COSTUME DESIGN: BEYOND THE SCREEN

The designers creating some of fashion’s most iconic moments

When we think about fashion designers, names like Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Coco Chanel, and Miuccia Prada might immediately come to mind. We know their collections, their most famous looks, and the fashion houses they helped shape. But what about the costume designers behind our favorite films and TV shows? Their designs can become just as iconic—turning into fashion inspiration, Halloween costumes, trends, and even symbols of the movies themselves. Think of Carrie Bradshaw’s tutu, Cher Horowitz’s yellow plaid set, or Dorothy’s ruby slippers. We instantly recognize the look, but rarely know the name of the person who created it.

Costume designers are the people behind what characters wear on screen. But their job is not just about choosing pretty clothes. They use fashion to tell us something about a character—their personality, background, lifestyle, or even how they are feeling. An outfit can tell us who someone is before they even say a word.

Before creating a look, costume designers study the script, characters, setting, and time period. They can design pieces from scratch, find vintage clothing, buy existing pieces, or completely change clothes to fit a character. Their main goal is to make the clothes feel like they truly belong to that person.

From Screen to Street

Costume design and fashion design are different, but they constantly influence each other. Fashion designers usually create collections based on their own vision and trends, while costume designers create specifically for a character and their story.

Still, what we see on screen can easily become a trend in real life. Movies and shows introduce people to different colors, silhouettes, aesthetics, and time periods. According to Polimoda, costume design has had a major influence on fashion culture, with styles from movies eventually appearing in collections, stores, and everyday fashion.

Think about Clueless, Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, The Devil Wears Prada, or Marie Antoinette. Their fashion became almost as famous as the stories themselves.

We Know the Look, But Do We Know the Designer?

The interesting thing is that costume designers rarely get the same recognition as traditional fashion designers.

When a designer presents a runway collection, their name is everywhere. Fashion magazines talk about them, celebrities attend their shows, and people discuss their inspiration.

With movies, we usually say, “I love Carrie Bradshaw's outfits” or “Blair Waldorf has the best style.” But these are fictional characters. Someone actually created their wardrobes.

A perfect example is Patricia Field, the costume designer behind Sex and the City. Carrie Bradshaw became one of the biggest fashion icons in pop culture, and her outfits inspired people to mix designer pieces, vintage clothing, bold accessories, and unexpected styles. Yet many people who know Carrie’s outfits still do not know Patricia Field’s name.

That shows how much influence costume designers can have without receiving the same attention.

More Than a Costume

Costume designers are somewhere between fashion designers and storytellers. They are not only thinking, Does this look good? They are thinking, Would this character actually wear this? What does this outfit say about them?

And sometimes, those outfits become bigger than the movie itself.

They inspire runway collections, Halloween costumes, Pinterest boards, TikTok trends, vintage revivals, and the way people dress in real life. Costume designers may work behind the screen, but their influence can end up everywhere.

Maybe the next time we love a character's outfit, we should look beyond who is wearing it—and find out who created it.