The costume vault

The nominations for the 90th Academy Awards are finally out and... they are a mixed bag for me. At least in the Costume Design Category, which is the one I'll focus on here today. These are the nominees for Best Achievement in Costume Design: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Costume Design by Jacqueline Durran I have talked at length before about Disney live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast , and not in a very positive light (see here ). It is no secret that I hate this movie and this Costume Design. So this nomination is really painful for me. Despite that hate, I must recognize that there are some parts of the design that I like and that are worthy to look at. Still, considering the amazing Costume Designs that we've seen this year ( Lady Macbeth ,  Wonder Woman ...), it is terribly unfair that this gets nominated only because it's Disney and because it's a grand and flashy Costume Design. DARKEST HOUR. Costume Design by Jacqueline Durran I still h...

In the first part of my detailed analysis of the evolving design for the crown in BBC's The Hollow Crown ( here ), I covered the whole first season and the designs for Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V. In this second part, therefore, I'll continue this analysis by covering the second and last season of this Shakespearean adaptation, which includes the plays of Henry VI Part I , Part II and Part III and Richard III . So, without further ado, let's dive in. 4. Henry VI The second season covers the infamous chain of events known as the Wars of the Roses and it begins with Henry's infant son all grown up. Shakespeare's work covers, throughout three plays (which are condensed to two in the show), the tumultuous civil unrest throughout Henry VI's reign and his eventual fall from grace. Henry, as portrayed by the Bard, is a meek young man that despises conflict and prefers to pray than to rule. He is this naive, childlike man who is so pure in his inno...

If there is an element of the Art Department often overlooked by audiences when regarding filmmaking, it's the Prop.              PROP (noun) (IN FILM/THEATRE)               An object used by the actors performing in a play or film:               The only props used in the show are a table, a chair, and a glass of water . But why am I speaking about the prop when this is a Costume Design focused blog? It is true that the prop can be something as far removed from costume as a chair or a plate. But it also can be something that easily and naturally intersects with the Costume Design: a piece of jewelry, a shield or a handbag. It's in those cases when a great prop design can bring a lot of narrative meaning in a similar fashion as Costume Design itself. And it's those cases that I am going to be looking at in here. I am going to dedicate this series to spread the virtues ...

Having already focused on three of the major players of the Seven Kingdoms (the Starks in the North , the Lannisters in the West and the Tyrells in the Reach ) I am going to change the focus a bit and instead of focusing on a family or a region, I am going to focus on a city and how costume design can help visualize and even explain its intricate inner workings. The Seven Kingdoms, as Martin created them, have a long and sprawling history behind them that has helped to form the traditions and culture of each of these kingdoms, shaping them into what we know. And, as I've established in previous articles, the most important task that the Costume Design faced was being able to create the sense that these cultures not only truly existed, but that they had existed for a long time. So, how do you design for a city that has no history? Without further introduction, let's turn our attention to Westeros' prosper and rich capital and see how the political game can s...