04/06/2012

Queen Ravena's Costumes

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" Evil Queen Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman would definitely beat Snow White if it was just based on style! I haven't been this impressed by costume design since the Mulleavy sisters' creations for Black Swan. Dark films seem to be a re-occuring theme for costume designer Coleen Atwood as she has previously designed for Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd, and Silence of the Lambs. The most recognisable costume of her career has to be for Edward Scissorhands. 


For Queen Ravenna's intricate outfits, Coleen used a range of unusual materials including rooster feathers and iridescent beetle wings. Speaking about the beetle wings, Coleen said "They're incredibly sharp, so I had to be careful about how I used them. If you hit them, you can hurt yourself. They're quite treacherous, which really suited the character." 


The feathered cape was also very impressive as CGI was used to turn it into dozens of flying crows. It took a total of two weeks for the cape to be made as each feather was trimmed and attached by hand.




Actress Charlize Theron who plays Queen Ravena thought that the wedding dress was the most impressive visually, however it was so heavy that it was very difficult to wear walking up the isle. The top of the dress has a bone-like appearance and further down is leather piping sewn onto pleats. 



I think Coleen Atwood stands a very good chance of winning a fourth Oscar, although I can't speak too soon as I'm yet to see all of the 1920's costumes for The Great Gatsby. Roll on December, for some more beautiful costumes!

Love from Lou Lou