How Costume Shapes the Character

By Summer Blake

It’s easy to watch a film and say, “That was great!” or “That was bad” once we have decided how a film made us feel. Something that I feel is not paid enough attention to, however, is costume design, one of the critical aspects of storytelling and characterization that makes or breaks a film. The great effort and detail put in by costume designers is intentional and crucial in defining a character. Yet, costume design is consistently overlooked as a “background” job in the film industry. Without costume designers, the characters would not be connected fully to the story and the world that they’re in. Here’s a deep dive into the costume design of three great films: Black Panther, Great Gatsby, and Amélie. These three films are made in different settings and exist in different worlds, but all exemplify stellar costume design. 

Black Panther: Ruth E. Carter

Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter's beautiful work in Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a remarkable visualization of Africa in its futuristic form. Carter implemented traditional elements of African culture by including designs from tribes in South Africa and Nigeria, depicting symbols of peace or warriors in the fine details of the costumes. Carter set out to design costumes that evoked an “Africa that had never been colonized.” 

At the beginning of the film, we are introduced to Queen Ramonda, who greets the Black Panther himself, T’Challa, on a landing pad. The Queen is draped in a gorgeous shoulder mantle, combining modern technology with traditional South African design. The decision to make the shoulder mantle pearl white was intentional, symbolizing purity and her honorable role as mother to the King. Her mantle was paired with a matching crown that was 3-D printed, encapsulating the futuristic aesthetic of the film. Her crown establishes her status as a Queen, but not a Queen in the sense of the royal family of the U.K. This is a Queen of the future. A future that still derives much of their customs and lifestyle from the deeply rooted traditions of South African Culture. The crown is called an Isicolo, meaning “a Married Woman’s Hat.” This attention to detail brings the audience closer to her character, serving as a characterization of the Queen and as context to the film's setting. 

Although Queen Ramonda is not the main character in Black Panther, her role is very significant to King T’Challa and his journey of taking his father’s place as Black Panther and leader of Wakanda. Her royal essence and role as Queen is a position that did not fall when her husband passed away, which is evident in the film’s costumes. The fact that we are introduced to Queen Ramonda in a beautifully structured shoulder mantle and crown expresses this. She is a queen who still stands, and without the elegant and regal nature of the costume design for her character, the audience would not have understood her place in the film to the extent that costuming allowed them to. What is terrific about the costume design in Black Panther is that if we watched it as a silent film, we could still easily capture each character's importance and position.  

Great Gatsby: Catherine Martin

Another Oscar winner of Best Costume Design rightfully went to The Great Gatsby. This film adaptation of the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald featured shift dresses with detailed beading, opulent pillbox hats, and the traditional Brooks Brothers business suits. Designer Catherine Martin perfectly captured the flamboyant nature of Jay Gatsby. Her decision to style Gatsby in a Brooks Brothers suit, the go-to for men in the 1920s, was a fabulous choice. When we watch the scene of Gatsby wearing the infamous pink suit, you can tell that the costume design was specifically for his character, so the audience knew that he was a young, “new money” man who was benefiting from both attributes by being the wealthiest man on the island. In the film, other male characters like Tom Buchanan wear double-breasted suit jackets and one-tone leather loafers. Gatsby’s wardrobe is more modern; he wears a single-breasted suit jacket with two-toned leather loafers. These tiny details reveal so much about the characters. In the scene where he goes to Buchanan confidently, he walks in wearing the iconic baby pink suit for which the older Tom Buchanan eventually snubs him. His line, “He can’t possibly be an Oxford man; he’s wearing a pink suit for God’s sake,” informs us that this pink suit goes against the norm of what men during this time in Long Island wore. His bold, modern style of dress is an attribute of Gatsby’s that many people are mesmerized by, including his longtime lover, Daisy Buchanan, and his “old sport,” Nick Carraway.  

The enthralling, fast-paced journey of The Great Gatsby could only be encapsulated by Catherine Martin’s costuming. The way that Gatsby is implied to be a secretive person, yet when he first appears in the film, he is revealed as a very bright and intriguing man, is evident in his character’s costuming. His outfits are sleek and put-together, but they don’t blend in with the crowd even though other well-known wealthy men always surround him. His clean, five-layered suits are chock full of fine details and bright colors that make him stand out in a way that is almost parallel to the extravagant parties that he throws.  

The Great Gatsby is a loud film that screams for the parties and glamour of the world Gatsby created. But when we pay close attention to the details of his costuming, we understand him more intimately. We see that Gatsby is a glamorous man who built what he has from his hands and takes pride in that. Simultaneously, we also see a man who desires love and companionship. If Jay Gatsby were not dressed in the neat, fine-lined, and fresh wardrobe that Martin put him in, then the audience would not fully understand his character. 

Amélie: Madeline Fontaine

The film Amélie, with costume design by Madeline Fontaine, is set in the early 2000s in France. It follows the local life of Amélie, a young woman fond of orchestrating her friends' love lives while simultaneously living in isolation. Fontaine implements these aspects of Amélie’s character through soft textured sweaters, vibrant colors matching the film's color scheme, and the simple look of the local girl who knows everyone. Her signature outfit, featured in all the scenes where she’s outdoors, is a red collared coat with large buttons. What she wears underneath this red coat varies from her favorite lightweight green sweater or blouse with a flowy skirt or trousers that would often complement the coat. The feminine vibe that Fontaine builds for Amélie’s character extends to her shoes, where she usually wears Mary-Janes or colorful boots. All these beautiful elements of the costume design for Amélie’s character contribute to the retro-inspired look of France in the early 2000s and reveal the playfulness of Amélie and how she views herself and the world around her. 

Amélie is a film that is whimsical and romantic. If Madeline Fontaine had not played a leading role in the production aspects of this film, then I don't think that we would have been able to interpret the playful nature of Amélie in the way that we needed to connect with her. The costume design of Amélie is essential in portraying Amélie as a woman who is simply looking for love. We see how her femininity pours out into the world around her, primarily through her wardrobe. What we see through her costume are the shades of who she is on the inside and what the other people around her may be missing out on. They don’t know the sensitive and soft nature of Amélie or how much she fantasizes about romance. If we had only seen her in regular trendy clothing, we would have missed out on knowing who she is and what she wants from the world around her. 

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