Clothes on Film

The study of costume design in cinema and television. Featuring exclusive articles, news, interviews, videos, podcasts, essays and competitions.

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  • Clothes from now,  Girls in Films

    Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of Just About Everyone)

    10 Feb ’20 /

    Contributor Birdie McAra explores the fantabulously non-male gazey world of Birds of Prey.

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    Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of Just About Everyone)

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    Zach Galifianakis in Due Date: Theatre Geek

    25 Dec ’10

    Deo Veritas: Creating the James Bond Cocktail Cuff Shirt

    25 Oct ’13

    Norwegian Wood: Hipsters Unmaxed

    8 Jul ’11
  • Clothes from 1980s,  Clothes on Film Video,  Girls in Films,  Premium

    The Fashionable Style of Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone

    1 Jan ’20 /

    The costume style evolution of Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone (1984).

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    Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on The Fashionable Style of Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone

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    Brigbsy Bear: Interview with Costume Designer Sarah Mae Burton

    14 Aug ’17

    The Iron Lady: Costume as Distinction, Gender and Protection

    4 May ’13

    Meryl Streep in Costume for The Iron Lady Trailer

    7 Jul ’11
  • Clothes from 1950s,  Clothes from 1980s,  Clothes on Film Video,  Guys in Films

    The Gumshoe Chic of Mickey Rourke in Angel Heart (1987)

    29 Nov ’19 /

    The scruffy gumshoe style of Mickey Rourke in Angel Heart (1987). With very special trousers.

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    Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on The Gumshoe Chic of Mickey Rourke in Angel Heart (1987)

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    Win a Grease Sing-a-Long Goodie Bag!

    16 Sep ’10

    La Dolce Vita: Masculinity and Tailoring

    17 Nov ’11

    Shifting Trends: Claire Foy in First Man

    25 Oct ’18
  • Clothes from 1970s,  Clothes from 1980s,  Clothes on Film Video,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films

    The Costuming of Joaquin Phoenix in Joker

    14 Oct ’19 /

    A brief glimpse at the costume world Mark Bridges created for Joker.

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    Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on The Costuming of Joaquin Phoenix in Joker

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    Kramer vs. Kramer: Meryl Streep in a Burberry Trench Coat

    21 Mar ’13

    Get on Up: Sharen Davis Shares Costume Design Sketches

    9 Dec ’14

    Dark Shadows Trailer: Campy, Period Blending Costume Fun

    16 Mar ’12
  • Clothes from 1970s,  Clothes from 1980s,  Clothes from Fantasy & Sci-fi,  Clothes from now,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Interviews,  Premium

    Brigbsy Bear: Interview with Costume Designer Sarah Mae Burton

    14 Aug ’17 /

    Brigsby Bear tells the bizarre yet charming tale of a young man, James Pope (Kyle Mooney), who was kidnapped as a baby and subsequently released into the world many years later with no knowledge of it beyond a non-existent kids television show. The film evokes a nostalgic view of the 1980s and, while is contemporary set, gently embraces that period in terms of its aesthetic. Costume designer for Brigsby Bear, Sarah Mae Burton, experienced in both television and film, has created a familiar yet distinctive vibe that feels entirely believable. Here she talks exclusively to Clothes on Film about her process: Clothes on Film: James Pope’s world for twenty five…

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    Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on Brigbsy Bear: Interview with Costume Designer Sarah Mae Burton

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    Argo: Interview with Costume Designer Jacqueline West

    16 Feb ’13

    Catherine Deneuve in Potiche: Still Belle

    10 Oct ’11

    The Warriors: Leather Vest

    17 May ’09
  • Clothes from 1980s,  Clothes from Fantasy & Sci-fi,  Clothes from now,  Guys in Films,  Interviews,  Premium

    Brigsby Bear: Interview with Suit Creators Stoopid Buddy Stoodios

    28 Jul ’17 /

    Despite being set in the present day, the world of Brigsby Bear (2017, directed by Dave McCary) is a cosy 1980s nostalgia affair. Most of what we see either comes from or belongs to another time. It is a very deliberate look that extends right across the production design and costumes. Separate from the overall costume design of Brigsby Bear (by Sarah Mae Burton), Stoopid Buddy Stoodios worked on the creation and execution of the actual Brigsby Bear suit. We chatted to David Brooks and Ben Bayouth from the studio to discover exactly how they arrived upon the distinctive finished article. Clothes on Film: What led Stoopid Buddy Stoodios to…

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    Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on Brigsby Bear: Interview with Suit Creators Stoopid Buddy Stoodios

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    Ellen Mirojnick Describes Costumes for Behind the Candelabra

    7 Jun ’13

    Mr Nice starring Rhys Ifans: Lots of Nice Photos

    14 Aug ’10

    Film Review: Dolores Claiborne

    6 Sep ’10
  • Clothes from 1940s,  Clothes from 1950s,  Clothes from 1980s

    Cinema Paradiso: Invisible Costume

    9 Feb ’15 /

    Cinema Paradiso is a beautiful examination of the relationship human beings have with film. This connection is explored through the story of a young boy and his friendship with the projectionist at the town’s local cinema. The strength of this friendship is only surpassed in intensity by the boy’s deep desire to become a part of the world of movie making. This is a story not about the medium of film in itself, but about the real people whose lives are illuminated by the stories it relates. As a tale primarily of ordinary Roma people, the costumes in Cinema Paradiso, as designed by Beatrice Bordone, help create a 1940s/50’s period…

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    Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on Cinema Paradiso: Invisible Costume

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    Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were: Forties Meets Seventies

    16 May ’11

    Film Review: Shutter Island

    13 Apr ’10

    Carice van Houten in Black Book: The Red Dress

    21 Sep ’10
  • Clothes from 1980s,  Clothes from 1990s,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Premium

    Internal Affairs: A Black and White World

    6 Dec ’14 /

    Internal Affairs (1990) is an excellent stone cold thriller. The costumes are a subtle tease, revealing personal information that the characters never say out loud. Like many movies released in the late 1980s/1990s, Internal Affairs radiates uneasiness caused by shifting societal attitudes – anything that threatens a straight male chauvinist black-and-white world. Costume designer Rudy Dillon punches through this black-and-white world with ensembles that poke fun at the status quo and subsequently subvert them with eroticism, perhaps ironically using only a colour scheme of black and white. The straight white male chauvinist is Dennis Peck (Richard Gere), a police officer in Los Angeles who controls his colleagues by involving them…

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    Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on Internal Affairs: A Black and White World

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    Arthur: Trailer No. 2. Brace Yourself

    3 Mar ’11

    American Gigolo: Armani Gere

    5 May ’12

    Alien Anthology: A Revolution in Sci-Fi Costume Design – PT2

    26 Oct ’10
  • Clothes from 1980s,  Clothes from 1990s,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Premium

    Tailoring The Wolf of Wall Street

    7 Feb ’14 /

    There is a problem with the costumes in The Wolf of Wall Street, and it has nothing to do with the film itself but the coverage they have received. Namely, that this coverage is incorrect. Articles such as this one for Vogue France, or this for The Hollywood Reporter, or a ‘suit guide’ by Esquire, concentrate almost solely on Giorgio Armani’s contribution to the project with barely a mention of costume designer Sandy Powell. And this is the Sandy Powell by the way: 10 Oscar nominations and so well respected she has an OBE for services to the industry. It was Powell who costumed The Wolf of Wall Street, not…

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    Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on Tailoring The Wolf of Wall Street

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    Dual Analysis: Beetle Juice – Chris’ Thoughts

    27 Oct ’09

    Ghostbusters: Sigourney Weaver’s Cape Coat

    15 Sep ’09

    Working Girl: The Culture of Power Dressing

    27 Sep ’13
  • Clothes from 1980s,  Guys in Films,  Premium

    The Bloody Sartorialist: Christian Bale in American Psycho

    16 Jan ’14 /

    American Psycho (2000, costume designer Isis Mussenden) is a late 1980s set film that highlights the importance placed on external appearance and the disparity that can lie between this and the true nature of a person. The ‘Psycho’ of the title, Patrick Bateman (played by Christian Bale) is outwardly flawless. He has an extreme and involved personal beauty regime, consisting of special shampoos, body washes, face masks and scrubs, complemented by a strict diet and exercise plan that he completes daily and without fail. He believes in looking after himself – or at least his external self. Beneath this perfectly glossy exterior is emptiness – a lack of humanity, of…

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    Lord Christopher Laverty 4 Comments

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    The Iron Lady: Costume as Distinction, Gender and Protection

    4 May ’13

    Rumble Fish: Dress Code Integrity in Gang Culture

    30 Aug ’12

    Behind the Candelabra: Wearing Liberace On Stage and Off

    31 May ’13
  • Clothes from 1980s,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Premium

    Smooth Talk: “Tomorrow Night I’ll Wear the Halter”

    23 Nov ’13 /

    Moments of sartorial significance, and that glimmer of recognition that we feel upon seeing an onscreen outfit worn more than once are found throughout Smooth Talk, Joyce Chopra’s underseen 1986 adaptation of a Joyce Carol Oates short story. The film is rife with all the monotony of life and charming ensembles we expect of a teenage girl in the summer, yet it simultaneously offers complexity and creepiness. Laura Dern plays Connie, an ingénue spending her days as an “unfinished girl, waiting for completion of some sort” (Quart 74). In her essay, “Smoothing Out the Rough Spots: The Film Adaptation of ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’” Rebecca Sumner…

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    American Gigolo: Armani Gere

    5 May ’12

    Brigsby Bear: Interview with Suit Creators Stoopid Buddy Stoodios

    28 Jul ’17

    Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan

    11 Mar ’11
  • Clothes from 1980s,  Girls in Films,  Premium

    Costume, Colour and Semiotics of Heathers

    4 Oct ’13 /

    Filmmaker and costume designer Sophie Black recounts her personal interpretation of Heathers, a film defined by vivid visual interpretation. It is just a coincidence that the first time I saw Michael Lehmann’s Heathers (1988) was within hours of the first time I saw David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986), and I immediately made comparisons between the two films which I may have not noticed otherwise. More people are quick to compare Heathers to the work of Tim Burton, because of the associates he had on the film (producer Denise Di Novi and star Winona Ryder, to name but two) and the fact that the candy-coloured suburban setting mirrors that of Edward…

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    Lord Christopher Laverty 1 Comment

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    Dual Analysis: Beetle Juice – KB’s Thoughts

    31 Oct ’09

    Reading Costume Design in No Country for Old Men

    5 Apr ’13

    Wall Street: Michael Douglas’ Gekko Shirt

    6 Apr ’10
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