From the silver screen, to your TV screen, costumes help to breathe life into a production and transport you to a different era or world. From Dorothy’s red slippers in The Wizard Of Oz to Superman’s super suit, iconic costumes are a staple for some of our best loved films.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be looking back at some of Propstore’s very own iconic film and TV costumes from past and present. So, whether you’ve seen some of these items on the site before, or you’ve been lucky enou gh to have won it in one of our auctions, check out the first part of our favourite ‘Costumes from the Screen’ collection and let us know what you’d like to see next…
Marty McFly’s (Michael J. Fox) 1885 Western Costume, BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III (1990)
“Marty, you’re going to have to do something about those clothes. You walk around town dressed like that, you’re liable to get shot.”
First up on our list is Marty McFly’s (Michael J. Fox) 1885 Western costume from Robert Zemeckis’ sci-fi sequel Back to the Future Part III (1990). Marty wore his colourful Western outfit when he initially travelled back in time to 1885 to save his friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), sfter Doc rescues Marty from almost getting hanged. Marty’s salmon-coloured shirt features leather tassels around the chest and wrists, along with embroidered atomic symbols. The shirt shows production wear, with dirt and tears that screen match the scene when Doc saved Marty from being hung by Buford ‘Mad Dog’ Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson).
It may not be as ‘cool’ as his Clint Eastwood getup later in the film, but his atomic pink Western Costume is definitely one of Marty’s most memorable costumes from the Back To The Future films!
Complete Blade (Wesley Snipes) Costume, BLADE II (2002)
“You obviously do not know who you are f***ing with!”
This complete costume worn by Blade (Wesley Snipes) in Guillermo del Toro’s action sequel Blade II (2002), was just one of many amazing lots in our very first Live Auction all the way back in 2014. Blade’s signature costume was seen throughout the film and also featured in much of the publicity material. Designed by Wendy Partridge (also known for her work on Hellboy and Thor: The Dark World), this iconic costume’s main features consist of a full-length black leather coat with blood red lining and a thick padded black leather vest with two large silver buckles embellished with red detail.
As a film, Blade may not be to every collector’s taste, but it’s hard to find someone out there that wouldn’t appreciate the simplicity of his now legendary signature vampire-slaying look.
Commodus’ (Joaquin Phoenix) Arena Costume, GLADIATOR (2000)
“The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor.“
This complete costume worn by Blade (Wesley Snipes) in Guillermo del Toro’s action sequel Blade II (2002), was just one of many amazing lots in our very first Live Auction all the way back in 2014. Blade’s signature costume was seen throughout the film and also featured in much of the publicity material. Designed by Wendy Partridge (also known for her work on Hellboy and Thor: The Dark World), this iconic costume’s main features consist of a full-length black leather coat with blood red lining and a thick padded black leather vest with two large silver buckles embellished with red detail.
As a film, Blade may not be to every collectors taste, but it’s hard to find someone out there that wouldn’t appreciate the simplicity of his now legendary signature vampire-slaying look.
Crimson Typhoon Jaeger Pilot Drivesuit, PACIFIC RIM (2013)
“To fight monsters, we created monsters.”
Somewhere between a spacesuit and a suit of armour, the Jaeger Pilot Drivesuits from Guillermo Del Toro’s 2013 mega monster movie Pacific Rim are definitely a sight to behold. This impressive piece is a full pilot costume, specifically designed for one of the Luu triplets to wear when co-piloting the Chinese Jaeger, Crimson Typhoon. Initially designed by Kate Hawley, the film’s costume designer, the drivesuits were built by the noted effects house Legacy Effects. This suit was designed specifically to reflect the character’s Chinese nationality and piloting role and includes nozzles and gauges where the pilot would connect to the larger workings of the Jaeger.
The Pacific Rim Drivesuits are so intricate and detailed that it’s hard to understand how these ever came about and weren’t all cg in the film. Del Toro’s love of having full physical props and costumes for actors to work with is very apparent in the artistry of these amazing suits.
Captain Hector Barbossa’s (Geoffrey Rush) Costume, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (2003)
“You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner. You’re in one!”
Another of our favourite costumes that we’ve put up for auction (Live Auction 2017) is Captain Hector Barbossa’s (Geoffrey Rush) costume from Gore Verbinski’s action-adventure film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
The fabulously flamboyant costume is composed of a large felt hat accented with black and brown feathers; a long nailhead-patterned grey coat (marked ‘Barbossa hero’); an off-white linen shirt with pleated sleeves; an ornate, woven vest with metal buttons; a pair of pleated trousers (marked ‘Mr. Geoffrey Rush’) and a pair of black leather boots to round off the costume.
Barbossa is a character that fans love to hate, and his amazingly gaudy and over-the-top costume – created by POTC costume designer Penny Rose – will forever be on our lists of top most beautifully crafted film costumes!
Uhura’s (Nichelle Nichols) Starfleet Dress, STAR TREK (TV 1966-69)
“Mr. Spock, sometimes I think if I hear that word “frequency” again, I’ll cry!”
Uhura’s (Nichelle Nichols) Starfleet dress from sci-fi television series Star Trek was worn exclusively by Uhura in The Original Series’ second season and is believed to screen match to episodes “Return to Tomorrow,” “The Gamesters of Triskelion,” “The Ultimate Computer” and “The Omega Glory,” (based on the placement and stitching of the Engineering Division patch and rank braids).
Acquired directly from Paramount in the early 1990s, the dress is made using the distinctive diagonal stitching first seen on red Trek dresses in the second season of the original TV series. The dress is made in the iconic Star Trek red velour with a black ribbed fabric collar and features original faux-gold rank braids on both sleeves, indicating the rank of Lieutenant, with a Starfleet engineering patch made of reflective faux-gold material with black embroidery affixed to the left breast along the collar line.
Outside of the main Star Trek duo of Kirk and Spock, Uhura is an icon in herself. As both a remarkable TV barrier-breaking character and an important female Trek star, costumes like this are a collector’s holy grail!
Tune back in the next couple of weeks to look at some more of our iconic past and present costumes in our ‘Costumes from the Screen’ blog collection…!
