Carbon Costume

Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a French musical film from 1964, and is directed by Jacques Demy. This colorful film follows Genevieve who works at a local boutique that sells umbrellas as she meets Guy, a mechanic who later becomes drafted and their relationship is tested.

Guy has a classic menswear style but is unique in that his outfits include bright pops of color. One look that can be easily recreated includes a khaki raincoat worn over a blue pinstriped blazer, and underneath that a pink button down shirt with a navy printed tie. Another is a brown blazer with a bright blue teal shirt.

Help! is a wacky comedy film from 1965 that follows The Beatles as they are on the run and trying to protect Ringo Starr from a cult that is after him. In between beats in the story, of course they have musical moments where they stop and perform their songs.

Two of these songs that feature this specific costume worn by Paul McCartney are The Night Before and I See You. The costume consists of an all beige suit with matching beige boots and a turtleneck sweater to match. Add a black mop-top wig to complete the look!

The new 2023 biopic film Priscilla follows Priscilla Presley’s life and her relationship with Elvis Presley. The film is directed by Sofia Coppola and is an adaptation of Priscilla’s book Elvis and Me. In this film, Priscilla is played by Cailee Spaeny along side Jacob Elordi who plays Elvis Presley.

Priscilla has an iconic 1960s style that is perfectly re-created in the costumes in this film. She wears lots of feminine pieces like dresses and sweaters with bow details. She also has an iconic hair and makeup style. When Elvis takes control of her style we see this come to life with dark bold eyeliner and dark hair with lots of volume.

Like most things Beatles, their 1969 rooftop concert in central London was iconic, and so were their outfits that day. Before the police eventually shut down their performance, the Fab Four played numbers from their Get Back sessions, which would ultimately comprise their final album Let It Be. George Harrison’s look is best remembered for his shaggy fur coat, bright green pants, and of course his Rosewood Tele.

Jean is a character played by Carey Mulligan from the film Inside Llewyn Davis, by Joel and Ethan Coen. Inside Llewyn Davis is set in 1960s New York City and follows a folk singer named Llewyn Davis who struggles to find success again in the music world. Jean is someone in Llewyn’s life that accuses him of being the father to her child, and he often goes to her and her husband for a place to stay or to borrow money. She is married to Jim, who she sings with at the Gaslight Cafe along with Troy Nelson. This trio is inspired by the group Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Jean along with the other characters, fit into their environment perfectly with the colors and textures of their costumes with lots of jackets and textured sweaters. The film is very bleak and muted, so you won’t find many brightly colored costumes. Jean sticks to sweaters in her wardrobe, like the two ribbed texture gray and orange ones, both with a turtleneck. The other sweater she wears in her apartment is a muted blue one, with a very brushed texture and not as thick as the two when she goes out. She also has an army-green coat with a plaid lining, which you can emphasize even more by layering a flannel shirt underneath it.

Lucky Jackson is a character from the 1964 film Viva Las Vegas and is played by Elvis Presley. Viva Las Vegas is a musical film following Lucky as he prepares for the first Las Vegas Grand Prix and needs an engine, but he loses his money after meeting a girl named Rusty Martin and has to earn it back to make the race on time. This colorful film reflects the charm of both Vegas and Hollywood tropes in both the sets and costumes.

Lucky’s costume are bright and colorful like his yellow blazer he wears dancing and the red waiter uniform he wears when he gets a job with Rusty. She also wears yellow in the film, like her full yellow poolside outfit in “The Lady Loves Me” number, where Lucky wears a gray suit to compliment her and the rest of the environment.

Rusty Martin is a character from the 1964 film Viva Las Vegas and is played by Ann-Margret. Viva Las Vegas is a musical film following Lucky Jackson as he prepares for the first Las Vegas Grand Prix and needs an engine, but he loses his money after meeting Rusty and has to earn it back to make the race on time. This colorful film reflects the charm of both Vegas and Hollywood tropes in both the sets and costumes.

Rusty’s costumes are very bright and summery with with lots of red and yellow pieces. In her iconic dance class scene, she wears tights and a red shirt, which you can re-create by wearing a red mock neck top with sheer black tights and black spandex shorts over them. She has two different swimsuits, one being the bright all-yellow outfit with a yellow one piece, yellow cover-up and white pointed kitten heels. Another is a red one piece with buttons down the top. And finally when she goes out dancing with Lucky, she matches his yellow blazer by wearing a yellow sleeveless scoop neck dress.

Sandie is a character from the film Last Night in Soho, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. The story follows the protagonist Eloise, an aspiring fashion designer that begins university in London to study it, and learns that she is able to enter the 1960s. At night she transforms into an aspiring singer named Sandie from the 60s. As Sandie searches for her big break, she gets into trouble and Eloise follows that journey with her.

Sandie is first seen in a float bright bring dress with the perfect shape for the period. We later see outfits like her white coat, black dress, and red dress that Eloise is inspired by and begins incorporating it into her own style and projects. Tease your hair to create a classic bump on the top to complete the look.