9 Movie Costume Designers Who Changed the Face of Fashion

9 Movie Costume Designers Who Changed the Face of Fashion 9 Movie Costume Designers Who Changed the Face of Fashion IMAGE SOURCE: PARAMOUNT PICTURESWhile  watching films, we’re often so captivated by what’s happening on screen that we  take for granted  that these productions take months, sometimes years, and involve key work behind the scenes by hundreds of professionals.  This is especially true of movie costume designers.After all, actors and  characters do not choose their own clothes.  A good costume designer shapes the way we see characters, often revealing subtle clues about their inner motivations.And the effect can be so strong that it reverberates outwards  beyond the theatres, and strongly influences contemporary fashions, sometimes with long-lasting effects.Here  are  9 costume designers who  dressed some of the most iconic films in cinema history, and significantly changed the way we view fashion. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1. Edith Head  Roman Holiday (1953)Image Source: PARAMOUNT PICTURESFor her  work on this film, Edith Head won the Black and White cat egory of the 1954 Academy Award for Best Costume Design, one of eight Academy Awards she was to win in her long and illustrious career. In Roman Holiday, Head  dressed Audrey Hepburn for her role as a runaway princess in outfits that were simultaneously tomboyish and 1950s feminine. The necktie, sandals and rolled-up shirt inspires summer wardrobes right up to today, as can be seen, below, by this contemporary take on Hepburn Head’s  Roman Holiday look. Image Source: Amazon Check Price 2. Milena Canonera  The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)Image Source: FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURESWes Andersons  films have always placed  an emphasis on aesthetic, but when he engaged  costume designer Milena Canonero for 2014s The Grand Budapest Hotel, she brought his focus on color schemes and historic influences to wardrobe like never before. From the vibrant purple uniforms of Zero and Monsieur Gustave, to the cute pastel dresses of Agatha, each character coordinates perfectly with their environment, saying something about their personality. Image Source: Amazon Check Price (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 3. Isis Mussenden  American Psycho  (2000)Image Source: LIONSGATEIn the  New York yuppie culture of the 1980s, appearances were everything. This superficiality, and  uniformity, is perfectly captured  by wardrobe designer Isis Mussenden. Patrick Bateman and his wealthy investment banker friends dress nearly identically, in Valentino suits, Oliver Peoples glasses and Bottega Veneta shoes. A pin-striped suit custom designed by Mussenden remains especially iconic, with its 1980s double-breasted, wide-shouldered cut. Below is a modern Valentino suit of a cut and design that remains forever associated with the movie. Image Source: Amazon Check Price 4. Catherine Martin  The Great Gatsby  (2013)Image Source: WARNER BROTHERS PICTURESOne of the most aesthetically spectacular films of recent years, The Great Gatsby’s iconic, opulent look is thanks to director Ba z Luhrmanns partnership with his wife on the film, wardrobe designer Catherine Martin. Sharp 1920s suits were supplied by Brooks Brothers (who released a Gatsby line in collaboration with Martin after the film’s success), most of the women’s flapper dresses were made by celebrated  designer Miuccia Prada, and opulent diamond jewellery came from Tiffany. Head over to Amazon and put yourself together with a great Leonardo DiCaprio white three-piece Gatsby suit. Image Source: Amazon Check Price (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 5. Anna Hill Johnstone  The Godfather  (1972)Image Source: PARAMOUNT PICTURESTwice  Oscar-nominated costume designer Anna Hill Johnstone made wardrobe choices for The Godfather which were to create a lasting effect on public perception  of the Mafia. Michael Corleones three-piece suits, Homburg hat and double-breasted coat became the standard costume for Italian-American mobsters in film. Johnstone also uses color symbolically throughout the film, with bright orange clothes signifying dangerâ€"the color is worn by both Carlo and Kay in different scenes. Johnstone’s wardrobe choices and the overall look of the film remain as powerful today as the original release date of the movie back in the 1970s and have no doubt reinforced the movie’s classic status. Its range of spin-offs are incredible. Try on these beach shorts for size! Image Source: Amazon Check Price 6. Deborah Lynn Scott  Titanic  (1997)Image Source: Paramount PicturesWinner  of the 1997 Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Deborah Lynn Scott’s work on Titanic is nothing short of epic. Given the difficult task of devising clothing for a 1910s period film, which included all social classes, and that had to survive regular getting wet, Scott spent nine  months on costuming before filming even began. One of the most iconic looks from the film is Rose’s immaculate white suit and wide-brimmed purple hat she wears when first boarding the ship. Image S ource: Amazon Check Price (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 7. Deborah Nadoolman  Coming to America (1988)Image Source: PARAMOUNT PICTURESVeteran  costume designer Deborah Nadoolman has been behind the wardrobes of many films, but none as fun as 1988’s Coming to America. Tasked with creating the national costume for the fictional African nation of Zamunda, Nadoolman took influence from the native clothes and jewellery of Morocco, Senegal and Gambia, as well as borrowing aspects from real African leaders, such as Kenyas Jomo Kenyatta, and prominent gold jewellery. Image Source: Amazon Check Price 8. Patricia Zipprodt  The Graduate (1967)Image Source: METRO GOLDWYN-MAYERFew movies  encompass the rapidly changing style of the mid-1960s like The Graduate. Multiple-award winning costume designer Patricia Zipprodt created a varied wardrobe that reflected the vastly differing generations; that of Benjamin and Elaine and that of their parents. Benjamin seems to look p erpetually uncomfortable in the suits he wears, while Elaines fresh, little-girl style couldn’t be more different to the black and leopard-print ensembles of Mrs Robinson. Image Source: Amazon Check Price (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 9. Jenny Beaven  Mad Max: Fury Road  (2015)Image Source: WARNER BROTHERS PICTURESAs a  winner of the Best Costume Design Oscar, Mad Max: Fury Road blew audiences away as an action film that invested heavily in wardrobe. Designer  Jenny Beaven  dressed Imperator Furiosa in stark contrast to over-sexualised Action Girl stereotypes, with a shaved head and a mechanical arm. Meanwhile, Mad Max himself is believably disheveled for a man whos been stranded in the Australian desert, while  the Five Wives stand out in their beautiful white flowing robes. Mad Max fashion has been popular since the release of the original movies in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, and the latest instalment in the franchise will ensure that the style e ndures well into the future, as proven by this retro T-shirt inspired by the original movies. Image Source: Amazon Check Price 9 Movie Costume Designers Who Changed the Face of Fashion 9 Movie Costume Designers Who Changed the Face of Fashion IMAGE SOURCE: PARAMOUNT PICTURESWhile  watching films, we’re often so captivated by what’s happening on screen that we  take for granted  that these productions take months, sometimes years, and involve key work behind the scenes by hundreds of professionals.  This is especially true of movie costume designers.After all, actors and  characters do not choose their own clothes.  A good costume designer shapes the way we see characters, often revealing subtle clues about their inner motivations.And the effect can be so strong that it reverberates outwards  beyond the theatres, and strongly influences contemporary fashions, sometimes with long-lasting effects.Here  are  9 costume designers who  dressed some of the most iconic films in cinema history, and significantly changed the way we view fashion. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1. Edith Head  Roman Holiday (1953)Image Source: PARAMOUNT PICTURESFor her  work on this film, Edith Head won the Black and White cat egory of the 1954 Academy Award for Best Costume Design, one of eight Academy Awards she was to win in her long and illustrious career. In Roman Holiday, Head  dressed Audrey Hepburn for her role as a runaway princess in outfits that were simultaneously tomboyish and 1950s feminine. The necktie, sandals and rolled-up shirt inspires summer wardrobes right up to today, as can be seen, below, by this contemporary take on Hepburn Head’s  Roman Holiday look. Image Source: Amazon Check Price 2. Milena Canonera  The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)Image Source: FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURESWes Andersons  films have always placed  an emphasis on aesthetic, but when he engaged  costume designer Milena Canonero for 2014s The Grand Budapest Hotel, she brought his focus on color schemes and historic influences to wardrobe like never before. From the vibrant purple uniforms of Zero and Monsieur Gustave, to the cute pastel dresses of Agatha, each character coordinates perfectly with their environment, saying something about their personality. Image Source: Amazon Check Price (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 3. Isis Mussenden  American Psycho  (2000)Image Source: LIONSGATEIn the  New York yuppie culture of the 1980s, appearances were everything. This superficiality, and  uniformity, is perfectly captured  by wardrobe designer Isis Mussenden. Patrick Bateman and his wealthy investment banker friends dress nearly identically, in Valentino suits, Oliver Peoples glasses and Bottega Veneta shoes. A pin-striped suit custom designed by Mussenden remains especially iconic, with its 1980s double-breasted, wide-shouldered cut. Below is a modern Valentino suit of a cut and design that remains forever associated with the movie. Image Source: Amazon Check Price 4. Catherine Martin  The Great Gatsby  (2013)Image Source: WARNER BROTHERS PICTURESOne of the most aesthetically spectacular films of recent years, The Great Gatsby’s iconic, opulent look is thanks to director Ba z Luhrmanns partnership with his wife on the film, wardrobe designer Catherine Martin. Sharp 1920s suits were supplied by Brooks Brothers (who released a Gatsby line in collaboration with Martin after the film’s success), most of the women’s flapper dresses were made by celebrated  designer Miuccia Prada, and opulent diamond jewellery came from Tiffany. Head over to Amazon and put yourself together with a great Leonardo DiCaprio white three-piece Gatsby suit. Image Source: Amazon Check Price (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 5. Anna Hill Johnstone  The Godfather  (1972)Image Source: PARAMOUNT PICTURESTwice  Oscar-nominated costume designer Anna Hill Johnstone made wardrobe choices for The Godfather which were to create a lasting effect on public perception  of the Mafia. Michael Corleones three-piece suits, Homburg hat and double-breasted coat became the standard costume for Italian-American mobsters in film. Johnstone also uses color symbolically throughout the film, with bright orange clothes signifying dangerâ€"the color is worn by both Carlo and Kay in different scenes. Johnstone’s wardrobe choices and the overall look of the film remain as powerful today as the original release date of the movie back in the 1970s and have no doubt reinforced the movie’s classic status. Its range of spin-offs are incredible. Try on these beach shorts for size! Image Source: Amazon Check Price 6. Deborah Lynn Scott  Titanic  (1997)Image Source: Paramount PicturesWinner  of the 1997 Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Deborah Lynn Scott’s work on Titanic is nothing short of epic. Given the difficult task of devising clothing for a 1910s period film, which included all social classes, and that had to survive regular getting wet, Scott spent nine  months on costuming before filming even began. One of the most iconic looks from the film is Rose’s immaculate white suit and wide-brimmed purple hat she wears when first boarding the ship. Image S ource: Amazon Check Price (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 7. Deborah Nadoolman  Coming to America (1988)Image Source: PARAMOUNT PICTURESVeteran  costume designer Deborah Nadoolman has been behind the wardrobes of many films, but none as fun as 1988’s Coming to America. Tasked with creating the national costume for the fictional African nation of Zamunda, Nadoolman took influence from the native clothes and jewellery of Morocco, Senegal and Gambia, as well as borrowing aspects from real African leaders, such as Kenyas Jomo Kenyatta, and prominent gold jewellery. Image Source: Amazon Check Price 8. Patricia Zipprodt  The Graduate (1967)Image Source: METRO GOLDWYN-MAYERFew movies  encompass the rapidly changing style of the mid-1960s like The Graduate. Multiple-award winning costume designer Patricia Zipprodt created a varied wardrobe that reflected the vastly differing generations; that of Benjamin and Elaine and that of their parents. Benjamin seems to look p erpetually uncomfortable in the suits he wears, while Elaines fresh, little-girl style couldn’t be more different to the black and leopard-print ensembles of Mrs Robinson. Image Source: Amazon Check Price (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 9. Jenny Beaven  Mad Max: Fury Road  (2015)Image Source: WARNER BROTHERS PICTURESAs a  winner of the Best Costume Design Oscar, Mad Max: Fury Road blew audiences away as an action film that invested heavily in wardrobe. Designer  Jenny Beaven  dressed Imperator Furiosa in stark contrast to over-sexualised Action Girl stereotypes, with a shaved head and a mechanical arm. Meanwhile, Mad Max himself is believably disheveled for a man whos been stranded in the Australian desert, while  the Five Wives stand out in their beautiful white flowing robes. Mad Max fashion has been popular since the release of the original movies in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, and the latest instalment in the franchise will ensure that the style e ndures well into the future, as proven by this retro T-shirt inspired by the original movies. Image Source: Amazon Check Price