This is mostly for my own enjoyment, but since I just did post on Motion Picture Costume Designs I thought it would be interesting to put a list of my favorite motion picture costumes. These costume designs have inspired me and have a huge impact on my love for fashion. I love the idea of creating a character through their clothes and how clothing turns into it’s own character in a way. It is amazing what some designers have done in that past and I want to pay homage to them.
1. Clueless- Costume Designer Mona May
Obviously I can recite Clueless till I am blue in the face. It literally was the moment I discovered fashion and understood the power of fashion on a women. This movie’s costume designs were ahead of it’s time. I remember watching the extras and Mona talking about how they really tried to make the costumes look ahead of their time and they did this beautifully. I mean has plaid ever not been out and who can deny a boa.
2.Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion- Costume Designer Mona
This was my first R rated movie, I watched it in 4th grade at my friend’s house and I thought I was such a badass. These costumes are like Clueless on steriods. These costumes brought these characters alive and made them so loveable. Romy and Michelle would have been nothing without their lingere dresses,leather,leopard and platform shoes.
3. How to Marry a Millionaire- Costume Designer William Travilla
This man was a genius! Honestly ever costume in this movie is breathtaking and so chic. While 20th Century Fox allowed Marilyn to show as much cleavage as she wanted off screen, she was required to be covered up in her films. Travilla actually wired the inside of Monroe’s costumes to keep her breasts from bouncing on screen. The two best costume scenes are when the girls go to dinner with their millionaires all wearing amazing gowns and the fashion show where they show off all of the summer resort looks.
4. Breakfast at Tiffany’s- Costume Designer Edith Head
Edith Head without a doubt paved the way for Costume Design she designed for beauties like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly and designed the most amazing couture for many movies they did. I actually started noticing her after watching more Hitchcock films because she did lots of the costuming for them. This is a cliche fashion movie but it is for a reason. I mean who wouldn’t want to look like Audrey after watching this movie.Givenchy himself outfitted Audrey in all scenes, making anything near the “real deal” for us normal folk dreadfully out of reach.
According to The Comic Critic, Hubert de Givenchy was the first couture designer to break into costume design in film with Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”Audrey Hepburn was formerly Givenchy’s favorite model, and was cast in this part pretty much as a clothes hanger for Givenchy. He previously designed her gowns in the 1954 movie “Sabrina” and the 1957 movie “Funny Face.” His costume designs in this film created the fashion classic for American and European women of “the little black dress”, plus a strand of pearls and an up-do hairdo. It also launched Givenchy into the American mainstream fashion designer market.”
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5. To Catch a Thief- Costume Designer- Edith Head
Edith Head got a Oscar nomination for her work on this movie and I don’t know how she didn’t win. These costumes are so memorable and with Grace Kelly being such a classy & chic style icon you can’t go wrong. During one scene at a masked ball she wears this magnificent gown. To be honest I was so mezmorized by it that I didn’t even pay attention that scene.
6. Chicago- Costume Designer Colleen Atwood
Colleen won an Academy Award for her amazing designs in this movie. I really love the whole 20’s look and I think she really did an amazing job of bring the 20’s alive through the characters costumes. I don’t think Renee Zellweger is that hot but I swear the clothes in that movie morphed her into this hot 20’s vixen. It’s one of those movies I probably mostly just liked cause of the fashion because it played such a strong character itself. Roxy’s shimmery silver dress was probably my favorite of the whole movie.
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7. Atonement-Costume Designer Jacqueline Durran
Kiera Knightley emerald green gown in the begining of the movie was an important part of the scene where her character makes love to her childhood friend against the bookcase. The gown is responsible for alluring her lover and it is one of the sexiest movie costumes I’ve ever seen. I loved it because it wasn’t sleezy in fact the complete opposite it was classy and sexy at the same time.”With Cecilia Tallis’ clothing, we wanted everything to be as light as possible, so that she was this beautiful butterfly wilting in the heat,” says Atonement costume designer Jacqueline Durran, referring to Knightley’s character.”Durran felt it was crucial that ”instead of being constructed around Keira’s body, the dress skimmed her [frame] and added to a feeling of semi-nakedness.”
8. The Devil Wears Prada- Costume Designer Patricia Fields
I am always a sucker for movie makeovers and this movie definitely falls in that cateogory. Patricia Fields the brains behind Sex and the City is another one of my favorite Costume Designers. I think every women walked away from this movie wanting to buy a new wardrobe and not eat for a week. Patricia Fields drew on her experience putting together a faux Vogue closet for Sex and the City. Says Rogers, ”We went for things that were very camera-worthy—items that had a lot of color, interest, or glitter.” I definitely felt a Sex and the Cityfashion press movie.
9. Grease-Costume Designer, Randal Kleiser
Grease was a huge fashion inspiration to me. I wanted to be a pink lady all through middle school, my friends and I even dressed up as Pink Ladies for Holloween. I would say obviously the most memorable scene is Sandy’s makeover there I go again with my love for makeovers but how hot did she look. It’s such a classic movie even today cardigans, leather jackets, cigarette pants and leggings are still way hot
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10. Star Wars- Costume Designer John Mollo
Not the typical fashionista movie but Princess Leia was a huge inspiration to me in middle school. I wanted to be her and even wore my hair in the buns..frequently. My favorite costume of hers is obviously her slave costume she wore in Return of the Jedi this costume stole that scene and I know it was difficult for many boys to pay attention to what was going on with her lounging around in that ensemble.George Lucas requested the costume part based on Fisher’s complaints about the lack of interesting costumes in A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.
Filthy Gorgeous Fashion 
All I have to say is that you truly inspire me. And I love you 🙂