Clothes on Film: Twenty-five years ago, costume designer Margot Wilson was a student living in Paris when she picked up a roll of red, moire silk fabric during a shopping trip to Milan. She didn’t know why, or what for; she wasn’t even a costume designer then, just a talented young fashion grad from East Sydney Tech on a six-month scholarship to France. When it was time to go home, she took the beautiful roll of fabric back down under with her.
6 comments:
Wow. The effort and thought put into the film “the Dressmaker” really shows through the costume designers word as well as the pictures embedded within the article. I find it really interesting that there were two costume designers for this film; one for the main character of Tilly, and another for the rest of the townspeople. I think that this is an effective way to make the character of Tilly stand out. A different designer will automatically have a different style, which makes the dressmaker character have a different style as well. The movie also sounds really interesting. I would love to see it whenever it comes to America (or online). I love the fact that one of the designers, the one for Tilly, carried around a beautiful roll of fabric just waiting for the right time to use it. The dress she made out of that fabric definitely shows that she made the right choice in saving it.
Wilson's obvious understanding of Tilly's needs as a character and Kate Winslet's own celebration of her figure and effortless sensuality are clear reasons as to why this film couldn't have been done with just one designer. Of course Marion Boyce is brilliant and of course he could have designed the whole film beautifully, but when making clothes for a character who has built the foundation of their life and their understanding of the world on clothing a designer must soar to all new heights, and Margot Wilson clearly did just that with her designs. I connect so much to these designers' processes, as well as to Winslet for the way she owns the silhouette and to Tilly's use of dressmaking as an escape from her past and as a foundation for her world view. So rarely is a designer given the opportunity to explore the need for their line of work through its practice, and I think the connection which Wilson felt to Tilly makes the effect of her designs in the images provided alone all the more palpable. As someone who changes clothes twice a day and chooses what I want to wear the next day every night (only to scratch my initial idea as soon as I wake up,) I connect so much to the use of clothing for liberation and expression. It's literally just how my brain works, how I communicate with the world. To see a film which explores, unfolds, and celebrates that concept so diligently being made in such a parallel manner - this has an effect on me which I find difficult to describe fully with words. The most I can say is that it makes my heart soar, my throat tighten, and my soul dance. And if I ever have the fortune to meet Ms. Wilson, I know that "thank you" will never be enough to express my gratitude and respect.
The clothes in this film look fabulous. I absolutely love the aesthetic of Dior’s “New Look”. It is by far my favorite look in twentieth century fashion history. I also love the idea that a designer has been caring around a bolt of fabric waiting for the perfect moment to use is. (In this case I would say that maybe it wasn’t used in the wisest way because I think the moire pattern is not the best combo with Kate Winslet’s beautiful figure). I also think it’s a bit ridiculous to split the design between two designers especially since the plot calls for all the town’s women to start dressing like Winslet’s character. I think in this particular case it maybe extremely obvious that Winslet’s clothes were designed by another person. Furthermore Winslet’s character wears her own designs and then makes them for the other women. One designer should have done everything.
I completely understand why she both bought the fabric and held on to it. As someone who works very closely with fabric, you sometimes form a strange bond with it. Office workers can bond with their computer, learn how to use it and its quirks, we do that with every piece of fabric. As a designer, the search for the prefect fabric for the dress you’ve designed is on going. Many fabric stores are large and have walls and walls lined with different fabrics and you can find your self walking up and down the isles for an hour or so looking for the perfect fabric for what ever garment they have designed. The red moire silk fabric she was saving from France was worth saving and the dress she designed for Kate was beautiful. I would love to see this movie, if only for the costumes, they look beautiful and detailed.
This movie looks sumptuous. Besides the obvious glamour of Kate Winslet, Dior's New Look feels particularly apt as the transformational wardrobe of this story because it was a time in history when fashion was allowed to be luxurious and decadent after a long period of war, scrimping and unrest. The 1950s were really about escapism and creating a fantasy. The images described in the film, of small town women wearing pastel couture to do their shopping reads almost like a fairy tale. Those women are allowed to forget their shabby little lives in favor of a few moments of fantasy. It just goes to show that clothes truly are transformational. The Dior New Look in particular has a look of restrained elegance, an irresistible beauty that is completely in control of the woman wearing it. Fashion, particularly in this film, is a way for people to seize control of the way people see them, and in that way control at least a little part of their own fate.
After watching a teaser trailer for this film a view months ago, I knew both designers would receive much deserved praise for their astounding work on this film. What I was immediately drawn to in the article was the high quality images depicting the barren landscape interspersed with strong linear shapes--angular building, twisted trees, cracked earth, etc. These lines are carefully reflected in Tilly's linear ensembles, mirroring them in such a way as to indicate that Tilly's "New Look" may be only on the exterior, leading the audience to wonder if her emotional transformation is being undergone or has not yet begun. Constructing Tilly's ensembles from scratch I believe was not only necessary for practical reasons but for the sheer fact that as a designer, her outfits would be entirely original, based off her own aesthetic and strong personality. The transformation of the locals I find equally fascinating, especially the juxtaposition of color palettes--Tilly's richer jewel tones vs the town's cotton candy colors. The ides of fashion as personal expression is clearly evident, and it will be exciting to see how each individual character uses fashion to represent a part of themselves or who thy would like to be.
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