12 Occasions When Costume Designers Made Mistakes But Still Produced Masterpieces That Won Viewers' Hearts

They succeeded in striking the ideal balance between realism and a dash of extra magic.

Maryjane

• Published in Film & TV
• February 13, 2023

Through the years, there has always been a connection between fashion and film. It goes without saying that clothing design plays a significant role in movies.

From French couturiers to high-end footwear designers, a number of well-known fashion designers have contributed their originality to movies over the years. Some of these individuals' careers began with costume design, while others transitioned to the film industry after already having a successful design career.

A well-made costume may give people life, take the audience to another era or location, and—most importantly—contribute to the integrity of a director's artistic vision. A film's ability to endure can also be significantly impacted by well-done wardrobe details.

One of the most crucial elements of any historical drama is the clothing design. Costume designers must operate within a comparatively clearly defined framework.

However, this does not imply that they must be limited to ostensibly historical circumstances. Accuracy isn't always crucial or pertinent to the narrative.

Keep in mind that we are discussing entertainment-oriented historical films, not academic documentaries. Many historical outfits are unattractive and frequently appear prudish by modern standards, and also potentially uncomfortable.

As a result, in some of the movies, the designers consciously modified the details to fit the personalities of the characters and the broader plot.

1. Elizabeth I: The Golden Age

The filmmakers made a few blunders in terms of history. Elizabeth I cherished exquisite lace, precious stones, and elaborate stitching.

However, the clothing designers purposely limited the amount of ornamentation to a minimum so as not to distract from the plot. The hue and texture helped to identify the queen's personality in relation to the other characters.

As a result, the ruler appeared on television wearing dresses with vibrant colors, in contrast to the frequently light-colored and more worn garments she wore in real life.

2. The farthingale, a flat, broad frame worn beneath a garment to give it the shape of an inverted glass, was also absent from the queen's attire

In the film, Cate Blanchett has a smooth, delicate shape without the hypertrophied shoulders that were a distinctive feature of that time.

Even so, the costume designers pulled off a convincing appearance and took home the Oscar for Best Costume Design.

3. The Great Gatsby Costume

While the men's clothing depicted in the movie is mostly realistic, Miuccia Prada's designs for the women underwent substantial revisions. Instead of the straight gowns with plain waistlines that were characteristic of those eras, the audience saw tight-fitting garments, V-shaped necklines, and closed backs in the movie.

4. Unique touch

If you look attentively, you may observe a variety of costume designers' accessories, such as unusual tights and stilettos with an exposed heel. This added a unique touch to the movie.

5. The Other Boleyn Girl

For this movie, it was forbidden for the costume designers to use farthingale. Instead, they used crinoline to enhance volume and give the garments the dome-shaped silhouette that would become a staple of dresses in later decades.

6. The green color used in the movie's costumes was rather unique for the Tudor period

Prior to the 19th century, fabric manufacturers would mix blue and yellow dyes to get the color green, which resulted in exceedingly poor quality dying.

Because of this, Anna hardly had a chance to display her luxurious emerald-colored clothing in real life. However, this hue ended up being the film's dominant hue.

7. Mary Queen of Scots

The majority of the costumes in the movie were made of denim, a fabric that wasn't truly invented until the 19th century, although the action in the film takes place in that era. According to costume designer Alexandra Byrne, when the characters were dressed in this tough denim fabric, viewers started to find them more likable and understandable.

Thanks to this out-of-character material, the Elizabethan era saw its fair share of imaginative hooliganism, and historical play started utilizing modern colors.

8. Shakespeare in Love

The Elizabethan era serves as the backdrop for the action in the movie, despite the fact that the tale is entirely fictional. In order to avoid restricting movement and detracting from the main character, the costume designers kept the historically correct attire simple and removed the opulent ornamentation that was typical at the time.

9. The men's attire also had a shift in appearance

The film company made the jackets and pants a little bit longer to avoid the characters seeming ludicrous in tights.

Finally, a great love tale unrelated to historical events was shown to the viewers. But it appeared that everyone was content.

10. Little Women

The narrative in "Little Women" centers on the March sisters. The action takes place during Queen Victoria's reign, a time when every woman's clothing must include pants, petticoats, hoops, and corsets.

However, some of these features were taken away from Beth and Jo by the costume designers in order to better portray each character's personality. Jo donned a man's vest, while Beth wore no crinoline.

11. Cleopatra

Sequins, synthetic materials, high heels, tight dresses, bustiers, and "beehive" hairstyles are just a few of the aspects that don't fit the time period shown in the film.

12. Despite what it may sound like, the 1960s elegance and all the fashionable details didn't harm the film

On the other hand, viewers loved the expansive movie where Cleopatra wore 38 different outfits. The tremendous work of costume designers made this feasible.

13. Vanity Fair

The 19th century in England was a time when pastel shades were in fashion and vivid colors were only employed as accents. The costume designers, however, turned accepted wisdom on its head.

Throughout the entire movie, we notice the main character's vibrant, almost juicy clothes. As her social status increases, so do her clothing.

As a result, it became a tool for describing the personality and changing ambitions of the character because of the unorthodox approach taken by costume designers.

14. Dangerous Beauty

The protagonist is shown as a dainty nymph. This outfit is made out of light materials, loose sleeves, and pastel hues.

15. The truth is that in Venice during the 16th century, ladies, including courtesans, would wear metal corsets to conceal their underwear

No such thing as elegance could be applied to them since it made them appear larger than they actually were.

16. Additionally, the time did not favor basques

They did, however, have to concede that the decision to modernize the movie did not detract from it; on the contrary, it enhanced the ethereal and romantic ambiance of the movie, which would not have been possible if the attire had precisely followed the fashion of the time.

17. Anna Karenina

The Anna Karenina novel action takes place in the 1870s

18. Despite this, movies emphasized the shape (the body form) and looked to 1950s haute fashion collections for inspiration

The outcome was that the dresses with a crinoline the spectators saw weren't overly embellished.

19. Additionally, women were not permitted to wear gloves to balls

Yet it was considered highly rude to dance without them. Only for meals, concerts, and card games were they allowed to remove their gloves.

20. Dirty Dancing

Everyone was amazed by Jennifer Grey's role's high-waisted jean shorts. However, the costume designers neglected the fact that in the 1960s, when the movie is set, trendy everyday apparel wasn't made of denim.

Back then, hard labor was performed using denim rather than for fashionable clothing.

21. Pride & Prejudice

While Keira Knightley's character's dress in the film is almost flawless, the way her shoes seem isn't quite correct. We see Elizabeth wearing rubber Wellington boots multiple times because they wouldn't have been invented for 40 years after the events of Jane Austen's book occurred.

One of the biggest challenges costume designers in movies face is creating costumes for characters that are memorable and iconic. Costume designers have to come up with costumes that will stand the test of time and be remembered for years to come.

Whatever the case, these creators unquestionably left their imprint on Hollywood. The ingenuity of these designers knows no limitations, and we love to see it.

The clothing designers also succeed in striking the ideal balance between realism and a dash of extra magic.

Maryjane