Thoroughly modern millennial

Tag: Costume design

  • Inspired by…Titanic’s Jack & Rose

    I thought I’d theme this little feature in tribute to the 100th year anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic this weekend. As well as remembering those who lost their lives on the ship’s ill-fated maiden voyage, I know many will also be heading towards the cinema to experience James Cameron’s epic love story in 3d [for the record, I’m still refusing to see it unless they change the ending – let him share the damn door Rose!].
    I thought I’d throw a little focus to many people’s favourite tragic lovers Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater/Dawson, as portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.


    Rose: Marchesa gown, All Saints wrap cardigan, Modcloth heels, Halston maxi skirt, ‘Heart of the Ocean’ replica
    Jack: TopMan braces, ‘Office’ boots, Margaret Howell shirt, TopMan chinos, Farrell overcoat

    I’ve given the couple a more modern twist with these looks. For Rose, the opulence from her upper class background remains, with a beaded Marchesa gown, but I’ve also taken some inspiration from her various wraps and longer skirts throughout the movie with the other pieces. Jack’s look was pretty easy. Smart, simple, with a touch of working class and not forgetting his trouser braces. And of course, a replica of ‘The Heart of the Ocean’. 

    Keep on wishing…
    R xoxo

  • Inspired by…Smash – Rehearsal Chic

    Smash is the story of the journey to put on a Broadway show and as someone who is a total musical theatre nerd I knew I had to get right on it! The reviews tout it as a more mature Glee and after watching a couple of episodes I can totally agree. 
    The plotline initially follows Karen, a small town girl working her way through the cutthroat Broadway audition scene. She gets her break auditioning for the role of Marilyn Monroe in a brand new original musical up against an equally talented Ivy Lyn. 
    This is where the plotline deviates from the typical rooting for the underdog story. Ivy’s working just as hard as Karen for this part, she’s been in the business for over 10 years and is done with smiling in the background and Marilyn could be her big break. 
    Then there’s the other main characters. Julia and Tom, the show’s adorable writer and composer; Derek Wills, the uptight director; Eileen the producer of the show, who is trying to scrape money to fund it after a messy divorce; all of whom are completely endeering as characters and all just as important to the story of the show than just the two actresses fighting for the lead. 
    At this point in the series the show is still in production, hey it takes a long time to pull together a Broadway musical, so the main inspiration I’m taking from this is the rehearsal fashion. This is very familiar territory for me having been involved in musical theatre in the past and it can be very fun to incorporate the loose dancer style into everyday life. 

    As the series progresses I’ll probably do a few more of these inspiration sets, maybe focusing on other characters and themes within the show. If you haven’t seen the show, I’d definetley recommend it!
     

  • Designers take on the Girl on Fire

    I’m a huge fan of The Hunger Games, so when I found out on Twitter that InStyle has gotten top fashion designers to design Katniss Everdeen’s Hunger Games opening ceremony dress I couldn’t resist blogging about it! For those who haven’t read the books the outfit is originally designed by Cinna, Katniss’ own personal make-over guru and mentor who is subtlety pushing the buttons to ignite (no pun intended) a rebellion in this dystopian society. The design brief was pretty simple.

    “I am dressed in what will either be the most sensational or the deadliest costume in the opening ceremonies. I’m in a simple black unitard that covers me from ankle to neck. Shiny leather boots lace up to my knees. But it’s the fluttering cape made of streams of orange, yellow, and red and the matching headpiece that define this costume. Cinna plans to light them on fire just before our chariot rolls into the streets.”

    The Hunger Games, pp. 67

    Katniss’ outfit during this ceremonial procession on a chariot with Peeta is her first real step into becoming a beacon for the rebellion movement. The outfit is powerful, not necessarily sexy, but enough to capture the attention of the ‘Capitol’ in for both the wrong and right reasons. 

    Christian Siriano
    Tommy Hilfiger
    Rachel Roy
    Tadashi Shoji
    Charlotte Ronson
    Nicole Miller
    Christian Cota
    Tibi
    Erin Fetherston
    The Blonds
    BCBGeneration

    My favourites are definitely Christian Cota and Charlotte Ronson, both of these designers captured the spirit of Cinna’s vision for Katniss. She’s armed, dangerous and not the little girl from District 12 everyone thinks she is. Close runners up for me are Christian Siriano for his take on her fire cape and Rachel Roy’s nod to the fandom with the Mockingjay pin on her boots. Nicole Miller and The Blond’s take on her outfit are a bit too ‘Capitol’ chic for me, I can’t see Katniss in a Gaga-esque headdress, sorry! As for Tommy Hilfiger, Tadashi Shoji, Tibi and BCBGeneration? I don’t know what book they were reading but standing the designs on their own they look great. 

    I loved pouring over these and hopefully, the costume designers for the movie will do just as great a job!

    Ria Xx