Comments on: Seeking movies to help me think about clothes.

Question: Seeking movies to help me think about clothes.

mortaddams — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 12:42:00 -0800

I want to learn about the cultural significance of clothing, as well as how clothes are made, but I want my process to be fun. What do you think are the best popular Hollywood-style movies, in which the characters discuss what clothes mean to them? What about movies in which the characters are involved with the sewing or designing of clothing? Do garments play a major part in the plot of any movies? Any suggestions for movies that have helped you to think about clothes would be most appreciated.

By: rjs

rjs — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 12:50:06 -0800

The September issue is about Vogue (and in particular about Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington) and about the fashion industry. A documentary and not a Hollywood-style movie, but well-made and engrossing.

By: Sara C.

Sara C. — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 12:54:40 -0800

Clueless is the first thing to come to mind for me, a child of the 90's. I also like the way clothing is used to signal character change in Mean Girls. A lot of films aimed at teenage girls or with young woman coming of age themes express important ideas about character through changes in that character's personal style.

Also, not a movie per se, but Mad Men and the accompanying style blog helped me to think about costuming for film and television in very interesting ways. I especially like the posts that follow a character through an entire season of the show, though the episode recaps are also interesting because they deal with interesting minutia and characters who don't merit their own posts.

By: wryly

wryly — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 12:56:24 -0800

The Best Fashion Movies, IMDB

By: Jacen

Jacen — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 12:56:32 -0800

Does The Devil Wears Prada count? ...totally saw it on a date, don't look at me that way :)

By: oinopaponton

oinopaponton — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 12:56:44 -0800

If you want fictional, it's hard to beat this scene from The Devil Wears Prada.

By: jrobin276

jrobin276 — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 13:03:33 -0800

Pretty Woman has several scenes about clothing and culture and class. Pretty in Pink a little too.

By: colin_l

colin_l — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 13:11:08 -0800

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels comes to mind.

By: honey badger

honey badger — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 13:35:50 -0800

Just wanted to point out that costume design is a major part of movies: they are another way to understand the characters. I remember an interview with the costume designer from "Ocean's Eleven" talking about the Brad Pitt character was a smooth talker, a salesman, who was sleek & slippery. So she dressed him in literal sleek & slippery fabrics: bright silks, form-fitting, etc.

TL;DR...any Hollywood movie is a lesson in clothing & character.

By: shw

shw — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:10:10 -0800

I think the documentary, Bill Cunningham New York, may be of interest to you.

By: Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory

Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:35:10 -0800

Do you have an interest in menswear or womenswear (or both)? My answer would be different depending on which you are interested in.

By: Safiya

Safiya — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:38:17 -0800

Kinky Boots, if shoes count.

By: Ideefixe

Ideefixe — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:39:25 -0800

Gone with the Wind--Scarlett's dresses are major plot points
Jezebel--b/w movie with a bright red dress as a major point
Grease
Cinderella-- a dress sewn by animals
Little Women

By: immlass

immlass — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:52:47 -0800

If you're interested in reading analyses of how clothing makes the man (or woman) in movies, I suggest reading Clothes on Film in conjunction with the current and classic movies they discuss. It's a fantastic resource and fun enough that I just read it for pleasure.

By: spamandkimchi

spamandkimchi — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:59:50 -0800

oh! By mentioning Little Women, Ideefixe reminded me of the importance of dress and fashion (puffed sleeves!) in Anne of Green Gables. I'm not sure if the various film versions focus as much on dresses, but it would be fun to check out.

Hello, tailor is not a film, but a fun blog to explore costume design. I especially loved the breakdown of The Avengers costumes.

I tried to channel my inner history nerd and come up with some films that tackle either sumptuary laws or the shift in clothing in colonized countries (e.g. the advent of the "Western" suit vs. Gandhi's homespun khadi) but couldn't think anything that includes clothing as more than a side note.

By: vespabelle

vespabelle — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 16:01:59 -0800

The mini-series Signe Chanel goes into great detail about how true couture is created. From Karl Lagerfeld's designs, to patternmaking, to the production of the trim for the boucle jackets (spoiler: it's a woman in a barn in rural France!) to the white coated women who actually hand sew all the amazing garments, it covers the entire process.

By: lunasol

lunasol — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 16:16:26 -0800

If TV shows are ok, then I'd recommend Downton Abbey. Absolutely beautiful clothes, and a LOT of talk about what those clothes signify, especially for the men, which is rare.

Pretty in Pink also comes to mind. Molly Ringwald's clothing is a key part of her character.

By: SLC Mom

SLC Mom — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 16:45:47 -0800

Real Women Have Curves features women sewing dresses-prom dresses I think- and some discussion about class, duty, proper behavior.

By: SLC Mom

SLC Mom — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 16:49:28 -0800

Also: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is about 4 women sharing a pair of pants that miraculously fits them all.

By: jenfullmoon

jenfullmoon — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 17:45:14 -0800

Clueless has already been suggested, but also 27 Dresses? It's literally in the title and all.

By: Oli D.

Oli D. — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 18:11:51 -0800

House of Eliott http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_Eliott is a nice movie (television series), about two young women starting their fashion house.
I am not sure if it is Hollywood style.

By: mynameisluka

mynameisluka — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 18:37:48 -0800

Black Swan makes fascinating use of costume.

By: feral_goldfish

feral_goldfish — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 18:38:43 -0800

A book, not a movie, but utterly engrossing (a sometimes fun, often bleak retelling of a historical murderess's tale, in which all motives and meaning come from clothes): Slammerkin.

By: Charity Garfein

Charity Garfein — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 19:11:10 -0800

Funny Face. And, uh, Legally Blonde. Not only is Elle in Legally Blonde a fashion expert, but that movie is secretly FULL of clothing-as-class-signifier. East Coast Old Money vs. West Coast Glitz: The Story of Elle Woods' Slowly Emerging Freckles. (That is my pretend book title, because fo reallllll.)

By: bibliogrrl

bibliogrrl — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 19:12:23 -0800

You should totally take a look at the blog Clothes on Film.

By: gingerbeer

gingerbeer — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 19:16:49 -0800

Pret a Porter

By: Mchelly

Mchelly — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 19:29:02 -0800

Desperately Seeking Susan did a fantastic job of showing how wardrobe choices can influence if not dictate your personality, if you want them to.

By: larva

larva — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 20:04:15 -0800

Who are You, Polly Maggoo?

By: brujita

brujita — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 20:57:55 -0800

Book, not movie:Alison Lurie's The Language of Clothes.

By: a fiendish thingy

a fiendish thingy — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 21:16:57 -0800

How to Marry a Millionaire is a good one-- the broke women characters model clothes as living mannequins in an upscale department store, but pretend to be rich women in their spare time. Lots of interesting power dynamics with how women are constantly negotiating class and gender in the way they choose to present themselves.

Also, Rebecca. They couldn't actually make Joan Fontaine look plain as the second Mrs. De Winter, but they put her in a lot of dumpy tweeds, and her attempts to play at "sophistication" in dress are portrayed as pathetic and laughable. Furthermore, the impossible elegance of her husband's first wife is always on display, since all her fancy clothes, monogrammed linens, furs, and even her lace underwear (made by nuns!) are kept as shrines to her perfection by the obsessed housekeeper.

By: Multicellular Exothermic

Multicellular Exothermic — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 21:23:48 -0800

Coco Avant Chanel - it's a dramatisation about Coco Chanel's early years, and the effects of clothing on politics, social standing, and gender relationships.

By: lowest east side

lowest east side — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:16:45 -0800

Catherine Deneuve in Belle Du Jour and Sharon Stone in Casino are two great examples of wardrobe as character device/plot element.

When I hear the words Hollywood and clothes I think Edith Head.

By: Sunburnt

Sunburnt — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:58:53 -0800

Based on a John LeCarre novel, "The Tailor of Panama" is a kind of spy movie, or maybe a satire of one, but it has a good cast, including Geoffrey Rush as the title's Tailor. There's a cool scene where he chalks a bolt of wool cloth and cuts out pieces of a suit-- it's sped up because it probably took a good while, but that's the beauty-- it's a very long take with a static camera, just a man concentrating on his work.

In addition to showing a bit of the tailor's craft, it's clear that Rush had to do some studying with the real article in order to make the scene possible.

Further on the topic of spies wearing suits, here's a short video, released under the Bond license, about dressing James Bond.

By: RubyScarlet

RubyScarlet — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 02:10:23 -0800

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is another film in which clothes are portrayed as an important way for characters to establish their place in society. Plus it's gorgeous to look at, the clothes are beautiful and Amy Adams is simply luminous.

By: knile

knile — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 04:37:38 -0800

This photography museum exhibit on fashion (NSFW) has a movie series along with it, including The Dreamers, Factory Girl, Una Giornata Particolare, and Les Valseuses.

Are you interested in films that explore the relationship between clothing and gender? If so, you've got Ma Vie en Rose, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, and many many others.

By: shirobara

shirobara — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 06:54:26 -0800

In Enchanted, the princess Giselle is ripped from a fantasy world and dumped into a city in her over-the-top wedding gown, which could hardly be more different than the sleek smoky purple gown she wears in the end. (Everyone else at the dance she is attending is wearing some sort of masquerade outfit, which also serves to throw her unadorned gown into relief, and make the true love's previous girlfriend look a little silly.) She also sews her own clothes, which are all traditionally hyper-feminine, though in the end she makes that a business creating children's clothes and is herself wearing something more subdued. The progression of her clothes and how she learns to dress to fit in but still display her taste says a lot about what's commonly considered in American culture to be tacky, childish and overly feminine versus what's seen as sophisticated, appropriate and modern.

By: Rash

Rash — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 08:59:28 -0800

As a man with a fetish, I like women who wear certain clothing, so I can really relate to the scenes in Vertigo where Scottie insists that Judy dress up like Madeline. But maybe that's not what you're looking for here.

By: bookshop

bookshop — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 12:57:47 -0800

Clothes are a seminal focus in nearly all of Audrey Hepburn's films. The costume designer for Sabrina won an Oscar even though much of the wardrobe were AH's personal Givenchy gowns.

By: Charlemagne In Sweatpants

Charlemagne In Sweatpants — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 15:04:16 -0800

Hedwig & The Angry Inch has a few good scenes like that.

By: misformargaret

misformargaret — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 05:58:54 -0800

A Simple Man also had some nice clothing details in it, and if you can find an interview with Tom Ford on it, even more interesting.

By: annsunny

annsunny — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 21:08:57 -0800

Two that pop into my head are Working Girl and Sabrina.

By: karan

karan — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:18:37 -0800

The Other Boleyn Girl

By: knile

knile — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:52:05 -0800

Marie Antoinette