The costumes of Wes Anderson movies are as much a part of his unique visual world as his candy-coloured palettes and puffing toy train sets. In the Anderson domain, characters are defined by their clothes. They are impossibly cool, indifferent or outright peculiar — and so they lounge louchely in minidresses, knee socks, bowties and mid-20th century eyewear. They are almost always all-American in Brooks Brothers navy blazers and preppy club ties, fringed western attire and sportswear. And they sport Anderson’s trademark symbolic visual tropes — red hats, yellow scarves, pyjamas and binoculars. In celebration of the release of The Grand Budapest Hotel, we present the five fashion heroes from Wes Anderson’s films.
Peter Whitman (Adrien Brody) in The Darjeeling Limited, 2007
Like all the brothers, Peter Whitman wears the costume of preppy privilege: whether he is trudging the dusty roads of India in a pale grey slim-cut tailored Marc Jacobs suit (love the 70s flap pockets and back-belted jackets) — or lounging on a train in monogrammed pastel blue pyjamas with matching eye mask, he is loucheness personified. We enjoy his side-parted hair, his gigantic smokey-lensed sunglasses and his monogrammed Louis Vuitton leather luggage.
Margot Tenenbaum (Gwyneth Paltrow) in The Royal Tenenbaums, 2001
With her poker-straight, dirty-blonde bob, clipped back by a red plastic barrette, kohl-ringed eyes and fondness for sucking on endless cigarettes, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Margot Tenenbaum exemplifies Anderson’s magpie-like eye for detail and fondness for nostalgic female fashion. It’s impossible not to covet Margot’s vintage Fendi fur coat, Lacoste tennis dress, brown penny loafers and Herms Birkin — and to even wonder if a false finger mightn’t be rather chic.
Social Services (Tilda Swinton) in Moonrise Kingdom, 2012
Though she’s not on screen for very long, the magnificent Tilda Swinton’s turn as Social Services is memorable mostly for her incredible costume: a tone-on-tone ensemble in Pan-Am blue consisting of an immaculate cloak with red lining, matching Salvation Army cap tied under the chin and a flared trouser suit. Combined with her winged eyeliner and 1960s coiffed hair, Social Services is the Anderson uniform icon incarnate.
Alistair Hennessy (Jeff Goldblum) in The Life Aquatic, 2004
In this film, Jeff Goldblum plays an oceanographic explorer who is both bafflingly elusive and impossibly suave. In contrast to the film’s ocean of blue boilersuits and blood orange beanie hats, his Alistair Hennessy drapes himself on a sofa in a white lounge suit, pink cashmere scarf and white flip-flops, sporting slicked-back silver-streaked hair, 1950s glasses and a dandyish signet ring on his little finger. The definition of dapper.
Agatha (Saoirse Ronan) in The Grand Budapest Hotel, 2014
Against the glittering baroque of the film’s hotel backdrop and the relentless tailoring/uniform fest (bell boys, soldiers, gendarmes), Agatha’s styling is quiet and humble. Draped in a dowdy camel coat and palette of washed out pastels, her sky-blue scarf, mint-green gloves and Prada-esque dove-grey Peter Pan collared dress trimmed with apricot combine with her mousy Heidi plaits to provide a sweet and understated style statement.
