40+ Behind-the-Scenes Facts Straight From the Wardrobe Departments of Iconic 2000s Movies
This article appeared in cleverclassic.com and has been published here with permission.
The 2000s were an important time in cinematic history. CGI, advanced special effects, and other emerging film technology helped bring stories to life on the big screen in a way never seen before. Costume designers working on these films were offered a wealth of opportunities to create new and iconic characters. Their hard work, and creativity, gave way to some of the most memorable movies of the time. Now, go behind the scenes and into the wardrobes of your favorite films from the 2000s with these fun fashion facts.
Reese Witherspoon’s Stylish Contract Clause in Legally Blonde
It’s not unusual for actors to want to take home mementos from the film sets, but 77 Jimmy Choo shoes? For actress Reese Witherspoon, her Legally Blonde character’s wardrobe was just too good to give up.
Witherspoon revealed that she had it written into her contract that she would get to keep Elle Woods’ signature pink wardrobe from the second Legally Blonde film, and some pieces from the first film. Luckily for fans, the actress celebrated the film’s 15th anniversary by modeling the character’s most iconic outfits on her social media pages including that famous sequined bikini!
Designing the Wardrobe for Dream Girls Was Hardly a Dream
The musical drama, Dream Girls, featured 120 original dresses. The film, which charts the lives of three women trying to find success in the music industry, required accurate costumes spanning various decades.
At the time, the award-winning wardrobe designer Sharon Davis was also working on the somber film, The Pursuit of Happyness. In order to organize her designs, Davis ended up memorizing the entire script of Dream Girls. While it was a challenge, the designer said, “I got to do the balance of both worlds, this high-glam world to this very low-end world.”
Jewels Fit for a Dame on the Set of The Princess Diaries
When the queen of the silver screen, Dame Julie Andrews, requests diamonds she gets diamonds. In the teen dramedy, The Princess Diaries, Andrews plays the queen of a fictional European country called Genovia.
The actress, in true royal fashion, is decked out in jewels loaned from Harry Winston worth a cool half a million dollars. While Andrew’s jewels were the real deal, costar Anne Hathaway’s tiara was custom designed using cubic zirconia. Only the best for cinematic royalty.
Finding an Accurate, and Fashionable, Wardrobe for The Notebook
While most people associate the fashion of the 1940s with glamorous screen sirens like Rita Hayworth and Katharine Hepburn, the clothing of the era was typically more utilitarian and less flamboyant. For wardrobe designer Karyn Wagner, creating a historically accurate wardrobe for actress Rachel McAdams required digging into preserved collections held at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Wagner wanted to make sure that the costumes reflected the class distinctions between the star-crossed lovers, often dressing McAdams in tailored frocks and Ryan Gosling in clothes that looked like they were purchased in a “general store”.