This video essay from Now You See It argues costume design is “a vital layer of world-building” that can quietly redefine a movie. In a sci-fi or fantasy film, costumes give a pretty good idea of the rules of the fictional world we’ve just been introduced to; in a period film, they can suggest the passage of time.
The video also analyzes specific costumes from Obi-Wan Kenobi’s robes to Willy Wonka’s iconic purple velvet jacket, and it reveals how costume designers are telling us stories, even if we don’t notice.
