Designs flow out of the movies

And the winner is … so starts a proclamation that promises that someone’s life is about to change. With Oscars, reel life drama prompts us to hold out for obvious candidates like best picture, actor or actress.

Rarely, unless there is an entry of Avatar-like proportions, do we ever pay attention to the costume designer – the one who physically manifests whatever artistic vision the film has.

This year’s award may have gone to Star Trek but underneath it lies a special set of styling skills.

One of the most relevant movies of all time remains Rebel Without a Cause (1955) starring James Dean. The white tee shirt, blue tight jeans, black leather jacket accessorised with a brooding demeanour resting on a motorbike were immortalised as the essence of cool.

To date, this look has been captured and emulated countless times as ‘the’ rebellious look. It made such a cultural impact that denim has never been the same. No ad could have done for jeans what this movie did.

Definitive moment

The most definitive moment for women was 1961s Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Audrey Hepburn’s character wore this black dress that can rightly be described as iconic.

It is single-handedly credited with conceptualising the little black dress, now simply LBD. Both it and the movie are as glamorous as they are unforgettable.

Another inescapable cinema moment would be Annie Hall starring Diane Keaton. The character’s appeal was so unique and singular she cemented menswear as a trend and as we all know, this persists to date, 33 years later.

Costume designers shift universes in subtler ways than the actual movie does. They enhance a role, underscoring it with flair and memory.

It is an art that is easily identified in fantasy, historical and mythical films because they require a vision of supreme creativity mixed with equal doses of intelligence and all kinds of savvy.

If you ever thought fashion was for airheads, costume designers are proof of the opposite. In cinema, clothes form unspoken dialogue saying things about the character that words will not. As it is in real life so shall it be in film – clothes make the man and especially the woman.

It is the reason The Matrix, with that much leather, separated the rebels who were representing individuality, from suited agents standing for authority and conformity.
The most relevant movies of our time capture the imagination in every way art is conceivable. They make the narrative fluid and seamless. It is never meant to take away from the main story. Instead, it is an important part of it.

An entire department is set up for this and when the make up is fantastic, there is a sense of collaboration rarely witnessed in a woman’s wardrobe.

Outfits do not simply set the mood. They create it. Granted an 18th century flick seems an unlikely trendsetter especially since only a fashion geek would realise if the period pieces don’t fit.

But sample this. The past 10 years, winning costumes have mostly been designed for royalty. They indicated elaborate magnificence and were pointers of the haves and have-nots.

Clothes are a barrier. We cannot deny that. They separate people at a glance and an assessment is made on our status based purely on it.

Modern twists can be rendered on fantasy movies like Alice in Wonderland. The colours are light and pale with soft blues and whites.