Saturday, April 9, 2011

Fashion in Films: Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland



award winning costume designer, Colleen Atwood

     If I haven't emphasized it enough, I'm completely in love with the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll. So you can only imagine my excitement when I found out that Tim Burton is putting his own wicked twist to the classic tale for Disney. But that excitement was magnified exponentially when photos of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter leaked online. As soon as I saw those pictures, I knew he movie was going to be good. And in the spring of 2010 during my college spring break, I saw the film in IMAX 3D and it was everything I thought it would be. I remember leaving the theater and saying how much I loved Alice's dresses as played by the actress Mia Wasikowska. With a "you would" reply from my boyfriend. 

     The brilliant mind behind the costume design of this movie is the award winning costume designer, Colleen Atwood. Her past work also include films such as Chicago, Big Fish, and Sleepy Hollow. And if you watched this year's Oscars, then you would know that she also won the costume design for this 2010 rendition of Alice in Wonderland! And rightfully so! The costumes for every single character in the movie was so intricate and beautiful, how could it not have won an Academy Award! 

     I love the volume and drama in all of the dresses featured in the movie. I actually didn't mind Alice shrinking into a size of a pea and magnifying into a giant, because her dresses would change into something beautiful every time it would happen. And I thought the gowns worn by the red and white queens, as played by Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway respectively, were just as beautiful and regal. I'm a sucker for tulle, lace, drama, colors, and volume! So of course I've fallen completely head over heels at the costume design of this movie. Even Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter's costume was hauntingly beautiful, despite the tears and holes, which was fully intentional for the sake of Tim Burton's twist on the classic children's tale. So come fall in love with the images from the movie and official movie posters with me! 

Mia Wasikowska as Alice 



Colleen Atwood's costume sketches for Alice.



Anne Hathaway as the White Queen



Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen 




Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter 





Love, KB

No comments:

Post a Comment