#VOGUEFROMHOME
9 Hollywood films with stunning costume design, to watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar
Spanning from as early as 16th century Victorian gowns to the Jazz Age, and iconic leather-clad musical group of Grease in the 1950s, these movie will make you forget the ennui of your everyday wardrobe
Nostalgic sets, moving soundtracks and elaborate costumes are what breathe life into filmmaking. Whether its larger-than-life regal wardrobes that set the mood in period dramas, or subtle nuances like a symbolic brooch placed atop a white dress, thoughtfully-curated costumes help transport the audience into a bygone era. Actors have long described the evocative power of clothing designed to character. “The best costume design does this quiet work of setting a stage for the viewer,” said award-winning designer Ruth E Carter in her episode of Netflix’s design-focused series Abstract.
Ahead, we round up nine epic films that champion visual storytelling by way of corsets, age-old drapes, flapper dresses, leather jackets and much more.
Little Women (2019)
Greta Gerwig’s on-screen adaptation of the novel Little Women is the coming-of-age drama every fan of the Romantic period will love. The 2019 adaption of Louisa May Alcott’s classic, starring an ensemble cast of Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep and more, follows the lives of the March sisters during the American Civil War. Winning the 2020 Academy Award for the category, British designer Jacqueline Durran revealed that she created two separate sets of wardrobes for the leading characters’ timelines as children and adults, set in the early 1800s.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
The Great Gatsby (2013)
There’s no better way to imagine the roaring twenties than what's portrayed in the Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer, The Great Gatsby. Daisy Buchanan’s drool-worthy flapper dresses, fur collars, beaded headgear, and the mens suiting, were all produced by award-winning designer Catherine Martin, the mastermind behind the sultry cabaret outfits of Moulin Rouge! (2001) as well. For the ’20s-inspired magnum opus, Martin created over 1,700 vintage designs for the cast—including a collaboration with fashion designer Miuccia Prada for 40 classic styles that were a mixture of European elegance and New York glamour.
Streaming on Netflix
Elizabeth (1998)
Shekhar Kapur’s Oscar-nominated period biography of Queen Elizabeth I of England follows early years of the monarch’s reign in the late 1500s. Cate Blanchett in the titular role, is seen in crinoline skirts, exuberant neck ruffs, heavily-embellished jacquard gowns and historical robes that will take you back in time almost instantaneously. In one of the most mesmerising scenes of the epic film, the must-see garb by British costume designer Alexandra Byrne, feels like a life-sized moving version of the original 1600s painting Coronation portrait of Elizabeth I.
Streaming on Netflix
Colette (2018)
Keira Knightley is no stranger to wearing corsets. But what makes her titular character’s costumes in the 2018 biographical drama stand apart was simplicity and reliability to which they were designed. Costume designer Andrea Flesch’s vision for the 20th-century eponymous French novelist included clean-cut culottes, ruffled blouses, embroidered vests and finally, a menswear-inspired suit. A glimpse at the trailer will reveal how both Knightley’s character and fashion evolved in Parisian high society.
Streaming on Netflix
Les Misérables (2012)
The Tom Hooper-directed adaptation of the French novel stars an ensemble cast of Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried and others. Paco Delgado interpreted fashion using colours and gritty textures from the early 1800s for the rich and poor, spanning over three decades. Sans glamour, Delgado depicted the revolutionary theme through a sombre palette of red, blue and white he has revealed.
Streaming on Netflix
Grease (1978)
It’s hard to recall the American on-screen adaption of the Broadway romantic musical without humming one of its tunes. The foot-tapping sequences starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are accompanied by biker jackets, lumberjack shirts, quintessential ’50s circle skirts and collared shirts. The generous dose of leather, pastel hues, all-black outfits and hair gel make the stars’ sensational moves all the more unforgettable.
Streaming on Netflix
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
One of the most pivotal scenes of the Disney fantasy film sees Emma Watson, as Belle, swirling around the castle ballroom in the Beast’s arms. Her iconic layered yellow ball gown was reinterpreted by Jacqueline Durran as lightweight and more movement-friendly for the live-action adaptation. Even for the CGI-made male protagonist, real-life costumes were created to detail out every inch of the character.
Streaming on Disney+ Hostar
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Starring Kirsten Dunst as the infamous Queen Marie Antoinette of France, the historical drama is a visual treat, filled with finely-detailed ball gowns, theatrical headgear and corsets that won Best Costume Design at the 2007 Academy Awards. Luxurious silk fabrics, over-the-top pearls and masquerade outfits, shoes by Manolo Blahnik—every look from the film will leave you wanting to see more.
Streaming on Netflix
Victoria & Abdul (2017)
The unique pairing of Dame Judi Dench and Ali Fazal, as Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her Indian personal footman Abdul Karim, is based on true events. In the novel-adapted film, the complex relationship between the Empress and her servant is accompanied by colonial costumes from the bygone era. While the monarch is mostly dressed in extravagant black Victorian gowns, they evolve as he finds happiness in her royal friendship. Interestingly, the Fazal’s costumes were also reimagined as how the royal court tailor's cultural appropriation of Abdul's outfits in Great Britain, as revealed by Consolata Boyle, who worked on the costumes.
Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video
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