The costume vault

Earlier this year I released my Part I of my Top 10 Film Costume Designs of the Decade list, which covered the number 10 spot all through the number 6 spot. Now (finally) ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, my number 5 through 1! 5. THE DRESSMAKER (Jocelyn Moorhouse, 2015). Costume Design by Marion Boyce and Margot Wilson. The Dressmaker is a story about lies, secrets, and fashion. It feels only natural then, that the movie, despite the tonal whiplash and overall weird storytelling choices, is blessed with a glorious Costume Design. The costumes here are not only eye candy but become an integral part of the story, the characters, and the film's themes. Indeed, such was the scope of the enterprise, costume-wise that they split the Costume Design into the hands of two different Designers. Marion Boyce did all the costumes regarding the townspeople, and Margot Wilson focussed only on the costumes for Winslet's character. The movie explores the true nature of people an...

Since the very inception of the character of Wonder Woman, in October 1941, her costumes have been a continuing flashpoint of controversy in the media; a common point for many female characters throughout the decades. And so, in order to celebrate this past  International Women's Day , and also to protest for the unforgivable snub of Lindy Hemming's Wonder Woman Costume Design at the Oscars, I wanted to dissect the Wonder Woman's costume and analyze it in relation to the trappings of costume design for a female character in fantasy. FEMALES IN FANTASY Traditionally, females have fulfilled very particular roles in fantasy: the damsel in distress or the evil seductress most prominently. It wasn't until fairly recently that a new role appeared: the sexy fighter. A stunningly beautiful woman who also managed to be highly competent when it came to either martial arts or any form of fighting. But this skill has often been just an excuse to showcase her sex appeal. He...

Another year has come and gone and I am, once again, facing the difficult task of choosing the best of this past year. Fortunately, 2017 has been, overall, a pretty good year for costume design, which makes my job easier. A brief reminder needed: here I will not be looking at the quality of the movies themselves but at the quality of their costume design. Also, the list order is rather random. All of the designs mentioned below stand on their own and I don't think they can really be properly listed. And so, with that out of the way, I begin. I. MONSTROUS LOVE: Lady Macbeth . Designs by Holly Waddington Director William Oldroyd set himself to fail when he chose to adapt for his directorial debut the extremely harsh and complex novel  Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Nikolai Leskov's. And that would be all I would be saying about it except for the fact that he did not fail at all in this endeavor. Quite the contrary. Oldroyd delivered a bold and uncompromising movie ...