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AfterElton.com Readers' Choice: What are the Best Male Movie Costumes?
Yesterday, we looked at a survey of the best film costumes of all time, a list that lacked any iconic men's costumes (as Gwen noted in the comments). Now to some degree, that could be seen as an example of how women's fashion allows for more experimentation, but there are a number of male film costumes that have had an impact on our culture and it seems a shame not to give them credit.
Thus, here are a few suggestions for men's movie costumes that deserve a place among the greatest film costumes of all time, and a poll inviting you to cast your vote for the best. Some of them are from recent films (though nothing as recent as Keira Knightley's Atonement dress) while some are images that have stood the test of time, but they're all memorable. Tell us what you think of these suggestions in the poll that follows! Jack Twist's shirt
Jack's shirt is the cornerstone of Brokeback's touching, closing scene where Ennis discovers his dead love's clothing intertwined with his. That reminder of lost love was a powerful image and when the shirts were put up for sale they pulled in over $100,000. The buyer, actor and activist Tom Gregory, called them "The Ruby Slippers of our time" (referring, of course, to the iconic costume pices from The Wizard of Oz) and swore to keep the shirts together, as they appeared in the film. James Dean's Jacket James Dean showed have quite a bit of media savvy in one popular story about Rebel without a Cause. The story claims that Dean's character, Jimmy Stark, was originally supposed to wear a leather jacket but when Dean learned the film would be in color, he suggested his character wear something more colorful. The red, nylon jacket Dean wore became an iconic image for the classic film and for Dean himself. Rebel also featured an unrequited homoerotic relationship between Stark and Sal Mineo's Plato, with the red jacket playing a role in their relationship's final moment. Daniel Craig's squarecut trunks
One image key to marketing of the prior Bond film, Die Another Day, was the image of Halle Berry stepping out of the water in a bikini. With the arrival of Craig's Bond, however, we got a change in how Bond was marketed to audiences: this time it was Bond walking out of the surf looking sexy in a swimsuit. The movie poster showed Craig in Bond's traditional tuxedo, but Craig's buff body in revealing swimwear was the image we most frequently saw when the media discussed the film. It was the first time Bond's barely-clad body (as opposed to that of a "Bond girl") was the film's most lasting imagery. Bruce Lee's black karate pants
While a pair of black pants are a pretty simple costume piece, Bruce Lee made it an image that is now thoroughly associated with him. After all, the image of a shirtless guy in black pants striking a martial arts pose immediately brings Lee and all his martial arts prowess to mind. The iconic status of that look is a testament to the impact he had on moviegoing audiences when they finally discovered his work. Keanu Reeves' black trenchcoat
While also simple, this black-on-black-on-black outfit that Neo sports as fighting wear quickly became symbolic of The Matrix. The original film stands out as a true crowd pleaser, partly due to the film's sense of style, which did not feel like a substitute for substance. Reeves' trenchcoat held tight at his arms and shoulders, emphasizing the strength in his fighting moves, but also flowed in a way that emphasized Neo's grace and speed as a fighter. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones
As Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford played a rugged hero who survived by both his brains and his brawn. Ford's performance established the archeologist's smarts but his costume certainly went a long way to establish that Indy could handle himself in a tomb laiden with death traps. His button-down shirt would be frequently pulled open by the strains of running from running from giant spheres or swinging out of snake-laiden pits, with just enough dirt to let us know that his knowledge wasn't just book smarts. John Travolta's disco suit
By now, Saturday Night Fever has become the movie we associate with disco and the image of John Travolta striking a pose on the dance floor has become the very image we associate with that 70's trend. Johnny Weismuller's loincloth
The impressive physique of the Olympic swimmer (and swimwear model) was one of the earliest images of a fit guy to cause a media sensation. He wasn't the only man to play Tarzan but after more than ten films from 1932 to 1948, he certainly established himself as one of the long lasting images of the literary hero. Hannibal Lecter's orange jumpsuit and facemask
Hopkins certainly embodied Thomas Harris' villain with menace and danger, contrasting Lecter's cultured nature with his ability for horrific violence. However, there was plenty more to help communicate the danger that was Lecter. Even with his limbs tightly bound, his captors weren't comfortable leaving the resourceful Lecter a chance to cause mayhem with just his mouth (and teeth) free. Those are our suggestions... what do you think? Are there costumes missing from this list? Which one do you think stands out the most? Submitted by on Thu, 2008-01-03 15:20. |
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I can't believe it
The turtleneck!!
What about historical pieces?
What can be better than a hot guy in a tights, poet shirt, lace sleeves?
Amadeus
Immortal Beloved
Interview With the Vampire
Sleepy Hollow
to name a few.
If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning.
Yes and no
On the one hand, a part of what makes a costume iconic is that it becomes part of the culture, being worn by people almost to the point of cliche. Certainly Marylin's dress from Seven Year Itch or Hepburn's from Breakfast at Tiffany shaped the fashions of their era and beyond.
On the other hand, men's fashion in the modern era is largely conformist. There is very little that can be done to personalize a tuxedo or a pair of jeans or even a business suit. Fashions from bygone eras (and why not include the kilted maniacs of Braveheart while we're at it) stand out much better from the screen than the generally bland mens fashions of the last century or so.
What about Clark Gable's...
Que'll Please
Fred Astaire in white tie and tails, Gregory Peck in THE MAN IN THE GRAY FLANNEL SUIT, or as AtticuS Finch In TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Clark Gable in GONE WITH THE WIND, George Clooney in BATMAN AND ROBIN, Cary Grant in any tuxedo, Brad Pitt in THELMA AND LOUISE (bite that Clark Gable), Warren Beatty in BONNIE AND CLYDE and SHAMPOO, Bela Lougosi in Dracula, Errol Flynn in ROBIN HOOD, Clint Eastwood in A FIST FULL OF DOLLARS, Gary Cooper in almost anything from BEAU GESTE to SARGEANT YORK to MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN to TEN NORTH FREDRICK to PRIDE OF THE YANKEES to HIGH NOON. Even Yul Brynner in THE KING AND I derserves a nod. We should consider someone like Peter O'Toole in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (How hot was he, and not just because he was in the desert). And to be current James McAvoy looked great nailing Keira Knightley in the library in ATONEMENT.
Clothes make the man
afhickman
"It takes a village (to make Village People)"
How about Monty Cliff's luau shirt in From Here to Eternity? (Or Burt Lancaster's lack of the same.)
Thanks for the
Thanks for the acknowledgement and this is a fun topic. Here are a few of my nominees:
Bond's squarecut trunks-You're summary is succinct and all I can add is that this heralded a moment was unafraid to be in the gaze of the viewer whereas previously the character took a more removed role as the omnipresent gazer. I thought that shift in gender norm was subversive.
Travolta's white pantsuit-is one of the few androgynous costumes. The style is actually classic and simple, which is why it survived the 1970s, and is seen in men and women's fashion. I own a similar-type suit and Katherine Heigl wore one to some gala. Regardless of the sex of the wearer it gives off a sleek, chic, and timeless vibe.
Bogey's signature trenchcoat and fedora worn slightly cocked has become the unofficial gumshoe uniform denoting cool detachment with a hint of danger. One of the best indicators of its place in pop culture is when it was effectively parodied by Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau.
Marlon Brando's black motorcycle jacket in The Wild One was the perfect symbol for the actor's immense sexual charisma and a precursor for the rock 'n' roll age.
Bela Lugosi's cape and tuxedo in Dracula set the tone for vampire lore to come. It helped transform the image of the vampire as a dreaded and grotesque monster-a la Nosferatu-to a deliciously decadent creature offering temptations to a repressed soul.
'Duckie' From Pretty in Pink
I'm sorry but I'm a product of the 70's and everyone is talking about Travolta's white suit from Saturday Night Fever. However there is a scene in that movie, that he is wearing bikini briefs and a smile. Oh My God, I don't care what they say about Travolta but the man was a God. I can't go along with too many choices on the list because as much as I love Harrison Ford in Indian Jones, the sweat and overworked look, I thought he looked hotter in 'Regarding Henry'. I'm sorry but I was a tween and teen in the 80's, so I grew up on all the Spike Lee films and John Hughes films. My favorite film for the fashions was 'Pretty in Pink'. Molly Ringwald was a teen screen goddess of the 80's, especially for a sexually-confused-at-one-time-boy-from-PA. Her fashion sense in the movie, was insane and slightly over-the-top without going overboard. How can anyone forget the prom dress that she would sew herself. It seems she made from the dress that her alcoholic-still-pying-over-his-wife-that-motored-dad bought in a thrift store. She would take another dress from her way out older gal pal and what was funny was how this character not only dressed but lusted after men. John Hughes was a bit conservative but I know he had a gay man in mind for that character. She would go from Geisha girl from hell to soccer mom by the end of the film. However the movie's star in my opinion was Jon Cryer aka 'Duckie'. His character gave my not-in-tune-yet-gaydar a bit of a jolt. It could have been a cross between his clothes, his hair and his total devotion and worshipping of Sam(Molly R.). It wasn't rare for movies in the 80's, to have characters that wore vintage clothing or that alternative look. From straight off a rack at thrift store in New York or the hot alternative look, like Billy Idol, who still looks a bit HOT for his age. However Duckie wasn't just dressing funky but he was the school's biggest outcast amongst outcast. That combination alone told a story within itself. It seems being an alleged gay kid at that time, I could 'TOTALLY' relate to his character with all his flaws. What was cool was the fact that his flaws, were only noticed by others but would really be his strengths. Duckie would end up going to the prom, when no one though he was even going to graduate. His hair was done and the suit was pure 80's equipped with metallic tie. The really killer were his shoes. Now if they weren't the coolest accessories on film, then I don't know. The shot of his shoes, would define his entire character to a tee. If you were like me, then during the entire movie you wondered why they called him Duckie. Once you got a shot of those shoes and him doing a little duck step, you knew. It was classic. It was just as important as Sam's pink prom dress. Her sewing and designing this dress knowing that she was without a real date. Her rich and embarassed on and off-again boyfriend (Andrew McCarthy), somehow would wussy out on her, with only a few days before the prom. He's another one that always would make my gaydar going off a bit, even if I didn't know what it was. Best line of the movie and it was concerning the dress, "It's not much but I know you could do something with it!"
I have a few more here:
I have a few more here:
Bruce Lee's yellow tracksuit with the vertical black stripe from Game of Death-the description alone sounds tacky but he rocked it. Uma Thurman gave a nice homage to it in the Kill Bill saga.
Jon Voight's cowboy outfit from Midnight Cowboy-loved the fringed leather jacket and the Stetson hat.
Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock prison attire.
Male movie costumes as sexual awakenenings
In thinking of my choices, I realized that most of important male movie "costumes" had little to do with the brilliance of the garments, and much more about how they served as visual stamps regarding same sex attraction. The top 2 may not seem relevant to some as "costumes," but to ignore them would be the keep them closeted. Other choices reflected a “look” that in many ways defined the male character, the film, and maybe what I wanted to wear. Here are some stream of consciousness choices.
Gay awakenings:
Christopher Atkins’ loincloth in The Blue Lagoon;
Matt Dillon’s old-school underwear in Little Darlings;
John Travolta’s cowboy drag in Urban Cowboy and the aforementioned nasty black bikini underwear the day after a long dance night in Saturday Night Fever as he flexes, checks out the Farrah Fawcett (then still Majors) poster and yells “Al Pacino! Attica! Attica! Attica,” thus forcing his Italian grandmother to cover her eyes at such an overt sign of Italian pride/maleness; and
Richard Gere’s white Navy uniform in An Officer and A Gentleman and Armani suits in American Gigolo.
Iconic images/aspirational wardrobe:
Michael Douglas’ Donald Trump drag in Wallstreet;
Mel Gibson’s leather get-up in Mad Max;
John Travolta’s white suit from Saturday Night Fever, which was purchased by Gene Siskel for $145,000. Trivia Bit: He saw the movie 17 times and called it his favorite movie of all time;
Daniel Craig’s square cut trunks in Casino Royale are the perfect example of a male homoerotic image that at least rivals its homage to Ursula Andress coming out of the water in Dr. No and Halle Berry’s ode in 2002 Die Another Day; and
Darth Vadar’s mask and cape get-up from Star War.
If you insist
Steve Lyons in CAMPUS MAN
All the Boys in Annette's beach movies, "Everybody do the Schwing."
Harrison Ford's INDIANA JONES get up--you gotta love the whip.
And what self-respecting fag did not drool over Robert Conrad's tight pants in WILD WILD WEST.
Is it wrong that I think
Here's a few quirky outfits for ya...
1.Batman
2.Ace Ventura
3.Buddy in Just One Of The Guys-when he wore the plaid shirt with the sleeves cut off-kind of sporting an early Larry The Cable Guy look
4.40 yr.old Virgin-the waffle shirt and the blue and white shirt
5.Robert Downey Jrs. outfit in Weird Science-the black suit over the khaki shorts
Dirk Bogarde's head-to-toe black leather outfit
in The Singer Not the Song
also all the get-ups he wore in Modesty Blaise.
Anton Walbrook's dressing gown in The Red Shoes.
and Peter O'Toole's white robe and headscarf in Lawrence of Arabia
Best Movie Costume
I think a classic male costume that might qualify as one of the best is the typical Jedi outfit. It's all weather, multi-layer, designed to allow the wearer to fight at a moment's notice, and has plenty of masculine accessories like a utility belt and lightsaber. As an added perk, it is stylish enough for cruising even the most upscale gay cantina on some backwoods world. :P
Long before Daniel Craig
came strolling out of the surf, there was Sam Elliot in Lifeguard: