Costume designers are a lot like fashion designers. They start trends–consider Diane Keaton’s quirky man-tailored ensembles in “Annie Hall,” Jennifer Beals’ sexy off-the-shoulder sweat shirts in “Flashdance” and Meryl Streep’s prim Edwardian “Out of Africa” safari clothes.
Film costume designers dress famous people, and their association, the Costume Designers Guild, has its own awards ceremony and hall of fame. But ask a costume designer what she’s doing when she creates wardrobes for big-screen personalities, and she’ll say anything but designing fashion.
“We don’t think of our work in those terms,” said Judianna Makovsky, a costume designer who has earned Oscar nominations for “Pleasantville,” the first “Harry Potter” film and is nominated this year for “Seabiscuit.” “We’re helping develop characters,” she said. “I never think of fashion unless it applies to a character.”
Daniel Orlandi, a designer whose credits include “Phone Booth” and “Down With Love” agrees. “Costume designers are … helping the actor create a character, and you try to do it really subtly with costumes.”
Orlandi did, however, call Renee Zellweger’s 1960s-flavored wardrobe in “Down With Love” an exception: “That was all about having fun.”
In a way, what costume designers do with big-screen wardrobes isn’t too far removed from what every woman attempts to do each time she opens her closet: Create a persona to present to the world.
With that thought in mind–along with Shakespeare’s observation that “all the world’s a stage”–here are some tips for looking stellar from costume designers:
– Fit is everything. “People in real life buy clothes and no matter what length the dress is, they don’t shorten it or lengthen it,” said Orlandi, who thinks clothes should always be tailored to fit.
– Comfort rules. Physical comfort is a must, but Orlandi also stressed that clothes must feel emotionally comfortable as well. “Sometimes you buy something that’s fun, but it’s not really you, and it sits in the closet,” he said. “It’s good to try new things … but you’re going to be more confident if you’re not thinking about your clothes.”
– Be wary of whims. “Buy something you can keep for more than a season,” said Makovsky, adding that she keeps clothes for “many, many, many years.” Her favorite pieces are a black cotton Prada jacket she wears everywhere; Prada flats, to get her through 18-hour workdays, and a black V-neck cashmere sweater.
– Simple is better. Colleen Atwood, whose credits include “Big Fish” and the movie version of “Chicago,” swears by a simple wardrobe that includes a “really good” black skirt, a good-fitting shirt and jacket, and black shoes that are attractive and comfortable.
– Don’t let your clothes wear you. “The focus should be on the person, not the clothes,” Makovsky said, stressing that’s exactly what she strives for in her work. “I like it when people don’t notice the clothes in movies. That means [the clothes] are right.”
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