Posted by Chris Laverty on October 8, 2009 As Little Junior Brown, Nicolas Cage puts in the kind of over the top performance that was in vogue during the early nineties (see also Robert De Niro in Cape Fear, 1991). Cage himself admits that muscle-bound gangster Junior Brown is ‘larger than life’, so why not the same for his fashion sense? Kiss of Death was made in 1993/94 and released in 1995, but even taking this into account Junior’s monochrome wardrobe is still blatantly outdated and vulgar. For most characters in the movie fashion is dictated by circumstance. Put upon ex-con Jimmy Kilmartin (David Caruso) wears clothes that are anonymous…

Posted by Chris Laverty on August 14, 2009 Part two in a three part sartorial analysis of denim as symbolic recognition for character on film, this time focusing on Audrey Hepburn in Two for the Road (1967). Women in Denim: Audrey Hepburn left behind her Givenchy comfort zone in decade-spanning dramedy Two for the Road to wear a veritable catwalk of trendy outfits by the hottest designers of the day. And amongst these Quant shifts and Courrèges sunglasses, Hepburn also wore jeans which, onscreen at least, she had seldom done before. Denim is not a fabric traditionally associated with Audrey Hepburn, yet here she takes to the look with such…

Posted by Chris Laverty on October 8, 2009 As Little Junior Brown, Nicolas Cage puts in the kind of over the top performance that was in vogue during the early nineties (see also Robert De Niro in Cape Fear, 1991). Cage himself admits that muscle-bound gangster Junior Brown is ‘larger than life’, so why not the same for his fashion sense? Kiss of Death was made in 1993/94 and released in 1995, but even taking this into account Junior’s monochrome wardrobe is still blatantly outdated and vulgar. More… Posted by Chris Laverty on September 18, 2009 Second in a two part journey through the Giorgio Armani fashions of The Untouchables…

Posted by Chris Laverty on July 18, 2009 Matt Damon as Jason Bourne dons the simplistic sophistication of a well-fitted Crombie later on during The Bourne Supremacy (2004), but Karl Urban kicks off proceedings with near 007 chic dressed in a natural linen tunic shirt – perfect attire for the travelling assassin in Goa. Natural linen overhead tunic shirt, rever collar with two button fastening, notched hem, full length sleeves turned up slightly, plain cuffs. Ethnic styled bracelets and necklace to compliment. The tunic shirt has experienced a resurgence in recent years, for both men and women. It is now a staple of the summer season and normally sold in…

Posted by Chris Laverty on August 19, 2009 Starring: Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz Director: Quentin Tarantino World War II set Inglourious Basterds is Quentin Tarantino’s first ‘period film’ as such. It is an occasionally taxing two and half hours, not for the easily distracted. Though judging by Tarantino’s appreciation of how costume (military or otherwise) defined this brutal time, maybe he should revisit history’s atrocities more often. Via costume designer Anna B. Sheppard, Tarantino has deftly employed uniform to suggest a threatening presence in his antagonists. For the film’s first act, or chapter, SS Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) visits the home of a French farmer and his…

Posted by Chris Laverty on October 9, 2009 A new trailer for Jane Campion’s Bright Star has hit the web. Due for release in the UK on 6th November, the film looks to be a refashioned view of period romance and meticulous showcase for early 19th century dress. Watch the trailer HERE Bright star is based on the last three years in the life of poet John Keats (Ben Whislaw), specifically his secret love affair with muse Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Keats was only twenty-five when he died so this isn’t an upbeat tale by any stretch. Though director/screenwriter Jane Campion’s most celebrated picture The Piano (1993) was an emotional…

Posted by Chris Laverty on August 7, 2009 Ghost Town (2008) is one of the finest romantic comedies of ever. It’s a grown up film about grown up problems (regret, companionship, second chances – they’re all themes); it’s not a sickly sweet teen romance. Even though the situation is fantasy, the characters themselves are totally believable in their world. Moreover the screenplay by David Koepp and John Kamps is written with absolute economy and constructed without an ounce of fat. Not one scene in the movie is wasted, each being packed with character and story revelations – some subtle, some part of the main plot, but all driving the narrative…

Posted by Chris Laverty on August 28, 2009 An Education is an upcoming early 1960s set film about Jenny (Carey Mulligan) a bright seventeen year old planning to study at Oxford who becomes romantically involved with dashing socialite David (Peter Sarsgaard), soon abandoning her aspirations and future shot at independence. The story is an adaptation of British journalist Lynn Barber’s autobiography of the same name. WATCH THE NEW TRAILER Judging solely on this footage, Jenny goes down the Audrey Hepburn route more than typical teen fashions of the sixties. So it is a Givenchy pared down style comprising little jewellery, trenchcoat, simple, sexy shifts in silk and plain colours with…

Posted by Chris Laverty on May 26, 2009 Swing Time (1936) is full of lovely outfits, and all very luxurious thirties to lull cinemagoers out of their economic depression. Fred is near permanently attired in full evening suit – bar an immaculate fur collared overcoat and silk scarf for the snow sequence, while Ginger dons costume designer Bernard Newman’s flowing gowns for dancing and Chanel style suits and fox fur for day wear. More… Posted by Chris Laverty on May 23, 2009 Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood Directed by: McG The terminator, as represented first and best by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is an obvious signifier for brutish masculinity on…

Posted by Chris Laverty on August 14, 2009 Part two in a three part sartorial analysis of denim as symbolic recognition for character on film, this time focusing on Audrey Hepburn in Two for the Road (1967). Women in Denim: Audrey Hepburn left behind her Givenchy comfort zone in decade-spanning dramedy Two for the Road to wear a veritable catwalk of trendy outfits by the hottest designers of the day. And amongst the Quant shifts and Courrèges sunglasses, Hepburn also wore jeans which, onscreen at least, she had seldom done before. More… Posted by Chris Laverty on July 22, 2009 Some of the fashions in 1960s set Mod drama Quadrophenia…