SPOILERS From a costume point of view, and therefore a character point of view, The Grand Budapest Hotel (directed by Wes Anderson) is all about uniforms; those worn by men and women in official capacities and those adopted as a life uniform by those trapped in the past. Eccentric La Belle Époque hangover Madame D (Tilda Swinton) is the latter, Moustafa Zero (Tony Revolori), a newly appointed lobby boy in the pinnacle of majestic 1930s hotels, The Grand Budapest, is the former. While Madame D goes nowhere, perhaps because she has already been everywhere, Zero undertakes a journey and evolution of character, which subsequently means his clothing does too. In…

For most cinemagoers Piper Perabo arrived on the big screen in her breakout role for Coyote Ugly (2000). Since then she has worked in television, on Broadway and continuously in movies. Costume wise Ms. Perabo has mixed period with contemporary though tends to work in the latter. For Looper she plays Suzie, a nightclub dancer struggling to bring up her young son in a decaying near future, and the lover of Joe (Joseph Gordon Levitt) before he attempts to mend his hedonistic ways. Speaking exclusively to Clothes on Film, Piper Perabo talks dressing the character of Suzie and working with costume designer Sharen Davis: “The stage wear was my favourite…

Director Bryan Singer has tweeted a revealing photograph of James McAvoy in costume as Charles Xavier on set of X-Men: Days of Future Past. UPDATE (13/05/13): And now he has added another pic, this time of Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Days of Future Past is based on an Uncanny X-Men story published in 1981; part of the story takes place during 1973, part in the future as the original X-Men cast zip through time to stop the world being attacked by mutant sentinels. Xavier seems to be nursing a hippie hangover in this photo, somewhat reminiscent of a scruffier John Tavolta in Saturday Night…

In the very opening scene of Rocky (1976, costume designer Robert Cambel), we see the title character in the ring, bare chested, hands encased in boxing gloves, the picture of sporting violence and masculinity. But this is no more than a surface assumption. Not two minutes later, we see Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) shrug on his faded brown towelling dressing gown, with “The Italian Stallion” embroidered on the back, and things start to shift. This is not a macho film concerned with the fight alone, but an exploration of masculinity in all its guises – the assumptions, the pretence and the reality. Clothes play an important part in this, both…

Clothes on Film talks exclusively to Anna Sheppard about her work on Captain America: The First Avenger, covering sartorial recreation of 1940s wartime, development of a superhero costume and the difficulties of working from someone else’s original designs. Anna B. Sheppard is one of the best known and respected costume designers in the business. Based in London but working internationally, she has created costumes for directors Steven Spielberg, Michael Mann and Quentin Tarantino, plus been Academy Award nominated twice, for Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993) and The Pianist (2002). Captain America is something of a departure for Sheppard as she is effectively working from a 70 year old design template. The…

The gangster genre’s central protagonist (antagonist?) is conspicuous in his journey from street kid to street king by coveting the finest fabrics and tailoring that money can buy. He becomes a vain, petty man destroyed by inability to reconcile his old simpler world with the politics of his new one. It is no accident that most of the principal characters in gangster films are minorities, symbolising a detachment from society and upending of the American dream. He/she can be as rich and powerful as he/she wants, but for those born on the wrong side of the tracks (i.e. minorities, if conforming to the genre model), the only way to fulfil…

Artist Cathy Lomax has recreated several images from Rosemary’s Baby (1968), analysing the movie via costumes worn by its titular central character (played by Mia Farrow). They form a detailed and elegant companion piece; something Clothes on Film thought you should know about. Lomax actually painted all 56 changes Rosemary undertakes during the story, as designed by Anthea Sylbert, each with a mini description breaking down the outfit’s composition. She directs attention to Mia Farrow’s slight frame and how the deliberately shapeless costumes serve to heighten Rosemary’s fragility and homeliness. Check out the examples below, all oil on canvas: Rosemary Woodhouse’s Wardrobe, Outfit 3: Yellow floral print, sleeveless swing dress.…

Perhaps the most mind-churning mainstream film of recent years, Inception is testament to the power of great costume design. Not only does it look sumptuous, thanks to all those 3 pc suits and silk ties, but because of costume designer Jeffrey Kurland and director Christopher Nolan’s commitment to clothing serving an implicit function, Inception is at least partially decipherable by what the characters wear. The screen is filled with costume clues to interpret. Jeffrey Kurland has been costume designer on thirty seven feature films, including Ocean’s Eleven (2001) and Collateral (2004), though Inception is his first collaboration with Chris Nolan. Here he explains exclusively to Clothes on Film his sartorial…

The top half of Ben Affleck’s new Batsuit has been revealed, as created by costume designer Michael Wilkinson for the barely in production Batman vs. Superman. At first this black and white Bats looks kind of pettable, thanks to those smaller, kittenish bat ears. However getting in closer the suit is far more visceral than Lindy Hemming’s version for director Christopher Nolan. It actually resembles a (very buff) human body stripped of its skin. Closer look at top half of the new Batsuit with contrast lightened slightly. Nolan is where most comparisons will be drawn; his Batman is still the benchmark in cinema, and while director Zach Snyder is less…

Part two of our chat with costume designer for Running Scared (2006), Kristin M. Burke. If you thought part one was interesting, this will blow your socks off. Chris, Clothes on Film: Regarding the ‘beefy dudes’ in Running Scared that you mentioned, they did all look massive on screen; it was like their clothes made them intimidating, especially ‘Mac Daddy’ pimp Lester (David Warshofsky). He is clearly dressed OTT and this suits his character and the tone of the film perfectly. How much do you know about the intended tone of a film when you start on the costumes? Kristin Burke: Man, that Lester the Pimp story is epic. I…