How To Dress Like Your Favorite Female Movie Characters

Dressing like a movie character is a popular choice for Halloween or a costume party. Here are a few ways you can achieve looking like you favorite movie character. I have included links to the products listed to make recreating these looks easier.

Gwyneth Paltrow in The Royal Tenenbaums

To achieve this look, all you will need is a brown purse, a fur jacket, a short blonde wig, a red hair clip, and pink gloves.

Winona Ryder in Heathers

To look like Winona Ryders character Veronica in Heathers, all you will need is an off the shoulder grey sweater, a black overall dress, and a shiny broach.

Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction 

This outfit is probably the easiest to recreate. To look like Uma Thurman from Pulp fiction, all you will need is a white button up shirt, a black wig with bangs, and black dress pants. 

I hope this how-to has helped you find some inspiration for you next costume party!

Self-Styled Siren's Blog Post

I was recently scouring the internet for a blog similar to my own. After a few pages in of a Google search, I came across a blog about film. The Self-Styled Siren writes mostly movie reviews on classic films, but a post I came across from 2010 discusses her top 10 greatest moments of costume design. Though it is an older post, The Siren still blogs regularly. I am thrilled to find this post as my blog tends to discuss costumes from more recent films while her post discusses movies from the past. Here are my favorites from her list.

Jean Seberg in Breathless

The birth of the t-shirt and tight pants look. Not only does she look effortless and careless, her attitude reflects it too. 

Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina

This one didn't need to convince me of its merit on this list. Designed but Givenchy, Hepburn exudes glamour, sophistication, and confidence. The Siren exequently states the following: 

 "Sabrina, the lovelorn chaffeur's daughter, has learned poise and confidence, the essential elements of style. Even the least observant visitor to Paris sees that a fashionable Frenchwoman wears chic clothing because she IS self-assured, not because she WANTS to be. This, this is what Paris and a genius designer can do for you!" 

Kay Francis in Mandalay

I had never heard of Kay Francis before or this movie, but I can see why she would make The Sirens list. In her silver dress, she looks eye catching and stunning. Any film buff can see how impactful a dress like that can have on the costume and film industry.

I really enjoyed The Sirens blog post. It has been hard finding other blogs similar to my own, so I am excited to find another blog to keep up with.

The Parent Trap: 1998 vs 1961

In a previous post I made, I wrote how the costumes of The Parent Trap express not only character development of the twins, but symbolizes their newfound family bond.

Since the 1998 version of the movie is a remake, I wanted to find similarities in the costumes from the original 1961 film starring Hayley Mills. The 1998 version echos choices made in the original film. The costumes in both films play on the differences the twins have.

Sharon and Annie

 Sharon is the posh, sophisticated twin with long hair; a element kept in the 1998 version. Annie, though British, is refined and classy. Both girls live with their mother, and arrive at camp in style.

Susan and Hallie

Susan and Hallie are the mirror image of each other. Both raised by their Dad, they are rough and tumble, California girls. They are tomboys, showing up with short hair and feisty attitudes.

Together

When the twins are together, their individual styles are reflected. In both movies, the girls wear individualist pieces while still presenting as a unit. Sharon and Annie present more delicately while Susan and Hallie present stronger. Though each girl still holds her own style, each pair of twins start to look more and more like a cohesive unit.

By the end of the film, the girls are dressing identically or almost identically. This is meant to represent the transition from separate lives into one, familial bond. 

 Both movies, though over 40 years apart, capture the essence of sisterhood, love, and family. These costumes reflect how a family can come together despite many differences.

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor is one of the top style icons in film. From her famous purple eyes to her unmatched sex appeal, Liz Taylor topped the charts for fashion inspiration. Upon doing more research about her and her impact on the fashion and film community, I came across her Wikipedia page. There is a whole section dedicated to her style and jewelry legacy. It originally read like this:

Taylor is considered a fashion icon both for her film costumes and personal style.^[87][88][89] At MGM, her costumes were mostly designed by Helen Rose and Edith Head,^[90] and in the 1960s by Irene Sharaff.^[88][91] Her most famous costumes include a white ball gown in A Place in the Sun (1951), a Grecian dress in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), and a slip and a fur coat in BUtterfield 8 (1960).^[87][88][89] Her make-up look in Cleopatra (1963) started a trend for "cat-eye" make-up done with black eyeliner.^{[5]:135–136}

Though it doesn't seem like anything is amiss, there was one costume missing from her most iconic looks. When you Google "Liz Taylor famous dress," one of the first results is her iconic green A-line dress from the film Suddenly Last Summer. There are countless recreations of her classic green look; so many people associate a green dress with Liz Taylor. I edited the Wikipedia page to reflect this new information.

^{Taylor is considered a fashion icon both for her film costumes and personal style.[87][88][89] At MGM, her costumes were mostly designed by Helen Rose and Edith Head,[90] and in the 1960s by Irene Sharaff.[88][91] Her most famous costumes include a white ball gown in A Place in the Sun (1951), a Grecian dress in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), a green A-line dress in "Suddenly Last Summer"(1959), and a slip and a fur coat in BUtterfield 8 (1960).[87][88][89] Her make-up look in Cleopatra(1963) started a trend for "cat-eye" make-up done with black eyeliner.[5]:135–136}

This new addition to the Wikipedia page allows for further reading and information about Elizabeth Taylor's classic looks. Her iconic green dress is commonly seen on posters of her and even used as her headshot. Hopefully this addition attracts and excited Liz Taylor fans.

What Costumes Are Really Trying To Say

The costumes in film aren't just to look at. They are as much a part of the story as the dialogue, plot, scenery, and characters. It is truly the hidden art form of cinema. The website Indie Film Hustle described the role of a costume designer perfectly, "Costume Design plays an essential but seemingly quiet role in making a movie memorable and making the characters awesome, whether the character was meant to blend into their environment or stand out from it. Costumes can be described as aids by which film makers tell their stories."  The costume can inform so much of the movie as well connect the audience to the story.

Indie Film Hustle points out some metaphorical connections between costumes and the time period they take place. For example, Gone with the Wind takes place during the American Civil War era. When Scarlett O'Hara's character attempts to make her own dress, she symbolizes the period of Reconstruction that follows the war.

Another example of how costumes can transmit plot details is the costume design of Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. While the other characters are dressed to reflect the time period of the late 1800s, Willy Wonka's costume stands out in color and design, showing that he is a person ahead of his time. By making his costume a stark contrast to the rest of the group, Wonka is considered "out of this world," aiding to both the plot line and his personal character development.

When costume design is done right, it quietly and subtly informs the audience about the plot. Without the costumes, big idea moments could not be conveyed discreetly.

Miss Congeniality

Miss Congeniality is one of my favorite films. Loving this movie and its content agrees with an earlier statement I made in which I claimed that RomCom movies always have the best fashion. I still stand by that statement, and this movie supports my hypothesis.  This movie takes the classic tale of a down on her luck, unfashionable woman and turns her into a confident, stylish lady. While I do believe the clothes don't hold all the magic in a "transformation," I do understand how a little closet update can really give someone the confidence boost they need. In this scenario, Sandra Bullocks character is put in an uncomfortable situation of transforming into a pageant winner. But, without going out of her comfort zone, she would not learn and grow as a character; an internal transformation always exceeds any type of external change.  

The following sequence shows how FBI Agent Hart takes on the persona of Gracie Lou Freebush, the winner of the Miss New Jersey Beauty Pageant.

Though Sandra Bullocks' character looks amazing in her new clothes, shedding her old uniform and putting on a new one did not change the core of her personality. By stepping into unfamiliar territory, she opened her heart to new friends. Without this external change, the internal growth would not be possible. 

Pretty Woman

The year is 1990. Julia Roberts is a young fresh face listed next to hot shot actor Richard Gere. Julia plays a sex worker who makes her way into the heart of a stone cold lawyer. The movie follows Julia's character Vivian as she transitions into a lifestyle of luxury, but her costume in the first half of the movie is iconic. 

Julia wears a tie-dye mini skirt that is attached to a white tank top by a silver ring. She starts off wearing a blonde bob wig, but then lets her red hair flow. Costume designer Marilyn Vance created this look, influencing every generation of Julia Roberts wannabes.

This outfit is easily one of the most recognizable costumes around Halloween. Girls of all ages dress as Vivian and catch the eye of many fans of the movie. Even Julia's own niece Emma Roberts dressed as her one year.

This costume has inspired, impressed, and shaped many female generations since the movies release. This movie not only teaches women to be body positive, proud, and tough, but shows that no matter how anyone dresses, the most important thing in life is inner beauty. No matter how this costume is recreated or worn, it represents a strong female role model.