https://www.huntsmansavilerow.com/mood-boards-for-the-kings-man/
“It’s not costumes we’re creating, it’s the
authentic outfits. Such is the transformative power of bespoke tailoring; it is
undoubtedly what aids the characterization of an actor… but the quality and
craftsmanship of these garments are such that it could be worn every day.”
– Campbell Carey Head Cutter & Creative Director,
Huntsman
Huntsman creations for
The King’s Man
Huntsman
Creative Director Campbell Carey worked closely with the costume designers to
make authentic period outfits for the stars of the latest Kingsman movie. Set
in the 1900s, Huntsman’s role in developing the period clothing for the
production was pivotal in delivering a film with sartorially integrity and
flair! Of all the clothing created, none captures the imagination of the
audience more than that of Conrad,
played by Harris Dickinson, and The Duke Of Oxford, played by Ralf Finnes.
Though these men and their style are polar
opposites, a common thread runs through their wardrobe; Huntsman bespoke
excellence. Together with Michelle Clapton, Costume designer for the movie,
Campbell delved back through the Huntsman archives and discovered cloth, patterns,
and styles that were painstakingly replicated for the movie.
Discover
mood boards for The Duke of Oxford & Conrad here and see Campbell’s
exclusive insight as the tailor to The King’s Man.
The Duke Of Oxford
Ralph Fiennes
Fox
flannels and heavy-weight wools and tweed in regimental cut suiting for a
wardrobe of tradition and principle.
Conrad
Harris Dickinson
The latest
bespoke styles from Europe and America and innovative Lounge Suits for the
young gentleman with sartorial flair!
Michele
Clapton, the award-winning "The King's Man" costume designer, whose
style credits include “The Crown” and “Game Of Thrones”
ENTERTAINMENT
FILM
By Jessica
Bailey
https://graziamagazine.com/articles/the-kings-man-michele-clapton/
A DEBONAIR BUNCH: WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO DESIGN COSTUMES
FOR THE CAST OF “THE KING’S MAN”
How do you
design a retrospective wardrobe, without it feeling old hat? GRAZIA speaks to
BAFTA award-winning "The King's Man" costume designer Michele
Clapton, whose style credits include “The Crown” and “Game Of Thrones”
The King's
Man
Credit:
Twentieth Century Fox
The King’s
Man – a prequel to 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service and 2017’s Kingsman: The
Golden Circle – is set during the turbulent years surrounding WWI. Directed by
Matthew Vaughn (and with a budget of $100 million), the story centres on an
elite British spy, the Duke Of Oxford (played by Ralph Fiennes), who must stop
criminal masterminds from carrying out a plot which would destroy humanity.
Costumer
Michele Clapton, who won a BAFTA for her designs on the first series of The
Crown, had her work cut out for her in The King’s Man: design an Edwardian era
wardrobe which reflects the stiff upper lip of London’s Savile Row, and ensures
this impeccable tailoring – starchy and heavy by nature – is flexible enough
for an action-based picture.
“The weight
of the fabrics in that period were really heavy and they really defined the cut
of a suit, unlike today where fabrics are so much lighter and you can move
around,” says Clapton in a British accent not dissimilar from Emma Thompson’s.
In fact, I’m certain she would have been likened to the actress on more than
one occasion.
“We also
found a lovely Scottish weavist who would weave back catalogue pieces for small
amounts, she would sometimes weave us 12 metres, which was great,” Clapton
continues. “The fabrics to us were really key to finding our way into the film.
There was such wonderful colours and weaves used at that time and to bring that
back to a modern audience, I thought, was really exciting.”
GRAZIA: The
Crown was based in the years surrounding WW2. Can you speak about the different
types of weaves and fabrics that were available, compared with The King’s Man’s
WWI setting?
MICHELE
CLAPTON: “WWI was a time when women’s clothing really revolutionised, because
obviously they had to be much more active, and had to do men’s roles sometimes
– and even more so in WW2. But each time, I think the wars moved women’s
clothing forward. The skirts shortened, there were less petticoats. The King’s
Man was so menswear heavy – we of course have scenes at the Russian ball, and
we also designed servants-wear – but on the whole, it was just the weight of
the fabrics. We found some old pattern books and they were incredible, there
was so much colour! We’re so used to seeing black and white pictures of that
time and so we tend to think that it was dull. And it wasn’t at all! A woman’s
silhouette during this time was so immense, they had huge shoulders and these
really tight collars, it was a very peculiar time… and disproportionate.”
GRAZIA:
Films are renowned for giving the costume department tiny budgets. Was there
anything in the movie where you thought, ‘I would have done that differently if
I had more money’?
CLAPTON:
“As [director] Matthew Vaughn is so passionate about clothing, usually you can
go to him and plead your case! [Laughs] You always want more money, but he
allowed me a lot longer time leading up to filming to research what I might do.
People were also really enthusiastic to work on The King’s Man, because I think
they know the quality of it, so we got to work with some amazing people who
were generous with their time.”
GRAZIA: How
long was the lead-up time to filming?
CLAPTON: “I
had about four months. I hadn’t worked with Matthew before and that
[costumer-director] relationship is so important, especially to someone like
him who is so passionate about clothing. It’s really important to try and
understand what they want and to bring ideas to them.”
“It’s a
period film, and sometimes those shapes are quite hard to accept initially: the
very high collars, the very long jackets. Your eye has become accustomed to it
and see how that will work to a modern audience.”
GRAZIA: How
involved was director Matthew Vaughn in the costume design process?
CLAPTON:
“He has to see pretty much everything you do. He allows you the time to do it,
but then he really wants to see it. If he doesn’t lie it, he will tell you he
doesn’t like it. But he will also change his mind – if he sees something again,
he might be like, ‘I actually do like it’. That’s what I liked about him. He
doesn’t just say something and then not change his mind to save face. He will
actually go, ‘Actually that is good, I’ve got used to it.’ A costume designer
is always difficult because you’re sort of always in the middle: You’re dealing
with the actors, and then with the director. That’s’ sometimes the hardest part
of the job, the dynamic between the actor, director and you. It’s tricky
sometimes.”
GRAZIA:
What was Ralph Fiennes like to work with?
CLAPTON: “He
loves clothing and loves the way it looks. It’s so important for him to find
the character. Most actors are involved with Ralph wants to understand why he’s
wearing something. It was a really lovely way of working – it’s a lot. I would
fit each outfit, then I would plot it, then I would send him pictures of each
fitting and plot notes of where I think it should appear in the story so we had
this ebb and flow of emotion. Whenever I design, I don’t say, ‘A suit for that,
a suit for this’. It’s a wardrobe of clothes. One day on set, we might go, ‘We
know we’re going to do the pinstripe suit, but which tie? What mood do we want
to say the character is in? How do we weave in the emotion?’ I love it, I’m a
storyteller.”
GRAZIA: How
does working on a film like The King’s Man compare to working on a television
series like The Crown or Game Of Thrones?
CLAPTON: On
The Crown, you have more time to tell the story. It was over 10 episodes – so
10 hours – to tell the story. In a funny way, you had time to develop the
character, and you can do it more subtlety. On film, you have such a short time
to tell the arc of a story and sometimes you do hundreds of costumes, they are
just in shot. On a TV show, you spend more time in one room and [the camera,
and thus the audience] walk through all the work. A film is an abbreviated
story. It’s a small moment in time, told in detail. This film is epic, I love
the scale of it. I think you need to be stronger with your costume choices because
you won’t see them for so long and they need to tell the story so much more
quickly and succinctly.”
GRAZIA:
What was Gemma Arterton like to work with?
CLAPTON:
“She was divine. When we first met, we sat down to discuss the character and I
showed her moodboards about where we might go with it. We just bonded straight
away. The ideas we had just fitted so well with how she saw the character; the
structure of these costumes, the silhouettes. She also has this wonderful way
of standing which, as a costume designer, is a dream frankly. She just engages
and inhabits the costumes she’s given.”
GRAZIA: On
any project, things don’t always turn out the way we initially anticipated. Was
there a scene or a piece that worked out even better on screen than you
imagined?
CLAPTON: A
piece I love was a piece we made. An oiled little biker’s jacket that Conrad
arrives at Sandhurst in. I loved the fact that it was blood red and pre-empted
the story that was about to happen – the desolation, the damage – and I thought
it was just the perfect tone. The props department put two little cases on that
back of his back and I thought that was perfect. It sort of underscored that he
was leaving.”
GRAZIA: Do
you have a favourite scene that GRAZIA readers/viewers can look out for?
CLAPTON: “I
loved the Russian ball. I love when Rasputan [played by Rhys Ifans] and his two
female cohorts walk in and scan around the room. That was a really fun to
design for. There was a lot of balls in Russia where they dressed up in
traditional Russian headpieces. It was slightly fantastical, which was exactly
what happened back then. We made these metal headpieces, and pretty much all of
the costumes in the room. It was so satisfying.”
GRAZIA: You
should release that entire ballgown line on the runway…
CLAPTON:
“We could all wonder around in fantasy Russian costumes. It would be rather
fantastic, wouldn’t it? [Laughs]”
.jpeg)
No comments:
Post a Comment