Our first Dual Analysis with Costumer’s Guide. To kick off, here is what Chris from Clothes on Film had to say. We discuss the clothing, jewellery, even underwear of The Young Victoria with Maggie from The Costumer’s Guide.

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.…

The importance of costume colour for the colourblind casting of The Personal History of David Copperfield. The costume style evolution of Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone (1984). A brief glimpse at the costume world Mark Bridges created for Joker. A brief video dip into the costume design of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Actually that title is a tad misleading – it’s all the clothes worn by Lee Marvin as kick-ass-tough-guy-on-a-mission Walker in Point Blank. This is the second video in a new Clothes on Film feature breaking down costume design in sartorially interesting (or just way cool) movies and, in some cases, television.  Costumed by Margo Weintz,…

Clothes on Film has been nominated as Best Overall Blog in the Total Film Blog Awards 2011! Please vote for us at the link below: Being as Clothes on Film’s less than esteemed founder and editor (that’s me) is moving house this month, there will be less posts on the site than usual (sorry). That said; look out for something amazing about Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky, something grumpy about ‘hippie’ Meg Ryan in Proof of Life, and possibly something Armani about Richard Gere. I run Clothes on Film and write most of the posts, but not without the help of some select, extremely knowledgeable and talented contributors. Without them…

The final trailer for The Rhythm Section features more costume changes than a Lady Gaga concert. MINOR SPOILERS Movies that feature contemporary fashion, particularly high-end and particularly for women, are a tricky sell costume wise. While men’s semi-formal to formal attire is generally shaped around the fundamental guise of the lounge suit, women’s clothing has a lot more avenues and possibilities. In addition to colour and pattern there is shape and form, which can vary dramatically for the fashionable wearer. What can vary dramatically can also date dramatically and this can be major stumbling block for costume designers. Films centred around the world of fashion, or those that include a…

A final favourite selection of Audrey Hepburn outfits from Two for the Road (1967). Again if you have not seen the film, give it go. Even if you don’t like the look of the clothes, it is like no Audrey film you have ever come across, guaranteed. Swirly Print Dress Multi-coloured psychedelic print mini-dress with bateau neck and flared sleeves. Pink high heel shoes. This is Riviera chic for a point in the film where Audrey’s character is as rich and discontent as she is ever going to be. The swirly geometric print is similar to Emilio Pucci’s signature creations from the mid-sixties onwards. His dresses were, and still are,…

Tom Hardy heralds dawning of the knitwear anti-hero. Margot Wilson discusses her use of the cardigan for Lawless. $ 4,600,000 for Marilyn Monroe’s ‘subway’ dress was only just one mega bid of many. This is the most fun and elaborate outfit Grace Kelly wears in To Catch a Thief. As worn by Grace Kelly, this floaty, conspicuous dress is an appreciable nod to Dior’s ‘New Look’ of the late 1940s. Christie’s are auctioning several Edith Head sketches for costume designs worn by Grace Kelly.

The arrival of Scarface on Blu-ray grants ideal opportunity to indulge in Patricia Norris’ exemplary, disco couture costumes.

Here is a brief extract from editor Chris Laverty’s third ‘Fabric of Cinema’ column for international periodical Arts Illustrated. The main reason for a plug is the subject matter discussed: colour, without doubt one of the most fascinating aspects of theoretical costume study. Colour is so open to interpretation that any occasion costume designers dare to use it with intentional meaning constitutes a brave move. One of the finest costume events of the year so far, Stoker, provides just such an example. Costumers Kurt and Bart deliberately incorporated colour as a form of expression to be read alongside the film’s similarly intentional production design. A preview of the Arts Illustrated…

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…