Todd Haynes’ 1998 glam rock epic, Velvet Goldmine, is animated by extravagance. The film become a cult classic due to the vibrant cinematography, overly champ themes and a smashing soundtrack. It oscillates between a dreary dystopian reimagining of New York in 1984 and flashbacks to the musical wellspring of London in the 70’s. With the dates set in the 70’s and early 80’s its unsurprising that the costumes are completely extravagant and over the top.
When costume designer Sandy Powell began working on the 1998 glam rock opera Velvet Goldmine, she didn’t have to travel very far to begin her research. A pre-teen during the early-70s, she pulled many design ideas from her own memories. “The music was a kind of crucial part of my growing up,” Powell told the LA Times. “As an 11-year-old, Marc Bolan was my first idol.” For the central character Brian Slade who was famously based on David Bowie and played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Powell looked at every single Bowie outfit from 1968 to 1974 and created her own interpretations — his 60s mod look, his androgynous folk singer, the Kansai Yamamoto stage wear. Powell is a lover of period dress but not much of a sci-fi fan, so perhaps this played into Slade’s costumes being not as starry as Bowie’s. But what it does is create space between Brian Slade and David Bowie, making him Bowie-esque but not a carbon copy.
Slade’s infatuation with American rocker Curt Wild (Ewan McGregor) is based on Bowie’s own friendship with Iggy Pop. Bowie was mesmerized by Pop’s hyperkinetic onstage antics and envied the authenticity of his working-class Michigan upbringing. In Velvet Goldmine, Wild is an amalgam of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed but visually, his bare-chested, leather pants look comes from both Pop and Jim Morrison.
The biggest issue for Powell was cobbling together such a huge and extravagant wardrobe while staying within budget (the entire film was shot for $7 million). Powell had to create outfits not only the for the glittery main characters Slade, his wife, his manager— but also the entourage, supporting characters, extras, and of course, fan-turned-reporter Arthur, played by Christian Bale. Though it was a tough job, the looks in the film won the acclaimed costume designer the 1999 BAFTA Award for Costume Design and was nominated for an Oscar, which she lost… to herself for Shakespeare in Love. Today, she freely admits, “I had two nominations in one year and I won for the wrong one.”
Comments