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Deena Appel on the Costume Design of Austin Powers: Goldmember
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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Beautiful Oppression: Tilda Swinton in I am Love
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…
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Contemporary Costume: Where Have the Aloha Shirts Gone?
While science-fiction and period costume can sell to collectors at auction for tens of thousands of dollars, the future of contemporary costume from the contemporary drama, comedy and thriller genres is unclear. Costumes from films set in the modern age are not valued as highly. Sourced from costume houses, high-street stores, and even actor’s own wardrobes, these pieces could be lost for good for future generations of collectors and fans if current mentality doesn’t change. Contemporary costume, even from popular movies, is surprisingly hard to trace. What has happened to George Clooney’s Aloha shirts from The Descendants? The film’s costume designer Wendy Chuck isn’t sure. “I have no idea where…
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About Time to Dress Upper Middle Class
SPOILERS Despite all the hoo-ha over films such as Blue Jasmine and Stoker contemporary is still pretty much overlooked as a form of costume design. If it’s invisible, well, nobody notices it, and if it’s designer it becomes all about ‘the fashion’ (OMG TOTES WANT THOSE SHOES). We are currently in an age when costume design means period and sci-fi. It comes to the extent that if a costumer wants to tell a story through contemporary attire, he/she needs either a director with a key grasp of semiotics, or one that doesn’t care less about semiotics and offers a degree of autonomy. Watching About Time we presume that Richard Curtis…
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Sandra Bullock in The Proposal: Small Wardrobe, Big Impact
With exclusive insight from costume designer Catherine Marie Thomas, we analyse Sandra Bullock’s low volume, big impact wardrobe in The Proposal.
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Winter’s Bone: Rebecca Hofherr Interview
Costume designer Rebecca Hofherr talks exclusively to Clothes on Film about her incredible contribution to Winter’s Bone.
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Noomi Rapace in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Playing computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander, Noomi Rapace embodies the character in such a way that picturing anyone else in the role is nearly impossible.
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Kate Hudson in Le Divorce: Love is in the Bag
Speaking exclusively to Clothes on Film, Le Divorce costume designer Carol Ramsey explains how a Hermès Kelly can be elevated from status symbol to character.
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Black Swan International Trailer is Beautiful
The international trailer for Black Swan brings anticipation to the max.
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Catfish – Not a Review
Despite having watched Catfish at the Leeds International Film Festival, you will find no review of it here.
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Black Swan Images = Costume Heaven
We have it on good authority that Black Swan is ‘spectacular’ so here are some striking images to get you in ‘that place’.
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A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010: Costume Designer Talks Iconic Sweater
Costume designer Mari-An Ceo talks about the re-design of Freddy Kruger’s iconic striped sweater for a Nightmare on Elm Street 2010.
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