Princesses, Pirates, and an Empress: How Anachronistic Costumes Are Designed for Screen
Standing
Undergraduate
Type of Proposal
Oral Research Presentation
Challenges Theme
Open Challenge
Faculty Sponsor
Prof. Esther Van Eek
Proposal
Hollywood has long portrayed the past in varying levels of historical accuracy. “Anachronisms are found in almost every motion picture that portrays another period,†says costume and textile historian Edward Maeder, “… these costumes take elements of past styles and combine them with aspects of contemporary fashion,†(Landis 128-129). Anachronisms are not always due to a lack of research, but sometimes quite the opposite. Good costume designers research their given period thoroughly, and, much like Maeder said, choose what to keep and what to change in order to serve the characters, setting, and/or themes of the TV show or movie. Based on the anachronistic costume designs of Marie Antoinette (2006) The Great (2020—) and Our Flag Means Death (2022—), I will analyze how their anachronistic costumes are researched, then designed and what purpose they serve in the world of the show or movie. Coincidentally, these three pieces of media all take place at different times in the 18th century, and deal with gender and gender expression in different ways. I will put this research into tangible practise by redesigning costumes for 2-3 characters from each TV show/movie. From each piece of media, a character who is originally dressed period appropriately will be redesigned as anachronistic. In contrast, I will also redesign some costumes as historically accurately as possible to examine how one can work within the constraints of a historical setting, and to assert that these pieces of media are overall better with anachronistic designs.My research will draw heavily on primary sources of interviews with the costume designers Milena Canonero (Marie Antoinette) Sharon Long and Emma Fryer (The Great) and Christine Wada (Our Flag Means Death). Supplementary research from academics like Aileen Ribeiro, Michele Majer, Madeleine Ginsburg, and Peter F. Copeland, and online collections from the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Costume Institute, and the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology will be used to help redesign some of the costumes historically. Academic sources on the reasons behind anachronisms in Hollywood (Richard La Motte and Edward Maeder) will also be used to justify anachronistic choices. Research on my anachronistic redesigns will also touch on the work of contemporary costume designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier, which have a textual precedent in the screen media I am analysing. The final designs will be presented with an explanation for the choices made, the process of designing, and how they fit or don't fit within the universe of the TV show or movie. With costume design being an undervalued art, often due to its association with female-dominated crafts and traditional interests, it is important sometimes just to appreciate costume design, and by extension, art, for art's own sake, rather than finding a way for it to fit within what is deemed 'useful'.
Grand Challenges
Viable, Healthy and Safe Communities
Princesses, Pirates, and an Empress: How Anachronistic Costumes Are Designed for Screen
Hollywood has long portrayed the past in varying levels of historical accuracy. “Anachronisms are found in almost every motion picture that portrays another period,†says costume and textile historian Edward Maeder, “… these costumes take elements of past styles and combine them with aspects of contemporary fashion,†(Landis 128-129). Anachronisms are not always due to a lack of research, but sometimes quite the opposite. Good costume designers research their given period thoroughly, and, much like Maeder said, choose what to keep and what to change in order to serve the characters, setting, and/or themes of the TV show or movie. Based on the anachronistic costume designs of Marie Antoinette (2006) The Great (2020—) and Our Flag Means Death (2022—), I will analyze how their anachronistic costumes are researched, then designed and what purpose they serve in the world of the show or movie. Coincidentally, these three pieces of media all take place at different times in the 18th century, and deal with gender and gender expression in different ways. I will put this research into tangible practise by redesigning costumes for 2-3 characters from each TV show/movie. From each piece of media, a character who is originally dressed period appropriately will be redesigned as anachronistic. In contrast, I will also redesign some costumes as historically accurately as possible to examine how one can work within the constraints of a historical setting, and to assert that these pieces of media are overall better with anachronistic designs.My research will draw heavily on primary sources of interviews with the costume designers Milena Canonero (Marie Antoinette) Sharon Long and Emma Fryer (The Great) and Christine Wada (Our Flag Means Death). Supplementary research from academics like Aileen Ribeiro, Michele Majer, Madeleine Ginsburg, and Peter F. Copeland, and online collections from the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Costume Institute, and the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology will be used to help redesign some of the costumes historically. Academic sources on the reasons behind anachronisms in Hollywood (Richard La Motte and Edward Maeder) will also be used to justify anachronistic choices. Research on my anachronistic redesigns will also touch on the work of contemporary costume designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier, which have a textual precedent in the screen media I am analysing. The final designs will be presented with an explanation for the choices made, the process of designing, and how they fit or don't fit within the universe of the TV show or movie. With costume design being an undervalued art, often due to its association with female-dominated crafts and traditional interests, it is important sometimes just to appreciate costume design, and by extension, art, for art's own sake, rather than finding a way for it to fit within what is deemed 'useful'.