With exclusive insight from The Hangover (2009) costume designer Louise Mingenbach, we investigate how clothing defined character and brought this chucklesome movie to life. The Hangover begins with Doug (Justin Bartha) sharing a tailor’s fitting with his soon to be brother in law Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Alan confides in Doug just how excited he is to be attending his bachelor party. Wearing a jock strap for no conceivable reason we get the idea that maybe not all of Alan’s dogs are barking. Next we meet school teacher Phil (Bradley Cooper), the kind of man who embezzles money from his pupils for their school trip and siphons it into his Las…

With exclusive insight from The Hangover (2009) costume designer Louise Mingenbach, we investigate how clothing defined character and brought this chucklesome movie to life. The Hangover begins with Doug (Justin Bartha) sharing a tailor’s fitting with his soon to be brother in law Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Alan confides in Doug just how excited he is to be attending his bachelor party. Wearing a jock strap for no conceivable reason we get the idea that maybe not all of Alan’s dogs are barking. Next we meet school teacher Phil (Bradley Cooper), the kind of man who embezzles money from his pupils for their school trip and siphons it into his Las…

© 2009, Clothes on Film 1 Jun ’09 Filed under Clothes from 1950s, Girls in Films. Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Celadon Green, Charles Creed, Cristóbal Balenciaga, dress, Edith Head, pencil skirt. Bookmark the permalink. Post a comment. Leave a Trackback (URL). While still alluring, as practically anything is on Grace Kelly, this is perhaps her least successful outfit overall from Rear Window (1954, as Lisa Fremont). The jacket seems slightly too long and loose for the slenderness of the skirt; it doesn’t fit Kelly’s figure as comfortably as it might. However even with its faults the suit still reflects a vital side of Lisa’s complex personality: her professional, tailored femininity. Celadon…

© 2009, Clothes on Film 1 Jun ’09 Filed under Clothes from 1950s, Girls in Films. Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Celadon Green, Charles Creed, Cristóbal Balenciaga, dress, Edith Head, pencil skirt. Bookmark the permalink. Post a comment. Leave a Trackback (URL). While still alluring, as practically anything is on Grace Kelly, this is perhaps her least successful outfit overall from Rear Window (1954, as Lisa Fremont). The jacket seems slightly too long and loose for the slenderness of the skirt; it doesn’t fit Kelly’s figure as comfortably as it might. However even with its faults the suit still reflects a vital side of Lisa’s complex personality: her professional, tailored femininity. Celadon…

© 2010, Twentieth Century Fox Starring: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard Directed By: James Mangold Knight and Day has no real characters, no plot, no-sense of urgency, no point to speak of. Yet, somehow, polished up like Tom Cruise’s bright white teeth reflected in his Persol Havana sunglasses, it very nearly works. Director James Mangold envelops this shiny affair in a retro air, specifically the comedy/action genre so prevalent during the 1970s. In fact, were this film made back then it would likely have co-starred Goldie Hawn in the shrieking Cameron Diaz role and Burt Reynolds as Cruise’s, top off at least three times and seemingly impervious to bullets…

© 2010, Twentieth Century Fox Starring: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard Directed By: James Mangold Knight and Day has no real characters, no plot, no-sense of urgency, no point to speak of. Yet, somehow, polished up like Tom Cruise’s bright white teeth reflected in his Persol Havana sunglasses, it very nearly works. Director James Mangold envelops this shiny affair in a retro air, specifically the comedy/action genre so prevalent during the 1970s. In fact, were this film made back then it would likely have co-starred Goldie Hawn in the shrieking Cameron Diaz role and Burt Reynolds as Cruise’s, top off at least three times and seemingly impervious to bullets…

© 2010, Twentieth Century Fox Starring: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard Directed By: James Mangold Knight and Day has no real characters, no plot, no-sense of urgency, no point to speak of. Yet, somehow, polished up like Tom Cruise’s bright white teeth reflected in his Persol Havana sunglasses, it very nearly works. Director James Mangold envelops this shiny affair in a retro air, specifically the comedy/action genre so prevalent during the 1970s. In fact, were this film made back then it would likely have co-starred Goldie Hawn in the shrieking Cameron Diaz role and Burt Reynolds as Cruise’s, top off at least three times and seemingly impervious to bullets…

© 2011 Chris Laverty. All rights reserved. Spring. It’s long overdue and so is spring fashion. While winter clothes inspired by trends of 2010 fall collections are still prevalent, stores are piling up with spring lines that were on runways during September. Two attention grabbing trends in women’s fashion this upcoming season are prints and turbans, empathised in hit 1988 comedy Coming to America (directed by John Landis). U.S. Vogue currently features seven designers with their 2011 Spring/Summer Ready-to-Wear collections, referring to them as the “American All-Stars” of New York fashion in a spread entitled ‘Gangs of New York’. Rodarte, by Kate and Laura Mulleavey, who have made Vogue’s top…

© 2011 Chris Laverty. All rights reserved. Spring. It’s long overdue and so is spring fashion. While winter clothes inspired by trends of 2010 fall collections are still prevalent, stores are piling up with spring lines that were on runways during September. Two attention grabbing trends in women’s fashion this upcoming season are prints and turbans, empathised in hit 1988 comedy Coming to America (directed by John Landis). U.S. Vogue currently features seven designers with their 2011 Spring/Summer Ready-to-Wear collections, referring to them as the “American All-Stars” of New York fashion in a spread entitled ‘Gangs of New York’. Rodarte, by Kate and Laura Mulleavey, who have made Vogue’s top…

© 2009 Chris Laverty. All rights reserved. 12 Dec ’09 Filed under Clothes from 1837-1919, News. Tagged corset, frock coat, lounge suit, top hat, Victorian. Bookmark the permalink. Post a comment. Leave a Trackback (URL). As it is the weekend how about some photos from Universal’s upcoming The Wolfman starring Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. The Wolfman is director Joe Johnston’s remake of a 1941 film of the same name. It is set during the Victorian era, late 1880s to be precise. The costume design is by Milena Canonero (Ocean’s 12, The Darjeeling Limited). We have Benicio del Toro in the title role as Lawrence Talbot, a man inflicted…