Clothes on Film

Meg Ryan in Proof of Life: Hopeless Hippie

Chris Laverty — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:38:53 +0000

In Proof of Life (2000), a kidnap thriller set in fictional South American country Tecala, Meg Ryan plays Alice Bowman, one of the least convincing hippies ever committed to film. On Alice, hippie seems like a passing trend rather than a lifestyle choice.

Meg Ryan’s costumes are a mix of sarong skirts with embroidery, cotton vests, tie-dyed t-shirts, big belts, linen shirts, waist cincher, leather jacket, waistcoat, sandals, even a matelot sweater. Add in a $300 hairdo with a generous application of lip gloss and Alice Bowman, all in all, looks pretty fresh considering her husband has been trapped in captivity, or quite possibly dead, for several months.

Proof of Life makes a big hurrah of Alice’s culinary skills. To accentuate her ‘earth mother’ credentials Alice spends considerable time in the kitchen, though apparently not cooking much for anyone or eating a great deal herself (she prefers supporting the faceless tobacco corporations).

For Alice, trawling the local food markets with her straw bag, instructing her Hispanic maid to barter for ingredients she can’t pronounce herself is what hippie life is all about. Dreamily drifting from Guavas to Tamarind – this is her Wonderland.

Just a fleeting glance at Alice, her clothes, hair and make-up, and it is clear she is a woman playing hippie (a ‘hippy’?). Interestingly despite Meg Ryan’s uniform look, hippie fashion bears little relation to consistency. Pigeon-holed from the early 1960s to early 70′s, hippie continued well into the disco era for some locales (namely California) and has hung around there ever since (again, California).

Hippie was anti-fashion; t was about dropping out and nose thumbing the establishment. Though for most hippies any thumbing would likely have been conducted from a horizontal position while puffing on a herbal smoke. Re. women the look often comprised denim flares, long skirts, chunky knitwear, flowers, scarves, very little make-up – it was a vibe more than anything else.

Denim was also popular for male hippies, along with Kurta shirts in linen or cotton and ex-army desert boots. There was a lot of crossover between the sexes; faded bell bottom jeans in particular were often unisex. Hippie clothes were purchased from markets either second hand or homemade. The idea was to be as relaxed and close to nature as possible.

Alice at least gets those skirts right. Also tie-dye is an accurate touch. A waist cincher though? Are real hippies that concerned with form? The problem too is that her outfits do not appear remotely used. Alice looks as though she’s recently had a spend up at Monsoon.

It is entirely possible that Proof of Life’s costume designer, the talented and normally spot-on Ruth Myers wanted to push Ryan as far from ‘girl next door’ type as possible. Or else Alice’s pseudo-bohemianism was written as such in the script?

Maybe this is who Alice really is, a phony? She certainly dresses like one, a supposed nonconformist in pristine pretty ethnic tops and a leather jacket so new you can practically hear it squeaking.

Inception: Jeffrey Kurland Costume Q&A

Chris Laverty — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:21:01 +0000

Perhaps the most mind-churning mainstream film of recent years, Inception is testament to the power of great costume design. Not only does it look sumptuous, thanks to all those 3 pc suits and silk ties, but because of costume designer Jeffrey Kurland and director Christopher Nolan’s commitment to clothing serving an implicit function, Inception is at least partially decipherable by what the characters wear. The screen is filled with costume clues to interpret.

Jeffrey Kurland has been costume designer on thirty seven feature films, including Ocean’s Eleven (2001) and Collateral (2004), though Inception is his first collaboration with Chris Nolan. Here he explains to Clothes on Film his sartorial choices for the movie and how they integrate with the story.

Clothes on Film, Chris: Was it your intention to give each character a signature look, e.g. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur in 3pc suits, or Ellen Page’s Ariadne nearly always wearing patterned silk neck scarves?

Jeffrey Kurland: I set out, as I always do, to design all of the costumes for Inception to best serve the emotional and physical needs of each of the characters.

If a signature look for each character emerged, it was not through a pre-designated plan but through the physical development of that character.

The costumes, i.e. the suits, coats, dresses, etc in Inception were all designed by Jeffrey Kurland. They were made to order.

COF: The first time we see Marion Cotillard as Mal she is encircled in an angular upturned collar, somewhat like a wicked witch. What was the purpose behind her look and how did it evolve throughout the story?

JK: When we are first introduced to Mal we wanted to stir the audience’s curiosity with a sense of mystery. As the film proceeds we find that Mal is femme fatale, mother, wife, architect and the emotional center of Cobb’s world. All of these character traits combined became the basis for her character’s design and palette.

The fabrics for all the costumes, including the majority of ties, were collected from many sources both in the United States and abroad.

COF: How much does costume reflect the inner machinations of the plot, particularly in a film such as Inception? For example, Cobb’s children are wearing the same clothes at the end of the story as they are in his dream ‘memory’ throughout the film. Is there something to be interpreted here?

JK: Costume design reflects greatly on the movement of the plot, most significantly through character development. Character development is at the forefront of costume design. The characters move the story along and with the director and the actor the costume designer helps to set the film’s emotional tone in a visual way. In a more physical sense the costumes’ style and color help to keep the story on track, keeping a check on time and place.

On to the second part of your question, the children’s clothing is different in the final scene … look again…

Each costume was cut and assembled by talented artisans: tailor Dennis Kim, dressmaker Mary Ellen Fields of Hargate Costumes, shirt maker ANTO Beverly Hills, and an army of seamstresses and finishers. Ager dyers and fabric specialists added to the mix.

COF: The male characters’ suiting is very up to date, even forward thinking, such as the peaked lapels on Ken Watanabe’s single breasted suit, or the Nehru collar and popper studs of Michael Caine’s shirt. Was your intention to create a pseudo-futuristic vibe?

JK: Not wanting to date the film, I was trying to create an upscale world of business and intrigue with architecture being a constant metaphorical thread running throughout… definitely forward thinking, without being futuristic. That enabled me to travel from reality to dreams and back, keeping a certain amount of stylization that would serve all the situations presented in the script.

Most of the footwear for the film was purchased, although some of the shoes were custom made.

COF: Ken Watanabe as Saito wears a Nagajuban under his lounge jacket at one point, a subtle blurring of East and Western culture. How detailed was your research into Asian dress traditions?

JK: I did research traditional Japanese dress thoroughly, knowing that I wanted that influence in Saito’s first costume. The scene being in a mysterious and unidentifiable place was the perfect setting to introduce a highlighted reality. Being a powerful Japanese businessman in what was eventually revealed to be a dream; I wanted to show an adherence to and a respect for the old, but still showcasing him as contemporary and cutting edge.

Tom Hardy’s watch as Eames was an antique piece.

COF: How involved was director Christopher Nolan in how the characters should dress?

JK: Director Chris Nolan was very involved, and extremely collaborative in every aspect of this film and its look. His fingerprint is everywhere. Happily, the costumes were no exception.

COF: What was the significance of Arthur and Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Cobb both wearing leather jackets for the initial ‘Inception’ sequence?

JK: Arthur’s character was a cab driver in this dream and Cobb’s character was a kidnapper/thug. To be true to the scene and convincing to Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy’s character), they were dressed accordingly. Their leather jackets were different in fit and style but still kept a cohesive look respecting the architect and the dream.

In an early scene Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur wears a green raincoat. This was an original design by Jeffrey Kurland.

COF: How important was your use of colour and texture in the film, particularly with regards to the high quality 65 mm shooting format showing up every detail?

JK: All of the costumes and the fabrications for Inception were carefully chosen for their texture, patterns, and colors. Each character had a palette that was symbiotic with their character and style. I especially enjoyed working with director of photography Wally Pfister whose light and shadows complimented and defined the patterns and colors in the costumes.

With thanks to Jeffrey Kurland.

Jeffrey is currently working on Captain America: The First Avenger with Anna B. Sheppard, due for release on 22nd July, 2011.

Double Feature: The Young Victoria – Maggie’s Thoughts

Maggie — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:18:50 +0000

Part two of a new Double Feature film review with Maggie from The Costumer’s Guide.

The Young Victoria was a costume flick I’d been looking forward to ever since the first promo pics came out. This is for several reasons – one is that I’d read some great historical fiction about the young Victoria by Jean Plaidy. (She’s got a great reputation as a writer and I think she really captures Victoria and her life. If you’re interested, they are The Captive of Kensington Palace, The Queen and Lord M, The Queen’s Husband, and The Widow of Windsor).

But we’re talking costumes. A second reason I was looking forward to this movie was that Sandy Powell was the costume designer. While I didn’t love The Other Boleyn Girl, I will always adore Shakespeare in Love. I always enjoy seeing what Sandy Powell will do next. Also, my friend Jane Law created some of the costumes for the movie.

The last reason I was looking forward to this movie is that I’d recently become a little more knowledgeable about 1830s and 40s fashion. Some friends and I have attended a Poe event in Baltimore a few times in 1840s outfits:

…and a few of us also did 1830s costumes for SalonCon. So now I know more than I did – and I’ve learned to appreciate this sort of under appreciated/unfamiliar period. Lots of people are familiar with the 1850s/60s/Civil War look – or Jane Austen, or Bustles. But not many know the 1830s or 40s.

The 1830s were great fun – they had exaggerated poofy sleeves and wide shoulders (which I feel like we saw echos of in the 80s, particularly in the form of prom dresses)…and they had really cool hair dos:

My friend’s fabulous 1830s hair and gown:

I prefer the late 1830s look which has less exaggerated shoulders, less poofy upper sleeves:

This is a great transitional look which takes us into the 1840s, and which is an era I actually do quite like. The 1840s saw pointier waists, sloped shoulders, a bell-shaped skirt, and hair-dos that weren’t quite as ‘out there’ – usually braids or curls on the side and a bun in back.

The bottom line is these are periods you don’t often see done in big movies – and to see it done so well, as it was in The Young Victoria, was awesome. The 1830s hair was perfect. Victoria’s mother was always sporting some weird up-do that was terrifically period (check Mom out in the green dress HERE as well as some of the other guests).

To contrast this, when Victoria had 1830s hair, they made it look pretty. In fact, this is one of my favorite looks in the film. Which is saying something because I’m not a huge 1830s fan.) Also I think I had a prom dress that looked like this – in pink:

The other thing that made me really really happy was that they did the underwear right too! Corded petticoats! In the 1830s/40s, they weren’t wearing hoops yet – they wore petticoats that had rows of cording in them to make them stand out and have body to them:

You can see Victoria’s corded petticoat several times. That detail made me really happy. Also, how much do I love the period square toed shoes?

Her real wedding shoes:

Some of the movie gowns are copies of real gowns that Victoria wore. I interviewed Jane Law about the work she and her team did on The Young Victoria and she talked a bit about the movie costumes they copied from the real thing:

“Her ‘Privy Council’ dress…it was black but the original has faded to a tan colour. You don’t see much of the detail on film because it is black! Her wedding dress…sadly, the Honiton lace flounce has been removed from the skirt, Victoria was very frugal and she often used pretty trimmings again. It still remains on the neckline and sleeves, though. The court train, trimmed with apple blossom has been lost but there are paintings. A delicious confection, only glimpsed, in the film! And her velvet and ermine [not real] coronation robes, again, glimpsed!”

Here is the real Coronation dress:

Movie dress:

Real wedding dress:

Movie dress:

Now, onto the actual movie…

The other thing to love about the 1830s are the sometimes slightly garish prints and colors. And Victoria’s mother is always slightly garish looking. She’s often in bright colors, oranges, turquoises, acid greens. Big jewelry. Victoria is in pale blue, delicate, like a doll – and they actually call her that at one point.

Victoria’s mother really contrasts with her – their colors are completely clashing in palette.

During Victoria and Albert’s first meeting, Albert is very stiff. His costume reflects that – it’s very buttoned up and structured.

As Victoria gets a little older, she’s not in pale blue as much, but she’s still in pale colors. At her grandfather’s birthday dinner, she’s in a sort of pale yellow/green. And it has a layer of net over the skirt which also mutes that yellow color. Again, note the 1830s hair on the guests in this scene – and that they make it look pretty on Victoria:

She does still have a lot of grays in her wardrobe. She rewears this lovely gray/blue dress several times:

After the King’s birthday she wears gray, with a touch of pink:

A lot of her gowns have this pale blue/gray or beige with pink color scheme:

When the King dies, Victoria obviously wears black for mourning. The privy council dress Jane Law referred to is really lovely – it’s too bad some of the detail is lost. The sheer bonnet with ribbons is really lovely too. According to an internet friend who talked to Mela Hoyt-Haden (who has done millinery for various movies); the bonnets in this movie are dead on authentic except for “the black one”, which may be this one to which I am referring:

She wears that black gown for a large portion of the movie before moving on to a gray/purple gown – could that be considered half mourning?

Moving on in the film, we get to her coronation. Victoria washes her dog afterwards – still wearing this gown, which shows an interesting disregard for appearance/fashion.

Her first dance as queen is the first time we see her in a bright color – bright gold with red touches. This is the same color scheme as her coronation gown/robe. After the ball, she is in a red jacket.

…while Victoria’s mother sports a whole lotta feathers in her hair:

Can I make a note about casting here? I really loved it. Emily Blunt is terrific, but I was particularly taken with Albert. He’s so wonderful at keeping that outer reserve while letting you know that things are going on under the surface. He’s very sweet and this moving personality made me love him.

We see him after this (as he waits impatiently for Victoria to write) looking more ruffled, less buttoned-down. He races down the stairs practically disheveled – and not wearing a coat. A great contrast to their first meeting.

Moving on, Victoria is in pinks and grays/beiges again. This wonderful Strawberry dress for example:

And the striped pink/gray. This one I think:

I made a list of scenes wherein she wears this color palette of beiges, pinks, and grays (a threat to the queen, a letter from her mother, Albert visits again, the proposal – for which she wears the Strawberry gown again). The exception is a bright blue dressing gown.

Next is the wedding dress, and a lovely 1840s riding habit:

Trouble within the marriage has Victoria wearing the only dark color she has since mourning for the King – dark green. For her pregnancy announcement, she’s in dark rose – still pinks. And for her confrontation wtih Sir John, dark green again:

For the piano concert, dark purple – still darker hues. She’s older now, more experienced, less of a doll; she’s becoming a stronger queen, and is at odds with Albert. This outfit is much more 1840s – the puffy sleeves are gone and it’s got that dropped waist:

For her argument with Albert, again the richer hues – and her darkest outfit yet – dark green jacket and a dark plaid.

Here I have to interrupt and say that Albert was never shot. There indeed were several assassination attempts, but Albert was never shot. In 1849, Victoria was shot at. And in 1850, she was actually injured when she was assaulted by a crazy person wielding a can, which crushed her bonnet and bruised her. But let me say it again – Albert was never shot. Having said that – making that up did work for the story – but I had a hard time with it because IT NEVER HAPPENED.

Following the assassination attempt, Victoria is in dark green and dark plaids again. After she has her first baby, she’s in red and green, but darker color. She and her mother seem to attempt a reconciliation – and in this scene her mother is more muted and their colors nearly match, or at least compliment each other:

At the end of the movie, Victoria wears this bright blue dress:

Blue is the color she started out in – but this a more mature blue, which shows how far she’s come from the child/doll she was.

Maggie is editor of The Padawan’s Guide and The Costumer’s Guide (where this article is also published).

Double Feature Review: The Young Victoria – Chris’ Thoughts

Chris Laverty — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:05:12 +0000

So here we go, our first Double Feature film review with Maggie from The Costumer’s Guide. First up, Chris from Clothes on Film gives his thoughts on The Young Victoria:

While it ticks all the boxes of what many deem to be a typical costume drama, e.g. upper class backdrop, domestic intrigue, suppressed lust, elaborate sets and, of course, costumes, The Young Victoria (2009) is a more valid commentary on the burden of extreme wealth and duty as barrier to happiness. The film is not always successful, as director Jean-Marc Vallée generally prioritises flair over feeling, though a committed and engaging central romance kept lively by screenwriter Julian Fellowes pulls the story on through.

Most unusual about young Alexandrina Victoria (played by Emily Blunt) for a girl of the time is how much she disliked clothes. This is not to imply Her Majesty would have preferred to run around naked, but she did find the routine and formality of her garments suffocating – with all those tight laced corsets, perhaps literally as well as figuratively. The Young Victoria does a good job in establishing this as a source of her malcontent throughout.

There is an insightful scene when Victoria is forewarning Albert (Rupert Friend) by letter of her impending duties as new Queen. She is being fitted into a gown, a typically luxurious silk and frills affair, while looking positively bored by the process.

Victoria is acutely aware that clothes were a source of her fragility; try to imagine carrying a priceless vase around all day that you were terrified of dropping. Daintiness, certainly throughout those teenage years, made her weak in the male gaze. It is perhaps no coincidence that Victoria’s strongest displays of independence, such as refusing to sign the Regency order and subsequent bucking of the ’Kensington System’ occur when she is in flimsy linen nightwear.

Rather wittily towards the end of the movie, Emily Blunt’s costume and hair begins to resemble the customary, stoic image of Queen Victoria as she tends to be remembered today. This is a sly visual ploy as history books often reprint the photograph of the Queen on her sixty sixth birthday more than any other, even though by the time the film finishes proper she is not out of her twenties. What a lot of people may not realise about Victoria is how happy she was in those early years; blissfully in love with her husband and eventually giving birth to nine children.

Despite The Young Victoria being a ‘spectacle piece’, rather surprisingly Sandy Powell’s lavish and detailed costume work is hardly oversold. Vallée frames many of his shots obscuring one side of the foreground with a blurred silhouette. He rarely pulls wide except for location establishing and even then only momentarily. This results in some costumes being only briefly glimpsed (as with the coronation robe) or barely at all (the wedding dress).

With emphasis on the film’s central protagonist, those outfits we can see are a succession of familiar themed walking and morning dresses, fairly simply adorned, sometimes incorporating a wide shawl collar but always with the same puffed sleeves, either from upper arm to just beneath the elbow or just under the elbow to the wrist. The reason for their relative similarity is simple: the real Queen Victoria generally had several dresses made from same pattern in different colours, again expressing her blatant disinterest with the ritual of fashion.

Two pieces that stand out as particularly memorable are worn for evening social events. First a scoop neck gold dress at the Windsor ball and later a rich yellow gown festooned with red flowers for her waltz with Albert. In the former she sashays into the hall with mindful eyes scrutinising her every move. One of the guests even likens her to a “pretty butterfly”, though this is undoubtedly not intended as a compliment.

Victoria’s waltz dress with its wildly decorative décolletage draws more favourable gasps. Still ornamental but now in control, Victoria literally glides into the room, her sleeves quivering like tiny wings. Frankly this gliding motion (on a dolly) is overly literal and unnecessary. Blunt’s graceful though slightly awkward footsteps would have been sufficient. We understand; here the Queen was happy, as light as air.

Following the death of King William IV (Jim Broadbent) and before she is crowned Queen, Victoria is in mourning attire, as was customary for the royal household. This shows how costume, specifically colour, can alter the tone of a movie – at least until Victoria’s triumphant skip that marks the beginning of the rest of her life (though arguably the most tumultuous part). There is an obvious melancholy that comes with black, though during the Victorian era this colour was perfectly acceptable for everyday and evening wear. The toil and grime typical for most folk of the time probably demanded it.

Point of fact, The Young Victoria would have benefited from reaching further down into the class system. A story that journeyed deep into the black heart of Whitechapel in addition to the brightly lit corridors of Buckingham Palace would have given an original spin on the genre and helped encourage empathy for the main protagonist.

However as most of us will never get to be, or even meet royalty; Julian Fellowes should be commended for how comfortably we can relate to them. Sir John Conroy (Mark Strong) helps as a primary source of Victoria’s antagonism. Who at some stage in their life has not had a pushy, malevolent figure or institution ‘guiding’ their decisions? A writer of costume drama must understand how to wring emotion from a world that has largely buried such feeling under pomp and ceremony.

With so much attention paid to the grandness of her costume contribution, Sandy Powell has received little praise for when she removes most of it from the screen. Queen Victoria is relaxed when unencumbered by dress, almost a different person. Although to the uninitiated, Victorian under-garments may look like a lot of white silk and linen, Powell pays mind to minor details.

Victoria’s delicate stockings, for example; it was not unusual for two layers to be worn by upper class women during the 19th century, silk over cashmere. Contrasted with their buttoned-up public facade, these snippets of virtually undressed intimacy between her and the Prince are shocking, and far sexier than blatant bodice ripping, too.

For the men of the story, essentially royalty, aristocrats and politicians, it is significant how closely their clothes resemble ‘modern dress’, i.e. what we are used to wearing throughout the past 150 years or so. Thanks primarily to Beau Brummell’s influence, that renowned Regency trendsetter; men were donning far more sombre attire during the Victoria era. Brummell was a dandy, but contrary to popular belief that did not mean he was a man of fancy, quite the opposite in fact. He wore plain clothes with no ruffs, frills, stockings or effeminacy of any sort. Although he did reputedly spend six hours grooming every morning, as sombre and immaculate apparently went hand in hand.

Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne’s (Paul Bettany) long, fitted black frock coat, grey stock and slim trousers accurately illustrates male clothing of the period. As a younger man with responsibility he is professionally but fashionably attired. Some of the older gentlemen in the film still wear caped great-coats serving as symbolic refusal to change. Victoria was the youngest reigning monarch in British history and these men did not like it. Also, note Melbourne’s tall top hat when he is riding in the Queen’s carriage. It has been suggested that the height of a man’s hat during this time equated to his social standing.

Albert’s clothes are cheerier than the majority of the male cast. In the context of the narrative this is his role, to bring light and joy into Victoria’s life. This idea also makes the Prince more accessible for the audience, our ‘way in’ if you like. His respect and compassion for the Queen’s subjects gives him heart, though unfortunately not strength enough to survive a suspected bout of typhoid fever which ended his life in 1861 at just 42 years of age.

One outfit of Queen Victoria’s that this movie practically fails to feature at all is her wedding dress. This must have been frustrating to Sandy Powell as there appears to be no obvious reason why. Not only is it a beautiful, trailing gown of cream satin and Honiton lace, it is also heavily symbolic, first of the Queen’s pure and undying love for Albert and second of a resurgence in public opinion. The dress was heavily emulated by Victorian brides and brought about a considerable boost to the Devon lace making industry. Quite why it receives such scant attention in the film is a mystery.

Thankfully there is one final costume treat during the last act, albeit a brief one: Victoria’s riding ensemble. Just glimpsed, really, but faithfully reproduced from head to toe. A quite ludicrous combination of formality and supposed function, this all over black ‘sporting garment’ is clearly recognisable from costume plates of the era. All credit to Emily Blunt that in the proceeding scene she actually manages to make this outfit alluring, although a romantic downpour has laid some of the groundwork first.

Despite The Young Victoria failing to shine as one the true greats of costume cinema, bolstered by an emotional script, believable acting and elegant presentation, it remains an immensely watchable effort.

A sweet irony occurs during its final moments, too, one that sums up what we have learned about Queen Victoria, her emotional resolve and integrity. After the Prince has died she continues to have his clothes laid out on a daily basis. Now, we know from a previous scene concerning the deceased King’s dinner service this is not necessarily something that would have pleased Albert; in his eyes it would have been wasteful. Yet this was Victoria, she was his wife as well as his Queen; he did not have a say in the matter.

Read Maggie from The Costumer’s Guide’s thoughts HERE.