Contrary to popular belief, contemporary design in the film is not just about shopping; It involves deep storytelling and thought into how characters dress.
“When someone came up to me and said, ‘I really want to learn and work with you. I love shopping,'” says Molly Rogers, who worked as an assistant costume designer on “The Devil Wears Prada” and is the costume designer for the sequel. when he said. “This is an automatic exit.”
Rogers spoke at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival Costume Design Roundtable, which she moderated. diversity Senior Craftsmen Editor Jazz Tangcay. He is joined by Ellen Mirojnick (“The Odyssey”), Arianne Phillips (“The Invite”), Linda Muir (“Werwulf”), Amy Roth (“I Play Rocky”) and Marci Rodgers (“Michael”).
Mirojnick, known for her work on “Wall Street,” “Basic Instinct” and “Fatal Attraction,” addressed the challenges of contemporary costume design. “I did a lot of contemporary costumes at the beginning of my career, and I loved that. I loved documenting what New York was like at the time because, yes, it was for the movie, but it was also documenting the history of what we looked like, even if it was a sublime contemporary character.” “Creating contemporary design is both very difficult and beautiful.” he added.
Rodgers recalled his first job on Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It.” Coming from Chicago, he knew New York’s style was different, so he asked Lee to sit next to him during the background selection. “So I could see how people came here dressed.” While developing Nola Darling’s wardrobe, she learned that the character’s favorite artist was Prince. “Purple will obviously be a thing. But it will be a little purple. She wouldn’t shop at Saks.” Rodgers focused on thrift stores for Nola’s look.
In “Barbershop,” set in Chicago, he emphasized reflecting society and the fashion of the moment. Rodgers added, “A professor warned me that contemporary design would be the hardest thing I’d ever do. Actors will come up with an idea – or no idea at all – and then, after the table read, everything will change.”
Phillips, whose works include “Nocturnal Animals”, “The Invite” and “I Want Your Sex”, stated that contemporary design is often misunderstood. “I’ve been in rooms with studio executives. Directors, writers, producers and studio executives; they’re rich. They make a lot of money. They have a relationship with shopping, someone shops for them. They can afford what they want, and they’re experts. This happens to actors a lot, and they say, ‘Oh, I know my character wears those Prada boots.’ You have to be a salesperson for your character, as Marci said. Costume design is easily disrespected by people who sit behind desks and change numbers and don’t give you the support you need.” “It can be done.”
Phillips also discussed the increasing influence of product placement in costume design as luxury brands enter the financing arena. “Producers have told us, ‘You have to use this product.’ You have to cast directors who support staying true to the story, because that will become even more complicated depending on how the films are financed.”
The designers also shared their insights into their latest projects.
Ellen Mirojnick created more than 5,300 costumes for Christopher Nolan, focusing on Anne Hathaway’s Queen Penelope.
The color theme of Ithaca House was red, which was reflected in Penelope’s costumes throughout the film. “It was very important to keep it in those tones so as not to spoil the story,” Mirojnick explained.
In the climax where Odysseus returns, Penelope wears a blue dress that serves as her armor. “We created a subtle pleated veil that was very tight and specific to the shape of her body. It extended up from her neck, paired with a gold necklace that was one of the only decorative pieces she wore. She felt as if she was ready for battle and would hold her own. She had a challenge to pose, and her dress enhanced her strength.”
Muir, who worked with Robert Eggers on “The Northman” and “Werwulf,” talked about his meticulous research on wool, a product that signified wealth in Viking times. Muir explained: “There are no wolves in the British Isles because the king ordered them all destroyed so they wouldn’t eat the sheep.”
The rich were buying that wool, so anyone who had a lot of wool clothing was considered upper class. Muir strived for originality but said: “The challenge with these films is to find people who can create woolen fabrics, hats, jewelry, buttons, belts – everything that makes up the whole picture when there are so few styles and elements to work with.”
Phillips talked about her work with Olivia Wilde in “The Invite”. “This was my third time working with Olivia, so there’s a lot of trust there.”
Phillips used only one costume change to set the tone. Cruz’s costume was intentionally layered to reveal more about him as the story progressed. Wilde’s Angela is a stay-at-home artist who has lost her creativity. “I worked with production designer Jade Healy to make sure it blended in with the walls,” Phillips said. He continued, “I wanted Seth’s palette to be similar, and the blues were really bothering me because they weren’t in harmony. Then I realized it was perfect because the relationship was out of sync.”
Rogers described the challenges of working on “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” “The first movie was a hit, and I thought about it for a while. It was the perfect storm: script, cast, costumes. I thought, ‘Okay, the curse of the sequel.'”
But he made it happen. She even brought back her iconic sky blue sweater because Andy (Anne Hathaway) would still have it after all these years.
Rogers explained: “Annie had the scissors. I wanted to cut it up in a more natural way, like a sweater with holes in the elbows. But she cut off the sleeves and I realized it was now a vest. I was trying to make some men’s clothing with it, so it looks like that – it’s a vest.”
Amy Roth reflected on “I Play Rocky.”
He explained that the original “Rocky” movie did not have a costume designer, so there were no references to draw from. He said: “Recreating that iconic look – not just from the movie, but from my and everyone’s collective memory of Rocky – the hat, the leather jacket, the gloves, the bouncing ball, it was all so important.”
Roth explained that the leather jacket is very important. “We had to make it and wear it out. I found the original jacket on eBay, found it in my player’s size, and was relieved.”
He credits actor Anthony Ippolito for elevating his work and work. “He wanted his body to look exactly like Stallone’s. He posed like Stallone. He just embodied his body. He really wanted to do what we were doing. He would bring in pictures of things he was wearing and we would recreate them for him.”
Rogers also touched on his work on “Michael” and recreating the “Thriller” video. “It was one of the last things we shot. I had an 800-page research book, and Deborah Landis told me something interesting. We all know the leather jacket is iconic, but she explained that Michael’s Levi jeans were originally white and he had to dye them red.”
Levi’s collaborated with the filmmakers and sent several pairs to recreate the look. “I had a Pantone book and recreated the beaded jacket by realizing there were two different shades of red; color value is very important,” he said.
It was important to capture every detail, and the zombie dancers were just as important. “I thought, ‘That’s the woman in the pink dress. I should put the pearls right here.'”
Watch the full conversation below.