Monday, March 10, 2014
In costuming the past, we lose the present
Lifestyle - The Boston Globe: In “Blue Jasmine,” Cate Blanchett’s wardrobe has a central role in telling the story of a woman who (seemingly) has everything before she unravels financially and emotionally. Jasmine clings to her wool bouclé Chanel jackets and Hermes Birkin bags as links to a more stable past. Indeed, it’s those Akris blouses and Valentino cocktail dresses — and more broadly the work of costume designer Suzy Benzinger — that help Jasmine almost reinvent herself.
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You can't deny that costuming for the present can be as challenging as doing so for the past, as Muther says, but at the same time I can see why costume awards tend to go to films that are set in the past. In a sense, I would think that designing for current times is generally a little bit easier than recreating the past, since it is for the most part an embodiment of styles that we see every day. In creating costumes for different times and eras, there tends to be more in-depth research involved, since you're re-creating something that once was but is no longer commonly seen. Also, it's probably true that more historical pieces simply appear flashier and more novel to us because we aren't accustomed to seeing them.
I completely disagree with this article. You can definitely see the present in costuming the past. The new technologies that are used to make the garments are definitely make all of the difference. Have you ever looked at a shirt made 10 years ago compared to one that has been made today? Depending on the production and the designer you can definitely also see different influences of today in the costumes of the past.
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