Costume accuracy in Film
In week one our task is to look for a movie which plays in another era. For example the movies "Pride and Prejudice"
"Atonement"
"Titanic"
"The Reader"
"Anna Karenina" can be seen as such.
THE NEW 20s
I have decided to pick the last film adaptation of the novel 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
When I saw the movie in the cinema I was more than impressed. As I adore films, filmmaking and fashion/costume design, my thought was from the beginning that this movie has to win at least one Academy Award. The movie s setting, fashion and actors are more than well chosen.
The fashion in the movie is glamorous and pompous. That is what you surely expect from a movie, which plays in the 1920s. When I looked up for the first time in google 'The Great Gatsby 2013' and read through the articles that advertise this movie, I could read up from the first article that the costumes and accessories were designed and supplied from big names like Miuccia Prada, Brooks Brothers and Tiffany & Co.
After seeing the names I ve been more woowed and I explored the costumes in detail. But really, just because I was interested in designs and didn t have in mind to criticize the costume accuracy.
After bearing in mind how accurate fashion (and others cultural aspects (locations, music)) showed in the movie can really be I agree to the statement "Costumes look like contemporary fashion interpreting 1920s ".
Also Wikipedia states: Costume historians of the period, however, said that the costumes were not authentic, but instead modernized the 1920s-era fashions to look more like modern fashions. Most prominently, the women were clothed to emphasize their breasts, such as Daisy's push-up bra, in contrast to the flat-chested fashions of the era. While the book was set in 1922, the movie included fashions from the entire decade of the 1920s and even the 1930s. Many of the fashions from archives were concepts from runways and fashion magazines that were never worn by women in real life. Martin says that she took the styles of the 1920s and made them sexier, and was trying to interpret 1920s styles for a modern audience. Alice Jurow, of the Art Deco Society of California, said that she loved the movie, but most of their members prefer more period-perfect films. The men's costumes were more authentic, except the pants were too tight. see here
True, comparing to old pictures of the 1920s these dresses shape the body and are bodyhugging. Also the men trousers look quite too tight.
But, living in the 21st Century, in a fast-paced environment, where technology and fashion change every day; with people who want to see more new things instead of digging in the past- That is the movie I appreciate more than a movie-a-like documentary.
In another article Shitika Anand states: With the new The Great Gatsby movie being the talk of the town, it’s noteworthy to see how the fashion in the film prevents itself from looking too ‘costumey’. The clothes must be easy to adapt into a modern wardrobe, without being too verbatim of the bygone era. They must satisfy the appetite for luxury as well as correlate with the mass market without saturating its existence. It will be a very close call between resuscitating the fashion of the 1920s and 1930s as a trend to completely dwindling its trace. We expect there’s a good chance of the former outcome; though the real question will be, how the trend takes hold and to what degree. As we do with all trends, we’ll of course be keeping a close watch.
This movie was made to entertain, shock (in the most glamourous way), inspire the viewer and advertise luxorious brands.
A bit off the topic, but people who ve listened to the movies soundtrack will also say, that the sound is pretty much 21st Century. Surely with a Jazz splash to make it more authentic, we don t want forget the story-telling alongside all tra-tram and rataplan.
So, are the new 20s fashionable? -Sure.
Do I wanna watch the movie over and over again? -Yes, I do.
Am I overwhelmed by the costumes, locations and firework? -Absolutely.
Would I spend thousand of Pounds/Dollars/Euros to buy jewellery from Tiffany & Co. or Prada? -I m already thinking to name my piggybank "Miss Prada" !!!
Do I listen to the soundtrack non-stop? -Don't know when I will really stop doing it.
Would I buy the dvd-movie? -Definitely.
Costume accuracy = Failed
Costume interpretation = Succeeded
Made a successful movie = Completed
XE
