A movie only becomes great when many different elements collaborate effectively together to build a new and unique world that the audience can dive into without hesitations. Most people would say that the key for a movie to be great is the writing, the cast, or the directing process—and while all of these are true, people tend to overlook the one thing that makes a movie look put together, and that is the costume design.
A lot of people think that it's just a minor thing, but come to think of it, most trends in every decade sprout from the fashion they see in movies. Think about Clueless, Mean Girls, and Bring It On, for example.
Costume design is one of the hidden elements of storytelling. It can be used to define a character's personality, occupation, social status, or current standing in their life.
And it can be a make or break in terms of making you like them or not. There are a lot of movies where people ended up loving a character just because of what they were wearing.
That being said, you may have also noticed (or didn't) that some characters' clothes changed throughout the movie, symbolizing the internal or external changes that they are going through. Take a look at some of the best examples of it below!
1. Pride & Prejudice
In this movie, you can see Mr. Darcy's layers of clothing get fewer as the movie goes on, and the materials have become a lot softer—an allude to the character's transformation. Since this is a historical drama based on Jane Austen's famous book, the crew had to stay true to the fact that people back then had class differences and social restrictions, so they weren't really able to do bold things in the name of love.
And this is how costume designer Jacquelina Durran tried to show Mr. Darcy's transformation—he loses layers of clothing as the movie goes by! She explains that this reflects on how the character is gradually leaving his inflexibility and rigid nature as he becomes more humble.
2. The Matrix
The sunglasses in The Matrix were all unique and custom-made to reflect not only the character's personalities, but also of the actors. This is why they discarded the idea of buying the sunglasses at a regular store.
3. Legally Blonde
Bright, all pink, and girly are usually what comes to mind when we think of Elle Woods, as opposed to the environment she's in when she gets into Harvard. However, you might notice that as the movie progresses, her color palette becomes a lot more sober and the textiles she wears are slowly transforming into warmer materials.
There are also subtle changes in her hair that reflect the depth of her character—from bouncy curls to a straight ponytail. The movie ends with an outfit that reflected her emotional state, and it also symbolizes her changing mindset about herself.
The person behind the costume design in this movie is Sophie de Rakoff.
4. The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada's designer was Patricia Field, also the costume designer for Sex and the City. She delivered well in highlighting the character's personalities through unique styles—for example, each main character in the movie wore designer pieces that matched their characters.
Andy wears Chanel, while Emily, Vivienne, and Miranda wears Prada.
But the symbolism doesn't only stop there. Fans have also noticed that Andy and Miranda’s silhouettes have become strikingly similar in some specific scenes, showing their approach to the fashion world.
This transition highlights Andy's journey to the kind of life she's headed for.
5. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Lola's outfits gradually changed throughout the movie, showing how her character is coping after meeting Ella. She goes from wearing childish clothes to wearing something that complements her age and figure more.
You might have also noticed a small detail in the movie. In this scene were Lola rummages through her closet looking for an outfit to wear, you can see a glimpse of the dress that Ella wore to the concert and Stu Wolf’s exclusive party.
6. Birds of Prey
In Birds of Prey, costume designer Erin Benach made sure that Harley Quinn's outfits represented her own personality more, instead of the Joker's, which explains why she looks kind of different in the movie. Her pigtails are tailored for comfort, instead of her wearing it to look charming.
These subtle details indicate her freedom from Joker, as she focuses more on herself.
7. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Wonka’s costumes in this 1971 classic was actually the product of Gene Wilder's intervention. He wanted to distance himself from the character in the book.
He asked for some changes to be made to show Wonka as an eccentric gentleman with so much style that his (vulgar) preferences would be appropriate.
8. Gone with the Wind
The colors in the Gone With The Wind reflected the character's current feeling and essence. The green dress was a reference to the phrase "green with envy", showing that the character feels jealous.
She also wears a red dress when she wants affection. There is also a scene wherein Scarlett is wearing an inappropriate dress as she declares her love to Ashley.
9. Mean Girls
Mean Girls is truly one of the most iconic movies that shaped a whole generation, and it still stands strong as one of the best movies as of today. You might have noticed all the handbags, shirts, and ruffles of the characters, which all reflect the complex life of the "girl world".
Cady Heron, the iconic protagonist, started with pretty practical and bland outfits at first, but when she spent more time with The Plastics, she ends up becoming one of them. Her wardrobe has morphed into a collection of accessories and garments inspired from the other three girls.
Cady took on Karen's pink and blue palette, Gretchen's makeup and curls, and Regina's outfits and necklaces.
10. Star Wars
Luke Skywalker’s clothes here is similar to a gi, a garment often used to practice martial arts. This symbolizes the fact that he is still in a formative period.
On the other hand, Obi-Wan Kenobi's costume is similar to that of a monk, which shows his wisdom and position in Luke’s life as his mentor.
11. Black Panther
Black Panther went through a lot of extensive research and hard work. The producers wanted to have Wakandan culture that parallels the vibrant African tribes and civilizations.
They used fabrics, colors, and patterns that would represent each of these groups. The team also brought African traditions in a futuristic setting to shed a light on Africa, the continent that is rich in development and technology, so all costume elements have a reason to be shown there.
Costume designer Ruth Carter, in an interview with the Vanity Fair, revealed the the certain references in the character's costumes such as:
- All of the jewelry shown in the movie are made of vibranium, the same fictional material that Captain's shield is made out of.
- Shuri’s costume is more Western and American-inspired, but it still embodies cultural elements, such as the symbol on her T-shirt that means“purpose.”
- The queen’s clothing are made of traditional woven patterns, however, in the context of 21st century Wakanda, they were made using 3D printing.
- Nakia’s necklace shows that she is part of a river tribe.
- T’Challa’s combat suit displays the traditional geometric figures from his culture.
12. Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette was first shown as a young girl with a childish and innocent style. When she becomes a more active member of the French court, her transformation becomes evident with her change of style, with colorful and more fashionable costumes.
Later on, she wears more sober outfits with subdued silhouettes. This is when the French royals are slowly losing their popularity among the people.
13. Clueless
Mona May, the costume designer for Clueless, has also designed costumes for films like Enchanted, The Cheetah Girls, and Never Been Kissed. For this movie, May used costume design to showcase the world of California teens, fusing designer pieces with second-hand clothing together for to look more authentic, and she made use of different colors to show Cher and Dionne’s personalities.
You can actually follow the months of the school year through girls’ outfits, from start-of-the-year tones to darker, warmer winter attires.
14. Black Swan
Costume designer Amy Westcott said that Nina’s transformation can be evidently seen solely by looking at her clothing's color palettes. For instance, at the beginning of the movie, Nina mostly wore pale and pink colors when she was still innocent and kind of childish.
But once she starts losing herself in her new role and her relationships with the others have become more turbulent, she started sporting costumes with darker shades. In the end, her clothes show what she wanted to be: the black swan.
15. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Costume designer Colleen Atwood, who also worked with Burton on films like Edward Scissorhands, Alice in Wonderland, revealed certain details about the costume elements in this movie. Sweeney Todd had a holster rig from his razor, and his boots are adorned with silver details.
The judge’s assistant was given a hat that had a particular top, and Mrs. Lovett was seen in a more exuberant attire.
These details subtly revealed each character's personalities, plus the dark undertones that are always present in a classic Burton film.
16. Enchanted
Costume designer Mona May also did her magic in this movie. The movie starts looking as fantastic and animated as possible but as the movie progresses, it becomes more practical and modern.
The great thing about it is that even though the setting was slowly transforming into a more modern one, Giselle did not lose her touch of innocence and sweetness as the movie develops.
It's definitely amazing to see all these characters go through certain changes in their story and have it reflect on the clothes they wore! Costume designers are actually one of the most underrated personnel in movie production, and it's high time they take the floor for their amazing work!
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