INSPIRATION: Steampunk in film.

{Sketch by Hannah Greene }

I'll post the rest of my drawings from a steampunk figure drawing session I went to last week a little later. For now here's a collection of costumes from films that go along with that theme.

These films are actually more period-with-a-twist or fantasy than true steampunk, but that's what I really look to for inspiration when I'm in the mood for some industrial era nostalgia.

BE WARNED: Not all of these films are good (I'm looking at you, Wild Wild West). However, they're fun and definitely worth watching for the absolutely fabulous costume and production design.

P.S. 

I purposely did NOT include The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

No one should ever be subjected to sit through that movie, 

no matter how good it looks.

Wild Wild West (1999)

Costume Designer: Deborah L. Scott

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

Costume Designer: Colleen Atwood

 

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

Costume Designer: Norman Martien

Atlantis (2001)

Costumes & Wardrobe Department: Akeime Mitterlehner & Alison M. Schmidt 

 

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Costume Designer: Colleen Atwood

Waiting for Mad Men, Part 1: The Best of Everything.

Starting to get stir-crazy while waiting for the next season of Mad Men. August is usually when the show premieres, but thanks to pesky budget negotiation problems, it now won't be on air until NEXT MARCH.

I've already re-watched all the past seasons and have now moved on to finding films to help fill the void until The Greatest Show On Earth is on again.

The Best of Everything (1959)
Stars: Joan Crawford, Hope Lange, Stephen Boyd & Suzy Parker
Costume Designer: Adele Palmer

This is as close to Mad Men as you can get. It follows the women who work in a publishing agency on Madison Avenue. It's the business world from Peggy's point of view and is full of pre-feminist issues. My particular favorite is when the girls who are roommates sit around and talk about how they all worry about being unmarried past the age of 24. The horror!

The costumes are as lovely as Janie Bryant's designs in Mad Men. It's not a fashion parade but there is a sharp understated elegance to the whole look of the film. It's how I imagine women in the office would actually dress; full of well-tailored skirt suits in muted tones and never without gloves and a hat when you're outdoors.

If you need a Mad Men fix, this film should hold you over for a little while.

Black and white.

I love how a character can be so powerful onscreen that you can instantly recognize them long after seeing the film.

Olly Moss, who is a talented artist and frame selector, has created a fabulous series of iconic character silhouettes called "Paper Cuts." There are many, many more on the blog showcasing his last exhibit.  Check it out and see just how many characters you can ID.

 

A double dosage.

{Annie Liebovitz's version of Snow White. Check out all of her Disney Dream Portraits }

Who knew Snow White was so popular? In the spirit of No Strings Attached/Friends With Benefits, Armageddon/Deep Impact and Bug's Life/Antz there are two movies about Snow White coming out right around the same time next year. Both films just released promo shots of actor's in their costumes and it seems the films are at least going in different directions.

First up is The Brothers Grimm: Snow White starring Lily Collins and Julia Roberts. At first glance it looks pretty darn sugar coated with the poofy floral gown and all the pastels. But the director Tarsem Singh's past films were The Fall and The Cell so you can bet it's going to be trippy! Eiko Ishioka, the costume designer, also worked on those films as well as Cirque de Soleil. Ooooooh, maybe the dwarfs will be acrobats?

{Image via Entertainment Weekly }

And then there is Snow White and the Huntsman. This version is apparently the darker, angst ridden version. Snow White dons armor and the Queen is doing her best Malificent impression. Personally I'm much more of a fan of darker slightly twisted stories but I just saw that wretched Red Riding Hood so I 'm now a little skeptical of this version. God, that was the worst movie I've seen in a long time. Even Gary Goldman couldn't make it watchable.

It's the director Rupert Sander's first film but the costume designer is Colleen Atwood! Colleen designs for Tim Burton, but she also did Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha and Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. Needless to say she's one of my favorite designers alongside Mary Zophres and Jenny Beavan. Fun Fact: I met her once and completely geeked out.

James Franco? Is that you?!

You should enlarge this! Check out the feathered collar and whatever wonderful fabric the gown in made out of. Oh and the fingers!

"Yeah. We graduated high school. How totally amazing."

Movie: Ghost World

Costume Designer: Mary Zophres

In no particular order, my favorite costumes from a movie for the deadpan little Enid voice inside all of us.

It's business time.

People judge. I know I sure do. Which is why I get a little nervous about creating business cards. It's what you give people to remember you by and being a designer there's even more added pressure. Be unique! Be well designed! Express your design aesthetic! Am I reading too much into things? Maybe. But then again, people judge.

Above is the design I've been working on but I wanted to see what else is out there before committing. Oh man, it's pretty much impossible to find a "costume" or "fashion" themed card that doesn't have a dress form, scissors or a generic dress sketch on it. But then my friend Caitlin told me about Moo.com.

People, I'm in love! So many clever and wonderfully designed options to choose from. I'm seriously digging the multiple pictured backs and curved edge options. If you're a freelancer, you need to check out Moo.com.

Here are my favorite costume designer appropriate cards. I think they'd also be pretty fabulous for a number of other job fields too. Personally I'm torn between "Hats Off To You" and "Idea Explosion." Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome!

{Hats Off to You }

{Idea Explosion }

{Do It Like Dior }

{Zip It }

{Fabric First }

{Typographic Mustaches }

Oh my, I do declare!

Nathaniel Prentice Banks: Mass. Governor and Union General

Being a costume designer, I do a lot of research and am always looking at old photographs, portraits, illustrations, etc. Well, thanks to My Daguerreotype Boyfriend my job sure got a lot easier on the eyes.

Behold -  historical man candy. All in the name of costume research, of course...

Robert Cornelius, Photography Pioneer and regular visitor in my dreams, circa 1839

 

Alfred and Francis Douglas, circa turn of the  century

Frederick Douglass: Writer, Social Reformer circa 1847

Gustave Doré: French Artist, circa 1855-1859

Lewis Thornton Powell: Lincoln Assassination Conspirator, circa 1865

 

Cowboy, circa 1890 and smokin'

{All images via My Daguerreotype Boyfriend }