Tyranny of Style

• Costume Designers Guild - San Diego Comic-Con Panels 2016

  For the ELEVENTH year in a row, The Costume Designers Guild will be participating in San Diego Comic-Con, July 21-24 at the San Diego Convention Center. The CDG (I.A.T.S.E. Local 892) is the labor union that represents costume designers, assistant costume designers and illustrators in film and television. They will return this year with two exciting panels; giving fans a behind the scenes look at the fantastic world of costume design for some of the hottest films and television shows!

  

  Click here to read the entire Costume Designers Guild - San Diego Comic-Con Panels 2016 article...

• Outlander Costume Design by Terry Dresbach

  The hit drama Outlander, currently in its second season on Starz, crosses several different genres. Based on the bestselling book series by Diana Gabaldon, the show follows the story of Claire, a WWII British nurse who unexpectedly finds herself transported back in time to 18th century Scotland, and must quickly learn to navigate her new surroundings as well as her new marriage to a Highlander named Jamie. Outlander's production team creates an incredibly rich viewing experience for its audience each week. One of the most exciting of these elements is, of course, Terry Dresbach's phenomenal costume design, which adds a tremendous amount of depth to the story. Every single costume, whether it's on a lead character or a background player, fits seamlessly into the narrative.

  Click here to read the entire Outlander Costume Design by Terry Dresbach article...
  

• Costume Design of Captain America: Civil War

  Captain America: Civil War is the largest film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, bringing together two epic teams of heroes to battle an intense physical and ideological war. And to costume two powerful and iconic legions, the Russos turned to acclaimed costume designer Judiaanna Makovsky. Makovsky has multiple Oscar nominations and Costume Designers Guild Award wins for such films as Pleasantville, Seabiscuit, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. She is no stranger to the comic book genre and MCU, having designed the costumes for X-Men: The Last Stand, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and currently in production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. We recently had a chance to ask her about just a few of the incredible costumes from this phenomenal film!

  

  Click here to read the entire Costume Design of Captain America: Civil War article...

• Costume Design for an Alternative History: The Man in the High Castle

  The Man in the High Castle, an Amazon Original Series, shows us an alternative history where Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan won World War II and now rule over the former United States. Based on the novel by acclaimed science fiction author Philip K. Dick, the story is as exciting as it is chilling, full of psychological twists and turns. The series owes much of its successful, in addition to excellent writing and casting, to the level of detail and believability in the production and costume design.

  

  Click here to read the entire Costume Design for an Alternative History: The Man in the High Castle article...

• Deadpool - Making of an Iconic Antihero Suit

  Deadpool, one of the most crass, hard-hitting, and iconic comic book characters finally hit the big screen this month, after years of development. The film (and its incredible star Ryan Reynolds!) nails the character perfectly, and both old and new fans alike are singing its praise, propelling it to the biggest R-rated opening weekend in film history (as well as 20th Century Fox’s biggest debut weekend EVER). And what is a great antihero film without a great antihero suit?! To learn more about the costume’s creation, we went right to the source!

  

  Click here to read the enitre Deadpool - Making of an Iconic Antihero Suit article...

• The Costume Design of HAMILTON!

  HAMILTON is the hottest new show to premiere on Broadway in years (sold-out into 2017!). It is a groundbreaking new musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda who wrote the music, lyrics, and book, as well as stars as the show’s title character. HAMILTON weaves together rap, hip-hop, and traditional musical styles to tell the dynamic story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, all beautifully portrayed by such a diverse cast. Costumes designed by Tony Award nominee Paul Tazewell, help to wonderfully support such bold storytelling by expertly combining the fussy world of 18th century dress with a minimalist, modern sensibility. Tazewell is an acclaimed costume designer for theatre, dance, and opera, with such credits as Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk, Dr. Zhivago, Side Show, and NBC’s smash hit The Wiz Live! Tazewell recently, very generously, opened up with us on his process for designing the iconic costumes of HAMILTON!

  

  Click here to read the entire The Costume Design of HAMILTON! article...

• FIDM's 24th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition

  Every year, the FIDM Museum presents its impressive showcase of the past year's most memorable moments in film costume design. This year's exhibition, which opens to the public on Tuesday, February 9, is another stunning example of the fine work the museum's curators. On display you’ll view a huge variety of costumes, ranging from lavish fantasy period pieces like Cinderella to the modern chic of Pitch Perfect 2. In addition, all five of this year's Academy Award nominees are included, as well as many of the Costume Designers Guild award honorees. Museum Director Barbara Bundy stated that when planning the exhibition, their goal is "to show the breadth of what went on in the movies the year before." She also mentioned that the process of bringing this wonderful display to the public is a tremendous undertaking: "The day that this opens we will start planning for next year." The museum's efforts certainly pay off, as each year the exhibition grows and is even better than the last.

  

  Click here to read the entire FIDM's 24th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition article...

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens Costume Design

  Michael Kaplan is one of the top costume designers working in film today. He is an incredibly versatile designer, having designed such iconic sci-fi films as Blade Runner, for which he won a BAFTA, as well as Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, but also masters the historic and modern beautifully with such credits as Pearl Harbor, Clue, Fight Club, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Christmas Vacation. He also almost single-handedly set the 1980s off-the-shoulder-sweater trend with his costume design for Flashdance. It is no wonder that he was trusted with designing the costumes for one of the most anticipated films of the decade, and the responsibility of shaping one of the most famous franchises in film history! Michael shares with us some exciting insight into his process on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and some great details about textiles and technology.

  

  Click here to read the entire Star Wars: The Force Awakens Costume Design article...

• Costume Design of Cirque du Soleil's Toruk

  Cirque du Soleil’s latest production, Toruk – The First Flight, is an immersive touring spectacle that brings to the stage the world of James Cameron’s AVATAR in new and exciting ways. This mythical tale is set thousands of years before the events of the AVATAR film, long before humans entered Pandora, and centers on the journey to ride the mighty red and orange predator that rules the Pandoran sky. Acclaimed costume designer Kym Barrett was tasked with creating this beautifully adorned world. Barrett is well known in the world of fantasy design for film, with such credits as The Matrix, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Jupiter Ascending. And she has previously collaborated with Cirque du Soleil on the touring production Totem. She shares with us an exciting look at her process in envisioning this richly imaginative story!

  

  Click here to read the entire Costume Design of Cirque du Soleil's Toruk article...

• Jacqueline Durran's Costume Design for Macbeth

  Jacqueline Durran is an Academy Award-winning costume designer with such credits as Anna Karenina, Pride & Prejudice, and Atonement. Her latest project, Macbeth with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, is already receiving major acclaim, having premiered throughout Europe earlier this Fall. In time for the American opening this week, we asked Durran to talk us through her inspiration and process of designing the richly detailed costumes for this powerful tragedy.

  

  Click here to read the entire Jacqueline Durran's Costume Design for Macbeth article...