The black derby hats, top-and-bottom false lashes on only one eye and suspenders worn by Alex and his droogs in A Clockwork Orange were a dystopian marriage of British dandy and skinhead. The talented Milena Canonero designed the costumes, but Kubrick himself is said to have told Malcolm McDowell to wear his jockstrap over his trousers.
Costume designer Marit Allen used the Venetian masks in Eyes Wide Shut to represent the masks we all wear in society. Playing on concepts of identity and sexuality, they’ve managed to linger in our nightmares and fantasies ever since.
Few things are creepier than the Grady twins in The Shining. The image of the identical girls holding hands in their pastel frocks – another of Milena Canonero’s creations – has been recreated for countless Halloween costumes and even inspired looks on the runways of Louis Vuitton and Alexander McQueen.
The costume designer for 2001: A Space Odyssey was Hardy Amies, the haute couture designer best known for dressing Queen Elizabeth II. Space-age costumes like his slim-fitting flight attendants’ uniforms, complete with egg-shaped helmets, had a timeless aesthetic.
Ulla-Britt Soderlund and Milena Canonero won an Oscar for their costume design for Barry Lyndon. The magic was in the details of the elaborate gowns, wigs and regimental soldiers’ uniforms, some of which were genuine antique garments.
