THE ARTICLES ON THESE PAGES ARE PRODUCED BY BUSINESS REPORTER, WHICH TAKES SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENTS. Sinclair London is a Business Reporter client. Alongside the actors, the sets and the music, there is another crucial element of this stunning film: the costumes. Here Janty Yates, the Oscar-winning costume designer behind the original Gladiator, has once again demonstrated her expertise.
Film studios are just as demanding as any private fashion client. They require absolute precision and the highest quality of finish. The process for getting costumes exactly right is complex and painstaking: designs are sent in and analysed; measurements are taken; there are numerous fittings with plenty of to-ing and fro-ing. To some extent, this mirrors the classic bespoke fashion service that Sinclair specialises in.
But costume making for film and TV isn’t just about tailoring – although those traditional craft skills are critical. Costumes need to stand up to a lot more wear and tear than the glamorous creations Sinclair provides for actresses on the red carpet at film premieres. They must endure the rigours of hot, crowded sets and very long days. This means robust tailoring that also looks great in close-up, even after repeated takes.
Accuracy is the key to success here. A single character’s outfit may require multiple duplicates: a pristine “hero” piece and several identical copies for different action scenes. There may even be copies for stunt doubles, that are indistinguishable from the original, even though they are hiding padding and attachments for harnesses.
