Costume in Film

This special issue belongs to a series of activities under the umbrella denomination “Studying and Exploring the Intersections of Fashion, Film, and Media Studies,” created in 2014 by film scholar Anne Bachmann and I. Our goal was to promote an interdisciplinary perspective to the study of fashion, film, and media. This venture was launched with two activities at the 2015 edition of the annual conference of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, in Montreal. The first activity consisted of a panel featuring the on-going projects of four Ph.D. students working with these combined fields.[1]  The second activity consisted of a workshop, in which presentations opened to discussions addressing how the use of archival material and film fan magazines, combined with film studies’ methodological approach to history, could benefit fashion research.[2] This workshop expanded into a Symposium at Stockholm University featuring established scholars who pioneered research in these fields of studies combined. This special issue of Networking Knowledge seeks to include early career researchers in such conversation, broadening the network of scholars and the combined field of expertise. Since its inception, a historical approach has been encouraged by the founders of this project. Yet, the semiotic roots used for textual analysis of costume design shall not be overlooked. In this sense, this special issue intends to present a panorama of the heterogeneous nature of studies in these interconnected fields.

Costumes in feature films can be deliberately used for narrative purposes to reveal or conceal something related to the plot, functioning as a key element for cinematic storytelling. Costume design in animation is an integral part of character creation; however, relatively little is known about the design process. Previous research concentrates on either the history of hand-drawn animation, the principles of making animated films or character construction. This article presents several key components of the animators' costume design process in Walt Disney's animated feature films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Cinderella (1950) and Sleeping Beauty (1959). The author demonstrates that the costume design in these films was a multi-layered process. For example, for Snow White, the costume silhouette of the final animation is visible in the early conceptual designs whereas, for Cinderella or Princess Aurora, the principal character animators designed the final costume. Additionally, the slow production time influenced the style of the costumes: small details on costumes and complex constructions were not used as it would have taken too long for them to be drawn. The article also reveals that animators used live-action filming and rotoscoping as tools for designing costumes. Furthermore, costumes that were used in pre-production filming for rotoscope were different in their construction from everyday garments. The work of a costume designer existed in the character design process, although not as a separate profession. This article aims to highlight the importance of characters' costumes in Disney's early hand-drawn animated films and the different ways costumes have been designed for animated characters.

acques Deray’s 1969 film La Piscine offers two contrasting versions of la Parisienne: the sophisticate and the ingénue. Costume, hair, and make-up, play a significant role in the construction of these two Parisienne identities, and reflect the respective star personae of Romy Schneider and Jane Birkin. This article explores the relationship between la Parisienne, fashion and stardom in Deray’s film.

The article explores the functions of film costumes in the works of Cecil B. DeMille, the American film director, whose pictures of the late 1910s and early 1920s are notable for their artistic achievements in the field of set and costume design. On the material of certain films from his “matrimonial cycle”, the author analyses the narrative and spectacular functions of costumes, while making an emphasis on the director’s role in the development of the artistic uniqueness and visual extravagance of Hollywood films of this period. The films of this cycle display some key strategies in film costume functioning and design methods that would be adopted by the Hollywood film industry to become the new production standard in this field. / Статья посвящена анализу функций костюмов в фильмах американского режиссера Сесила Б. ДеМилля второй половины 1910-х — начала 1920-х годов. На примере кинокартин из «матримониального цикла» ДеМилля автор анализирует повествовательные и зрелищные функции кинокостюмов, а также подчеркивает роль режиссера в развитии художественного своеобразия и визуальной зрелищности голливудских фильмов этого периода через высокий уровень дизайнерских решений в части декораций и костюмов. В кинокартинах этого цикла прослеживаются основные тенденции в работе над кинокостюмами, которые в дальнейшем будут приняты во внимание голливудской киноиндустрией и станут частью производственного стандарта.

It is taken for granted that Igbo cultural motifs are pivotal to the formation of Nollywood costumes. The researcher thus finds the examination of the evolution of Nollywood costumes an important subject that requires urgent attention. The aim of this examination is to assert the dominance of Igbo cultural motifs in Nollywood costumes. Qualitative research method was adopted for the research. Using ethnographic research approach, the researcher had sought the opinions of experts in traditional Igbo aesthetics and symbols. The study finds semiotic theory appropriate model for the costume analysis. Findings from this research reveal that Igbo dress culture was pivotal to the development of Nollywood costumes and has continued to play significant roles in costuming Nollywood characters. This research recommends that Nollywood costume designers should focus more on the communicative essence of costumes and their effectiveness in preserving culture. Costume designers should also be given ample time and budget to carry out an ethnographic research in order to employ motifs appropriately. The case studies used for the research were Ijele, My Rising Sun, Living in bondage and The Priestess.

Costumes in feature films can be deliberately used for narrative purposes to reveal or conceal something related to the plot, functioning as a key element for cinematic storytelling. Costume design in animation is an integral part of character creation; however, relatively little is known about the design process. Previous research concentrates on either the history of hand-drawn animation, the principles of making animated films or character construction. This article presents several key components of the animators’ costume design process in Walt Disney’s animated feature films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Cinderella (1950) and Sleeping Beauty (1959). The author demonstrates that the costume design in these films was a multi-layered process. For example, for Snow White, the costume silhouette of the final animation is visible in the early conceptual designs whereas, for Cinderella or Princess Aurora, the principal character animators designed the final costume. Addition...