Rodarte's Costumes for "Black Swan"

[saann]

wow thanks for that interview! There seems to be a whole lot of drama going on behind the scenes there and it's nice that she's finally speaking out. I was definitely under the impression that it was just Rodarte doing the costumes.

I wonder if we should add her name to the thread title?

 

[lucy92]

it seemed like a manufactured controversy to me at first. i think a few fashion bloggers were grasping at straws when they started spreading rumours that rodarte had been unfairly cheated out of credit.

i think its terribly embarassing for Amy Westcott. its sad that this happened to her. she might want to send a letter from her lawyer to one blog in particular.

 

[saann]

I do believe that more than the sisters starting this whole controversy.. I have a hard time seeing them trying to justify this, if they truly believe they deserve first credit then they're delusional. I guess bloggers jumped to conclusions without understanding how the process of costume designing really works.

And Rodarte got a lot of press from this which is the best thing they could have gotten, they should bite back and become greedy.

I know what blog you're talking about and really, that's why bloggers will never, ever, be journalists. Doing a full-on research before writing on a subject is the most important aspect on news reporting. Especially when they're claiming something like that..

 

[thedanae]

Front page on tFS today: Black Swan Costume Designer Amy Wescott Speaks Out Against the Rodarte Sisters

 

[melfreya]

Wow, the Rodarte sisters better do some damage control because their company doesn't look too good right now. And this coming after the MAC offensive collection they had to pull out of the selves..

 

[Zann]

I'm really surprised there was a fall out at all. Going into the film I knew the Roadarte Sisters designed items but I wasn't expecting them to design every-single-article-of-clothing in this film. So naturally I knew there was another costume designer. Once I saw the credits and saw Amy Wescott's name; it made perfect sense in my eyes.

If the bloggers are to blame for this controversy, I wouldn't be surprised if they are a huge Rodarte fan lol

 

[HeatherAnne]

I agree, a seemingly made up controversy, and Amy's snarky rant will unfortunately only feed the tabloids' appetites.

 

[dior_couture1245]

Rodarte didn't just have "input." Kate and Laura designed entirely on their own the costumes for the principle dancers in the Swan Lake ballet scenes, in addition to Nina's white gala gown, several practice tutus and the knit scarves, leotards and leg/arm warmers.

Amy Westcott did everything else, minus the ballet corps costumes which were apparently designed by Zack Brown.

That's the facts.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't read anything coming from Rodarte that would make me believe they were looking to stir up controversy. All I've seen are articles that plainly say that Kate and Laura are ineligible to be nominated because they are not members of the Costume Design Guild and that their contract didn't give them credit as the hired "Costume Designer" of the whole film.

It seems as though bloggers are making the Mulleavys' out to be throwing a fit, when in fact, I haven't read a single statement from the sisters themselves in regards to the issue at all.

And to me, Amy comes out of this whole situation looking bitter that she wasn't asked to design the key costumes for the film. This is no discredit to her work on the film, it just seems very sour of her to come out and complain now...or complain at all. None of us are hearing about a back-up dancer scream and yell about not getting a lead, or getting more camera time. Why does she have to make this all a mess? The film has been widely received extremely positively...why not just be happy for the work you put in and the success that the film is experiencing? Everyone else involved seems to be doing just that.

 

[Littleathquakes]

I agree, I didn't even know about all this de-rama prior to the interviews that Amy is giving.

The biggest flaw is how she makes it seem like it's an even comparison anyway. So what if Rodarte made only what 7 out of the total 40+ costumes. But those were the costumes that people noticed. No one's looking at Mila's grey/black leotard gym workout clothes that AW created. I don't even know why that needs to be designed from the ground up, you can just go out and buy something like that and throw it together for the movie.

 

[dior_couture1245]

^^I agree.

While Amy certainly had a lot of work to do, what with subtle character developments through clothing, colors and how they read on camera, etc...to pretend that her work for the film rivals the Rodarte costumes is really silly.

 

[HeatherAnne]

Well said, dior couture and littleearthquakes, I completely agree with your points of view on the situation and it's refreshing to read, as most of the comments I've seen on other sites have people siding with Amy on the matter... even calling her response a very "professional" one, which I couldn't feel is further from the fact.

 

[melfreya]

To be fair to Amy though, in all the red carpet events for BS the sisters always said/say we designed them fullstop. Never a mention of anyone else. If I was Amy I would be pissed too. Just because she didn't design the most memorable looks doesn't mean she shouldn't be mentioned

 

[t-rex]

I agree, I didn't even know about all this de-rama prior to the interviews that Amy is giving.

The biggest flaw is how she makes it seem like it's an even comparison anyway. So what if Rodarte made only what 7 out of the total 40+ costumes. But those were the costumes that people noticed. No one's looking at Mila's grey/black leotard gym workout clothes that AW created. I don't even know why that needs to be designed from the ground up, you can just go out and buy something like that and throw it together for the movie.

I for one was more interested and impressed with Amy's costume design than Rodarte's frothy frocks. Sure, they're beautiful and the structure is complicated, but it's not hard to throw glitter and feathers and tulle together. Creating multiple character's wardrobes that subtly suggest their personality, tastes, moods and with Natalie's character, newfound sexuality and maturity - isn't that more worthy of praise?

But, it's no shock to me that Rodarte's glitz and the theatrical makeup has captured more attention than subdued, subtle pieces. I get why, but I wish people understood costume designing better. People don't notice it unless it's pretty or eye popping.

 

[Littleathquakes]

Creating multiple character's wardrobes that subtly suggest their personality, tastes, moods and with Natalie's character, newfound sexuality and maturity - isn't that more worthy of praise?

I dunno, I think that's more an issue of styling and not design.

 

[Dkammern]

I agree, I didn't even know about all this de-rama prior to the interviews that Amy is giving.

The biggest flaw is how she makes it seem like it's an even comparison anyway. So what if Rodarte made only what 7 out of the total 40+ costumes. But those were the costumes that people noticed. No one's looking at Mila's grey/black leotard gym workout clothes that AW created. I don't even know why that needs to be designed from the ground up, you can just go out and buy something like that and throw it together for the movie.

but custom design is all about choosing the right clothes, for the right person, the right scene. the clothes are a big part of the message: even if it looks like things that "you go out and then throw together", there's a lot of work into pairing what's happening and what the characters are wearing.
we all express ourselves through the things we wear, and that's even more true on camera, where every element is there to communicate the message.
notices how Natalie's character changes her color code from scene to scene, what that says about the character. Notice how the palette of all pinks, and white and gray turns to black progressively.

there's movies that use these elements brilliantly, and there's others that just dont. the black swan i think is successful at that, and to be able to say so much with such simple things has a lot more value to me than merely designing a pretty embroidered ballet dress.

 

[honeyisle]

Funny, I was drawn much more to the practice/rehearsal clothes designed by Yumiko, than I was the Rodarte Swan lake stuff.

 

[KhaoticKharma]

Maybe she'll wear them at the Oscars, which is the biggest event anyway

My money is on Dior; she's not terribly interested in fashion and she has a contract with them, a la Charlize and Marion. I doubt passing on your employer for such a major event would be a terribly wise move.

Am I the only one that felt the costuming on Amy's end was a little... obvious? Maybe it's because I study film, but good girl with a bad side in pink and gray, bad girl with a good side in black and gray? Wow! That being said, I think the only reason she was passed on for the nomination was because the academy just doesn't have the respect it should for contemporary films in terms of the costuming category. It always goes to a stuffy period piece, and I'm sure this year won't be any different.