The Costume Plot

She's beauty and she's grace, she's another episode of the Costume Plot! Join us as we go over the costumes in two films about beauty pageants, Miss Congeniality and Little Miss Sunshine . Featuring discussions about Herve Leger and terrifying children's pageants. Trigger warning: mentions of suicide and discussion about body image. Follow along with the visual analysis via the...

Welcome to a new episode! Join us as we discuss a couple of Korean shows, Mystic Pop-Up Bar and Squid Game. The afterlife and... extreme violence? Sure! NY Times article: When a Track Suit Embodies a Nation Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! Mystic Pop-Up Bar: Instagram , Pinterest Squid Game: Instagram , Pinterest Questions? Comments? Suggestions for future episodes? Email the...

We're back! We hope you had a great July! We're ready to rock with some Kate Winslet movies this week, Titanic and Steve Jobs ! Join us as we explore the topics of 1910s corseting, asymmetry in the 80s, and dampness levels. Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! Titanic: Instagram , Pinterest Steve Jobs: Instagram , Pinterest Questions? Comments? Suggestions for future ep...

More TV is happening! Let's get into some Netflix TV shows as we discuss the costumes in the pilot episodes of Umbrella Academy and Stranger Things . We explore boarding school uniforms, pastels of the 80s, and more! Tyranny of Style interview with Kimberly Adams (featuring moodboards) Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! Umbrella Academy: Pinterest , Instagram Stranger Thin...

What a treat, a new episode! Join us as we discuss the costumes in two Indian-centric movies, Bend it like Beckham and Khoobsurat . We chat all about Y2K fashion, sari terminology, and DJ Khaled lookalikes. Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! Bend it like Beckham: Instagram , Pinterest Khoobsurat: Instagram , Pinterest Questions? Comments? Suggestions for future episodes? Email...

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! We're celebrating by exploring the costumes in two big Asian American blockbusters, Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings . We know this is just scratching the surface of what's out there, so we look forward to celebrating more AAPI work in the future! Follow along with the visual analysis via these links...

Wow! How embarrassing! I uploaded the wrong audio track somehow! Whoops! Here is the actual episode! - Sarah Here we are with a very fun episode featuring fan-requested movies, Hello Dolly and Anne of Green Gables (the 1985 miniseries). Join us as we discuss period-does-period costuming, Laura Ashley, and Barbra Streisand's long nails! Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! He...

Here we are with a coincidentally timed "eco commentary" theme for Earth Month! That worked out well! Strap in as we investigate the costuming in the films Okja and Mad Max: Fury Road , two films with eco-political messages. Be aware that we do discuss the upsetting plots of these films, and the Mad Max costumes feature a lot of body horror. Minor correction: Jenny Beavan in fact WON her...

Costume designer Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh drops in to chat all about her work on the Amazon Prime Original show Upload (from Greg Daniels, creator of The Office )! We dive into the show with her, discussing how to design for the not-so-far-away future and building trust with actors, as well as getting a small peek into her current project, Avatar: The Last Airbender. Apologies for the low audio quality...

Jojo's back! Woohoo! Join us for an episode all about biopics where we cover the very recent films Spencer and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain ! We had a great time doing a deep dive on Chanel, smocking, and more. Trigger warning: mention of eating disorder behavior in Spencer . Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! Spencer: Instagram , Pinterest The Electrical Life of Loui...

Amazing fashion designer Kristi Siedow-Thompson drops in to gab with Sarah all about RuPaul's Drag Race and her top looks from the show, including some she herself has designed and made! What a treat! Follow Kristi: Kristi's personal instagram Kristi's design instagram https://www.kristiinthecity.com/ Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! Instagram part 1 , part 2 ;...

Sarah is joined by a special guest this week! Anthony Tran is here to chat all about his work as costume designer on Hulu's How I Met Your Father . Listen to find out all about working with Hilary Duff, championing diversity behind the camera, and how much we both hate being on set. Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! How I Met Your Father: Instagram , Pinterest Questions?...

Watch out, it's a wild card episode! These movies have absolutely nothing to do with each other and THAT WAS INTENTIONAL, baybeeee. Join us as we go over romantic poisoning in Phantom Thread and discuss the redesign of the Matrix universe with the 4th installment. Get. Into. It. Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! Phantom Thread: Instagram , Pinterest The Matrix Resurrectio...

WE'RE BACK! Happy Lunar New Year from the Costume Plot! Join us as we discuss a great classic of Asian cinema and a not-so-good recent Disney adaptation. What a fun time! Websites mentioned: Teen Vogue Op-Ed , Tim Yip's photo gallery Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! Mulan: Instagram , Pinterest Crouching Tiger: Instagram , Pinterest Questions? Comments? Suggestions...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Costume Plot! Join us this week as we explore one brand new and one classic Christmas film. It's a festive time and a festive episode! Announcement: We are taking a short break and will be back on January 28! Mary Sue article about "White Christmas" and blackface Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! A Boy Called Christmas...

We're taking a detour into some more unusual movies with fewer humans for our first Christmas episode! Join us as we have a great time learning about Muppet costuming and animated character design. Abby Cox's video on Muppet Christmas Carol Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! The Muppet Christmas Carol: Instagram , Pinterest Klaus: Instagram , Pinterest Questions? Comm...

In honor of musical theatre legend Stephen Sondheim's passing, this week we're covering two movie adaptations of his shows! Join us for a spirited conversation about Colleen Atwood's work on both films, and how much control big name stars should have over their own costumes. Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! Sweeney Todd: Instagram , Pinterest Into the Woods: In...

It's Keira Knightley week at the podcast so let's examine some excellent Joe Wright/Jacqueline Durran/Keira films and their beautiful period(ish) costumes! Wandering waistlines, peacock feathers, and more! Trigger warning: mention of suicide Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! Pride & Prejudice: Instagram , Pinterest Anna Karenina: Instagram , Pinterest Follow us:...

What could these movies possibly have in common? They're book to movie adaptations! Join us as we analyze the costuming in The Help and Dune, exploring fashion from the 1960s to the year 10191. Follow along with the visual analysis via these links!  The Help: Instagram , Pinterest Dune: Instagram , Pinterest Questions? Comments? Suggestions for future episodes? Email thecostumeplot@gmail.com....

Happy Halloween! What a joy it is to cover such fun classic spooky season movies, Hocus Pocus and The Addams Family . Let's chat all about witches, vintage fabric, and live moths. Follow along with the visual analysis via these links: Hocus Pocus: Instagram , Pinterest The Addams Family: Instagram part 1 , part 2 ; Pinterest Questions? Comments? Suggestions for future episodes? Email thecostu...

Happy spooky season! We're revisiting the horror genre with some psychological scary movies, Get Out and The VVItch (aka The Witch ). Let's find out how color ties together racist people, how the color red is used in horror, and whether Puritans had cotton! Trigger warning: These movies can be disturbing in nature, so there is some discussion of their plot and themes, including death. Fo...

Time for some adventure as we dive in to some exciting movies, Pirates of the Caribbean and Pan's Labyrinth ! Let's get to the bottom of some creature design and telling chemises apart. Follow along with the visual analysis via these links! Pirates of the Caribbean: Instagram , Pinterest Pan's Labyrinth: Instagram , Pinterest Questions? Comments? Suggestions for future episodes? Ema...

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! We decided to celebrate by covering two excellent Hispanic culture-focused movies, Selena and Zoot Suit ! Join us as we explore the question of replica vs. homage, the cultural history of zoot suits, and much more. Follow along with the visual analysis via these links or the slideshow on YouTube (coming soon--we're very behind on our YouTube! Thanks for your pat...

We're so excited to be joined by special guest Sparka Lee Hall, who has had a long and interesting career as a costume designer, supervisor, assistant, and even industrial designer. She brings Barbarella to us, an absolutely bonkers movie that we had a ton of fun analyzing with her. Warning: mention of some sexual content and themes.  Follow along with the visual analysis via these links or t...

We are so overjoyed to bring you this special bonus episode, an interview with Jeriana San Juan, the Emmy nominated costume designer of Netflix's "Halston"! We had the best time chatting about Halston's legacy, character development through clothing, and teaching background actors to pretend to sew. Follow Jeriana on Instagram here ! Accompanying Instagram slideshow of photos f...