Clothes on Film

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

  • About, Editor and Contributors
  • Archive
  • Press
  • Ads
  • Contact
  • About, Editor and Contributors
  • Archive
  • Press
  • Ads
  • Contact

Socials

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • youtube
  • instagram
  • Clothes from 1960s,  Clothes from 2000-10,  Girls in Films,  Premium

    Beautiful Oppression: Tilda Swinton in I am Love

    5 Jun ’15 /

    From stills of this film alone you could easily be forgiven in thinking that I am Love (Io sono l’amore, 2009) was set during the 1960s. The designer clothes draped worn by lead members of the Recchi family, as selected by costumer Antonella Cannarozzi, are generally minimalist, in plain colours with little embellishment. I am Love is actually set in Europe around 2000, but its central characters are trapped as the well-heeled repressed of the sixties. Just as sexual, artistic and cultural expression was blossoming, the old guard struggled to make sense of this new world so regressed even more vehemently into their old one. The Recchi’s seem to live…

    read more
    Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on Beautiful Oppression: Tilda Swinton in I am Love

    You May Also Like

    Quadrophenia: Mod Girl Wearing Stockings

    20 May ’09

    Two For the Road: Audrey Hepburn’s outfits – Part 1

    8 Jun ’09

    Review: Norwegian Wood

    27 May ’11
  • Guys in Films

    The Fabric of Film: Tough Guy Wear

    16 Apr ’15 /

    In honour of The Times’ film critic Kevin Maher’s list of iconic movie rebels, we take a look at what it truly takes to make a tough guy in cinema. What constitutes a tough guy, as in ‘man’, on film is usually a traditional interpretation of masculinity. There is always room for the sensitive hero in a sweater and slacks, but for those who watch movies as ingrained wish fulfilment, the sexy and sweaty man’s man needs suitable attire to reflect his personality. But it is not just about the garments themselves. A jacket is a jacket, but a leather jacket is a symbol. A wax jacket on the other…

    read more
    Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on The Fabric of Film: Tough Guy Wear

    You May Also Like

    Black Swan: Amy Westcott Interview

    28 Jan ’11

    Some Pics From Toy Story 3: Safari Ken

    25 May ’10

    UK Film Review: The Road

    19 Nov ’09
  • 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…

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

    You May Also Like

    Ghostbusters: Sigourney Weaver’s Cape Coat

    15 Sep ’09

    American Gigolo: Armani Gere

    5 May ’12

    Style Icon of the Season: Cousin Eddie in Christmas Vacation

    18 Dec ’13
  • Clothes from 1970s,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Premium

    From Bum to Italian Stallion: Sylvester Stallone as Rocky

    22 Apr ’14 /

    In the very opening scene of Rocky (1976, costume designer Robert Cambel), we see the title character in the ring, bare chested, hands encased in boxing gloves, the picture of sporting violence and masculinity. But this is no more than a surface assumption. Not two minutes later, we see Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) shrug on his faded brown towelling dressing gown, with “The Italian Stallion” embroidered on the back, and things start to shift. This is not a macho film concerned with the fight alone, but an exploration of masculinity in all its guises – the assumptions, the pretence and the reality. Clothes play an important part in this, both…

    read more
    Lord Christopher Laverty Comments Off on From Bum to Italian Stallion: Sylvester Stallone as Rocky

    You May Also Like

    From Tailors with Love Podcast: Discussing the Tom Ford Look

    24 Jan ’20

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

    26 Apr ’13

    Dark Shadows Trailer: Campy, Period Blending Costume Fun

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

    Realism through Identity: Clothing in The Last of Us

    30 Nov ’13 /

    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…

    read more
    Lord Christopher Laverty 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    New Tron Legacy Banners Bring the Costumes

    17 Sep ’10

    The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Teaser Trailer Hits

    15 Apr ’13

    Preview Tickets for Tron Legacy! Two Pairs to Give Away!

    22 Nov ’10
  • 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…

    read more
    Lord Christopher Laverty 1 Comment

    You May Also Like

    Behind the Candelabra: Wearing Liberace On Stage and Off

    31 May ’13

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

    29 Nov ’19

    Film Review: Dolores Claiborne

    6 Sep ’10
  • Clothes from 1970s,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Premium

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

    21 Mar ’13 /

    Meryl Streep’s timeless Burberry trench coat is one of the most recognisable contemporary costumes of 1970s.

    read more
    Lord Christopher Laverty 3 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Win a Limited Edition Scarface Blu-Ray + Scarf & Money Clip

    1 Sep ’11

    The Costuming of Joaquin Phoenix in Joker

    14 Oct ’19

    Mr Nice starring Rhys Ifans: Lots of Nice Photos

    14 Aug ’10
  • Clothes from 1920s,  Clothes from 1930s,  Guys in Films,  Interviews,  Premium

    Tom Hardy in Lawless: The Knitwear Anti-Hero

    21 Sep ’12 /

    Tom Hardy heralds dawning of the knitwear anti-hero. Margot Wilson discusses her use of the cardigan for Lawless.

    read more
    Lord Christopher Laverty 14 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Latest Trailer for The Great Gatsby: Fancy Clothes

    4 Apr ’13

    Review: The Artist

    25 Nov ’11

    Boardwalk Empire: Cometh the Dandiest Man

    28 Sep ’11
  • Clothes from 1950s,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Premium

    Doris Day in Pillow Talk: Couture Allure

    18 May ’12 /

    Doris Day’s last hurrah for 1950s fashion wearing some of the most exquisite costumes ever seen on screen.

    read more
    Lord Christopher Laverty 8 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Grease: Stockard Channing as Rizzo

    17 Aug ’09

    Shifting Trends: Claire Foy in First Man

    25 Oct ’18

    The Look of Love: Q&A with Costume Designer Stephanie Collie

    29 Aug ’13
  • Clothes from 1990s,  Guys in Films,  Interviews,  Premium

    Reservoir Dogs: Gangster Silhouette

    2 Apr ’12 /

    Betsy Heimann chats exclusively about one of the most iconic costumes of the 1990s.

    read more
    Lord Christopher Laverty 3 Comments

    You May Also Like

    T2 Trainspotting: Nostalgia Trip

    6 Feb ’17

    Film Review: Dolores Claiborne

    6 Sep ’10

    Basic Instinct: Sharon Stone, Devil in a White Dress

    22 Feb ’11
  • Clothes from 1980s,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Premium

    Style & Identity in Do the Right Thing

    17 Feb ’12 /

    Ruth E. Carter’s work on Do the Right Thing is a masterclass in how costume can influence the look and feel of a film.

    read more
    Contributor 6 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Anchorman 2 Trailer: Ron and Friends Meet the 80’s

    19 Jun ’13

    Cinema Paradiso: Invisible Costume

    9 Feb ’15

    Mr Nice starring Rhys Ifans: Lots of Nice Photos

    14 Aug ’10
  • Clothes from now,  Girls in Films,  Guys in Films,  Premium

    Crazy, Stupid, Love: Suits and 407s

    27 Jan ’12 /

    Crazy, Stupid Love is every inch the ‘fashion film’, both in terms of narrative and costume designer Dayna Pink’s elegant menswear styling.

    read more
    Lord Christopher Laverty 3 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Brigsby Bear: Interview with Suit Creators Stoopid Buddy Stoodios

    28 Jul ’17

    Costume Clues Reveal All in The Cabin in the Woods

    14 Dec ’12

    Why is Miss Piggy Wearing a Vivienne Westwood Wedding Dress?

    11 Feb ’14
 Older Posts