By Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com
Film Depictions - Fashion and Costume History
Costume Based Films with Ancient Costume
Shakespeare Style Costume Dramas
Edwardian Influenced Costume Films
Films with High Fashion and Costume set in the 1930s and 1940s
Late 20th Dramas with Costume or Fashion
Merchant Ivory Style Films
As the years passed I started to look at these films not for the story, but for the costumes in them. I began to realize that often the costume was well interpreted, but just as often badly interpreted.
Some things began to irritate me in films such as seeing visible zippers or elements from one era mixed with another.
But the fact I hated most of all was when more and more synthetic materials were used in costume productions and suddenly clothes began to drape badly or in a way different than earlier movies like masterpiece films such as the beautiful clothes in for example Citizen Kane.
In those early black and white films natural materials like silk, wool, linen and cotton were used and they hold moisture more easily than synthetic materials. Such natural materials have a density to them that makes the clothing appear heavy with weight and when the wearer moves the weight of the fabric makes the character seem important.
Some spectacular films such as My Fair Lady and Gigi become fashion pieces in themselves.
Here are some more costume-based films that may interest you. Many of the dramas are also available in book format.
- Costume Based Films with the Feel of Ancient Costume I Claudius
- Shakespeare Style Costume Dramas Shakespeare in Love
- Late Victorian, Edwardian and 1920s Influenced Costume Films Anna Karenina
- Films with High Fashion and Costume set in the 1930s and 1940s The Aviator
- Late C20th Dramas Admired for their Links to Costume and Fashion My Fair Lady
By the 1990s I noticed that there was a return to authenticity and production research teams made greater efforts to use natural materials and source vintage garments to assist in giving real atmospheric significance to a film. One of the production companies that fell into this category was that of Merchant Ivory. - Merchant Ivory Style Films James Ivory in Conversation
The fact is that costume in a film drama or re-enactment can never be quite the same as the authentic costume we can study in museums. However we should never regard films as second best especially now in the 21st century when million of pounds are spent in costuming and dressing movies aiming for some measure of accuracy by doing original research at museums.
I think we should simply embrace all clothing mediums as wonderful in their own right, from museum artefacts to theatrical costumes as just wonders of the human ability to create magnificent art forms to wear from a Roman leather skirt to an operatic gown or a head dress for Aida or an intriguing body hugging stretch suit for sci-fi movies.
Modern-day films of 2005 with costumes to inspire include The Aviator and the Phantom of the Opera and each is reviewed for their costume on the next pages.
Costume in Films
Many people first discover historical costume through the clothes of female characters they see in films, plays and TV dramas. Some may discover historical costume or cutting-edge fashion through a museum visit or by seeing a film such as the one on this page by Artsview film of the V & A Dress Collection. The Artsview costume film analyses the work of all those behind the scenes who bring the V&A dress collection to the public and who also work to preserve and develop it for future generations.
Being able to see authentic antique/vintage costume in museums is a privilege. But costumes in films can also be a source of pleasure for many who simply like looking at nice clothes whether period or contemporary fashion.
Museum costumes have always been regarded as a great resource for inspiration by fashion designers past and present. Modern contemporary films and dramas also add an additional resource for the fashion designer of today and tomorrow. Sometimes you might read in an interview how a famous designer may have found themselves watching an old movie and were suddenly seized with creative inspiration to recapture elements of old design ideas and suddenly were basing a whole collection around a theme. Films such as the 1950's set How to Marry a Millionaire (contemporary high class fashion in its day), the 1920's set The Great Gatsby and Dr. Zhivago influenced quite a few designers in this way.
Modern day films with costume include The Aviator and the Phantom of the Opera and each is reviewed for their costume on these web page links.
How to Marry a Millionaire
The Great Gatsby
Dr. Zhivago
The first ever historic costume I can recall, was the picture of the street scene with Regency characters on a circular tin of Quality Street chocolates and toffees. I used to be fascinated by the dashing men in a hussar jackets and plumed hats alongside the ladies with their bonnets and lovely Regency and later Romantic and Victorian era dresses. Books like Little Women that showed fashion plates enthralled me.
Regency, Romantic and Victorian Era Inspired Films
Vanity Fair
Jane Austen’s Books
Little Women
You reader might recall something similar in your childhood such as costumes on the back of playing cards or a tray decorated with a full skirted lady with decorated hair Cinderella type character or a pop up book of princess characters or dress up paper dolls or even a ceramic lady in dancing dress 18th century clothes. All these things, kindle an early interest in costume.
Comparing panier basket skirts and crinoline skirts.
Here are some paper doll costumes from famous movies in this link on costume books . Such fascination when we are children with seemingly ordinary things can give us lifelong hobbies and interests. You can read more about paniers or crinolines in the section in fashion history sections of fashion-era.
Dangerous Liaisons
The King and I
Costume Set Films or Dramas
Over the years I have come to love many films with a period costume or a fashion angle. Some are not always accurate, but I still love them. These shown here on these two pages are some of my personal favourite period films with costume or fashion elements. Many of the dramas are also available in book format.
At an early age, I loved historical costume productions on TV, especially serializations of the Dickens and Austen novels, in particular the early Victorian 'David Copperfield' and the regency Pride and Prejudice spring to mind. How can anyone forget Irene's famous black lace dress in the original black and white version of The Forsyth Saga with eras as diverse as late Victorian, Edwardian and Twenties fashions or of the mid Victorian crinoline and bustle costumes in the colour productions of the Onedin Line and the Pallisers.
Many other plays and serials caught my attention with time spans as wide as the early C19th set War and Peace, to settings as far back as the decline of the Roman empire in 'I Claudius'. All costumed and all very different.
Costume sagas, including Forsyte Saga, Onedin Line, The Pallisers and Bridehead Revisited
Forsyte Sage
The Onedin Line
The Pallisers
Brideshead Revisited
Costume history has been a real passion of mine since I saw The National Museum of Wales exhibition of costumes made for the BBC production The Six Wives of Henry VIII which starred Keith Michell. This series made in 1971 was shown in the early 1970s and close ups of the costumes were a clever simulation of texture and contrast which implied sumptuous jewellery and ornamentation, that a king and his court might have displayed on their raiment.
That exhibition made me want to understand how to produce costumes and to understand how they were constructed from a shape and contouring point of view. What goes on inside a costume is often as important as what goes on outside and ultimately helps achieve the outline silhouette of the day.
Other Tudor inspired pieces were a 6 part BBC series called Elizabeth R with Glenda Jackson starring and a movie with Richard Burton called Anne of the Thousand Days. Each was magnificent in terms of costume and drama.
Did the costume make the drama or the drama improve the costume?
Tudor and Elizabethan and Stuart Inspired Costume Productions
The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Complete Set
Elizabeth R (Various (Actor, Director) )
Anne of The Thousand Days VHS
Restoration (Robert Downey Jr. (Actor), Sam Neill (Actor), Michael Hoffman (Director) )
Not only did I enjoy TV costume dramas, but also movies and film productions. In particular old black and white movies with lavish sets such as those of Citizen Kane and Jezebel which showed extravagant dress, all helped make me more keen to learn more about dress past and present and it's relationship to society.
War is often featured as the main reason for a story and War and Peace and Gone with the Wind are reliant on war to hold the story for much of the time.
Costume Productions with War as a Theme
War & Peace
Vanity Fair
Gone With The Wind
