Now that awards season is close, everyone is invested in guessing and figuring out which movies and creatives will be nominated in 2025. While the buzz is always the greatest aroundthe big seven categories of director, movie, screenplay, lead, and supporting actors and actresses, the costume design category always presents an interesting opportunity for discussions and to revisit the best movie costumes of the year gone by. 2023’sBarbiemovie had amazing costumes for Ryan Gosling’sKen, and now it’s time to figure out what is the 2024 equivalent.
Thebest Halloween costumes of 2024are a good place to start for highlights of the most culturally influential costume moments of the year. From Hollywood blockbusters to indie horror movies, memorable costumes have defined the year, and there’s already buzz about costumes for movies releasing next year.James Gunn’s newSupermanmovie starring David Corenswethas an official trailer now, and people have not been able to stop commenting on the vibe, the costume design, and the aesthetic of Clark Kent. It’s safe to say that the world is hyped for the character’s return to the big screen.
10Zendaya Wearing Tashi’s ‘I Told Ya’ Shirt
Challengers
Luca Guadagnino’s sexy and stylish sports movieChallengersfollows two competing tennis players and an injured ex-player who decides to train and coach one of them. It is a high-octane romantic drama in which thetennis court becomes a liberated space for the characters to express their physical desiresand their innermost feelings. So, naturally, theChallengerscharacters make fashion statements all the time like real tennis stars. The costumes from the movie contain a mix of dazzling formal attire, trendy sports gear, and stylish informal clothing.
Sensuality is a major aspect of costume design, with each character’s wardrobe choices reflecting their personalities. Zendaya’s Tashi usually wears dresses that accentuate her sex appeal and uses fashion as an intimidation tactic both on and off the court. But by far, her most iconic clothing choice that will live on for years is the sarcastic ‘I told ya’ shirt she wears during an emotional altercation at a cafeteria, where dramatic tension is introduced in the two male characters' friendship. The shirt is later worn by Josh O’Connor’s character as well, to reflect their relationship status.
9Timothée Chalamet Wearing Bob Dylan’s Iconic Tuxedo
A Complete Unknown
Music biopics have had box office successover the past few years, andA Complete Unknownis no exception! Within a week, it has found significant commercial success, and much like music biopics of the past decade, it’s already picking up awards buzz. Timothée Chalamet, who plays Bob Dylan in the movie, has disappeared into the role, and while director James Mangold’s approach is less experimental than Todd Hayne’s imaginative Dylan biopic,I’m Not There(2007),A Complete Unknownfeels like a time capsule because of how well it brings the ’60s back to life.
A Complete Unknown Costume Designer Reveals How Walk The Line Prepared Her To Tackle Bob Dylan
Costume Designer Arianne Phillips discusses the challenges she faced when recreating the looks from real events in James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown.
Part of the recreation of those formative years of Dylan’s career is, of course, in costume design. Costume designer Arianne Phillips, who’s worked with Mangold on previous projects and has been nominated for the costume design Oscar thrice, once for Mangold’s Johnny Cash biopicWalk the Line, worked onA Complete Unknown. She hasrecreated Dylan’s iconic looks from the ’60s on and off the stage, and the most memorable of them is Dylan’s tuxedo, paired with stylish shades, a look which appears moody in a warm night shot of a brooding Dylan walking down a street lost in thought.
8Naomi Scott Wearing Skye’s Red Outfit
Smile 2
Horror movies, especially the ones which rely on practical effects, continue to be the sources of the biggest innovations when it comes to costume design.The most gruesome deaths from 1980s horror movies, for example, are all the products of imaginative costume design. Interestingly, though,Smile 2’s best costumes don’t have much to do with the scares, because the main character is a popstar played by Naomi Scott, and she makes fashion statements all the time.
Skye Riley, Scott’s character, is a popstar on the mend, and she’s anxious about appearing mentally stable after having left rehab and while preparing for a world tour. So, she picks bold costumes and performs energetic dances almost to overcompensate for the fact that she’s being terrorized by the monster, and shewould come across as a lunatic if she ever told anyonewhat she’s experiencing. The most iconic of these looks is the red outfit she dances in. It inspired many Halloween costumes in 2024 and will continue to do so.
7Demi Moore Wearing Elisabeth’s Velvet Dress
The Substance
Body horror always presents costume designers with unique avenues for experimentation, and given thatThe Substancedeals with body politics and body image issues, where body dysmorphia literally manifests in the form of body deformations that turn monstrous, makeup and costumes play an important role in the delivery of social commentary. The movie’s representation of the pressure on Hollywood celebrities to keep up appearances is accompanied by stylish fashion statements. The concept of fashionable appearances is scrutinized byThe Substancethrough the flipping of the hagsploitation genre.
It was the last time Moore’s character felt like herself before her world changed forever.
Both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley have amazing wardrobes inThe Substance, and a large portion of the filmfocuses on them getting ready for public appearancesor performances. From tight sports fits for exercise videos to extravagant dresses for talk show cameos, the characters wear enviable costumes throughout the movie. But the one that stands out is Elisabeth’s elegant navy blue velvet dress that she wears while ordering a batch of the substance. It was the last time Moore’s character felt like herself before her world changed forever.
6Katy M. O’Brian Wearing Jackie’s Crop Top and Denim Shorts
Love Lies Bleeding
One ofthe best thriller movies of 2024, Rose Glass’Love Lies Bleedingis an action-heavy dark romance set in 1989. Kristen Stewart and Katy M. O’Brian’s characters date each other in the movie, and their queerness clearly informs their costume design. However, the approach to fashion inLove Lies Bleedingis more grounded than in a traditional modern movie set in the ’80s. Nostalgia for typical fashion elements clearly didn’t factor in, because the aesthetic is more focused on being true to the characters than reviving fan-favorite styles from the decade.
“In terms of her character, we always thought of Jackie as someone who’s hitchhiking and needing to gain favors from men to survive. There’s more of a traditionally sexy femme thing going on with her. It was fun to pair a really muscular body with a very feminine aesthetic. Her colors dip more into a traditionally 80s feminine palette” - Olga Mill (viaThe Art of Costume)
The culture of female bodybuilding reached unforeseen heights during the ’80s, and costume designer Olga Mill delved deep into the archives to create a reasonable look for Katy M. O’Brain’s Jackie. Jackie’s a committed bodybuilder who, as a hitchhiker, uses her feminine charms to get favors from men. So, the costume had to be designed, keeping in mind thatJackie is often perceived through the gaze of Kristen’s character, but dresses to appeal to men, and is also proud of her muscles and likes showing them off. This inspired the crop top-denim short combo that has already become iconic.
5Denzel Washington Wearing Macrinus' White Robe
Gladiator II
Period dramas, in their attempt to revive bygone eras, often feature the best movie costumes of any year. While the sequel toGladiator(2000) hasn’t compelled audiences as much as the original,Gladiator II, like the other period dramas by Ridley Scott, features glorious costumes that bring to life the Roman Empire. The most noteworthy aspect of the sequel, after its breathtakingly grandiose and impeccable set and costume designs, is Denzel Washington’s performance, which has received praise from everyreview ofGladiator II.
Gladiator 2 Box Office Officially Breaks All-Time Denzel Washington Movie Career Record
Gladiator II’s box office officially breaks an all-time Denzel Washington movie career record, as the film continues its successful run in theaters.
Washington commands the screen with his imposing stage presence, stealing the spotlight from the lead actors. His body language makes it impossible to look away from him as he delivers his lines with unbelievable vigor. However, another important aspect of Macrinus' impressive appearance is his wardrobe. The man wears extravagant and ornate robes and jewelry thatestablish his social standing and accentuate his status as an authority figure.
4Austin Butler Wearing Feyd-Rautha’s Combat Suit
Dune: Part Two
The deeper that a sci-fi movie gets involved with its lore, the more uniquely immersive its elements get. So, the universe of a franchise likeDune,which has well-developed lore, naturally hasits own set of laws for characters that they need to abide by in order to survive in nature, which also informs the technology in the world. The unique technology and rules of the world then in turn inform the culture and traditions of the world.
From the Fremen’s exosuits to the Bene Gesserit’s flowing gowns, every fascinating costume has a canonical explanation behind it.
To bring such a world to life, it isn’t just necessary to create the technology but also to create costumes that reflect the customs and meet the minimum requirements for functional clothing for such a system. From the Fremen’s exosuits to the Bene Gesserit’s flowing gowns, every fascinating costume has a canonical explanation behind it because of the immersive depth ofDune’s lore. But the coolest look is by far Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen’s combat suit. Steve Austin’s unhinged energy and the costume’s slick design, presented inbreathtaking black and white inDune 2, make the character ideal for cosplay.
3Winona Ryder Wearing Lydia’s Ghost House Costume
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
Tim Burton is a master of creating immersive worlds, complete with fascinating set designs, macabre effects in horror movies, characteristic costumes, and campy characterization. His firstBeetlejuicemovie from 1988 helped him breakthrough in the industry as a director with a unique voice, and over three and a half decades later, now an established filmmaker, he’s back with a long-awaited sequel which has just as whimsical a world and plot as the original. Part of the immersion is, of course,the costumes and outfits of theBeetlejuicemovies.
One of the earliest noteworthy costumes that viewers see inBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceis Lydia Deetz’s costume as the host of the “Ghost House” show. It’s an immediate throwback to the previous movie because Lydia’s dressed exactly as she did in it. She may no longer be a teenager and has grown up to become a mother, but through all her life changes, she has retained her sense of individuality. Ablack dress with a plunging neckline paired with a big belt along with a ribbon around her neckand her hair tied whimsically as ever round out Lydia’s gothic look.
2Ariana Grande Wearing Glinda’s Pink Bubble Dress
Wicked (2024)
Musical theater is a glorious affair of dance, pomp, and flamboyance. So, grand costumes buoyed by energetic performances are a staple of musical theater and movie adaptations of popular on-stage musical shows. Jon M. Chu’s movie adaptation of the widely celebrated prequel toThe Wizard of Oz,Wicked, wasone of the most anticipated movies of the year, and it has lived up to expectations.
While the movie is mostly faithful to the musical, the director has taken some artistic freedoms to better suit the format. Among the differences is theall-pink wardrobe for Glinda in theWickedmovie. While this is a reductive change because the stage production featured a more varied color palette for Glinda to reflect a multifaceted personality, the pink bubble dress that Ariana Grande wears in the movie will go down in history as one of the most iconic movie musical looks of all time.
1Channing Tatum Wearing A Comic-Accurate Gambit Costume
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
For Marvel fans,Deadpool & Wolverineis the biggest instance of fanfare sinceSpider-man: No Way Home(2021). The long-awaited final part of theDeadpooltrilogy is chock-full of callbacks and references to Fox’sX-Menmovies. FromBladetoElektra, many unexpected characters have cameos, including Chris Evans as Johnny Storm instead of Captain America. It’sa festival of fan-service,and one of the biggest attractions is undoubtedly the appearance of Channing Tatum as Gambit.
Channing Tatum’s Gambit Costume Explained In Detail: How It Compares To The Comics & Other Marvel Movies
Deadpool & Wolverine finally brought Channing Tatum’s Gambit to life, with an especially thrilling costume that recalls Gambit’s comic book legacy.
Apart from a brief appearance inX-Men Origins: Wolverine(2009), where he was portrayed by Taylor Kitsch, Gambit didn’t ever show up in live-action untilDeadpool & Wolverine, where he again makes a brief appearance, although for longer than last time. Channing Tatum has always talked about his love for the character, and it’s a pleasure to see him portray the character in all his glory, complete with the accent and the costume, which has been brought to life with impeccable attention to detail. It’s one of thebest movie costumesof 2024.
