I had just recently watched Zack Synder's new movie "Sucker Punch" twice, one time with my family and another occasion with my friend, and apart from the numerous visual aspects the movie had to offer, I was particularly impressed with the costumes from a design standpoint.
Many would look at the costumes in relation to the movie as being difficult to move around in and this i would party agree upon. However, the play on innocence in contrast to the sexy outfits greatly contribute in creating this world. In my opinion, I see the girls as toys in some sort of dollhouse ,but the fact that the industry they were presented to be in was the industry of pleasure, they were dressed as toys + cutouts, corsets, leather and whatnots.
The costumes were designed by Matthew Wilkinson.
I adore the way they change from the dirty mental institute to the bitter beautiful of the pleasure reality to the action-packed wars.
First off, the 1940's pinup girl look was used alot. Perhaps to exude the sexiness that was required of the girls as dancers. The way the hair and make-up had to look flawless gave me that feeling of being untouchable. This, of course, is ironic because that is what must seem to be. The smoky-eyed make up and the pink lips serve as the perfect seduction.
Then , there were their costumes as dancers. Though it was mostly made up of corsets and stockings, maybe some mesh here and there, I found that it worked well with the reality Baby Doll had set up. The colors were also a perfect match for the dark and claustrophobic environment the building had posed.
And then the costumes in the dances were very interesting. This was because each character followed a certain theme in terms of being a "warrior". I wished that a little bit more color was used in this case, maybe some more burgundy or dark violet. If too much color were to be present, then the fierce factor from their costume would disappear and the effect would not be as striking.
There were four war eras: Japanese Edo Period, World War II , Medieval Age and a Futuristic Planet. Each of the girls' costumes embodied a war period.
Baby DollHer costume was modeled after the Japanese School Girl, similar to those in the mangas, as she is given a samurai sword and a gun with kawaii bell charms. And she began her journey in a Japanese dojo setting.
BlondieHer costume is a fusion with the more modern black leather, but her costume is derived from the Western Cowboy Style with the fringes and her axe as a combat weapon.
Rocket
At first it was quite difficult to tell what time her costume was from, then i got a clue from the hat she was wearing, her boots and her combat weapon of choice ( a dagger and a flintlock pistol). Rocket's costume was inspired from the rebellious pirates who sailed the seas.
Amber
I think it is quite obvious what war era Amber was from, she wears a cadet hat and a modern cut bomber jacket to embody the World War uniforms of the time.
Sweet Pea
Her costume was quite similar to Rocket's but her hooded vest cloak and body armour stood out, as seen with her poster background, she is from the Medieval Times. Even her broad sword, that is NOT used at all, contributed to overall look.
All in all the original artisic sense the costume designer had greatly attributed to the fantasmic world of Zack Snyder. The eye candy the costumes and the look provided promoted the movie, as well as, gave the feel for the movie overall.
They give me alot of ideas for costumes...Hmmm, now there is so much to look forward to come Halloween time!
~Krisan
