Styling for movies requires a strong passion for the cinema industry. It means that a stylish need to have a thorough understanding of varying genres, historical periods, cultures, and so on. It’s also beneficial to have a background in drafting or sewing.
Stylists are in charge of bringing the director's vision to life, ready for filming. They have to manage all of wardrobes to establish a personal style for every character. It is great if the producers hire a stylist who has a great eye for detail, from lipstick color to hairstyle, as cameras can get very close to actors. Furthermore, a pro stylist can be demanded to be on set all of the time to make sure the wardrobe look's as it should for every shot.
Despite the fact that movies always have on their team including specialists or talented costume designers and stylists, who are responsible for the image of their characters, they can make some mistakes in their work.
Scroll down to see 11 costume mistakes in popular movies. If you're looking for more, read these articles:
15 Movies Where Designers Messed Up Costumes, and
Costume Designers Messed Up But Created Real Masterpieces.
#1 Pretty Woman (1990)
Source: Pretty Woman / The Walt Disney Company and co-producers, © Pretty Woman / The Walt Disney Company and co-producers
A few viewers notice that in the scene where Vivian is given the necklace, her hairstyle changes.
#2 Top Gun (1986)
Source: © Top Gun / Paramount and co-producers, © Top Gun / Paramount and co-producers
Kelly McGillis’ character first has blonde hair but after training scenes, her hair has been dyed a different shade. Though she used a hat to hide it, it looks darker on her.
#3 Clueless (1995)
Source: © Clueless / Paramount and co-producers, © Clueless / Paramount and co-producers
Some attentive viewers spotted some mistakes in the movie. For example, the length of Amber’s hair changes throughout the movie. In some scenes, she appears with long hair; while in others, it only reaches her shoulders.
#4 The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Source: © The Wizard of Oz / MGM Studios and co-producers, © The Wizard of Oz / MGM Studios and co-producers
The movie stared Judy Garland as the young Dorothy Gale. Not many viewers notice that the length of her hair changes throughout the film.
#5 A Knight’s Tale (2001)
Source: © A Knight's Tale / Sony Pictures Entertainment and co-producers, © Wikimedia Commons, © CC0 1.0
It is a fact that women in the 14
th century often used to wear tighter dresses with a belt at the hips.
#6 Braveheart (1995)
Source: © Braveheart / Icon Productions and co-producers, © Outlander / Sony Pictures Entertainment and co-producers
The film is set at the end of the 13
th century. Nobles’ costumes are historically accurate but the costumes worn by other groups of people weren’t. the belted kilts didn’t appear until the 18
th century.
#7 Enola Holmes (2020)
Source: © Enola Holmes / Netflix and co-producers, © Enola Holmes / Netflix and co-producers
The events in the movie take place in Great Britain at the end of the 19
th century. At that time, women tied their hair back with some loose curls at the sides but the main character appeared with a half-updo.
#8 The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
Source: © The Other Boleyn Girl / Sony Pictures Entertainment and co-producers, © The Other Boleyn Girl / Sony Pictures Entertainment and co-producers
In the movie, the protagonists wear lush dresses with cleavage. But this could not have happened because, in the 16
th century, women had to wear a kind of underskirt under their dresses.
#9 The Last Samurai (2003)
Source: © The Last Samurai / Warner Bros. and co-producers, © The Raven / FilmNation Entertainment and co-producers
Throughout the movie, we see Tom Cruise’s long hair which was inaccurate. In the 19
th century, barbers could cut 36 different hairstyles but none of them included long hair.
#10 Marie Antoinette (2006)
Source: © Marie Antoinette / Sony Pictures Entertainment and co-producers
In a scene of the movie, we can see a pair of Converse tennis shoes, specifically in the sequence where different shoes are shown. This was to show that, despite everything, Marie Antoinette was still a teenager trying to find her place in the world.
#11 Cleopatra (1963)
Source: © Cleopatra / 20th Century Studios and co-producers
During the filming, actress Elizabeth Taylor suffered from pneumonia because of bad weather, she even had to undergo an emergency tracheotomy. So we can see there is a scare on her neck that create a historical anachronism.