analyzing the outfits in the craft 🕯🐍⚡️

analyzing the outfits in the craft it's officially October the lovely time of year when we're utterly unable to escape from pumpkins candles bats black cats and of course witches although their portrayals in media started with them as green wart riddled hags in the 80s and '90s we saw a huge rise in witch driven media that drastically changed how witches were perceived by the public with TV and movies turning them from drab to utterly Fab am beautiful boys will love me we're young well young girl we got Sabrina the Teenage Witch The Witches of Eastwick Practical Magic Hocus Pocus Charmed and of course the craft if you haven't seen the '90s cult classic yet the film follows a group of four young witches who are outcasts at their private school in Los Angeles although their friendship starts off innocently enough the situation eventually devolves as they begin to abuse their Newfound magical powers resulting in seriously negative repercussions not only for them but those around them as well the film was unique at the time as it provided a somewhat realistic look at the world of teenage girls highlighting issues like bullying racism complicated friendship Dynamics sexual assault suicide self harm and Body Image issues and besides striking a chord with audiences at the time the Craft's Legacy no not the awful sequel continues to grow to this day if you're interested in an amazing video about the craft and its impact and influence on other films I highly recommend checking out Yara zade's video on the subject while I'm sure some people will think I'm reading into things costume design is actually an incredibly important part of filmm and the outfits in the craft were crucial to the character's development director Andrew Fleming understood stood this importance and dictated the iconic aesthetic of The Craft early on saying quote we put them in these costumes that were kind of gothy that was my premise what if those witchcraft girls in high school dressed like they were in The Cure I just had this idea that they should have a punk element at that point goth wasn't really a thing then with the help of costume designer Deborah Everton his vision came to life quote in the case of the craft everything had to be what was accessible to a teenage girl at that time I always try to do that fashiony thing and try to make it so that the looks can be replicated by kids to some extent although I had no idea how successful it would be or how much it would resonate with kids at the time I also tried not to be too out there you know this wasn't a sci-fi movie where I was creating my own Universe these were people in the real world I thought there would be girls who'd want to dress like that I just didn't know how much they actually would I tagged along to some press junkets in Paris and I found out that kids girls were going to the theater dressed as the characters that was the first idea I had about how much this film resonated with kids I just thought they would look at it and go oh cool then forget about it but no 20 years later we're still seeing the same look a perfect representation of its time the outfits in the craft exemplified mid90s grunge and toned down alternative dressing while still helping tell the story in today's video we'll be taking an in-depth look at the costume design in the craft and how the clothes relate to the story and its characters as is the theme of this channel we'll be focusing on the four main female characters Nancy DS relle Zimmerman Bonnie Harper and Sarah Bailey let's get into it Nancy DS played by fusa bulk Nancy is The Unofficial leader of the coven and the friend group a reflection of her egotistical Tendencies and desire for control unlike the majority of people attending the school Nancy isn't very well off financially with many characters including her friends referring to her as white trash and ridiculing her circumstances I don't know know I think she doesn't want to be white trash anymore or something and I told her like you're white honey just deal with it a large amount of the character's mistreatment by others is rooted in classism as well as sexism with Nancy being on the receiving end of regular [ __ ] shaming despite it being very clear that the predatory boys at school are the actual problem well you see the one on the right she's a major [ __ ] I mean I don't know from experience or anything he comes on to anything with tits so exactly me he spreads disease I speak from personal experience are you mad no he was going around the whole school saying that you're the lousiest lay he's ever had and coming from him it's pretty bad and he said the same thing about Nancy told you it was a jerk why'd you lie about me look I don't want to go out with you again okay please stop begging it's pathetic the only way you know how to treat women is by treating them like [ __ ] when you're the [ __ ] it's clear from the very start that compared to the rest of the girls in the group Nancy is not only more confident and outspoken but also significantly more antagonistic and vengeful she openly taunts and mocks Chris and is initially unwelcoming and hostile towards Sarah she's also far more power hungry than the rest of the girls which is the leading cause of her eventual downfall and I take it to myself all the power of Mano that's all do you want in or do you want to leave the circle cuz just tell me right now why does it always have to be that way with you nanc because that's the way it is as explained by the actress in a featurette Nancy has experienced both sub substance and alcohol abuse in the past and these addictive Tendencies come out once again when she gets a taste of true magical power where she becomes the most willing to use her powers for personal gain and is also the first to be entirely consumed by it on a first watch a casual viewer may think that Nancy is an uncomplicated character who is only there to become the villain but the truth of the matter is that nany's behavior is actually a mask to cover her own insecurities a way of protecting her from further pain and harm this is also a contributing factor to her eventual turn on Sarah who she perceives as a growing threat not only to her power but her friendships and happiness as well what do you guys think they don't think [ __ ] and stop trying to win them over because it won't work I'm not trying to win the M you're paranoid in an unfortunately deleted scene we see that while Nancy does feel betrayed by Sarah it's actually Bonnie and Michelle's possible disloyalty that hurts her the most thought we weren't supposed to to practice Magic on each other ladies I'm sorry I'm just worried about you worried worried I'm so touched I leave you alone for 2 minutes with her what do you do you turn your backs on me just like everybody else has ever done the film starts off with Nancy relle and Bonnie calling for the fourth member of their coven which eventually leads to Sarah's arrival in Los Angeles in the scene Nancy is wearing a black PVC trench coat that will see her in repeatedly throughout the film although far more attention is placed on Nancy than the other girls during the sequence we can already infer visually that they're a like-minded group with all three girls wearing coats with similar shapes tying them together as a unit the coat itself also showcases a bit of her character originally associated with sex work vinyl and PVC eventually started being worn in alternative fashion circles like punks as a counterculture statement ny's custom PVC coat is reflective of not only her character's place in the school's social hierarchy but also implies the character's economic status with PVC being cheaper Than Leather something she eventually starts wearing when her financial situation changes brazenly wearing PVC despite it being associated with sex work also reveals how the character is unashamed of her sexual history regardless of how others attempt to ridicule her for It costume designer Deborah Everton set of the character's iconic coat quote Nancy was possibly the most damaged character in the film her clothes were like armor to her she would scare people off she was like let me do the rejecting before I'm rejected her character lived in a trailer park and her mom was an alcoholic they didn't have a lot of money her PVC coat said a lot about her character ny's outfits are by far the most extreme and edgy out of the group especially at school where she seems to flaunt the lack dress code most obviously unlike other girls at school who go for more of a natural youthful Look ny's hair lipstick and nail polish are significantly more bold which plays into the idea that she's supposedly trashier than her peers she regularly wears religious iconography including rosaries and Crosses which wouldn't be out of place considering their school is Catholic but in ny's case it almost seems to be a way of taunting the idea of religion regarding it as nothing more than a trendy accessory she also wears a pentagram at certain points in the film a symbol currently associated with wika and can be used as a protection charm we also often see her wearing a spiked choker A visual representation of the character's attitude and a warning to others to stay away at the beginning of the film her uniform looks more lived in and informal than the rest of the girls lacking their stiff Blazers pressed collars and neck ties instead we often see her in cardigans revealing how the character doesn't have the same disposable income as the others to continuously invest in tailored pieces her pointed toe boots which she wears throughout throughout the film are one of many callbacks to the Wardrobe traditionally associated with witches with their curved and blocky silhouette being somewhat reminiscent of shoes worn in the late 1600s the period when the infamous Salem Witch Trials took place consistently wearing layers nany's wardrobe is also symbolic of how the character Shields her true self from others refusing to be vulnerable or in her mind weak all of the characters uniforms were incredibly important to their development with a costume designer saying quote I was a little daunted at first a lot of it is very Catholic school uniform but after thinking about it for a while I realized that I could make even the uniforms character-driven and since they are actually in those uniforms for most of the time that was an important aspect of the film around the same time as the craft the 1995 te classic clueless was also in production and you can see how the similarities in their wardrobe are indicative of their time period while their dissimilarities solidify the Stark difference in tone message and Circumstance Shar and Dion are incredibly wealthy with see seemingly no problems as a result their clothing appears more fashion forward like they came right off the Runway and while the silhouette and patterns are somewhat similar the color palette in Clueless is indicative of how much more innocent the story is in comparison Shar and Dion are enviable while the girls in the craft are believable re-wearing pieces that look like they could have been bought at the mall in a catalog or at the thrift store giving the film a sense of realism that clueless lacks even outside of school ny's clothing clearly stands out from the others having more of a punk meets goth look instead of the grungy boho preppy thing that the others tend to gravitate towards she often wears pants meshed Tops and Tighter Silhouettes while the other girls wear dresses and soft Cardigans the harsh aspects of her wardrobe are reflection of her volatile behavior and foreshadows how the character will gravitate towards Darkness instead of light upon inheriting money after her stepfather passes away we see ny's wardrobe change wanting to rid herself of her trailer trash passed as soon as possible with her wardrobe featuring more sets and floor length gowns although the clothing looks more expensive than it did before we can see that it's still in line with what she's been wearing thus far revealing that the character hasn't changed it's more that she finally has the ability to become the person she's always wanted to be with this idea perhaps being best exemplified by the fact that her PVC coat has now been replaced with a near identical leather one one of the character's most memorable looks is the one she wears when she goes to seek Vengeance on Chris for assaulting Sarah and with its bat-like sleeves layered necklaces and pointed boots it's since become the standard for the modern-day witch and these elegant yet gothy looks continue for the rest of the film as if Nancy finally feels like a true witch and now wants to dress the part after Sarah attempts to bind ny's Powers Nancy goes fully off the deep end losing any sense of rationality or restraint she may have once had seeking revenge on Sarah for seemingly betraying her Nancy uses her powers to play an assortment of cruel mind games using the knowledge he'd gleaned to Sarah's friend to hit her where it hurts most when Nancy is defeated driven mad by Magic and placed in a psych ward we see her final outfit if you can call it that the only time she's in all white ny's pajamas are representative of the character's current state she's harmless almost childlike a threat to no one but herself relle Zimmerman originally intended to be a white character struggling with bulimia Michelle's storyline was heavily altered after the casting of actress Rachel true with the character being Rewritten to now struggle with racism at the hands of her white peers oh god look there is a pubic hair in my brush oh no wait wait that's just one of Michelle's little nappy hairs there have been divisive reactions to Michelle's character and storyline in recent years with some people appreciating the film's attempt to touch on racism as well as finally show showcasing a black witch in cinema While others have found issues with Michelle's storyline focusing on her Blackness and not providing her the backstory the rest of the characters received maybe you need to see someone I mean professional I mean Nancy I think it's totally possible that you could get hooked to the craft just like alcohol the food when I met you no one could even talk to you only black girl in a white neighborhood do you remember that wasn't so long ago now was it they did film a scene that introduced her parents and Dove more into her circumstances but it was unfortunately deleted with Rachel true clarifying quote when we did the read through I had a scene with my upper middle class dodgy parents we shot it but it ended up being cut from the film which I was a little bummed about because I was like wait all the other girls get parents I don't get parents I personally think that they could have kept both story lines they could have had the character's eating disorder stem from the pressure she feels to fit in at this all-white school as well as being an attempt to find a sense of control where she otherwise has none according to actress Rachel true she had conflicting feelings regarding the role saying quote sometimes I think that even my co-stars don't understand what that role at that time represented for black women and girls it wasn't about me so much as what it represented to other girls at that moment and she went on to say quote the character was also originally Bic then they hired me and switched my story to being about racism I found this interesting as a black woman because when I got the new script I remember thinking yeah okay people are racist to her what's my actual storyline here what's my actual problem in this town like Bonnie is burned Nancy is suicidal so I was like yeah it's a problem but it is what it is so what's my actual problem so it's kind of interesting for me to watch it again a few years later and be like no this is actually good however Rachel has also expressed that she felt and continues to feel overlooked in comparison to the other actors resses in the film being excluded from press junkets and even at conventions featuring the movie she once tweeted quote I think it's interesting these conventions are booking Neeve fyza and Robin altogether but excluding me sounds about white her treatment while making the movie and in the years since proves that not enough has changed in the last 30 years and that black women still aren't being given their due Credit in Hollywood Michelle's character regardless if you like her storyline or not is still just as much a part of the craft as Nancy or Bonnie or Sarah and she doesn't deserve to be ignored moving on to the character herself relle Begins the film as friendly but softspoken especially in comparison to Nancy the victim of racist bullying relle is friends with the other girls partially out of necessity but also out of gratitude with Nancy having been the first and only person to talk to her and as such she often follows ny's lead despite being bullied and tormented by Laura repeatedly throughout the film it's OB obvious to the audience that relle still has a deep desire to be accepted even liked by her why are you doing this to me Laura do you think you're funny you really want to know why yes I really want to know why and I ask for the ability to not hate those who hate me especially racist pieces of bleach blonde [ __ ] like Laura Lizzy what do you think will happen to Laura I don't know if she leaves you alone nothing will happen to her nothing good fat chance while Nancy wants others to fear her relle just wants to be treated with respect and as a result early on in the film we see relle wearing school clothes that are less similar to her eccentric friend group and more like the people she wishes she could connect with her skirt touches her knees and she's often wearing a necktie or Blazer essentially she looks like the perfect student which may be indicative of the pressure Michelle feels as the only black girl at the school how she may feel obligated to dress in the seemingly appropriate manner as a way of blending in and making her family proud something that I'm sure many people can relate to make me blonde no no no make me blonde and as if to drive this point home out of all the girls she's the only one who participates in a school sanctioned activity the swim team but she's an outcast regardless of these attempts to fit in as the girls grow closer to one another with their PO is simultaneously growing stronger Michelle's uniform becomes more relaxed often wearing comfortable cotton tops instead of stiff starched blouses having not been consumed by power as of yet this is the period of time when the girls are having the most fun they've all grown confident in themselves and their magic with Michelle knowing that the bullying will soon be coming to an end all of the girls have an element they're associated with Nancy air Bonnie fire Sarah earth and relle water and I'm actually very happy that the costume designer didn't decide to go with the obvious color coding technique that can often look lazy and cheap instead their wardrobe is dictated by their personality itself with Michelle's everyday clothing coming off is more inviting and Youthful than the other girls early on she wears floral prints hair clips shades of brown cozy sweaters and overalls but as she begins to be negatively influenced by Magic her wardrobe loses its frill and color and she starts wearing all black and cross earrings in a way that is reminiscent of Nancy although relle initially tries to take the high road in regard to Laura's tormenting when it becomes clear that her bully won't be having a change of heart anytime soon relle becomes resentful and vengeful the first sign of her impending corruption like Nancy and Bonnie when their spells begin to have negative repercussions Michelle brushes it off even finding enjoyment in Laura's suffering even if deep down she knows what they're doing is wrong and at the end of the film she doesn't come across as truly remorseful for her actions solidified by the fact that her wardrobe doesn't revert back to her original silhouette and color palette when asked about the outfits Rachel true said quote the costume cumes were kind of how we were all dressing in the 9s fyza was like she was straight out of a goth band when I moved to California which was maybe 2 or 3 years before I got the craft I'd come from New York where everybody dressed all in black everybody looked like fy's character in the East Village that was the normal look for me but the second I got off the plane in California I was like how does everyone have on the exact same Little Flower dress so I just realized that's the California take on all of this the flower dresses we have in there are very specific to exactly what was happening in California casual fashion now it looks super specific and dated but in a super cool way also you wouldn't know it by looking at her but Rachel true was actually the oldest actress playing a teenager starring in the movie when she was 30 and looking almost exactly the same today Bonnie Harper because the craft was a relatively lowbudget indie film there are understandably some continuity errors due to the restrictive filming schedule and as a result some of Bonnie's outfits are presented in in the wrong order it's not distracting but for the sake of this analysis we're going to correct it while all of the girls are dabbling in and pursuing witchcraft at the start Bonnie seems the most committed and devoted she's the one who is constantly reading about magic and the one most knowledgeable about the subject and she's constantly keeping an eye out for the person who will eventually join them and become their fourth member something the other two girls occasionally tease her about however this reveals how desperate Bonnie is to change her circumstances and how much of a burden and toil her scars have taken on her emotionally with her at one point even referring to herself as a monster did you know that every morning I wake up and for a few seconds I think I'm normal having been burned all over her body as a child Bonnie's unhappiness with her situation is further implied when she notes that Sarah's prior suicide attempt was done quote the right way allowing the audience to infer that Bonnie has considered suicide in the past the right way how do you know the right way shut up well how do you know while not necessarily a good girl she smokes drinks and steals just like the other girls in the coven Bonnie does Express an initial desire to be a kind person however once she's presented with physical Beauty she forgets all about that and I take into myself the power to be beautiful outside as well as in give me Beauty outside as well as in and I'll take my scars take my scars and Bonnie what's going on with you you used to be nice now you're completely narcissistic excuse me but I spent a big chunk of my life being a monster and now that I'm not I'm having a good time I'm sorry that bothers you now that you're all beautiful and perfect you think everything's just hunky dory well let's it's not when I met you no one could even stand the sight of you cuz you were a disgusting freak and I can take you back there and don't you doubt that Bonnie starts off the film incredibly introverted doing her best to not draw attention to herself because of her insecurities about her appearance her hair is unstyled and often looks greasy meanwhile her clothing is oversized and she often wears multiple layers ensuring she shows as little skin as possible immediately making it obvious where her insecurities lie if we take a look at Bonnie's outfit when she's first introduced we can easily pinpoint these insecurities through her styling choices her school skirt reaches her knees unlike ny's which has been hiked up several inches she wears black tights and has her shirt buttoned all the way up underneath both a cardigan and a windbreaker the poor girl must be sweating like crazy her next few outfits are similar wearing turtlenecks and other oversized articles of clothing to to hide herself from judgmental eyes the only time she's comfortable showing more skin is in private with the other members of her coven knowing that they are not judging her one of the first points of conflict within the friend group is actually caused by Bonnie's scars with Nancy feeling jealous about the fact that Sarah was able to heal her when she couldn't once Bonnie experiences her makeover of sorts she's treated differently by everyone especially boys and she grows confident to the point of Cockiness it could be argued that the people are around her are noticing her increased confidence and outgoing personality instead of her slightly altered appearance but I doubt that's the point that the movie is attempting to make now feeling more comfortable in her skin and sexuality Bonnie begins wearing shorter skirts lower cut tops and knee high socks creating a feminine look that ensures she'll get as much attention as she possibly can Beauty has revealed the selfishness and vanity Bonnie was hiding all along and as if copying Nancy she also begins accessorizing with symbols including an Egyptian ank the Key of Life representative of how Bonnie has essentially been reborn with a new body and a new personality when Bonnie is manipulated by Nancy to turn on Sarah something that isn't difficult to do considering she's already been corrupted by power we see her wear an ensemble that is incredibly similar to something Nancy would wear revealing how the girls have reverted back to a single unit with one agenda and one enemy Above All Else more than her loyalty to her friends or her commitment to the craft Bon cares about her Newfound appearance and refuses to be considered ugly again and it's the reason she joins nany's side and is also the reason she eventually abandons her a little known fact about the film actress Robin tunny had originally been vying for the role of Bonnie but was eventually talked into playing the lead allowing NE Campbell of eventual scream Fame to secure the role and this wasn't the only interesting casting decision early on in the film's production actresses Angelina Jolie Alicia Silverstone and and Scarlet Johansson auditioned for various roles now I love the craft as is but can you just imagine how interesting that would have been Sarah Bailey the hero of our story Sarah is the last girl to complete the coven the only natural Witch of the bunch it's only after Sarah becomes a part of their group that the rest of their powers begin to manifest something Bonnie and relle appreciate and that Nancy resents Sarah's wardrobe perfectly represents her mental health and state of mind with the character starting off looking somewhat disheveled in the aftermath of her suicide attempt and the sudden move to Los Angeles however her appearance was almost detrimental to the film with producers merely canceling the production when they first saw her Deborah Everton said quote that first scene where the girls come together and Sarah starts school is actually a funny story I put her in a very non-descript beige t-shirt dress and a big sloppy sweatshirt none of the girls were really formed yet their outfits were hinting at who they were but not really that was our first first day of shooting and the studio saw it and flipped out they thought I had lost my mind they thought the visual was terrible this whole posy showed up at my office and I had to calm them down I was like no no no this is where we are Sarah's suicidal she's really a non-person she doesn't know who she is and she's floundering sticking out like a sore thumb the first day of school Sarah's clothing is purposely used to hide her scars something that other girls only notice after she removes her hoodie which to her surprise doesn't earn their revulsion but their respect wearing mostly whites and Grays Sarah's wardrobe is a reflection of her current relationship with magic young and innocent nothing more to it than making a pencil spin or accidentally making a pipe burst in her room that'll change for her first few days at school Sarah tries her best not to stand out with the characters fragility and naiv being reflected in her straight lace take on the uniform it's not until after she's betrayed by Chris and becomes the center of the school's Rumor Mill that her character snaps in a sense and is is more receptive to the coven's attempts at friendship Sarah style starts off as a sort of girl next door type of thing but eventually evolves into a more High fashioned boho look as she's initiated into the coven with her wardrobe becoming more compatible with the others as time passes and I always felt as though the more involved with witchcraft she got the more she started to dress like her mother a way to bond with her even if she was dead fully a part of the group Sarah similarly takes risks with her school uniform Deborah Everton said about the character's style quote I wanted the robin tuny character to be the most vulnerable so the audience had someone as a protagonist I wanted to keep her softer and more accessible than the other girls particularly Nancy who was much more hard-edged at the time of filming actress Robin tunny was actually bald having shaved her head for Empire Records earlier that year as such throughout the film she's actually wearing a wig and during the iconic glamour sequence her hair change was partly a practical effect having swapped out her Auburn wig for a blond one costume designer Deborah Everton actually liked Robin Tony's bald look saying quote she had this really cute pixie cut that I loved I thought she looked great the studio wanted a wig not sure why sometimes Studios make decisions and the rest of us just scratch our heads and wonder but according to the actress director Andy Fleming supposedly thought that she looked like a little freak and insisted a wig be worn although the hairline of the wig might not have been the most believable I think the color looked fabulous on the actress like all of the other girls Sarah temporarily loses herself to Magic but she's able to pull back before it's too late and question if what they're doing is right after they invoke the spirit we see that her character is still wearing the florals and lighter colors she started off with unlike the others who are wearing entirely black Sarah isn't lost yet and when she's assaulted by Chris who has been fully affected by her spell she realizes the error of her ways with her wardrobe fully reverting back to what it once was before she became involved with the other girls although Sarah has been relatively weak throughout the film especially when it comes to standing up to others she's eventually able to defeat all three of the witches finding strength in herself and her abilities and it's interesting that the outfit she's wearing is her school uniform the place where she and the girls first connected and met it's a way of officially ending their friendship at the end of the film we see Sarah in a silk floral slip dress and a cardigan something we easily could have seen her wear at any point in the film but in its current color palette it shows how confident she's become no longer afraid to cause a splash and draw attenion and in a way it almost seems hopeful as if she's dressing for a brighter and better future who was your favorite character in The Craft and which outfit is your favorite I hope you enjoyed this video don't forget to like And subscribe and I'll see you soon [Music] bye [Music] yeah

Channel: ModernGurlz

Views: 527,758

Keywords: style, modern gurlz, 90s fashion, fashion, movie review, movie commentary, moderngurlz, review, movies, Film analysis, movie analysis, analysis, video essay, trivia, movie reviews, tv theory, cinema, television, entertainment, deep meaning, tv answers, disney, disney live action, ranking, ranking movies, costume design, fashion analysis, style analysis, the craft, halloween, halloween ideas, halloween outfits, grunge, grunge style, grunge outfits, the craft outfits, witch outfits

Id: jP3y7-Uq-Po

Length: 31min 3sec (1863 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 18 2021