Costume designer breaks down why modern movie costumes 'suck'
Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

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 ♬ original sound - Landon Reid
“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.