DIRECTIONS UNIT: (Project prep) Costume

From the beginning of this project I've known that I wanted colour to be one of the main focuses. Therefore, I conducted some research into the costume design in some popular romantic comedies, dramas and romantic scenes from TV programmes.

Blair Waldorf - Gossip Girl

In the scene above, Blair is dressed in a red dress with matching red bag and necklace. In this scene Blair is telling Chuck that he is capable of being loved as she loved him once. Although it isn't the most stereotypically romantic scene, it is still riddled with themes of love, warmth and attachment. The costume is very significant in this scene as the red of her dress symbolises her feelings of love and affection for Chuck but also symbolises her as the object of his affections.

Rose DeWitt Bukater - Titanic

The scene above shows Jack and Rose's first proper interaction. The red in her outfit is significant as it works to show her as a dangerous yet passionate character. Although she is not an overly dangerous character, she does prove to be a danger to herself in this scene as she is considering jumping over the side of the boat. It is also significant that she is wearing red at their first proper meeting as it alludes to the romance that will grow between the characters.

Bridget Jones - Bridget Jones' Diary

Although the red in this outfit is more to do with the winter / Christmas period, I still think it is significant in conveying Bridget's desperate search for love. It helps to show her as a romantic character even though she is unsuccessful in many of her pursuits. 

Aria Montgomery - Pretty Little Liars

On Aria and Ezra's first date, Aria opts for a red dress. Throughout all the series, it becomes evident that Aria is a hopeless romantic and falls in love really easily. It is very significant that she then chooses a red dress for their first date as it enhances the idea that she is a hopeless romantic as she chooses such a stereotypically romantic outfit. She is also obsessed with film and art, this outfit corresponds with her love for these mediums as it shows that she is chasing a film-like romance. 

Cher Horowitz - Clueless

In this scene, Cher is attempting to make herself as appealing to Christian as she possibly can. Therefore, she has dressed herself in a red dress and used red lipstick. This is very significant to the scene as this is the peak of her scheme to seduce him. The red is used as a passionate, seductive colour which Cher hopes will lure him in. 

The use of red in the scene has shown me that I need to be careful with the use of red in my scenes. I wanted to use red to show Juliet as the object of Mark's affection, so I will need to be careful not to over step the line and make it seem like she is trying to entice and seduce him. Juliet is very innocent and oblivious to the fact Mark is in love with her, so I will use the red in a way that Juliet almost doesn't even realise she's wearing it. (e.g. she will wear a red coat but halfway through the scene she will just throw it off - this will show her that she is oblivious to Mark's feelings).


Juliet's Costumes:

Costume 1 - Mark's flat

For the first scene, Juliet will be wear this top and jacket combined with a pair of blue jeans. The red symbolises the love Mark has for Juliet. Halfway through the scene, Juliet will throw off the jacket, enhancing the fact that she is oblivious to Mark's feelings towards her. She will still be left wearing the white t-shirt with the red embroidery at the top. The embroidered roses still hint to the feelings Mark has towards her. Roses conventionally carry connotations love and affection, therefore, the fact that she is wearing clothing featuring roses suggests that those are the feelings Mark has towards her.

Costume 2 - Juliet's doorway

Juliet will answer the door to Mark wearing this white t shirt and jeans with a red bodysuit underneath. This symbolises that Mark is moving on from his feelings for her, he realises that he needs to let those feelings go. Therefore, red is a much less prominent part of this outfit, however, I still felt it was important to include a bit of red to show that those feelings still exist but are being buried down inside. 


Mark's Costumes:

Costume 1 - Mark's flat

I really wanted to make Mark's outfit's subtle, as I wanted the main focus to be Juliet's outfits, hence why I opted for a plain white jumper and jeans for Mark. The white helps to connote the innocence of his feelings - although he is in love with his best friend's wife, he would never pursue those feelings as he would never want to hurt his best friend. Therefore, I thought the white would help to convey the innocent nature of his thoughts whilst still keeping the costume subtle.

Costume 2 - Juliet's doorway

Again, I wanted to choose a subtle outfit for Mark. I opted for another jumper and a plain coat paired with some jeans. The main focus again for this scene is the colours Juliet is wearing, therefore I wanted to keep Mark's outfit as simple as possible.