upworthy

fast fashion

Pop Culture

Costume designer breaks down why modern movie costumes 'suck'

Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

Film and Style Matters, Focus Features

Rita Hayworth in 'Gilda' (left) Lily-Rose Depp in 'Nosferatu' (right)

We’ve talked previously about why you might have noticed that the costumes on even the most high budget of fantasy shows on television seemed to have dropped in quality over the years. In some (bleak) ways, this makes sense. There’s simply more television than ever before, and television is consumed so fast for entertainment…it’s easier to cut corners and have no one bat an eye.

But is it also true for even critically acclaimed films? According to costume designer, cosplayer, and vintage fashion enthusiast Landon Reid, the answer is blatantly obvious.

In a video titled “Why Modern Movie Costumes Suck (Yes, I Said It.)” Reid compared the painstakingly handcrafted costumes of Gilda (1946), starring Rita Hayworth, to Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, which was nominated for and Oscar for Best Costume Design in 2025.

@and_mayhem_ensued_

Why Modern Movie Costumes Suck (Yes, I Said It.) 📜 DESCRIPTION: This is my tiny, passionate rant about something nobody seems to care about—but I do, so we’re doing it. Costumes in classic films like Gilda and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes were treated like sacred art—designed with care, fit with precision, and given time and budget to shine. Compare that to the chaotic costuming in Birds of Prey or even Nosferatu (yes, I went there)—and you’ll see just how far we’ve fallen. I get it—corners need to be cut. Budgets are tight. But when costumes stop serving character, story, and fantasy, what are we even doing? Let’s talk about why a little glamour—and a little discipline—goes a long way. 🎬 Let me know in the comments if you notice this too, or if I’m just yelling into the void. @valeriescateyescream @The Way We Wore #MovieCostumeRant #WhyCostumesMatter #OldHollywoodStyle #FilmCostumeDesign #Gilda #GentlemenPreferBlondes #CostumeFail #ModernMovies #FashionInFilm #BirdsOfPrey #Nosferatu #RantWithMe #FilmNerd #CinematicStyle

“The costumes [in Gilda] are so intricate and gorgeous,” gushed Reid, adding that they didn’t technically need to be that way, since most of the pieces had only a few seconds of screentime. One piece that he particularly admired was a pinstripe suit Hayworth wore, which showed zero seams and had pinstripes that “matched perfectly” and narrowed in at the waist.

Meanwhile, Reid showed a still from Nosferatu where the stripes on Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp)’s dress are so unaligned that it’s honestly hard to not get distracted by them once you notice it.

That said, Nosferatu costume designer Linda Muir has spoken at length about the extensive research and attention to detail put in the costumes of Nosferatu, including using detachable sleeves which were a trendy commodity of the time period. Considering that Ellen Hutter’s world is constantly set askew by waking dreams and supernatural terror, these misaligned strips would have been a creative choice of some kind.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

As one person commented, “It’s an intentional character design choice to show how everything was…perfect from the front but behind the scenes, it’s not.”

Reid also talked about another iconic vintage ensemble: Marilyn Monroe's pink bow dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. You know, the "Diamond's Are a Girl's Best Friend" dress. Reid noted the tiny details like the matching pink gloves which were created from the same fabric used for the dress, not purchased. Not just that, but two different color fabrics were used on the gloves so that when Monroe moved, “you’d be able to see every gesture.”

Proving his point, Reid then cut to a clip from the 2020 Birds of Prey movie, where Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) recreates the "Diamond's Are a Girl's Best Friend" dance number, wearing Monroe’s signature pink dress and gloves. Only Robbie is wearing a pair of spandex gloves that sort of matches her dress, but clearly the dress and the gloves were made of two different fabrics.

Similar to Nosferatu, one could argue that Harley Quinn is also a character that’s just a little bit off (deranged, some might say) with a sort of tacky playful charm. So this cheaper knock-off depiction of Monroe kind of works…but perhaps that’s a little too generous.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Reid went on to note that he in no way is badmouthing the artists that went on to making these modern-day costumes, but more so allotted it to, you guessed it, “time, money, and the fact that fast fashion has ruined our textile industry.” Even big budget films vying for an Oscar don’t have access to good textiles anymore, apparently, because studios no longer allow artists the necessary time and resources to really excel at their craft.

Instead, they adopt a “fix it in post” mentality, said Reid. He even argued that it’s a major reason why cosplayers, who are passionate about the craft and pay attention to small details, often end up “recreating movie looks that are of better quality than the movie they were actually recreating from.”

“Do we have bigger problems in the world than movie costumes being made hastily and sloppily? Yes,” quipped Reid. But at the same time, as technology and capitalism continue to cut corners in the name of profit and degrade the inherent value of human made artistry…it also doesn’t seem like that small of a deal either. More like another symptom of a broken system.

Be sure to give Reid a follow on Instagram, TikTok, or Youtube for even more passionate rants . And while you're at it, go watch a classic movie, and see what all the fuss is about.

From Your Site Articles
history
Pop CultureMovies
Humor

'Broccoli hair' and 14 of the 'worst millennium fashion trends people can't believe happened

People are passionate about the past 25 years of fashion.

via Canva/Photos, The White House/Wikimedia Commons, and Todd Dwyer/Flickr

Patrick Mahomes and his broccoli cut, a woman with a septum piercing and some hipsters circa 2009.

We are already a quarter of the way through the 21st century, and now that enough time has elapsed, we can look back on some older trends with a twinge of embarrassment. The turn-of-the-century brought low-rise jeans, velour tracks suits — some with cheeky sayings on the butt — and bedazzled everything. There was also the indie sleaze movement, where it seemed like overnight, everyone wore skinny jeans and looked like The Strokes.

Over the past 15 years, athleisure has been at the fashion forefront, along with eco-friendly gear. Sneakers have become status symbols, like in the ‘80s and ‘90s, with Jordans, Yeezys, and limited-run collaborations draining banking accounts. We’ve also seen a reemergence of ‘90s styles amongst teens, with baggy pants and crop tops making a huge comeback.


The past 25 years have also seen the rise of fast fashion, a movement in which trendy, low-cost clothing mimicking big brand names has flooded the market and is thrown out almost as quickly as it is manufactured. This trend has raised many questions about labor exploitation in developing nations, resource depletion, and overconsumption.

That said, many people hope the fashion trends of the past 25 years will remain in the past and that some we see today are over as soon as possible. On the AskReddit subforum, a Redditor asked, "What was the worst fashion trend this century?" We highlighted the top 15 highlights (or, for many, lowlights) of the first quarter century.

1. Fast fashion

"Fast generally doesn't refer to how long it lasts, it refers to how quickly it gets manufactured and sold. It's less about the poor craftsmanship, more about the environmental impacts, the waste, the labor exploitation, and the manipulation of fashion trends."

"I feel like there's two sides of fast fashion where one side is how poorly constructed garments are and using extremely cheap and/or non-durable fiber to make them, and then there's the side where we're pumping out clothes like crazy with the idea that producing enough will ensure something sells enough to make a profit margin."

2. Hyper-bro style

"That weird hyper-bro period of multiple polos with popped collars and an upside down backwards visor."

"My immediate thought was the popped collars. What a horrible period that was."

3. Dropped-crotch jeans

"Those pants that were tight in the legs but also somehow had a sagging butt."


4. Thick false eyelashes

"Oh God, this. I work part-time at a retail, and so many girls have those outrageous false lashes. I genuinely can’t fathom why anyone would get them and how they think it even looks decent."

"Really long fake eyelashes always remind me of Mr. Snuffleupagus. Which I assume is not what they're going for, but..."

5. Lip injections

"A beautiful woman can go from a 10 to wouldn’t date easily with either of these. I really don’t get it."



6. Broccoli hair

"I don't think it's a terrible hairdo in and of itself. And I like to see people embracing their curls. It just gets funny when every member of a generation has the same hairstyle."

"I was surprised so many people had this curly hair, and then I learned that many of these young boys are getting perms for the look."

"It’s a struggle. I have an 11-year-old with naturally curly hair. He gets stopped everywhere and asked if the curls are natural. Kids at school make fun of him by saying he must have a perm. But he loves his curls and doesn’t want to cut them. So he gets the broccoli/alpaca look; and I think he looks adorable."


7. Barrel jeans

"It makes it look like they have bowlegs - a medical condition that should be corrected in toddlers."

"Not a single person asked for barrel jeans."

8. Fake fingernails

"Super long fake fingernails that are bedazzled and sharpened to a pointed end. Way too much time, energy, and money spent on something that is straight up awful and impractical."

"It's like a lifted pickup truck on big rims, absolutely about the aesthetic while rendering it completely useless."

9. Low-rise jeans

"Low-rise jeans. Not because they looked bad, but because they made everyone collectively anxious about sitting down."

"I was a science teacher in a class where students sat on stools. Had to avert my eyes often while helping a student behind someone with these on."


10. Jeans under dresses

"I may have fallen victim to this one lol. I don’t wear dresses much now, but I definitely did the jeans thing a time or two long ago lol."

"Pants under dresses only look cute on girls in Elementary school."

11. Long beards

"And their obsession with running their paws through it all the time. Imagine the smell!"

"Long beards are fine if you take care of it though, which some don't."


12. Bedazzled jeans

"The bedazzled jeans with excessive stitching and adornments. True Religion was one of the more popular brands. The kind of pants you’d wear with an Affliction shirt. Don’t know what they’re called, but I hope they stay gone."

"These have filtered down to rural areas/suburbs of small cities for people who want to think of themselves as cowboys, and it’s super gross."



13. Septum piercings

"It's so ridiculous. I keep picturing a bull in a field."

"I don't mind nose rings or other types of piercings, but that one bugs the sh*t out of me."

14. The Edgar haircut

"The Edgar haircut is the worst one. So many people are going to look back on those pictures in shame 20 years from now."


15. Super small suits

"When I got married I wanted the tight suit with inch-too-short pants: it was 2013, that was the look. Bought a suit from an independent shop, 70 year old owner/tailor refused to alter the suit like that. He said I’d look back at my wedding pics and wish I was wearing something more classic. I took his advice and I’m glad I did."

"While I like the recent James Bond movies, I blame Daniel Craig (or at least the stylist) for the too small suit look. His suits were consistently about two sizes too small in the movies."


From Your Site Articles
fashion
HumorJoy
Pop Culture

Why have people dressed the same for the past 20 years?

The '50s and '70s were totally different as were the '60s and '80s. Why does it still feel like 2005?

via Canva

What year is it?

In 1974, “Happy Days” debuted on TV, and it was a nostalgic look back on the 1950s when greasers wore leather jackets, listened to Bill Haley and the Comets, and drank milkshakes at the local diner. It was a stark comparison to the feeling in the country at the end of the Vietnam War era, where long hair, fringe, and polyester were all the rage. The funny thing is that those eras were only about 20 years apart, but fashion, hairstyles, and culture had changed significantly.

A similar comparison to “Happy Days” could be made to “Dazed and Confused,” a film about teens in 1976 Texas who wore puka shells, satin shirts, and Kangol hats released in 1993 when young Americans were obsessed with grunge and hip-hop styles. But what if someone in 2025 made a film about 2005? Would there be a big difference in any of the fashions or hairstyles? How long would it take to notice that the film is set in the past?


Writer Jason Pargin ("John Dies in the End") recently had a viral hit on TikTok with a video asking whether fashion has changed in the past 20 years. He did so by showing the characters in “The Office” who could walk into any building in corporate America in 2025, and no one would think they’re a time traveler. “The only signifier of which era you're in is what kind of phones they're using and how big the monitors are on their desks,” Pargin notes.

@jasonkpargin

From dec 2023, we got some interesting theories on this

Some commenters felt that Pargin chose a poor example of stagnant style because office attire changes more slowly than streetwear. "The Office is a bad example because business casual hasn’t changed much," one commenter wrote. "Suits from the '60s still look about the same today, with fit slightly changing over the years. Office wear hasn’t changed much, but casual and fashion keep evolving."

Pargin’s video sparked a passionate discussion on various social media platforms. Many people on X felt that he was right and that culture had stagnated because of the internet.


Others agreed, referencing “stuck culture,” defined as “a perceived stagnation in cultural innovation, particularly in media, where there is a notable recycling of ideas and a lack of groundbreaking content.”



Some people say that styles have changed, especially among young people, but older people haven't noticed.


Pargin’s video inspired a response from TikToker Kevin Earl, who believes that economics has played a significant role in why fashion doesn’t change as quickly as it once did. In 2025, clothing is more likely to be mass-produced than in previous decades, and manufacturers want a sure thing, so they produce cheaper clothes that appeal to everyone.

“When considering mass-produced clothes, the kind of stuff available to everyone. Think about the clothes at big box stores like Target, Walmart, Old Navy, places like that. Most of the clothes for sale there have pretty much been the same the last 20, even 30 years. A lot of cheap, basic t-shirts, jeans, tank tops, stuff like that,” Earl says. “Basically, these big stores aren't trying to design and sell clothes that are human-centric. Rather, they're trying to squeeze as much profit as they can out of a minimum viable product.”

In a way, just like Hollywood has been churning out the same predictable superhero films for the past 20 years, clothing manufacturers have been doing the same for your wardrobe.

@kevinearl93

Why have people looked the same the last 20 years? #2000sfashion #2010sfashion #2020sfashion #jasonpargin



Living in a stagnating culture is a drag. But it does open up opportunities for excitement. A stagnating culture means anyone who does something fresh and exciting is bound to capture people’s attention. If the slow pace of change bums you out, take it as an invitation to create something that stands out and captures everyone’s attention. In a world that’s gone beige, a pop of color can really grab people’s attention.

From Your Site Articles
pop culture
Pop CultureFashion
Pop Culture

Viral clip shows Vivienne Westwood accurately predicting the future of fashion 25 years ago

The icon and activist passed away on Dec 29 at the age of 81.

commons.wikimedia.org

The style icon passed away at 81.

The late style icon Vivienne Westwood was ahead of her time in so many ways. Her career was made up of one groundbreaking feat after another—bringing us punk fashion, mohawks, towering pumps and, last but certainly not least, boob T-shirts.

In a resurfaced interview, we see just how forward thinking Westwood really was, after she predicted the future of fashion around 25 years before it actually happened.

The video clip, posted to Twitter by magazine contributor Bri Malandro, shows a younger Westwood explaining how “pressure from the mass market” would be the biggest challenge in the industry.

She follows with a statement that’s more than a little eerily accurate.

“There’s a process whereby technology … the machinery’s been developed so much that they can more or less stamp these things out and they’d never want those machines to stop. Because they want forever and ever to be making money,” she explained.

This need to mass produce and continuously profit would be why more plain and “conforming” clothes would be marketed by various platforms.

“Everybody collaborates in this,” she told the interviewer. “Magazines then get these ordinary jeans or an ordinary white shirt or an ordinary little tube dress with two spaghetti straps and then it’s all photographed as if somehow it’s ‘lifestyle.’”

She added: “You see it all the time on a cover, constantly on the same beautiful women who presumably you feel that if you wear this clothing, this minimal, puritan, awful stuff then you’re going to look like that.”

Today, we have a term for this business model: fast fashion.

Sure, fast fashion companies sell a whole lot more than white T-shirts and jeans, but the essence of Westwood’s prophecy remains true. Fast fashion companies like Shein, Forever 21 and H&M mass produce an overwhelming amount of new (and cheap) styles coming in week after week. These companies now offer 52 “micro-seasons” rather than the standard summer, spring, fall and winter collections. That’s kind of bonkers.

This need for constant output results in, as we know, horrendous working conditions, not to mention it wreaks havoc on the environment. However, the products offer instant gratification at a fraction of the cost. Plus the internet and social media have joined in as “collaborators” to incentivize consumers. So it’s the exact money-making machine Westwood foretold—and business is booming.

Westwood would be the first to say that purchasing and wearing clothing was a vital expression of joy. However, as she famously once said, fashion, “like everything that gives pleasure, it is worth doing well.” Her suggestion? “Buy less. Choose well. Make it last.” Coming from one of the biggest names in fashion history, it seems like substantial advice.

Westwood died on Dec 29, “peacefully and surrounded by her family,” at the age of 81. Her eccentric, bold and controversial clothing choices were, at their core, a form of activism, as she used the runway to voice her opinion on various social topics such as environmental issues, human rights and climate change. She continued creating and working for a better world until the day she died. May we all live so courageously.

From Your Site Articles
celebrity
Pop CultureFashion
Trending Stories