LINGERIE SPEAKS VOLUMES
Few garments pack more storytelling power per square inch than lingerie. From corsets in costume dramas to teeny briefs in contemporary films, underclothes speak volumes about a character’s true self.
“Lingerie reveals a layer about the character that we imagine, but rarely see,” says costume designer Marie-Sylvie Deveau.
In the upcoming film “Angel Eyes,” Jennifer Lopez plays a policewoman who downplays her femininity behind a police uniform and gun. Not until we see her in a cute black bra and panties do we see what she is struggling to repress.
Styles of lingerie speak volumes about a character’s sexual confidence or insecurities. Designers use racier retro styles, bold colors and exotic patterns to imply confidence (”Erin Brockovich”) or sexual aggressiveness (”Bedazzled”). Plain white garments may indicate repression or a lack of imagination, while duality is revealed in the case of a preacher who dons leopard skivvies beneath his Sunday suit.
Today’s screen ingenues are more often seen in teeny cotton bikini and tank top combos a la Ashley Judd in “Someone Like You,” a ’70s-influenced style that follows the current craze for hip-hugging waistlines in pants and skirts. Whether or not plots are concocted to reveal actresses’ well-toned bodies, Deveau says midriff-baring styles focus our attention on women’s bellies, which is the seat of their feminine power.
Because actors are faced with having their imperfections magnified onscreen, costume designers say lingerie fittings are among the longest and most difficult. Another struggle involves getting actresses into the restrictive vintage undergarments necessary to mold them into proper period silhouettes.
Costume designer Catherine Martin tried to adhere to period accuracy for the upcoming Cannes opening-night attraction “Moulin Rouge,” set in turn-of-the-century Paris, but had to make certain adjustments.
“All our girls were corseted,” she says. “But the corset shape underwent a little bit of reevaluation just because our cancan girls couldn’t dance as vigorously as they needed to.”
“Moulin” star Nicole Kidman has become the lingerie poster gift of sorts due to her roles in “To Die For,” “Eyes Wide Shut” and the upcoming “Birthday Gift,” in which she plays a Russian mail-order bride.
“We have a big scene where Nicole is in a sheer peignoir corset and knicker set with stockings and suspender belts,” says Martin. “All the girls reveal their knickers, stockings and suspender belts throughout the movie when they’re dancing.”
Accustomed to toning their bodies with exercise, many actresses resist period lingerie’s forced shapeliness, particularly where cone bras are concerned.
“Period lingerie obviously restricts movement,” says Hollywood costume expert Louise Coffey-Webb, “but it also creates a much more graceful demeanor, which is tied not just with the fashions of the time but also with how to behave.”
An actress wearing a waistcinching girdle, garter belt, stockings and high heels finds it easier to sit demurely and to walk in a “ladylike” manner, she says.
Costume designer Rita Ryack has been “easing” actress Jennifer Connelly into crinolines for her role as a mathematician’s wife opposite Russell Crowe in “A Beautiful Mind.”
“Real underwear from that time (1954) is really ungainly,” Ryack says, including high-waisted underwear and big bras with fat straps. Ryack is playing with a Betty Page-inspired look using slips to help Connelly get into the mood.
Designers aren’t always faithful to the period themselves, however. Witness Oscar winner Janty Yates’ use of boned corsets over actress Connie Nielsen’s billowing gowns in Roman epic “Gladiator.” By flaunting historical dictates (corsets first appeared in the 15th century), Yates achieved a look more aligned with today’s fashion standards, where designers pair retro-inspired bra tops and corset tops with modern skirts and pants.
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