Here's a list of my Top 20 favorite Movie Costumes. Enjoy!
20. Paulie Bleeker's Cross-Country Uniform | Juno
Costume Designer: Monique Prudhomme
This movie is ridiculous and so is this costume- in the best way. The running uniforms are an integral part of the film and have become extremely iconic since. The colors are perfect in that cliche "obnoxious school spirit" kind of way. Good thing Paulie's mom used color safe bleach. Go Carol.
19. Marty McFly's Outfit | Back To The Future
Costume Designer: Deborah Lynn Scott
Maybe it's because it's such an iconic outfit, but I love Marty's look when he time travels from the 80's to the 50's. The outfit is an every day 80's look, not over the top to exaggerate that he is out of time, but enough to make him stand out- especially with the red vest.
18. Layla's Homecoming Dress | Sky High
Costume Designer: Michael Wilkinson
As her superpowers are an ability to control plants and nature, Layla is often seen in the color green throughout the film (this is a common theme in the film- Wilkinson dresses each main character in the same color that coordinates with their powers). The color matches well with her red hair. Her dress during these Homecoming scenes is stunning and seen in all of its glory when she has her incredibly cool moment using the vines against the evil cheerleaders (pictured above).
17. The White Witch's "Queen" Outfit | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Costume Designer: Isis Mussenden
The White Witch's dress design resembles that of an iceberg, with the ombre white-to-blue and the added texture. The fur white coat not only adds to the "snowy" look but also the "diva" look. Her crown is my favorite and I love the detail of having it melt throughout the duration of the film, as they draw nearer to Aslan.
16. Deborah's Casual Wear | Baby Driver
Costume Designer: Courtney Hoffman
I love this look because it says "trendy without trying too hard". The headphones are as much a part of the costume as the rest of the clothing- and given that music is such a staple in this film, it makes sense.
15. Katniss' Mockingjay Armor | Mockingjay Part 2
Costume Designer: Cinna...just kidding it's Kurt Swanson and Bart Mueller
Fashionable yet functional was always the description of Katniss' wardrobe designed by Cinna in the books. And the films did not disappoint. The armor is protective, yet lightweight for an archer and resembles the wings of a mockingjay, as is Katniss' symbol to the rebellion. It also holds a sort of medieval "knight in shining armor" look to it.
14. The Evil Queen's Wedding Gown | Mirror, Mirror
Costume Designer: Eiko Ishioka
I must admit, I watched this movie once when it first came out and never again so I don't remember much of it (I'm guessing it was a wedding gown) but I absolutely remember this dress. The Evil Queen had many over the top dresses in this Snow White retelling, and this one was by far my favorite.
13. Elizabeth Swann's Pirate King Outfit | Pirate's of the Caribbean: At World's End
Costume Designer: Penny Rose
If you've been reading some of my posts, you've probably gathered how much I love Elizabeth Swann's character. A great thing about these films is how they don't need to dress her in traditionally feminine outfits in order for her to look good. She wears this from Sao Feng and continues to wear it after he appoints her captain over the Empress. The costume holds a Chinese design, as that is where Sao Feng is from, and has a wonderful amount of detail and texture to it.
12. Leia's Snow Suit | Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Costume Designer: John Mollo
I love this outfit because rarely do you see two shades of white looking good on each other. As Leia represents the side of good in this fight, white stays as her signature color. Also it's like a futuristic space snow suit, and that's always cool. I added the close up because, as always, Leia's hair remains an integral part of the costume.
11 . Susan's Good-bye Dress | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Costume Designer: Isis Mussenden
The Narnia series has always had great costuming, especially for Susan and Lucy. This one from Susan's last time in Narnia is my favorite. I love the flowers and the puffed out sleeves. It's very graceful, as Susan always tends to be.
10. Kit's Hunting Outfit | Cinderella
Costume Designer: Sandy Powell
This film definitely deserved its Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design. The designs are astounding and the colors plunge you right into a fairytale world by using contrasting bold colors and patterns. Kit's outfit here is a great example of this, using both a bright blue and green on top of each other. The colors also bring out his unusually blue eyes, really adding to that "dreamy prince" look. Or maybe that's just Richard Madden.
9. Jasmine's Purple Dress | Aladdin
Costume Designer: Michael Wilkinson and Norma Moriceau
Throughout this film, Wilkinson and Moriceau make beautiful outfits for Jasmine, mixing surreal fairytale with traditional Indian color and design. This purple one is stunning, with complementary colors and clashing patterns. I also love the harem pants outlined by the open dress.
8. Rick Dalton's Vintage Look | Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
Costume Designer: Arianne Phillips
I guess I'm just a big fan of clashing bold colors. This outfit on Rick Dalton has a distinctive classical Hollywood look, and clashes wonderfully with Cliff's "I don't care" looks.
7. Shosanna's Battle Dress | Inglourious Basterds
Costume Designer: Anna Biedrzycka-Sheppard
Shosanna looks stunning in this dress, but it's the reason she wears it that makes it stand out so much in the film. I call it her battle dress because she is about to start a battle in it. She is a Jew disguised as a loyal German, in support of the Nazis, when in reality she is about to burn them to the ground. She wears the colors of the Nazi flag, yet is hiding her true self (hence the veil). To really push this point, we first see her in this dress in the third shot above, sitting in front of the reflection of the Nazi flag, contemplating what she is about to do. This is further exaggerated with the way she puts on her makeup in the last shot above.
6. Danielle's Princess Dress | Ever After
Costume Designer: Jenny Beavan
Beavan manages to make these dresses look both era-accurate and fairytale-esque. This is Danielle's first dress worn as royalty, and it does not disappoint, with beautiful patterns and a wonderful warm color scheme.
5. Wonder Woman's Armor | Wonder Woman
Costume Designer: Lindy Hemming
Whether you're a superhero fan or not, everyone knows the iconic Wonder Woman look. Hemming somehow manages to make functional, cool looking armor while remaining true to the comic book version. I could say a lot about the details of this costume, but truthfully, everything I know is from Amanda Weaver's breakdown of it's Roman armor origins. You can find the amazing analysis here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AcZmf3FsCRtZD0rPqeVovEdGfEx9ZIMSmzY5qWss1vtO7ZW-lL7d63U/
4. Anne Wheeler's Trapeze Costume | The Greatest Showman
Costume Designer: Ellen Mirojnick
If this outfit didn't make you want to join the circus, then nothing did. I love the bright colors of this costume, an extremely appropriate design for a circus. The bubblegum pink wig clashes with the bright purple wonderfully, adding to that fantastical look.
3. Lady Tremaine's Ball Gown | Cinderella
Costume Designer: Sandy Powell
Another one from Cinderella, of course. Lady Tremaine is constantly seen in the color green- not only a color most associated with Disney villains, but also one that symbolizes greed and envy. What a fitting color for the Evil Stepmother. This gown's design and material is beautiful as well, with the gold accented to emphasize her desire to appear as wealthy as she can.
2. Mary Poppins' Red Coat | Mary Poppins Returns
Costume Designer: Sandy Powell
I was thinking that Mary Poppins Returns and Cinderella had similar components in their costume design, when I learned that that's because both films were designed by Sandy Powell. What I loved so much about Mary Poppins' costumes in this film, was that Powell stays true to the concepts of the original with her own modern twist. Polka dots on polka dots on chevron might look absolutely nuts on anyone else, but on Mary Poppins it looks "practically perfect in every way".
Nakia's Dora Milaje Armor | Black Panther
Costume Designer: Ruth E. Carter
If you've made it this far, then you've noticed that the 3 common aspects to these costumes that I like are clashing bold colors, clashing patterns, and stylish, but functional, armor. It's no surprise that this is my favorite one, as it combines all 3 of those things. Like the rest of the costume design from this film, this armor not only looks futuristic but also displays its African culture, where it originates. Carter based many of the costumes on a mix of very real tribes in Africa, and this Dora Milaje suit is no different. Although Nakia was hesitant to wear it in this part of the film, she clearly rocks it the entire battle.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Leave your favorite costume from a film in the comments below!
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