Clothes on film

The Iron Lady (2011) is a film full of interesting sartorial clues put in place by costume designer Consolata Boyle. While it chooses not to deal in depth with the career of Margaret Thatcher, instead focusing on a story of a sick and lonely old woman remembering a rose tinted past, it certainly employs colour and clothing as indicators of mood, gender, power, emotion and, of course, political allegiance. The first shot of The Iron Lady depicts an almost unrecognisable Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep) buying a pint of milk. She is dressed in a loose fitted beige anorak, beige floral print headscarf and sensible flat shoes; she is the picture…

The first trailer for Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of War Horse gallops online and it looks sumptuous.

Public Enemies demonstrates how costume can actually drive a story narrative. Matt Spaiser, creator of The Suits of James Bond blog, analyses the style of 007 in the film that started it all – Dr. No.

We revisit sci-fi classic Inception a decade after its release with MVP, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland. Sonia Grande’s costume design for Midnight in Paris offers everything we expect of 1920s Paris and the contemporary nouveau riche. By no means intended as an exhaustive list, Clothes on Film ponder an overview of 2011 in costume. Christmas comes early for anyone looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises, as Warner Bros. has just released a full trailer. Public Enemies demonstrates how costume can actually drive a story narrative. Roll with the journey and trust that it will take you where you want to go. David Lynch has premiered his twelve minute commercial…

SPOILERS If you’ve heard anything about Phantom Thread (2017, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson), you are bound to uncover a multitude of thoughts on the astounding Academy Award winning costume work of Mark Bridges or the retirement role of Daniel Day-Lewis as Reynolds Woodcock, 1950s fashion house couturier. But one of the key components to Reynolds is missing from the discussion: Autism. Phantom Thread opens with Reynolds (Day-Lewis) getting dressed to formalities of the era. Polished shoes, ironed trousers, a fresh button-down shirt, with the addition of long magenta socks to introduce the notion of creativity, or perhaps particularities to the character. The scene moves to breakfast, which quietly adds…

A brand new international trailer for Burlesque has pranced onto the internet, bursting at the bodice and swinging its tassels. It’s arrived in other words. The film charts the highly coloured tale of Ali Rose (Christina Aguilera), a wide-eyed small town girl who moves to Los Angeles on a whim and ends up becoming a hit headliner on the burlesque stage. Club owner Tess (Cher – yep, she’s back) teaches Ali the moves, though soon discovers she already has the singing part covered. It looks daft and enjoyable, like a trip to the seaside in winter. Just nobody mention Showgirls. Opps. Very plainly, ‘burlesque’ is risqué theatrical entertainment involving comedy,…

The final trailer for The Rhythm Section features more costume changes than a Lady Gaga concert. Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on The Rhythm Section Trailer: An Assassin’s Lookbook 23 Feb ’10 10 Jun ’11 1 Aug ’12

strong>Part one of a new Dual Analysis costume film review. Costume designer Anthea Sylbert was prolific following Rosemary’s Baby. Roman Polanski’s atmospheric horror was essentially her big break and apparently one of her toughest challenges too. Rosemary’s Baby (1968) tells the story of young newlyweds Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse (Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes) who move into an apartment building that turns out to be a haven of witches lead by old timers Minnie and Roman Castevet (Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer). On the promise of a big career, Guy allows the witches to impregnate Rosemary with the seed of the devil. Rosemary is trapped and alone, surrounded by an…

The green suit worn by Tippi Hedren as Melanie Daniels in The Birds (1963) has become increasingly symbolic in recent years as we delve ever deeper into the semiotics of film. In this case it is hardly surprising as Hedren only wears three costumes in total; the suit is so visible we cannot fail to draw meaning from its presence. But what was director Alfred Hitchcock trying to say with it, and more importantly, why? If you visited the V&A’s Hollywood Costume exhibition (now closed in London but moved to Australia and the U.S.), seeing The Birds’ suit would likely have stuck in your mind. It was given prominent placing…

To celebrate the release of Oz the Great and Powerful this week, here is a round-up of the best fantasy costume related posts at Clothes on Film. Some stretch a few years back but are still worth a read. Also do not forget to check out our review of Oz HERE. Click the image to take you to the article. Her name is Effie and she dresses in McQueen. We speak to simulation supervisor Claudia Chung about designing costumes for Oscar winning animation Brave. With Catching Fire on the way this November, revisit our review of The Hunger Games. Costume designer Trish Summerville replaces Judianna Makovsky for the new one.…