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 2000-10,  Clothes from Fantasy & Sci-fi,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Interviews

    Inception Revisited with Costume Designer Jeffrey Kurland

    17 Jul ’20 /

    We revisit sci-fi classic Inception a decade after its release with MVP, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland.

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    New Burlesque Trailer? Corset Is

    21 Oct ’10

    Contemporary Costume: Where Have the Aloha Shirts Gone?

    20 Jun ’14

    Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2: No Vegas, Baby

    14 Dec ’09
  • Clothes from 1970s,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Interviews

    Troop Zero: It’s Birdie Time

    20 Jan ’20 /

    We chat to costume designer Caroline Eselin-Schaefer about her work on terrific new Amazon comedy, Troop Zero.

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    Rush Trailer: Olivia Wilde Looks Sensational in 70’s Costume

    26 Apr ’13

    Argo Buy a Sports Jacket: The Thinking Man’s Hero Attire

    16 Nov ’12

    Free Fire: Interview with Costume Designer Emma Fryer

    31 Mar ’17
  • Clothes from 1960s,  Clothes from 1970s,  Clothes from 2000-10,  Interviews

    Deena Appel on the Costume Design of Austin Powers: Goldmember

    9 Oct ’18 /

    Goldmember (2002, directed by Jay Roach), the final film (so far) in the Austin Powers series again shifts its timeline. However, rather than a negligible, though comparatively significant, jump from late to very late 1960s, here we dive into that most raucous of decades – the 1970s. And then back to 2002 (do keep up). For costume designer Deena Appel (pictured above, bottom left with Jay Roach) it was a wildly ambitious undertaking. Not to mention the film also features a well-known music and movie star, just about to launch into the stratosphere: Beyoncé. Speaking exclusively to Clothes on Film and closing out our epic in-depth look at the Austin…

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    Mad Men Season 6 Premiere: Approaching the 1970s

    11 Apr ’13

    Review: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

    8 Dec ’09

    Mad Men: John Slattery in a Double Breasted Suit (S2)

    16 Mar ’11
  • Clothes from 1960s,  Clothes from 1990s,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Interviews

    Deena Appel on Creating the Costume World of The Spy Who Shagged Me

    2 Oct ’18 /

    The second installment (part one HERE) of our extensive interview with Austin Powers trilogy costume designer Deena Appel, this time focusing on The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999, again directed by Jay Roach). Things change up in The Spy Who Shagged Me, for in addition to costuming the modern and swinging sixties world of Austin Powers, his character also travels to 1969, i.e. the ‘hippie era’. The first film was a tremendous success and Appel’s contribution solidified her as the only person who could return to costume this fabulous, vibrant landscape. Speaking exclusively to Clothes on Film, and providing never before seen or published costume sketches from the movie, Deena…

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    The Suits of Lee Marvin in Point Blank (1967)

    2 Sep ’19

    Two For the Road: Audrey Hepburn’s outfits – Part 2

    30 Jun ’09

    2001 and Hardy Amies: When Fashion and Film Collide

    21 Dec ’12
  • Clothes from 1960s,  Clothes from 1990s,  Clothes from Fantasy & Sci-fi,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Interviews,  Premium

    Deena Appel on the Costume Design of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

    25 Sep ’18 /

    With Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), costume designer Deena Appel created one of the most iconic screen looks of all time. That is no overstatement; Austin Powers has been copied and homaged and wheeled out every year as a Halloween costume, with very little credit put Appel’s way. It is a rather sad indictment of how the industry works that, despite its importance, especially in a film such as Austin Powers, a costume designer will rarely see any kudos come their way. Awards? Well, you might have a chance if your film is set in Victorian England or Disney-verse, but other than that not so much. With this…

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    Dual Analysis: Rosemary’s Baby – KB’s Thoughts

    8 Jan ’10

    Get on Up: Sharen Davis Shares Costume Design Sketches

    9 Dec ’14

    Art of Rosemary’s Baby

    7 Mar ’11
  • Clothes from Fantasy & Sci-fi,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Interviews

    The Last Jedi: Interview with Costume Designer Michael Kaplan

    24 Dec ’17 /

    MINOR SPOILERS There are already lots of good interviews with Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) costume designer Michael Kaplan on the internet (we recommend this one in particular), so for Clothes on Film we kept it brief and fresh. We caught up with Kaplan, who is also responsible for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Trek (2009), Fight Club (1999) and Blade Runner (1982), for a little chat about what’s new for episode 8 of the ever evolving space saga. Clothes on Film: Let’s kick off by asking you about the best new costume in the film, the Elite Praetorian Guard… Michael Kaplan: They are my favourite costumes…

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    Eiko Ishioka Has Died

    30 Jan ’12

    Latest Man of Steel Trailer: The Dark Suit in Action

    17 Apr ’13

    Clash of The Titans Teaser Trailer Hits and Hits Hard

    11 Nov ’09
  • Clothes from 1837-1919,  Girls on TV,  Guys on TV,  Interviews,  Premium

    Homecoming: Betsy Heimann on Costuming Godless

    15 Dec ’17 /

    MINOR SPOILERS At a pivotal juncture during the Fathers & Sons episode of Godless (2017), the camera tracks into a pink ribbon tied on the back of young woman’s hair; a woman who is suffering from the onset symptoms of smallpox and unlikely to find recovery. Later in the episode we pan across dozens of freshly dug but unnamed graves each with it’s own crucifix. We don’t see the woman again, but on one of the crucifixes is tied a pink ribbon. Such is the power of even the slightest costume and accessory details in Godless, the narrative is informed by their very presence. Costume designer for Godless was Betsy…

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    The Lighthouse: All Hail a High Waist Trouser

    4 Feb ’20

    Oz the Great and Powerful: Costume Interview with Gary Jones

    5 Jul ’13

    The Alienist: Costume Featurette Provides Glimpse into Gilded Style

    26 Apr ’18
  • Clothes from 1930s,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Interviews,  Premium

    Murder on the Orient Express: Interview with Costume Designer Alexandra Byrne

    2 Nov ’17 /

    Clothes on Film were fortunate enough to be invited to a display of costumes from the latest adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express (2017), plus interview its costume designer Alexandra Byrne. An Oscar winner for Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2008), and well known for her period design work, since 2011 Byrne has become connected to the world of Marvel, her most recent project being Doctor Strange in 2016. Here she chats candidly about recreating the (mainly) glamorous side of the early 1930s and the challenges that faced her and her team. Alexandra Byrne on shooting in 70 mm: “Director Ken (Branagh) and I did Hamlet (1996) together which was…

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    Kate Winslet in Mildred Pierce: Sex and the Housedress

    1 Jul ’11

    Review: The King’s Speech

    19 Jan ’11

    Monica Bellucci as Malèna: Beauty, Black and Heels

    26 Aug ’11
  • Clothes from Fantasy & Sci-fi,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Interviews

    Beauty and the Beast: Q&A with Jacqueline Durran

    12 Apr ’17 /

    There are already a lot of excellent interviews with Oscar winning Beauty and the Beast costume designer Jacqueline Durran online, so with our limited communication we wanted to ask a little more about Belle’s (Emma Watson) day-to-day ensemble and the creation of Gaston’s attire (Luke Evans), arguably the closest character to his 1991 animated counterpart. Ms. Durran, currently hard at work on a new project, was kind enough to provide a few brief responses: Clothes on Film: How did you go about creating costumes for a computer generated Beast? Jacqueline Durran: When I first started prep on the movie the Beast was going to be a prosthetic beast. Had this…

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    All the Catching Fire Fashion Portraits in One Place

    9 Mar ’13

    Get Engaged by Twilight: A Merchandising Step Too Far?

    30 Apr ’10

    Doctor Who: Interview With Costume Designer Ray Holman

    9 Apr ’10
  • Clothes from 1970s,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Interviews

    Free Fire: Interview with Costume Designer Emma Fryer

    31 Mar ’17 /

    MILD SPOILERS Director Ben Wheatley’s latest, Free Fire, is set in Boston, 1978, but was actually shot in Brighton in 2015. Being as the plot revolves around ten characters involved in a one hour plus shoot-out inside a disused factory, from a sartorial point of view things get rather grubby. The film’s BAFTA nominated costume designer Emma Fryer has already worked with Wheatley on The ABCs of Death (2012) and A Field in England (2013) so is used to the way his stories tend to go bananas in the final reel. Free Fire unfolds practically in real time, which amps up the tension but allows for no mistake with costume.…

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    The Warriors: Leather Vest

    17 May ’09

    Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: Dressed Trailer

    1 Jul ’11

    Stockard Channing’s Yellow Dress in The Girl Most Likely To

    23 Nov ’10
  • Clothes from Fantasy & Sci-fi,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Interviews

    Beauty and the Beast at Central Saint Martins

    17 Mar ’17 /

    To tie-in with the release of Disney’s new live-action version of Beauty and Beast, the project’s Oscar winning costume designer Jacqueline Durran teamed up with students from Central Saint Martin’s college in London to reinterpret ensembles from the film. These are outfits designed in homage to Beauty and the Beast, taking specific elements here and there, a song, colour or concept and creating something entirely new. Whether these are fashion or art pieces is ultimately unclear – what stands out though is their reach beyond that of merely marketing a big movie. Just as an idea it would be fantastic to see more films promoting their costumes in this way.…

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    Brigbsy Bear: Interview with Costume Designer Sarah Mae Burton

    14 Aug ’17

    Costume Round Up: Flights of Fantasy

    10 Mar ’13

    Inception: Jeffrey Kurland – Follow Up Costume Q&A

    20 Aug ’10
  • Clothes from 1970s,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Interviews

    The Conjuring 2: Costume Q&A with Kristin Burke

    19 Jul ’16 /

    It was late November, 2016 when I visited the set of The Conjuring 2 (directed by James Wan). The reason I never wrote about it for Clothes on Film or anywhere else was because of my official role on the day: I was playing an extra (or background artist if you like) during the film’s Maida Vale pub scene. Specifically this is the moment when real life husband and wife paranormal investigator team, Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) meet with noted experts in their field to discuss the validity of their current case, aka the Enfield poltergeist. I made the finished cut, by the skin of my…

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    Argo: Interview with Costume Designer Jacqueline West

    16 Feb ’13

    Richard Burton is The Dandy Villain

    3 Apr ’20

    Film Review: Freebie and the Bean

    25 Jul ’09
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