# From ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ to ‘The Invite,’ Costume Designers Shatter the Myth Behind Dressing Contemporary Characters: ‘It’s Very Difficult’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/from-the-devil-wears-prada-to-the-invite-costume-designers-shatter-the-myth-behind-dressing-contemporary-characters-its-very-difficult/
- Published: 2026-11-01T23:34:43+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-02T00:50:40+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/artisans/news/costume-designers-contemporary-costume-1236936227/
- Topics: Culture, Entertainment, Fashion, Film

## Key points

- Contemporary costume design relies on character and story, not just shopping.
- Designers use clothing to reflect time, place and personality.
- Brand placements can put pressure on creative choices.

## Summary

Costume designers said contemporary clothing in film is often mistaken for simple shopping, when it requires careful research and storytelling to make a character’s world and personality feel authentic. At a roundtable during the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, they described how clothing can document a period, reflect a community and shape how audiences understand a character.

Marci Rodgers said she studied New Yorkers’ everyday dress for “She’s Gotta Have It”, then used touches of purple and thrifted clothes to reflect Nola Darling’s interest in Prince and her circumstances. Arianne Phillips warned that luxury brand placements can conflict with a story, while designers need directors’ support to defend their choices. Ellen Mirojnick said she created more than 5,300 costumes for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey”, using a red palette for Penelope before dressing her in blue as a sign of strength when Odysseus returns.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.