Why Historically Inaccurate Costume Design is Necessary

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Why Historically Inaccurate Costume Design is Necessary | Fashion in Film Analysis

Рет қаралды 35,256

Күн бұрын

In this video, we will be delving into the stylized past through costume design and exploring the approaches of design that have breathed new fashionable life into period pieces. Historically costume design has been executed in numerous ways and has worked in its own right in the collaborating hands of numerous creatives. From historical accuracy in the highest visual precision possible to the conceptually driven that design through a lens of stylization- costume designers have contributed to the production of tangibly conjuring up an absolute world that is visually dimensional with characters that are fashioned both inside and out.
I'll be breaking down beloved films that have been dubbed iconic for their costuming and overall visuals. We will gain a better understanding of the unique design processes of each in relation to the actual history, how the stories translate into aesthetic visions, and how the fashion of the films resonates with our minds in addition to our eyes. Through this, we will see the artistry of the costume designers behind many of the most embraced and beloved films as well as the intent and impact of their designs on/off-screen to form the film's visual experience with stories that carry on in our hearts.
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CONTENT:
INTRODUCTION - 0:00
FASHIONING A NEW WORLD: THE GREAT GATSBY (2013) - 3:36
STYLZING SUBSTANCE: EMMA (2020) - 7:18
INSPIRATION IN THE IMAGE: MARIE ANTOINETTE (2006) - 10:42
NEW LOOKS FOR THE OLD WORLD: ATONEMENT & LITTLE WOMEN - 13:25
CONCLUSION - 17:03
Music:
MUSIC: Luxury - Alec Koff: open.spotify.c...
SOURCES:
Costume Design: Definition, History & Process- study.com/acad...
Costume Design Part 1- www.geneseo.ed...
Miuccia Prada & The Great Gatsby- ew.com/article...
Emma Costume Design Interview Quotes- ew.com/awards/...
What Is a Costume Designer?- www.masterclas...
The Great Gatsby Novel- www.sparknotes...
Marie Antoinette Interview- www.nytimes.co...
Marie Antoinette Accuaccy- www.thethings....
Atonement Dress- www.vogue.fr/f...
Miu miu- www.pradagroup...
Little Women Costumes Remixed- www.newyorker....
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Пікірлер: 103

@JustMe-mp6vu 2 жыл бұрын

OK BUT... Can we agree that "Marie Antoinette" (2006), "Emma" (2020), and "Great Gatsby" (2013), are like THE MOST AESTHETICALLY GORGEOUS MOVIES EVER!!??? Like seriously every freaking frame of those movies is a WORK OF ART!!

@roy.shrestha 2 жыл бұрын

TRUE

@viniciusvallesalves3029 2 жыл бұрын

Alongside with Dracula

@draoidh6479 2 жыл бұрын

Marie Antoinette is just STUNNING. You can make a painting out of each frame.

@billhilton3265 2 жыл бұрын

The original Gatsby with redford, i would agree. I havent seen the new one

@JustMe-mp6vu 2 жыл бұрын

@@billhilton3265 Both are BEAUTIFUL but I was refering to the 2013 Leo DiCaprio one! 🤷‍♂️🤩

@chiaralinnea4335 2 жыл бұрын

you can just tell when the changes are intentional and when they are not. The Great Gatsby overall melts historical and modern aesthetics together seamlessly, the movie looks stunning and the costumes are part of the whole concept, just like with Romeo and Juliet. Having female characters wear completely inaccurate undergarments just for the sake of a steamy bedroom scene on the other hand is just cheap

@thesheepiestsheep 2 жыл бұрын

Historically accurate or not, the costumes in these movies are absolutely amazing

@ollieno971 2 жыл бұрын

Historical inaccuracy I don’t mind is when they use it to heighten elements/for artistic reasons. What I can’t stand is laziness and when things use modern beauty standards because they find the old ones “ugly” like the awful little women’s remake saying that bonnets are “ugly” and having all their characters wear their hair down. Sometimes this can even disrupt the story again with the case of little women remake Meg is supposed to care about her appearances and make sure she fits into line a lot and when jo burns her hair and they get one of Amy’s bows to cover it she’s upset because it will make her look like a little girl, they kept this part in the movie but literally a couple scenes before it she was walking around outside with her hair down and a huge little girl bow in her hair. Like you just made that scene make no sense.

@v.a.l.i.a 2 жыл бұрын

The remake isn't awful. Maybe the clothes and all that weren't too accurate, but the theme of the book and the message got out. Pretty much no one said a thing about the clothes because the movies is so great.

@carag2567 2 жыл бұрын

I understand that the primary reasons why costume designers are restrained tend to be time and budget constraints plus having to adhere to their director's creative vision. As long as they get the silhouette, fabrics, and colors mostly close to period accuracy, I usually won't complain. Even in pieces where it's obvious that deviations from these factors are being made deliberately (looking at you, Baz Luhrmann and Sophia Coppola) is also fine when they are used to achieve the overall visual texture and effect of the final product. I get it. I'm not one to pause and zoom in to check if there are princess seams or zippers appearing 200 years too early. It's in productions where literally no attempt to even approach the aesthetic of a period is made that I start getting annoyed by the costuming. Reign, for example. Beautiful costumes. Almost none of which resemble anything that existed in the mid-16th century. That scene where Princess Claude is wearing a fuchsia, strapless, peplum gown that lived and died in 1987 prom photos was distracting enough to take you right out of the scene. And there are hundreds of other examples from that series. Another point that irritates me is when the costumes are good but the hair and makeup is modern. Thick winged eyeliner and extraordinarily teased hair while wearing an Italian Renaissance costume tells me I'm looking at a 1960s Halloween party rather than the actual 1560s that are supposed to be depicted. But this was an excellent video that provided a lot of additional insight and context for why inaccuracies sometimes happen in period dramas and why they often can't be avoided. Very enjoyable!

@madisonm.4535 2 жыл бұрын

THIS!!! Exactly this!!! I was thinking the exact same! I resonate with this so much. It's like you read my mind. (I went on a rant after this. Sorry.) Also Reign! Ugh! I couldn't keep watching. So many inaccuracies in every part of the show, costumes included, not even an attempt. They gave Mary Queen of *Scots* an English accent for god's sake! Why did they all have English accents in France? Then when the English arrived it was even more confusing. Also as a lover of the history of Mary Queen of Scots, if they actually just used the real history, you'd still have an amazing, probably better plot. That show is one of the ones that really frustrates me. I'm an aspiring costume designer. I'm about to start studying at UCLA for it. I've been wanting to do costumes since I was 10. Anyway, my one rule I can not break is if it is a period piece set in our ordinary world, it should try be as historically accurate as possible. Definitely. However this is even more important if it is about real people and based on real events. Then it has to be as accurate as possible given the circumstances. If it is real people and events, I am as rigid as I can be given the circumstances. I am accurate to the best of my ability while also doing justice to narrative and character. It is an important value of mine. When shows like Reign don't even try it bothers me so much, I can't watch. The show is decent for entertainment if you pretend it's not supposed to be historical, but because I'm such a historian it is just ruined for me.

@KerraBolton 2 жыл бұрын

In one phrase you've summed up the tension of costume design, "accuracy vs. artistry."

@mikaylasmith7600 2 жыл бұрын

I would argue when you take stylization too far it can end up lacking focus. In Little Women it becomes weird visually when you see Amy, who is the most accurately dressed in 1860's fashion, and then the rest of her sisters together. It looks like these women are at a reenactment get together and Florence Pugh is the only one who takes it seriously.

@susanalopez5052 2 жыл бұрын

I think it was to highlight how Amy is the only one mingling with high society and how she is the only one who cares about fashion

@gisela_oliveira 2 жыл бұрын

Little women has terrible costume design. Micarah Tewers made a video about and she says that the problem is not the lack of historic accuracy, but the lack of sense on the costumes

@dra2521 2 жыл бұрын

I personally think this was done on purpose though, and it makes sense for her character. The March family is distinct because of how out of the ordinary they are, strange and eccentric in a sense. Amy being dressed in more accurate costuming is supposed to highlight that she is assuming a role of blending into society. It makes sense that she doesn't fit in with her family, thats almost the core of her character.

@kahkah1986 2 жыл бұрын

@@dra2521 exactly. I felt the Micarah video got that aspect wrong, Little Women is a story of girls who are clearly social misfits and who regularly say they are dressed strangely or unfashionably. One of the first chapters has them sharing one pair of gloves between two, with Jo stuck against the wall because her old dress is so badly burnt she shouldn't be out in public with it but they can't afford anything else. It must surely be an older silhouette as well; the March girls just can't afford new clothes for much of the story. L.M. Alcott did this in other works as well, Rose in Bloom for example has a central character who doesn't wear normal corsets, yes the average person did but not the character necessarily.

@susanalopez5052 2 жыл бұрын

@@kahkah1986 not only but at one point she says that “the March family are not hippie radicals” and that people with radical values would dress normally, but in this version the *point* of the costumes was to make them look like hippie radicals in order to highlight their outcast status, a lot of the side and background characters wear more accurate costumes because of it too, like aunt March and Meg’s friend. I don’t even think the costumes are outstanding at all , the costuming has issues with fitting but I agree so much with you about that part of the video. And it is literally the ONLY source that people bring up when talking about the costumes from the movie. I really enjoy the Micarah video, but I think Mina Le’s video is way better at explaining inaccuracies vs the intent of the costumes and why they either work or don’t I think

@miriamlewis2345 2 жыл бұрын

I understand the function of storytelling in costume design (I am a costume designer), and I definitely understand that there is a need to stylize and stray from period accuracy but I hated the costumes in Little Women. Yes, the color palette contributed to story telling. Yes, putting Jo in Laurie's clothes expressed their relationship. But the details sucked, sucked, sucked, and the hair was horrible, horrible, horrible. The designer may have planned out every bit of that, but it just came off as sloppy. Ok, I also blame the director, too, because Laura Dern is a really fantastic actor, and she played Marmee like a Haight street leftover from the 1960s.

@madisonm.4535 2 жыл бұрын

Also the Ug Boots in the one scene! Those costumes just really fell flat. I didn't watch the film or get a good look at the costumes for a while. Everyone told me how great they were. They looked fine, didn't look too closely at pictures. I thought the reason why they felt a little off to me was because it was American 1900th century clothing and not UK and European, seeing as I was quite familiar with Victorian. Then I actually took a proper look, not just casually glancing at posters and then I noticed all the major flaws. Jacqueline Duran is often a bit of a hit or miss with her work. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I'm really not a fan. I prefer what Colleen Atwood did for the original Little Women film. Much much more accurate costumes and I just prefer them overall.

@madisonm.4535 2 жыл бұрын

I really appreciate Duran's work and attention to character and story and her thinking but it just felt like she really didn't try to capture the era all that much. There were just too many glaring mistakes.

@susanalopez5052 2 жыл бұрын

@@madisonm.4535 the ugg boots don’t even appear on the scene itself, the photos where Florence wears them are simply set photos when she was walking on the snow so her feet wouldn’t get cold

@michelledang6834 2 жыл бұрын

@@madisonm.4535 you admitted not to watching the film. if you watched it you would have seen that the ugg boots werent in the movie. They were to keep the actors warm

@madisonm.4535 2 жыл бұрын

@@michelledang6834 I was looking at pictures and I was led to believe those were caught on camera in the film. That's my mistake, I was wrong. The costumes overall, still aren't quite my favorite and while I appreciate the design process overall and attention to character I still take issues with some of the inaccuracies. I am not a stickler for historical accuracy 100% all of the time but I do think when appropriate a level of historical accuracy is important. In this case for this film, I think sticking to accuracy was worth it. Maybe the higher ups pushed against accuracy or something or they didn't have the budget or something and there were other reasons why it wasn't striving to be more accurate. I don't like to put everything on the design team. It may not be entirely on them. This is all just my personal opinion. I will mention I am studying to be a costume designer so I am somewhat knowledgeable in the subject, but that doesn't make it any more valid than anyone else's.

@Robert-cy3qx 2 жыл бұрын

this was incredible analysis and so engaging and interesting to watch! thank you so much for taking the time to share it. you are so kind I love you, beautiful soul.

@Saf333 2 жыл бұрын

I don't have an issue when the inaccuracies are deliberate. I do have an issue when they just see accurate fashion as ugly and just break it it because of that. Case and point, hair and makeup. Oh and the ducking corset scene, can we please stop it people?

@ZoraTheberge 2 жыл бұрын

Corsets, stays, and other period undergarments (or lack thereof) are often a great way to get the period down pat. Immediately, you get the historical silhouette, but the director will appreciate the actors with correct posture, and often, the actors themselves feel more transformed into their character

@madisonm.4535 2 жыл бұрын

The title as a blanket statement definitely depends on the type of film and genre and a whole list of other details. For a period piece set in a completely ordinary world this definitely applies. If in addition to this the film is about real people and events this is doubly important. As someone aspiring to be a costume designer (about to start at university for it) who loves history and is dedicated to doing my very best to be historically accurate when appropriate, I really appreciate this and want to work hard to achieve this goal. I also want to note though, that sometimes costume designers come under a lot of fire for certain decisions and things that they themselves were not in charge for. They are not quite the top of the chain in terms of costumes. The directors, the studio, the execs all have the final say and may push for things that are not historically accurate. Say, they may push for sexier or something. The amount of times higher ups have pushed for stupid things, the designers disagreed with. There are certain critics of historical costumes who are especially harsh for the smaller things. They often put the designer under harsh fire and don't always consider that the designer isn't the only person who had a say. They may have done amazing jobs before but had to make adjustments sometimes and they don't entirely have free reign. There are also critics who do acknowledge those things and those are the people I really appreciate. I just am not a fan of when people don't acknowledge the designer's side and are often unnecessarily harsh. *None of this is really about the video. I'm basically just ranting.* Costume design isn't as easy as some people make it out to be. Production design in general is just so much beautiful hard work that really brings the story alive. The intricate process of what it took to get there isn't always fully appreciated. Some people really do appreciate it but plenty just don't even think about it and sometimes even disregard it as not that important at all until there is none. Okay, rant over.

@thornyback 2 жыл бұрын

Oh no, I thought it was just a single video that was ruined by this narration style. Please dear creator, your content is good, you don't have to put on this voice for us. It makes you sound pretentious and insincere when your content is otherwise very good. Stop using the Jackie Kennidy-Marilyn Monroe soft voice and drop the dragged out vocal fry. You can speak normally, your voice is fine.

@Saxinful 2 жыл бұрын

The cadence made it hard for me to follow the sentence structure. The video is nicely written, and seems well researched, so this is a shame! It almost sounds like the narrator is reading this laying in bed.

@jennag3226 2 жыл бұрын

Why i turned it off

@EH23831 2 жыл бұрын

Agree - I couldn’t watch it all… that vocal fry at the end of each word- who speaks like that??

@isabelleskiss 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, why don't we all wear the same boring basics, live in interchangeable apartments that are reminiscent of impersonal hotels and talk in the same, expressionless way. Please, please let us all become more compliant !!!

@eymirivas5777 2 жыл бұрын

this is like free therapy

@johnyzero2000 2 жыл бұрын

Good video but the narrator sounds like she is about to fall asleep.

@isabelleskiss 2 жыл бұрын

I love her artistic way of speaking.

@dullahans7180 2 жыл бұрын

Anyone else find the narrator’s vocal cadence to be distracting and hard to follow?

@cbpd89 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I have a hard time figuring out where phrases and sentences begin and end. Tone and pitch that makes those clear are completely absent or just...off.

@nyaarya8805 2 жыл бұрын

I always love these in-depth research videos so much, grows my love for fashion exponentially!

@jordanalmond3458 2 жыл бұрын

You’re so talented 🙈 I love the way you explain everything! I love historical films but absolutely think it’s fun when movies take a little liberty with the costumes. It keeps the story feeling fresh! Thank you for your hard work!!

@secretshaman189 2 жыл бұрын

A nice and visually beautiful review of the goal of movie fashion, thank-you!

@christinanguyen1230 2 жыл бұрын

Baz Luhrmann really promoting the myth of White America especially in 1920s New York which I think Josephine Baker would disagree with. If you don't know her, look up the Roaring Twenties wikipedia page and she's literally the first picture and is largely considered the face of the 1920s Art Deco/Jazz Age movement.

@somewhereonlyweknow2814 2 жыл бұрын

Atonement and Little Women (2020) costuming to me are Chef’s Kiss, I don’t care what people say. Those two movies are SO beautiful!!

@CarlaGReads 2 жыл бұрын

this video is so beautifully done

@thedeserts 2 жыл бұрын

it's so good to hear your content and draw :"]

@-peachjinrii1695 2 жыл бұрын

hello! could you maybe do a cruella (2021) character and style analysis?

@roy.shrestha 2 жыл бұрын

Informative video as always. Historically accurate or not, these movies have one thing in common, they are all visually stunning masterpieces 😍

@magesalmanac6424 2 жыл бұрын

what's with the lethargic narration?

@tinkerbellss4533 2 жыл бұрын

As expected, this video is a true masterpiece. I absolutely loved the movies you decided to analyse, thank you so much for your hard work!

@oberonyronwood5657 2 жыл бұрын

I love how you chose my favourite movie costumes of all time lol, I feel like this video was made for my soul

@imnothere4383 2 жыл бұрын

this was SUCH a great video!!! love your vids

@LD71685 2 жыл бұрын

What's with the voice?

@pamelaguerra3768 2 жыл бұрын

I was on board untill you tried to convince me that the little women costumes were good

@sophiaz5410 2 жыл бұрын

Another spectacular video! Also, can you do a style analysis on Mary Queen of Scots from the Reign tv show?

@HaHaHaLMFAOtv 2 жыл бұрын

Really good video and nice balance after listening to historical youtubers 😊 but what really puts me off is the hair. Especially in little women

@marthameier4239 2 жыл бұрын

I want to watch your videos but your voice is so weird in the videos that I just can't make it through them. Maybe you could speak more naturally?

@michaelpetronzio6557 2 жыл бұрын

Sometimes I do wish the clothing can be more accurate with their time period . In my fair lady it’s supposed to set place in 1912 but when she was in his home he had pictures that was from the 1920s even some of the clothing that others were were a bit confusing beacuse it’s like you can’t tell directly what period it was when I first saw it I thought the time period was supposed to be in the 1880s. And the same goes to Disney Belle . The yellow dress 😒 can you be a little more accurate with it please .

@Alexandra-gk6lo 2 жыл бұрын

Amazing video as usual! Are you still planning to do a video about the Halston TV show on Netflix? I'd love to see it in the future!

@queengoblin Жыл бұрын

Incredible video thank you

@avacamille6556 2 жыл бұрын

Your voice is soooo relaxing omg😭😭

@rachelroseangel 2 жыл бұрын

I love this!!!

@pratikshayadav9279 2 жыл бұрын

Your video popped up yay 😃

@nara4123 2 жыл бұрын

Ur videos r soo interesting, plz make more!!! 😁

@alyssamcdevitt1778 2 жыл бұрын

hell yeah new upload

@ZoraTheberge 2 жыл бұрын

Also, any movie set in pre-1850ish is going to be inaccurate for the major reason of the sewing machine.

@aspannas 2 жыл бұрын

I wish she would speak normally, I’ve always found it hard to listen to the drawn out vocal fry

@aspannas 2 жыл бұрын

@UCHqd-jPkhv97raOfOtFUqIQ I never said I don’t appreciate her research and the overall work put into her videos, I think she does really well made videos. I just gave some criticism. Wdym she can’t help it?

@Catlikethefeline 2 жыл бұрын

I completely agree I was just going to write a comment about it but I saw your comment I would love her videos a million times more is she spoke a little normally the drawn-out growl voice is so difficult to listen to for more than 15 minutes but I love all her work and everything is right up my alley

@aspannas 2 жыл бұрын

@@Catlikethefeline yeah I think she does great videos but I can’t listen very long before it’s becomes difficult to listen to, I guess maybe watching it in 1.25 speed could work, haven’t tried it.

@ninfaunod9226 2 жыл бұрын

She said before that she has some difficulty with her breathing, and is trying her best. Personally, I find her voice very soothing and beautifully hypnotic.

@aspannas 2 жыл бұрын

@@ninfaunod9226 Didn’t know that! I guess I can try watching her videos in 1.25 or 1.5 instead.

@lattemacchiato858 2 жыл бұрын

Is the lector trying really hard to sound sexy? It sounds very cringe and distracts from the contect of the video

@isabelleskiss 2 жыл бұрын

@mylovechoerry2233 2 жыл бұрын

Hello, I search podcasts, documentaries, books, websites, forums, youtubers, organization… who talk about american pop culture and fashion .For example: "Jackie Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, americanastronauts, cowboys, Broadway, Walt Disney, Dolly Parton, Elvis and PricillaPresley, 1950s waitresses with their roller skates, WW2 nurses, americancartoons and superhero comics, disco, Rosie the riverter, uncle Sam, denim, Dr. Seuss,Seattle grunge, football , McDonald's, Pop art, Coca Cola, Dieselpunk, Art Deco orNouveau...."I also search ones who talk about the culture, the psychologie, the sociology, the industry and the history.Ones who talk in a really technical level but still pedagogue and accessible.Ones who are really loaded with information.( Sorry for my bad English)Do you have any recommendation ?Thanks for your work

@autumnleaf. 2 жыл бұрын

That green dress!

@vicmon1858 2 жыл бұрын

This vdo is bliss for my eyes

@billhilton3265 2 жыл бұрын

They are not accurate because they would be wildly uncomfortable, not as dashing as they appear in movies, some folks look ridiculous in period costumes. Not to mention availability of fabric, price and the cost of building them to scale accurate. Also sometimes clothes were not beautiful in period times, except for the wealthy. Most folks wouldnt notice single bustle vs double bustle periods or any other periods.

@AlvaroIbacacheS 2 жыл бұрын

The corset and stays mafia has left the chat.

@princesshanahocampo7562 2 жыл бұрын

Actually according to a fashion historian Emma and Atonement are quite accurate

@susanalopez5052 2 жыл бұрын

The costumes for little women get so much shit but I feel like it it’s the only adaptation where the costumes for Jo reflect her tomboyish nature, because the rigid hyper historical approach does not reflect her character to the modern eye imo

@cbpd89 2 жыл бұрын

I see a lot of people hating on the adaptation because of the costumes. That isn't all there is to it! That is a great film, a great adaptation, and hating it over the costumes is to miss the forest for the trees. I think the costumes are fine, they aren't my favorite, but they work for the characters. I think the writing, the acting, the directing, the lighting, all are spectacular.

@womanxyz14 2 жыл бұрын

Very informative, thank you. But whats with the voice? 느끼하자나 ㅎㅎ

@brittanieparks257 2 жыл бұрын

god i am so grateful that you finally stopped talking at two words an hour

@juanitajones6900 Жыл бұрын

This video is nonsense. Historically inaccurate costume designs IS NOT necessary. This is nothing more than an attempt for moviegoers and television viewers to blindly accept such costumes and not take notice on how inaccurate or badly designed they are. Who are you kidding? I can tolerate inaccurate costume designs when the productions have a fictional setting . . . like "Bridgerton", "Once Upon a Time" or the "Game of Thrones" franchise. But in period dramas with a strong historical setting? NO WAY. Spare me this crap.