The Great Gatsby (2013) Official Trailer
The Great Gatsby movie that is aired in 2013 is originally based on a famous book by the author F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. The movie was very much known with its beautiful costumes that are closely mirrors the setting of the story, which is one 1920’s. The costume was arranged and organised perfectly that it gets the movie costume designer Catherine Martin Oscars award.
Here I will be discussing how the movie wardrobe looks like and how it is compared to the original wardrobe of the woman in the actual decade. There have been some discussions of the depiction of the costume. Some believe that the costume used in the 2013 movie is inaccurate and does not do the decade justice, but some said otherwise. So further in this article I had to do some research as well as compare and contrast the costumes in the movie and of the real 1920s fashion. Personally, I am satisfied on how Catherine Martin creates the costumes and how it is able to portray the 1920’s and gives the swinging vibes back to the modern days.
Catherine Martin about the costume of The Great Gatsby (2013) Movie
The Great Gatsby book is a story that takes you back to the swinging 1920’s. It is a classic piece of American fiction about triumph, tragedy and the American society during that decade. There are three main characters on the story that is Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. But from the fashion and costume perspective, the wardrobe of the women on the movies is what catches the attention of the audience.
First I will talk about how the people in the 1920’s really dress. 1920’s were a very transformative decade for the economic boom after the WWI. This decade was famously known as the “Roaring Twenties”, “Jazz Age” or the “Golden Age”. For the woman, there are several key elements or key features that represents the fashion of the 1920’s;
1. Flapper Look
Women shifted from the Victorian Gibson Girl look silhouette to a more free forming silhouette shape that is known as the “flapper”. The flapper has a loose and embraces a more casual and modern approach, which reflect the attitude of the jazzy decade. The typical flapper dress has a square of shapeless silhouette that does not extenuate the hips or any other part of the body. The hemline is short, which just fall slightly above or below the knee, and usually worn with stockings. The dresses worn can are usually embellished with fringe, stones or even colours.
2. Bobbed Hair
Women shifted from the Victorian Gibson Girl look silhouette to a more free forming silhouette shape that is known as the “flapper”. The flapper has a loose and embraces a more casual and modern approach, which reflect the attitude of the jazzy decade. The typical flapper dress has a square of shapeless silhouette that does not extenuate the hips or any other part of the body. The hemline is short, which just fall slightly above or below the knee, and usually worn with stockings. The dresses worn can are usually embellished with fringe, stones or even colours.
3. Cloche Hats, Barrettes & Headdresses
With the bobbed hair, a woman in the 1920s decade loves accessories. Details such as beads, feathers, precious stones and fringe are widely seen in typical 1920’s women especially for their accessories. Women during this time are often seen wearing extravagant accessories on their head. It can be a hat or a headdress. There are several types of head accessory such as the wrap, brain binder, skullcap, tiara or hair clip with feathery decorations that we all know is one of the most well known.
4. Stockings
Nudity and the explosion of skin is no more a taboo at this decade. Dresses are sleeves and legs are showing more, but usually are covered with a pair of stockings. Previously during the WWI, stocking used were dark colours such as black, whereas in the 1920’s flesh, pastel colours were used. They were usually made out of silk or rayon and were very popular among the woman’s fashion and could be considered as a basic item.
Going back to the Gatsby movie in 2013, the costumer designer Catherine Martine admits that she gets all the 1920s fashion information from books as well as online then analyzing it. Here are some of the comparisons of real pictures taken in the 1920s and screen shots of some of the movie scenes side by side.
In my opinion, the clothing used in the 2013 remake of Great Gatsby movie is absolutely stunning. The designer had taken the ideal trend during the 20’s and gives it a little modern twist to make the look more appealing, using designer dresses and giving an exquisite detail to each outfit. For me personally I think Catherine, the wardrobe designer does deserve to get an award for the amazing job she had done for the movie. It adds that extra something that gives out the extravagant vibes that the era portrays.
However, Jacqueline WayneGuite, a fashion historian, thinks the costumes are too stylized and modern, as she writes in a post on her excellent blog The Hourglass Files:
“To be clear, I can tell from the trailer that these costumes are not period accurate. They all look like contemporary fashion interpreting 1920s Halloween costumes. The hair and makeup look like they’re from the present day. The architecture and interior design look much too contemporary to even pretend to be from the 20s. The colors are a bit too bright and the sparkle is a bit too computer generated.”
Although overall I love the wardrobe of the movie, I do understand what fashion historian Jacqueline WayneGuite is trying to say. The wardrobe in the movie is not precisely accurate. It does not fully or 100% representing the era for it uses a more modern designs and accessories. But then again, I feel that in this remake, the whole concept of the movie does leaning to a mode modern intake of the story.
Moreover, with the remake of this movie coming out, people are hovering all over the wardrobe or costume that the actresses are wearing. Costume designer Catherine Martin worked together with the brand Miuccia Prada in creating all over 40 looks for the movie. The outfits are inspired by the trend in the 1920’s as well as the styles of Miuccia Prada itself. The costumes are even put up as exhibition on Prada’s flagship Soho store after the release of the movie.
Creating a period movie is not an easy task to do. In order to recreate a certain era, a thorough research and analysis is needed. Both the costume designer and the movie director should know how to portray the era as close as possible. Again, in my perspective I am overall quite thrilled by the movie and the costume. Although the movie portrayal is a little modernize, I think it is to add a more aesthetic and whimsical sense into the decade that is known as the “Golden Era”, it also might because of the availability of the material and the level of craftsmanship that is available right now. Personally period movies are the best kind of movies that could give a glimpse on how the era looks like as well as the fashion trend that they have back then and this movie is one of my favorite.
Sources:
Blechman, M. (2013). Prada’s ‘Great Gatsby’ Exhibition. Where Art Meets Fashion. Retrieved 14 November 2016, from https://whereartmeetsfashion.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/pradas-great-gatsby-exhibition/
Canetti, M. (2012). Will 'The Great Gatsby' Accurately Reflect 1920s Fashion?. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 14 November 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/the-great-gatsby-trailer-costumes-fashion_n_1539497.html
Crippa, F. (2013). The Great Gatsby: A Fashion Comparison - Fashion | The Blogazine - Contemporary Lifestyle Magazine. Theblogazine.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016, from http://www.theblogazine.com/2013/05/the-great-gatsby-a-fashion-comparison/
History of Womens Fashion - 1920 to 1929 | Glamourdaze. Glamourdaze.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016, from http://glamourdaze.com/history-of-womens-fashion/1920-to-1929#key-styles
Great Gatsby costume designer. (2013). Stylist Magazine. Retrieved 14 November 2016, from http://www.stylist.co.uk/people/interview-great-gatsby-costume-designer
Phelan, H. (2013). CATHERINE MARTIN ON CREATING THE COSTUMES FOR THE GREAT GATSBY. Fashionista.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016, from http://fashionista.com/2013/04/great-gatsby-costume-and-set-designer-catherine-martin-tells-all
Six Flapper 1920s Headbands To Wear Again. (2016). VintageDancer.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016, from http://vintagedancer.com/1920s/six-1920s-headband-styles-you-can-wear-today/
The Great Gatsby: 1920s Fashion Guide and Style Tips. Be Onliest. Retrieved 14 November 2016, from https://www.beonliest.com/magazine/the-great-gatsby-1920s-fashion-guide-and-style-tips/