Costume Review, Remix and Rendering #8: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
I walked a long winding road to this review, remix and rendering. I’ll explain. I’d watched Legend (2015) about the Kray twins and there was this beautiful mini dress that Francis (Emily Browning) wore on her first date with Reg (Tom Hardy).
From the pic you can see what a lovely, detailed fabric it is made out of. Anyway, I wanted to make a version of this but turn it into a pants set and maybe do a fun two tone print to edge up the mod style of the times. But after doing a bunch of searching for the perfect pattern to grade to my size, I found absolutely nothing that would work. So I started looking at other films of the period. I knew I needed to have a mod piece in my wardrobe. I took a look at my master movie list and came across The Man From U.N.C.L.E. And what I found in the costumes designed for Gaby was a treasure trove of YAAAAAAAS!
REVIEW
ZERO SPOILERS!
The reason why there are zero spoilers is because I’m not totally sure what is going on in this movie. Look, this is a Guy Ritchie film and what I usually dislike about his films is that I can never follow them. This is less of a critique of his filmmaking and more of a statement about me liking to keep things simple. I want to be entertained…not confused.
That said, I really enjoyed this film. I may not have gotten the nuances in the plot with all the double and triple crossing. But I really enjoyed the chemistry between the actors. It was fun watching them sink into their characters and interact. I just love, love, love Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Debicki. I felt that the quick cuts that Ritchie is known for is a real compliment to this euro spy film, and didn’t make me dizzy, not even once.
Costumes, costumes, costumes! Joanna Johnston, who’s resume is chock full of excellence, outdid herself here. I could do a whole post on the boys and their suits. But I’d rather talk about the ladies’ costuming. Victoria’s costumes are formal…long evening gowns and expensive caftans. She only wears black and white, which, in addition to being a fashion commitment, really speaks to her villainous nature.
But what I fell in love with most was the costumes for Gaby, which screamed the mod style made famous by the likes of Mary Quant, Pierre Cardin and Rudi Gernreich. I couldn’t get enough of the color blocking and use of shapes in all her pieces.
REMIX
I loved both Victoria and Gaby’s looks so much that I thought I’d find a way to incorporate them both into a remix. So I took the black and white theme of Vicky’s and the mod silhouette of Gaby’s to create my look. Using a Know Me pattern by sewist Gwen Heng, I was able to utilize my love for bias tape, Peter Pan collars and contrast color zippers.
Also, random note: I almost made the longer version of this dress because I was feeling extra fat and like no one wanted to see my legs. And then I remembered that thick thighs save lives and my big ass legs are cute. So mini dress, here I come!
Pattern: Know Me by Mimi G ME2029 Misses Dresses
Fabric: Black and white abstract print corduroy from FIDM Scholarship Store
Style: Dress
Vintage/Contemporary: Contemporary
