Clothes on film

Clothes from films set during 1950s Edith Head’s costume design for Vertigo demonstrates the power of clothes in forming identities on-screen. Groundbreaking film La Dolce Vita offers a conflicting portrayal of masculinity. Unquestionably the most historically significant outfit Katie Holmes as Jackie Kennedy wears in the show is her rose pink tweed suit. This coral pink ensemble encompasses and challenges the absolute femininity of Grace Kelly. 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…

The London Film Museum has been running an exhibition featuring costumes from 20th Century Fox movies to celebrate the studio’s 75th anniversary. Lord Christopher Laverty 2 Comments 23 Nov ’13 27 Aug ’10 9 Sep ’09

There is a man on Boardwalk Empire with even more sartorial presence than Nucky Thompson; That man is Chalky White. Lord Christopher Laverty 2 Comments 12 Mar ’14 4 Apr ’13 3 Jan ’12 The London Film Museum has been running an exhibition featuring costumes from 20th Century Fox movies to celebrate the studio’s 75th anniversary. Lord Christopher Laverty 2 Comments 28 Dec ’12 20 Dec ’11 26 Apr ’11

The press love Prada’s involvement with The Great Gatsby, but exactly how much does this help the film’s costume design? The best kept secret in costume design is finally out: Prada made Carey Mulligan’s gowns for The Great Gatsby. In a week of exciting trailers, the first for director Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby must surely be the most thrilling of all. Warner Bros. have released two images from The Great Gatsby. Not much to see, but it is difficult not to be drawn in by the promise of costume luxury. The London Film Museum has been running an exhibition featuring costumes from 20th Century Fox movies to…

Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem Directed By: Sam Mendes SPOILER FREE James Bond thunders back to our screens in what feels like a reboot of the 50 year old franchise with the same actor. This is not the 007 who calmly waits for a man to bleed to death before stealing his Harrington; the brutal cold bastard of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace has mellowed considerably and can even manage a quip or two. Whether this development will delight or disappoint is a matter of personal taste. One thing is certain however; Bond has never scrubbed up better. Tom Ford now exists to make Daniel Craig suits.…

Alan Partridge the movie, now entitled ‘Alpha Papa’, has a teaser trailer. And it is a teaser so don’t expect to see much costume, yet what we do see is magnificent. Casual red shirt, biscuit varsity jacket, brown leather belt and pale blue denim jeans; the jeans of which perhaps we see too much. It cannot be overstated how vital costume design is to the character of Alan Partridge. We know Alan so well by what he wears, we recognise him in society. He is that guy in a salmon pink Gabacci polo shirt and maroon Greenwoods cords. It is a very specific style that may look thrown together but…

Director Todd Phillips has spilled some proverbial beans on the sequel to his comedy smash The Hangover. He has not said much but he has said no Vegas. The Hangover was arguably this year’s funniest movie. It featured a motley group of guys who travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party and then wake up the following morning with no memory of the night before, no groom, and a baby in the closet. The result was 96 minutes of deftly played, silly fun that, it must be said, felt pretty wrapped up by the end. Still with so many varied characters and another potentially disastrous situation to thrust them…

If you have played The Last of Us on Playstation 3 it has likely ruined video gaming for you. The world created is so vivid and believable that every game afterward just feels dated and empty. Throughout, The Last of Us is unwaveringly real, full of seemingly inconsequential details such as every weapon or object you carry being attached or able to fit into your character’s backpack. Contrast this with Grand Theft Auto V where a rocket launcher appears out of your trouser pocket and it’s clear that if game developers really want to create a living, breathing parallel to reality they need to treat it as reality – no…

Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) is the quintessential evil queen, right up there with The Queen from Snow White and the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland. Or is she..? Throughout Game of Thrones we have been given clues as to Cersei’s motivations and character, and by the end of Season 3 she has become, partially at least, a sympathetic character. While Cersei was not involved with the Walder-Frey-Marry-One-Of-My-Daughters plotline, which famously leads to the gruesome ‘Red Wedding’; that plot really drove home that point that in this world women are only worth how beautiful they are. Even Robb Stark, one of the so-called good guys, was horrified at the…

In 1935, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made cinema history with their most successful film partnership, Top Hat. However, it wasn’t Astaire’s headgear that got people talking; it was Rogers’ ostrich feather dress worn in the Oscar-nominated song ‘Cheek to Cheek’. The fact remains that this is quite possibly the most memorable, beautiful and romantic musical number ever captured on film, and Rogers’ dress contributes to this greatly. Whenever Astaire and Rogers dance, they are making love without undressing, without even kissing in the majority of their films; “they is angels” remarks unfairly condemned criminal Kofi as he fulfils his dying wish of watching the lovers perform ‘Cheek to Cheek’…