12 Times Attentive Viewers Noticed Inaccuracies in Movie Costume Designs
Creating a film is hard work and often requires hundreds of people, so the chances of making a mistake on set are huge. Some of these mistakes end up in the bloopers, but there are some goofs that appear in the film itself and shock viewers. They’re often the result of blunders made by costume designers, especially in historical movies.
Enola Holmes 2
The evening gown that Enola wears to the ball looks quite accurate. The colors of the dress are quite popular to that period, plus the costume is provided with a train holder. But in some parts, the outfit is too flat. The bustle should have been twice as big.
The King’s Speech
This film about the hardships of preparing the coronation speech of George VI won 4 Oscars and was nominated for 12 awards, including Best Costume Design. But in the scene where Colin Firth is wearing a kilt, experts found a few significant mistakes. The design of this kilt appeared only in 1997, and it’s an Irish kilt, not the Scottish one that the royal family members wore.
Mary Shelley
Unfortunately, many outfits in this film look too modern. Some gowns were lacking petticoats and additional layers. Also, the costume designers mainly chose linen-like materials instead of wools or crisp silks. The pink outfit which Mary wears in the first third of the story is the best example of these inaccurate choices. It just looks too modern.
Legends of the Fall
In an attempt to create a romantic look, the costume designers completely ignored the historical realities of the period the movie was set in. Brad Pitt’s character had gorgeous long hair and some whiskers on his face, even though these things were completely unacceptable for the time period. At the time, most men had wide mustaches and short hair.
Gone With the Wind
No matter how trendy Scarlett O’Hara was, she couldn’t have predicted the fashion trends of future decades. Her famous red dress with feathers and rhinestones has nothing to do with the Civil War time and is more reminiscent of the glamorous ’30s and ’40s.
Hello, Dolly!
The film is set in New York at the end of the nineteenth century, when people had no idea about beehive hairdos, lip gloss, or winged eyeliner. But that didn’t stop the film from winning 3 Oscars and becoming one of the most iconic films of the decade.
Braveheart
Even though most of the costumes in the film were created perfectly, there are still some mistakes. The film is set in 1280, but Sophie Marceau is wearing metal belts that women would only wear half a century later.
La Reine Margot
Throughout the entire film, the characters are wearing amazing dresses with open shoulders. They look great, that’s a fact. But in the sixteenth century, women would always wear undergarments. They would keep them warm, absorb sweat, and were much easier to wash than an expensive dress.
Another liberty costume designers took was giving the main character loose hair. Judging by the few portraits of Margaret of Valois we have, she had curly hair that was kept in a high updo.
A Dangerous Method
The creators of A Dangerous Method made the same mistake the La Reine Margot team did. In one of the scenes, Keira Knightley appears in the shot wearing just a corset, which it completely against the rules of wearing this garment. At the time, women had to wear a slip dress and a corset on top.
The Danish Girl
The Danish Girl is set in 1926, but during the first half of the film, we see female characters wearing close-fitted clothes that have nothing to do with the fashion of the 1920s, which consisted of loose silhouettes and sheath dresses.
Also, Gerda’s hairstyle is considered outdated.
Catch Me If You Can
The details of the 1960s, when Frank Abagnale committed his crimes, were recreated quite carefully. But, of course, there were some mistakes: the character Amy Adams plays wears braces that weren’t invented for another 10 years.
Cleopatra
In one of the most expensive and spectacular movies in the history of Hollywood, Elizabeth Taylor’s character changes dresses in nearly every scene. The costume designers made 65 dresses for Cleopatra. Unfortunately, none of them were very historically accurate, and they looked more like outfits of 1965 pretending to be from Egypt. But this didn’t stop the film from winning an Oscar for Best Costume Design.