Posted by Chris Laverty – January 21, 2010 Here is the just announced list of nominations for BAFTA 2010, paying special attention to Best Costume Design because that is what we do here. Four nods for Coco avant Chanel and, perhaps inevitably, Avatar, although not for costume design. The Hurt Locker gets a thoroughly well deserved shout for Best Film, though again costume design misses out. Period dominates then, as per the norm. More…

Posted by Ben McCarthy – January 22, 2010 Starring: Clive Owen, George MacKay, Nicholas McAnulty Directed By: Scott Hicks Very few films have tried to capture or even deal with child bereavement and the nature of fatherhood, which is why The Boys Are Back (2010) is so refreshing in its approach. It thrusts the issue right in front of the audience, and will make each father watching re-think his own parental approach. Based on the memoirs of The Independent political columnist Simon Carr, The Boys Are Back tells the story of Joe (Clive Owen), who has recently lost his wife to cancer and is left to raise his six year-old…

Posted by Chris Laverty – September 15, 2009 Ghostbusters (1987) is perhaps best known as the first ever big budget FX comedy and not for making any serious style statements. Yet tucked amongst the fluffy hair and khaki jump-suits sported by the Ghostbusters themselves is a classic example of mid-1980s opulence – Sigourney Weaver’s oversized cape coat: Full-length cape coat in blue wool with horizontal and intersecting vertical maroon stripes. Wide three-quarter length sleeves, stand collar, big button fastening. Matching cape running to a three-quarter point of the back. All contemporary women’s wear descended from male clothing, and nearly all male clothing descended from military dress. Sigourney Weaver’s cape coat…

Posted by Chris Laverty – June 6, 2009 Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis Directed by: Todd Phillips The Hangover (2009) is hilarious. The Vegas bachelor party gone wrong premise is nothing new, but the story itself progresses so fast and with so many witty one-liners that the crowd of boozy lads this film is clearly aiming at should have a cracking time. Costume (by Louise Mingenbach) plays a big part in The Hangover. The gang: groom Doug (Justin Bartha), best mates Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms), and the groom’s impending brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis), assemble themselves – suited and booted – for a spectacular night out.…

Oscar winning costume designer Janty Yates has kindly taken time out filming Ridley Scott’s latest Robin Hood to chat about her contribution to an earlier Scott picture, Hannibal (2001). Hannibal’s forbear, classic chiller The Silence of the Lambs (1990), was directed by Jonathan Demme and costumed by Colleen Atwood. It relies on a dank, washed-out atmosphere that informs the narrative by very lack of its presence. Hannibal on the other hand was always intended as a glossier more conspicuous affair. This marked something of a change of pace for Janty Yates whose earlier credits included the austere Victorian fashions of Jude (1996) and Scott’s own sword and sandal epic Gladiator…

Posted by Chris Laverty on May 17, 2009 The Warriors (1979) has transcended the label of ‘cult classic’ to now simply be regarded as ‘classic’. A barebones plot, but briskly directed by action maestro Walter Hill, this gang warfare movie was never so much about the fighting as the clothes. During the memorable opening credits sequence for example, admire the matching yellow satin jackets, striped jersey sweaters and army coats worn by the gangs as they march the subways of NYC as if strutting the runways of Milan. Frankly, by today’s standards, it can all look faintly comical. Though in the late seventies, when downtown New York was something of…

Posted by Chris Laverty on November 6, 2009 Of course Rear Window (1954) wasn’t all about Grace Kelly… Just a quick mention then for Miss Lonelyheart played with such empathy by Judith Evelyn, and her dashing green dress. This outfit might look passé compared to the haute couture of Grace Kelly’s Lisa, yet it is probably what her character was wearing eighteen months earlier: More… Posted by Chris Laverty on September 11, 2009 Costume designers face a quandary: keep contemporary set films up to date, but ensure that they do not appear hideously outmoded in the future. In short they need to create a look that is both fashionable and…

Posted by Chris Laverty on June 1, 2009 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. More…

Posted by Chris Laverty on May 5, 2009 Grace Kelly (as Lisa Fremont) wears five separate outfits in Rear Window (1954) including one negligee. Three of these are exceptional standouts, each neatly representing a different sector of 1950s women’s fashion: dress, casual and tailored. More…

Posted by Chris Laverty on May 5, 2009 Grace Kelly (as Lisa Fremont) wears five separate outfits in Rear Window (1954) including one negligee. Three of these are exceptional standouts, each neatly representing a different sector of 1950s women’s fashion: dress, casual and tailored. More…