10+ Movie Costumes With Secrets That Even Dedicated Viewers Might Not Decipher

It is said that costume designers play a crucial role in the success of a film but they are less recognized as actors and directors. No matter how important they are, their contribution is undeniable.
Designers use costumes as a tool to help filmmakers tell their stories. The costume of the characters can give viewers a hint about the period time of the movie, the profession of the characters, their status, and their personalities. Thanks to them, characters become more realistic and then the movie's appeal can be enhanced.
In the award-winning movie by George Lucas, Stars Wars, attention is drawn to not only the plot but also the costumes. When watching the film, plenty of viewers had their eyes on Princess Leila's costume. The costume design was able to transmit to them a blend of alienness and royalty, and it was explained that she was both from another world as well as a royal breed.
Let’s profile some movies and see how costumes influenced their stories. You can see more in these articles: 12 Movie Costumes That We Can’t Believe The Way They Were Dressed By Actors and 15 Movie Costumes With A Whole Lot of Story Behind Them.

#1 Rhaenyra and Daemon — House of the Dragon

Source: © House of the Dragon / Home Box Office

Look at the change of colors the characters wear, we can see their development. For example, in the beginning, Rhaenyra appears in yellow or beige clothes. She’s just a young girl who hasn’t yet been dragged into the family.

Source: © House of the Dragon / Home Box Office

Moreover, the scales on her shoulders reveal her level of power. As she grows up and becomes more powerful, she gets covered with scales.

Source: © House of the Dragon / Home Box Office

We also find an interesting detail that Daemon’s costume during the tournament was inspired by samurai armor.

#2 The White Widow — Mission: Impossible — Fallout

Source: © Mission: Impossible - Fallout / Paramount Pictures and co-producers

Alanna is a well-known activist and philanthropist but she’s actually an illegal arms dealer, called the White Widow. The spider-shaped brooch secretly reveals her alter ego.

#3 Hannibal Lecter — The Silence of the Lambs

Source: © The Silence of the Lambs / MGM and co-producers

The costume designers worked hard to create Hannibal Lecter’s mask. They decided to use fiberglass to make it. First, they wanted to paint but finally, they did nothing on it after realizing that fiberglass looked like an old piece of dried-up leather.

#4 Chrissy — Stranger Things

Source: © Stranger Things / Netflix and co-producers

The pendant in the shape of “86” Chrissy wears reveal the year that the event of the 4^th season takes place.

Source: © Stranger Things / Netflix 

The jackets of the basketball team players are also adorned with the number 86.

#5 Lucifer — The Sandman

Source: © The Sandman / DC Comics, © Labyrinth / TriStar Pictures

It turns out that Lucifer’s prototype is David Bowie – the author, Neil Gaiman’s favorite artist. So, she looks like a rock star in a black leather suit.

#6 Damon — The Vampire Diaries

Source: © The Vampire Diaries / Outerbanks Entertainment

In the first season, Damon appears as a bad boy so we often see him wear dark colors and leather jackets. But by season 7, he has become kinder – save his friends. The simple clothes, like checkered shirts, show his transformation.

#7 Tatum — Scream

Source: © Scream / Dimension Films, © Edvard Munch / The Scream / Wikimedia Commons

Despite being a horror movie, “Scream” contains a lot of orange, yellow, and red colors. This happened for a season. It turns out the costume designer got inspired by the famous painting by the Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch.

#8 Sophie — The School for Good and Evil

Source: © The School for Good and Evil / Netflix

Source: © The School for Good and Evil / Netflix

The main character is a village girl with a dream of becoming a princess. In her dream, she looks so pretty in a gorgeous grow. But the thing that attracts more attention is her transparent shoes. Despite appearing for seconds, it’s not hard to guess that Sophie dreams of herself as Cinderella.

#9 Hurrem — Magnificent Century

Source: © Muhtesem Yüzyil / TIMS Productions

Source: © Muhtesem Yüzyil / TIMS Productions

To charm the sultan, Hurrem wears a red dress and a piece of unique jewelry around her neck. While the high-ranking harem women decorate their necks with a chain with a pendant or a semicircular necklace, Hurrem chooses tassels to highlight her décolleté area.

Source: © Muhtesem Yüzyil / TIMS Productions

Some eagle-eyed viewers noticed that 2 actresses who portrayed Hurem and her rival, Mahidevran, wore the same jewelry, the beautiful diadem.