The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

From prêt-à-porter to Haute Couture: the weight of the wardrobe to win an Oscar

2023-03-11T09:18:18.810Z


Not only on the red carpet of the ceremony, but on the same screen, the dress and its history will compete for a statuette with three films that review its memory and milestones.


If one only took into account who are the costume designers with the most awards to their credit, logic would indicate that, once again, the

Oscar 2023

would go to

Jenny Beavan

(nominee for

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

) who He has already won three statuettes, the same for the two held by

Catherine Martin

(nominated for

Elvis

).

Although, beyond the previous results, and given the particularities of each one of the selected ones -yes, they are all women- the fact that makes the 95th ceremony that will take place next Sunday more attractive is that at least three of the nominated films allude to milestones in the history of contemporary clothing.

This added to the fact that, in almost all the productions, designers from the international fashion scene were summoned, both from

prêt-à-porter

firms and

 Haute Couture

.

Something that, once again, reconfirms how much both industries have to do:

cinema and fashion

, from their

genesis

to the present.

So

Babylon

has its eye on the 1920s, as does

Elvis

, whose emphasis extends to the 50s, 60s and 70s, and of course the fashionista Mrs.

Harris…

, which takes place during the postwar period, with the focus at

Christian Dior

, the quintessential designer of that period.

But that's not all, because in terms of the work of clothing creators, it is perhaps the movie

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

, the one that includes more outfits from top designers and brands of the here and now, and for instance, the one in charge of the clothes from

Everything Everywhere At the Same Time

is none other than Shirley Kurata, renowned stylist for fashion editorials and the outfit manager for

Billie Eilish

, among other artists.

Babylon

In tune with the story told by the birth of Hollywood, at the dawn of the 20th century –through a story that abounds in the decadence of the figures that compose it and does not skimp on tackiness, even with the toupee of repeated scatological displays–

Babylon

's wardrobe

smears with the expected glamor that apparently could have defined the ideal rise of the movie mecca.

In Babylon, Mary Zophres avoids the typical features of the Belle Époque.

UIP photo

Directed by

Mary Zophres

(previously nominated for

True Grit, La La Land

, and

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

) both the typologies and the use given to the garments elude the typical traits of the Belle Époque and make it fashion-forward clothing .

And although, to compose Nellie LaRoy,

Margot Robbie

was obviously inspired by the silent film diva, Clara Bow (considered the first "it girl" in history), she also took into account

Joan Crawford

among other references to embody the character who dares to wear long and sauvage hair, something not at all common at that time when the trend indicated the bob cut.

In this sense, there is also the extremely poor borravino dress with which she makes her first appearance on screen, which has little to do with the knee-length skirts and transparencies worn by flapper girls, something like the influencers of that decade.

Beyond these licenses, the gigantic and timeless costume work that includes repeated changes of clothes for the main roles and 7,000 garments worn by the 250 supporting actors, Zophres excels in the characterization of Lady Fay Zhu (Li Yun Li

)

with top hat and tuxedo worthy of

Marlene Dietrich

, the same, for the extravagance of Elinor St. John (Jean Smart) and the sporty outfits of Jack Conrad (

Brad Pitt

) that give him the stellar lineage to Valentino.

Elvis

Once again the couple made up of director Baz Luhrmann and costume designer Catherine Martin (winner of two Oscars for

Moulin Rouge

and

The Great Gatsby

), does the same in the biopic about

Elvis Presley

, with the course of his rise, stardom and fall.

Austin Butler as Elvis.

The couple made up of director Baz Luhrmann and costume designer Catherine Martin review the life of the King of rock and roll. Photo: AP.

It is known: the King of rock and roll showed off clothing types that also made him a fashion icon.

And it is in this line that, it is worth acknowledging, at least half a century of validity of his unmistakable outfits defined by customized jackets and pants, in addition to his characteristic glasses and belts with rhinestone buckles.

Features crowned, finally, by the capillary aesthetic configured with the jopo and sideburns.

Although, without a doubt, one of the treasures in the design of the film's clothing is the verisimilitude provided by the work that Martin commissioned from Lansky Bros, the store in Memphis where Elvis himself – now starring Austin

Butler

(

nominated

as best actor)– began to create his costume performance.

The same thing when putting back on screen the recreation of the jumpsuits (overalls) of the firm

B&K Enterprises

, embroidered by

Gene Doucette

, who did this work personally for the singer's garments.

Martin also tapped into the current clothing scene by calling on

Miuccia Prada

, a member of one of the families of the Italian fashion dynasty, to design some of the clothes for

Elvis

and his wife

Priscilla

(who this year will have her film based on

Elvis and Me

, filmed by

Sofía Coppola

).

Prada had already collaborated with the director and costume designer on the ode to the Roaring Years seen in

The Great Gatsby

and the clothes Leo DiCaprio wore in

Romeo and Juliet

.

Mrs Harris goes to Paris

Winner of three Oscars for

A Room with a View, Mad Max: Fury Road and Cruella

, the British Jenny Beavan is in charge of rebuilding the creative universe of none other than

Christian Dior

.

It is that this story begins precisely with the desire that the Ravissante dress model designed by the master of French fashion awakens in the employee

Ava Harris

(Lesley Manville) when she discovers it in the wardrobe of her employer played by

Anna Chancellor

.

And it is in this film where costume design can be considered twice: since in addition to fulfilling its expected role, characterization, it ends up being the issue that gives substance to the film;

an adaptation of

Flowers for Mrs. Harris

 (1958) by Paul Gallico, directed by Anthony Fabian.

Winner of three Oscars, the British Jenny Beavan is in charge of rebuilding the creative universe of Christian Dior in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.

The story that delves into the aspirational aspect of contemporary fashion, after the emergence of Dior's New Look, also does the same by giving an account of the reverse of haute couture fantasy: on the one hand, when the desire of a housewife house, widow, always dressed in precise Liberty print batons, becomes real with all that this entails, and on the other, by making visible the crisis that the

House of Dior

is going through (led in the film by Madame Colbert, an extraordinary

Isabelle

Huppert

).

And the paradox is that the emblematic models that refer to

Dior Diablotine

and

Miss Dior

, exhibited in this fiction, especially those seen in the parade scene, were not made by the French firm, but are meticulous recreations that Beavan carried out from the brand's archives, produced by specialized workshops during the confinement due to the pandemic.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Once again in charge of the

Black Panther

costumes ,

Ruth Carter

seeks to expand the work she developed in the previous film from the Marvel factory, when she won the Oscar in 2019. For Black Panther: Forever Wakanda, the designer - who has collaborated since the 1980s with Spike Lee and is the protagonist of one of the episodes of the series Abstract: The Art of Design- took into account the tone of mourning that Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) goes through, after the death of her brother, King T' Challa.

And if before he wore vibrant colors, now grays and simple typologies abound, tight to the body, with the purpose of transmitting protection, although that feeling is transformed over the course of the film directed by Ryan

Coogler

.

In turn, regarding the threat to the nation of

Wakanda

by the

Talokan

underwater civilization , Carter not only consulted with historians but also with experts in underwater sciences to improve the armor of the Dora Milaje warriors and make them their suits allow them to swim.

Again in charge of the Black Panther wardrobe, Ruth Carter won the Oscar in 2019.

There is something else: the film becomes a fashionista comic if one takes into account the commercialization of sports models of the brand with the three strips that allude to this fiction, added to the fusion of technology and craftsmanship incorporated into the film from the designs by the Dutch Iris Van Herpen, who spared no resources or talent for Shuri's attire, whose spectacular necklace is inspired by Mayan vases that represented nobles and rulers, as well as Namora (Mabel Cadena) with the leaf cape of organza lined in silver, ready to perform underwater.

The album of guests to dress this story is completed with the French houses

Thierry Mugler

and

Hervé Leger

who also made their contributions.

Everything Everywhere At The Same Time

To the minimalism in the budget and in the production time of this independent film that achieved eleven Oscar nominations, costume designer

Shirley Kurata

responds with versatility in resources to maximize the clothing options of each of the characters who surf in parallel universes (referring to movie stars,

Kung Fu

or sausages, among others) arising from the decisions that

Evelyn Wang

(Michelle Yeoh) was making in her life.

In the story concocted by the so-called Daniels (

Daniel Kwan

and

Daniel Scheinert

), precisely Wang, of Asian origin, is the owner of a laundry complicated by tax debts, at the same time that she is in a bad relationship with her husband, Waymond Wang

.

(Ke Huy Quan), and in another terrible one with his daughter Joy, also in the role of Jobu Tupaki (Stephanie Hsu).

In turn, the frenzy that defines the story of the multiverse is the one that gives dynamism to the clothing according to the daily life of the characters, for example

Deirdre Beaubeirdra

(Jamie Lee Curtis) who makes up a memorable IRS inspector, the collection service American prosecutor.

In the independent film Everything Everywhere At the Same Time, the costume designer is Shirley Kurata.

Special mention for the scene in which Jobu appears dressed as Elvis Presley (remember that the film about the singer is also nominated for costumes) or when he appears in the hilarious universe associated with a bagel in a suit with a hyperbolized ruff included, made in collaboration with clothing designer Claudia Li.

Also with Kurata, we must reread the fashion chapter that has her as the protagonist and refers to the work she did for the firm Rodarte and Miu Miu, as well as the menswear business that she founded with her partner in an old motorcycle shop in Los Angeles, styling for Lena Dunham and editorials for the prestigious Paper Magazine and WWD.

The omission of Tár

Cate Blanchett in Tár. Photo: AP

It is surprising that Tár

, the film directed by

Todd Field

, where the wardrobe is a central element for the composition of Cate Blanchett,

has not been nominated .

The obsessive pianist Lydia Tár would not be the same without the perfection of the tailored suits she wears in famous moments, nor would she be without the contemporary designer clothes or the casual clothes with which she appears on scenes at the university and in the field domestic.

German designer

Bina Daigeler

recognized for her work with Pedro Almodóvar (

All About My Mother

and

Volver

) among other directors, who previously dressed Blanchett in

Mrs. America

and

Manifesto

, is the architect of the wardrobe of this exceptional character who will also be remembered for his appearance.

look too

Walt Disney, the expeditionary

Who does not understand a Chinese poet?

Source: clarin

All news articles on 2023-03-11

You may like

Life/Entertain 2024-02-06T23:22:09.261Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z
News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.