llewyn Davis Frocktalk reviews the extraordinary ‘sweaterville’ work of Mary Zophres for the Coens’ latest. Michael Wilkinson For Guise magazine, Joe Kucharski chats to Michael Wilkinson about digital illustration in costume design. Big Screen Style Moments…

Everyone has high hopes for this film, so be among the first to discover whether Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides lives up to the hype by entering our exclusive preview tickets competition. Clothes on Film has TWO PAIRS of tickets to give away to a special early screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in London’s West End on 9th May at 6.30 pm. Basically that is two winners that can each take along a friend, loved one or harassing relative to see one of the biggest films of 2011 – over a week before it is released! The plot? Well, Johnny Depp is back…

Meryl Streep’s timeless Burberry trench coat is one of the most recognisable contemporary costumes of 1970s. The costumes of Rumble Fish express the importance of teenage dress codes before the segregating journey into adulthood. Does costume design exist in animated film? Simulation supervisor for Brave, Claudia Chung, discusses its creation, processes and role in the finished movie. Armour and indecisiveness: Audrey Hepburn is more than a little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Cosmopolis satisfies as everything avant-garde cinema should be; an immaculate journey into weird. Wes Anderson’s most sartorially significant film yet. The first trailer for Skyfall hits with several suits, an overcoat, sportswear and a beanie. Doris Day’s…

Denim re-invented Audrey Hepburn from stylish and chic to cheeky and tomboyish. Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on Two For the Road: Audrey Hepburn in Denim 22 Jul ’09 4 Oct ’10 1 Feb ’10

Okay, so Jackie Earle Haley’s brave attempt at becoming Freddy Kruger in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010 did not come off as well as hoped. However, his immediately recognisable costume is still emblematic as ever – albeit now with some subtle differences. Costume designer for A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot Mari-An Ceo had a wealth of considerations to take into account when creating her version of ‘that sweater’, not least that the green and red striped colours are so dark along side each other they are barely perceptible to the human eye (indeed, many think Freddy’s sweater is actually red and black to this day). In this video…

The week in movie costume design. Now You See Me Jenny Eagan discusses tear-away tuxedos and bodysuits. The Bling Ring “I did watch that show Pretty Wild” – costume designer Stacey Battat explains her choices for spoiled, burglarising LA teenagers. Lots of Juicy Couture, basically. Behind the Candelabra Lovely interview with Ellen Mirojnick explaining some of the movie’s most memorable costumes. The Parent Trap (1961) Fascinating analysis of one of the best ‘movie makeovers’ you’ll see. Napster Wedding Oscar winning costume designer Ngila Dickson made outfits for Napster founder Sean Parker and singer Alexandra Lenas’ wedding. Hey, if you’ve got the cash. Anchorman Anchorman exhibition featuring original costumes and props…

The leading female character of Grease (1978), Sandy Olsen, played by Olivia Newton-John, is the character who wears the clothes most typified by fancy dress companies pertaining to sell costumes linked to the film. Desperate to fit in at her new school, many of her clothes bear the ‘Rydell High’ logo in some way. Unfortunately for Sandy, she chooses ‘The Pink Ladies’ as her new best friends, the clique who find school far beneath their coolness. No wonder she is deemed by Rizzo as “too pure to be pink”. We see this purity at the beginning of the film, where Sandy refuses to take her ‘Summer Loving’ with Danny a…

Crazy, Stupid Love is every inch the ‘fashion film’, both in terms of narrative and costume designer Dayna Pink’s elegant menswear styling.