Watch: The look of (500) Days of Summer
We just got back from watching Marc Webb's (500) Days of Summer, a movie I've been waiting to see for a good five months. Funny how one can look forward to a movie so much. It has some of my favorite things all in one--Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, and the City of Los Angeles. Webb, a first-time director, makes downtown LA look downright magical. He brings out the LA I love even though I haven't actually visited a lot of the locations he used. But that's a story for another blog post.
What I really want to talk about is the film's style and the yumdellishous clothes Zooey gets to wear throughout.. It reminded me how much I enjoyed costuming for theatrical productions. Garry commented that this looked like a movie "made by hipsters, for hipsters." It's kind of true, but it's still noteworthy. Costume designer Hope Hanafin dresses Joe's character Tom in mostly Old Man Chic--sweater vests and puce-colored cardigans over a tie and button down shirt, funky corduroys, messenger bags. Zooey's character Summer gets to wear a parade of 50s-inspired secretary blouses, ruffle-paneled dresses and flouncy high-waisted skirts.
I really like the individual pieces of clothing, especially the cool navy dress she wears in picture 6 above, but I think Hanafin may have overdid it with the period style--it veers into "old fashioned" more often than I'd like... I think part of what makes vintage clothing wearable is mixing it up with more modern elements. Accessories, something unexpected, like pairing it with modern jewelry, adds some freshness to vintage pieces and keeps a look grounded in the here-and-now. Still, it was a very well done movie and lots of fun to watch all the outfits.
Update: Check out this exclusive MTV interview with Hope Hanifin on her vision for costuming (500) Days of Summer.
Posted by Stephanie Lim
