ART VOYAGE
Dream Makers AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CLASSICAL ROMANTIC COMEDY WORKING GIRL THE OUTFITS OF TESS MCGILL (PLAYED BY MELANIE GRIFFITH) ARE QUITE HIDEOUS, WHEREAS BY THE END OF THE MOVIE SHE TURNS INTO AN ELEGANT BUSINESSWOMAN IN A GREY SUIT. DRESSES OF SCARLETT O’HARA IN GONE WITH THE WIND REFLECT DIFFERENT STAGES OF THE HEROINE’S LIFE. IT’S DIFFICULT TO OVERESTIMATE THE MEANING OF THE COSTUME IN THE MOVIES, SINCE THE CHARACTERS’ CLOTHES OFTEN TELL US ABOUT THEM MORE THAN THEIR ACTIONS AND WORDS.
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verybody is aware of the fact that the author of Audrey Hepburn’s famous black dress from Breakfast at Tiffany’s was Hubert de Givenchy, and that Leeloo’s costume from The Fifth Element is Jean-Paul Gaultier’s creation. However, only real experts are likely to know who designed clothes for the characters of the cult film Blade Runner or the femme fatale image for Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. The work of the costume designer may seem thankless, since their names are not so well known despite the movie fame. But they’re just as responsible for the creation of a certain image as directors or screenwriters.
Famous fashion designers, who invent costumes for actors, also have a reason to complain — very often it’s not they who are awarded, but the official costume designer of the movie. Thus, the costumes for the film Black Swan became an apple of discord — sisters Mulleavy, the Rodarte brand owners who created ballet costumes for the actors, were not nominated for the Academy Award, since they had no membership in the Costume Designers Guild. 64
As Amy Westcott, Black Swan costume designer, stated, they had considerably overestimated their contribution. Edith Head got an Oscar for the film Sabrina, and Hubert de Givenchy who was the author of Audrey Hepburn’s beautiful dresses was left with
nothing. By the way, Edith is the record holder for the number of Oscars — she has as many as 8 — not only among colleagues but also among women.
Costumes from films often become stars, too — they’re sold at auctions for exorbitant amounts, and the recognition that a certain dress is better than the other can cause a lot of controversy. Marilyn Monroe’s white dress from The Seven Year Itch created by William Travilla can be considered the most expensive costume in the history of cinema — in 2011 it was sold for 4.6 million USD. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether the film follows fashion, or vice versa — creates
trends itself. Costumes from many cult movies become so popular that people want to have them in their wardrobe. Just recall Marlon Brando’s leather jacket in The Wild One or costumes of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever that set a new trend in men’s fashion. And thanks to Carrie Bradshaw a tutu skirt turned from a clothing item for children’s parties into a stylish thing.