Once Upon a Costume

I have been watching the TV show Once Upon a Time pretty regularly since it began. There are a lot of things I enjoy about it, but the costuming is not one of them. I hate to be negative about costuming that I know has taken countless hours of blood, sweat and tears on the designer's part. But the truth is, with a few exceptions, I usually range from being underwhelmed to being slightly nauseated.

Just because she is the evil queen doesn't mean you have to make her look like Elvira!

Everything about this was wrong! The color, fabric and especially the feathers! SO MUCH BLING!

Even the "pretty" dresses are too on-the-nose "princess." Most of them remind me of something my daughter would design. And I just can't get over the fabric choices.

This is, by far, my least favorite design. Who on earth thought it was a good idea to make the fairy's look like jelly fish hookers?

If that wasn't enough for you, it also comes in blood orange.

I think the overall problem for me is that Eduardo Castro, the designer, is way too literal when it comes to designing for a "fairy tale" setting. I can, of course, understand where he's coming from; we're dealing with fairy tale characters, so why not take the designs to the extreme? But, in my opinion, designing for fantasy doesn't mean going over the top. I personally believe that subtlety is much better than the "more is more" approach.

A Fairy Godmother? Or an old prom dress from the 80's?

I know she's evil. You don't have to give her huge shoulders, 80's hair, a crazy hat and a completely confused outfit to prove it!

Two words: Vegas Showgirl. 

I am aware that I may be alone in this assessment, as I'm sure a lot of people love the costuming in this show. So let me give you another great example where the costume designer makes this same mistake in a different way. In the movie Mirror Mirror, the craftsmanship on the costumes is absolutely amazing! But the designer, Eiko Ishioka, goes so over-the-top, that they are completely distracting to the viewer! (Or at least they were to me.) I was especially disturbed by the abundance of bright colors and overall lavishness (even in the lesser costumes).

Even though, at first glance, this is lovely. There is way too much going on. The crazy orange, giant bow, extra ruffles, detailed bodice. It's just too much to look at.

The bright red, huge winged sleeves, voluminous skirt and feather tail would each be statement enough on their own.

With people like this constantly in the background, there is nowhere for your eye to rest.

Now, I believe it is possible to maintain creativity and even do crazy things while keeping the costume subtle enough that it flows with the movie and it's setting and surroundings. A wonderful example of this is in the movie Snow White and the Huntsman. Designer Colleen Atwood does amazing, fantastical things with the costuming, while grounding her ideas in reality just enough to make the costumes flow!

Totally intense, bringing to mind Joan of Arc. Whether you like Kristen Stewart or not, she looks really awesome!

The details on this dress are amazing! Apparently, those undulating details were made by manipulating chains so that they resembled writing snakes. And look at those bird skulls! Completely brilliant design!

I love the chain-mail feeling of this gown! It is beautiful and strong, just like the queen!

I don't know how she came up with these bone-like shoulder details, but it is lovely and stunning!

Feathers done right!

The other example that came to my mind was also, to my surprise, designed by Colleen Atwood. (Apparently I'm a huge fan and I didn't even know it. She has won 3 Oscars and has worked with Tim Burton on 9 films, so far!) You would think that the costumes in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland would be the most over-the-top of them all. But, just as with Snow White and the Huntsman, they are subtle and spectacular, all at the same time. As the overall mood of Mirror, Mirror was quirky and funny, I feel that the custom designer should have gone in a direction more like Alice in Wonderland.

If you look closely, even the crazy character's costumes aren't actually that far out. And I love how the pops of color are carefully chosen as opposed to the Mirror Mirror designs that have everything in vibrant colors.

Some more great armor, and I love the two costumes in the background! They tell each character's story without shouting it at you.

So, the moral of this very long post is, costumes should help the actor tell the character's story. They should not be a distraction or a novelty. They should be able to hold their own without interrupting the flow of the movie or television show.