Costume Designers
Interviews - Costume Designers
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Horrifying Looks: Costume Designer Kate Hawley on Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein”
Mia Goth in Frankenstein, Photo by Ken Woroner, courtesy of Netflix
Guillermo del Toro’s films are instantly recognizable for their fantastical Gothic imagery, and the director’s adaptation of Frankenstein is one of his most decadent stylized works yet. The film—which stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as the Creature… Read more
The Final Outfits: Massimo Cantini Parrini on Maria‘s Costumes
Angelina Jolie in Maria
A sumptuously shot psychological portrait of one of history’s greatest divas, Maria extends director Pablo Larraín’s explorations of iconic, tragically fated women in Jackie and Spencer. Angelina Jolie brings her own glamorous mythology to an impressionistic take on opera star… Read more
“We’d Have These Practical Conversations About How Sex Would Be Achieved in These Costumes”: Costume Designer Holly Waddington On the Historical Rule-Breaking of Her Work in Poor Things
Poor Things (Photo Yorgos Lanthimos/Searchlight Pictures)
A feminine coming-of-age film by way of Frankenstein, Yorgos Lanthimos’ gorgeously designed Poor Things follows Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), an unhappy and suicidal woman brought back to life by the enigmatic scientist Baxter (Willem Dafoe), and then embarking on a… Read more
Clothes Tell the Story: Costume Designer Stacey Battat on Priscilla
Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi in Priscilla (courtesy of A24)
From the wan pastel prairie dresses of The Virgin Suicides to the candy-colored 18th century finery of Marie Antoinette to the aughts logomania of The Bling Ring, the style in Sofia Coppola’s movies is always brilliantly cohesive, capturing a distinct,… Read more
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Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter on Her Career and New Book
Ruth E. Carter is one of the best-known and most highly acclaimed costume designers working today. Since the very beginning of her 30-plus-year career, she’s had a creative partnership with Spike Lee, designing everything from the iconic streetwear of Do the Right Thing to the period looks of Malcolm X, Crooklyn and Summer of Sam. Carter’s resume also includes collaborations with directors like Steven Spielberg (Amistad) and Ava DuVernay (Selma). This year, she made history as the first Black woman to win two Oscars, when she took home the Best Costume Design statue for her beautifully bold work in Black […]
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“I’m Seldom Looking at Fashion Editorials”: Costume Designer Heidi Bivens on the Euphoria Fashion Book From A24
One of the most trendsetting costume designers working today, Heidi Bivens’s work on the edgy teen drama Euphoria mixes vintage pieces, subcultural styles and up-and-coming designers in surprising and visually dynamic ways. Her looks have captivated the show’s young viewers: Euphoria-inspired fashions can be found all over social media, and now her influential designs have been immortalized in a new book, Euphoria Fashion. Written by Bivens and published by A24, the book features interviews, essays from journalists and imagery of the designer’s creations featuring fun facts about her inspirations and the symbolism of various outfits. It’s a striking showcase for […]
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“Painting with Colors That Have Some Muddy Water in Them”: Costume Designer Quita Alfred on Women Talking
Sarah Polley’s Women Talking tells a harrowing story of women in an isolated Mennonite colony attempting to find justice in the wake of vicious abuse by the men of their community. Adapted from Miriam Toews’ 2018 novel, which was inspired by true events, Women Talking is a dark film in both a narrative and visual sense, probing all-too-relevant issues of patriarchal violence and religious extremism in dark, shadowy tableaus. On its face, the film doesn’t seem like the type to prioritize fashion, but the wardrobe of modest long dresses and rigid silhouettes speaks volumes about how clothing can be used […]
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A Wardrobe of Coats: Costume Designer Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh on The Banshees of Inisherin
Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin brings the writer-director’s signature caustic humor to the story of Colm (Brendan Gleeson, perfectly surly), who abruptly decides to stop talking to his longtime best friend, Pádraic (Colin Farrell, perfectly perplexed), with devastating results for them both. The film is set on a fictional Irish island in 1923, and the combination of wide-open spaces and unfussy but handsome costuming adds visual dynamism to a film whose appeal is largely rooted in whip-smart dialogue. Costume designer Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh’s filmography includes works by Neil Jordan (Breakfast on Pluto) and Whit Stillman (Love & Friendship), which […]
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“I Wanted the Hotdog Universe to Cross Over with the Taxes Universe”: Costume Designer Shirley Kurata on Everything Everywhere All at Once
Beyond the cartoonish mania of the multiverse action-comedy Everything Everywhere All At Once is a story about a mother and daughter, Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) and Joy (Stephanie Hu). Their family laundromat is on the brink of falling out, though not for want of trying–both strive to get along, but the air between them remains tense and unpleasant. Under a scrupulous audit by a five-time award-winning IRS agent Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis), the laundromat may be taken away from the family too, and Evelyn’s sweetheart husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), has secretly prepared divorce papers. Eventually, Joy decides it might […]
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Particular Fabrics: Belfast Costume Designer Charlotte Walter
Belfast offers a poignant look at a working class childhood in an era of increasing political tumult. Set in 1969, during the early days of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, writer/director Kenneth Branagh’s deeply personal film is shot in black and white and centers on a family doing its best to get by. The protagonist, Buddy (played by Jude Hill in his debut feature role) is a charming 9-year-old Branagh surrogate with a toothy smile and rough-and-tumble costumes of collared shirts, shorts, and high socks. The ’60s has long been one of the most frequently referenced decades in fashion, and while […]
