23 Facts About Movie Costumes That Prove Costume Designers Are Actually Geniuses

You can win two Oscars with the same costumes in two different movies!

Costumes are an extremely underrated part of the moviemaking process. Here are some little details about the costumes in some of your favorite movies:

1. Willem Dafoe wears prosthetics to even out his teeth as Norman Osborn in the Spider-Man movies, but he leaves his teeth naturally jagged to portray the Green Goblin.

Little detail that was brought back from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 1 (2002) in Spider-Man No Way Home (2021). Willem Dafoe wears prosthetics as Norman Osborn, but as the Goblin persona he retains Dafoe’s natural, less perfect, teeth. from MovieDetails

Sony

2. Everyone's clothes in Encanto contain details and iconography that represent the characters.

In Encanto (2021), the clothing is insanely detailed. More info in the pictures. from MovieDetails

Disney

A few examples: Luisa's skirt has dumbbell designs, Isabela's dress is full of floral designs, Abuela's skirt has butterflies, Mirabel's dress is full of symbols she embroidered to represent her family as well as her name, Julieta's pockets have healing hands, Camilo's poncho has chameleons, Pepa's dress has various weather symbols, and Dolores's dress has sound wave designs.

3. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the hare bracelet that Luna wears was actually made by the actress who plays her, Evanna Lynch, and the hare represents Luna's patronus.

In HP and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Luna wears a bracelet with a hare on it to Slughorn's Christmas Party. This is a reference to her patronus. Also, the bracelet was made by Evanna Lynch, the actress who plays Luna. from MovieDetails

4. At the beginning of Forrest Gump, Forrest is still wearing the old, now-dirty shoes Jenny got him and that he ran across the country in, but he's replaced the laces.

In the opening scene of Forrest Gump (1994), his shoes are worn out from running across the country for years, but he wouldn’t get rid of “the best gift you could get in the wide world” from Jenny. But he kept the laces fresh to keep them operable. from MovieDetails

5. Agent Smith's suit in The Matrix Reloaded is a blacker black than those of the other agents because he's evolved.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - in The Matrix universe an Agent's suit is slightly green, but as Agent Smith has evolved he now has a black suit from MovieDetails

6. To play Al Capone in The Untouchables, Robert De Niro tracked down Capone's tailors to make the designs for his suits.

For a most realistic portrayal of the real life Gangster Al Capone in „The Untouchables“ (1987), actor Robert De Niro tracked down Capones former tailors to handtailor the suits he wears in the movie from MovieDetails

Image credit: Photo 12 / Alamy Stock Photo

7. Django wears the same clothes at the end of Django Unchained that Calvin Candie wore at the beginning of the film.

In the final scene of Django Unchained (2012), Django wears the same outfit Calvin Candie was wearing when they first met—right down to the extended cigarette. from MovieDetails

8. The ship captain in Madagascar wears a patch that says "S.S. Act II" just before the zoo animals wash up in Madagascar, which is the second act of the movie.

In Madagascar (2005), according to the captain's patch, the ship is named the S.S. Act II. This is fitting as it's the start of the second part of the story with the animals arriving in Madagascar. from MovieDetails

9. Costume designer, Milena Canonero, reused some pieces she designed for Barry Lyndon 31 years later in Marie Antoinette. Both movies won her Oscars in Costume Design.

In 1976 Milena Canonero won her first Oscar for Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. Three decades later she recycled several Barry Lyndon pieces for Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette which also won her an Oscar. from MovieDetails

Warner Bros., Sony

10. The leopard fascinator in Inglourious Basterds is based on a real design from Italian fashion designer, Elsa Schiaparelli.

Universal / Alamy Stock Photo, Bettmann / Bettmann Archive

11. Eddie's "Mumford Phys. Ed. Dept." shirt and Detroit Lions jacket in Venom: Let There Be Carnage are tributes to Beverly Hills Cop.

In Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Tom Hardy wears a Mumford Phys. Ed. Dept. shirt and a Detroit Lions jacket as a tribute to Eddie Murphy's character in Beverley Hills Cop (1984) because he is a big fan of Axel Foley and the franchise. from MovieDetails

12. Actor Yul Brynner's outfit as an android gunslinger in Westworld is the same one he wore as a human gunslinger in The Magnificent Seven.

United Artists / Alamy Stock Photo, MGM / Courtesy Everett Collection

13. In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, one of Jack's many belts is Anamaria's belt from Curse of the Black Pearl.

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) - Jack has an extra belt. It’s actually Anamaria’s (Zoe Saldana) belt from the first film from MovieDetails

Disney

14. Connie Nielsen wears a 2,000-year-old ring in Gladiator that she found in an antique shop.

The signet ring Connie Nielsen wears in Gladiator (2000) is 2,000 years old, found by her in a pawn shop. from MovieDetails

15. Grace wears a Stanford tank top in Avatar because her actress, Sigourney Weaver, went to Stanford.

In Avatar (2009), Grace wears a Stanford tank top in her avatar form. This was added by Sigourney Weaver as a reference to her alma mater. She graduated from Stanford in 1972. from MovieDetails

16. Sharon Tate's sister lent Margot Robbie some of Sharon's jewelry to wear for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Sony Pictures

17. Edith's belt in Crimson Peak is braided from her dead mother's hair, which is a form of Victorian mourning jewelry, but the actual belt is real human hair and was made using Victorian techniques.

In Crimson Peak (2015), Edith wears a belt made from her dead mothers hair. This type of clothing was common during the Victorian era, as a way of mourning deceased loved ones. The costume designer even went the extra mile and made the belt from real human hair. from MovieDetails

18. Nicolas Cage's snakeskin print outfit in Wild at Heart is a tribute to Marlon Brando's role in The Fugitive Kind.

MGM / Alamy Stock Photo, United Artists / Alamy Stock Photo

19. A Detroit magazine called Orbit gave Reservoir Dogs its first major media coverage, so director Quentin Tarantino wore a T-shirt with their mascot in Pulp Fiction as thanks.

In Pulp Fiction (1994) Tarantino's smiling globe T-shirt is for a Detroit magazine called Orbit. They were the first magazine to ever interview him about being a filmmaker and he wore the shirt as a 'thank you' to them. from MovieDetails

20. The "i" on Buddy's Incrediboy costume in The Incredibles has a little crescent next to it to form a "b."

In The Incredibles (2004) Buddy's homemade "Incrediboy" costume combines Mr. Incredibles "i" symbol with a crescent to form a "b". from MovieDetails

21. In Deadpool 2, Wade Wilson wears a T-shirt with Taylor Swift's cats on it, which she thanked him for.

In Deadpool 2 (2018), Wade wears a shirt that says: "Olivia & Meredith. Best Friends Purrrr-ever". The two cats actually belong to Taylor Swift. The production crew had to get permission from her to use their image. from MovieDetails

22. In Saving Mr. Banks, one of the ties that Tom Hanks wears is made to look like one that Walt Disney owned from Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, where he also vacationed.

Walt Disney Co. / Courtesy Everett Collection, Alamy Stock Photo

23. And finally, Tim is such a huge fan of Dr. Grant in Jurassic Park that he wears a denim shirt and handkerchief tied around his neck to match him.

In Jurassic Park (1993), Hammond's grandson Tim is such a fan of Dr. Grant, he even dresses like him, with neckerchief, blue shirt, and khakis. from MovieDetails

What's your favorite little costume detail in a movie? Let us know in the comments!

H/T: r/MovieDetails