Costume creation for “Elvis”, which is “excessive twist”

To Oscar-winning costume designer Catherine Martin, who creates the look for a new biography. Elvis It came before sexuality, with a twist of the thigh and a little bump, a thunder and a thud. She talks about working with director Buzz Luhrmann, her husband and longtime collaborator: “Buzz wanted to make sure that modern audiences could relate to Elvis Presley’s rebellious nature. [played by Austin Butler] And your innate sexuality and your sexuality of movement is related to your body under your clothes. We need to be sensitive to both the historical truth and the meaning of the clothes Elvis wore.” He notes that these clothes were often “very controversial”.

The Warner Bros. film, due out June 24, is a three-decade story of the life of the King of Rock and Roll, starting with Mass as a 1950s villain who leaves Memphis in the military for two years. . The film then explores his life as a movie star in 1960s Hollywood. In his last decade, in the 70s, the singer is a performer from Las Vegas dressed in a cult jumpsuit and a cape.

Presley was known for his love of pink and black suits and lace shirts in the 1950s, which attracted him to his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (played by Tom Hanks). These costumes are designed for singing, sitting and making music. “We worked on structuring the jackets in many different ways to expose fluidity and sexuality,” said Martin, who is also a producer on the film. “Clothes were needed to overcome the sway. A lot of R&D was involved.”

Due to his 1968 return to NBC Special, The singer presents… ElvisA slim black leather jacket with a Napoleon collar (designed by NBC costume director Bill Belus), skinny jeans and black leather boots kicked off Presley’s new look. In the case of “God is in the details”, the peacock from the NBC logo appears about 30 times in the special, after Presley deemed it a good luck charm. He later incorporated the image of a peacock into the stained glass windows and overalls at Graceland, with embroidery created by Jean Duckett (who created many of the star’s faces in the 1970s).

Martin created over 90 costumes. Elvis From scratch in Australia, he also worked with Prada on The King’s Purple Suit and partnered with Indiana’s B&K Enterprises to create the many original Las Vegas jumpsuits that defined Presley’s last decade. (The company is still doing custom work for its clients.) One of his tricks to stay in shape on stage was to rehearse with ankle and wrist weights. A cape, decorated with bald eagles, “was to the ground,” he adds, “and he donned it in the shortest possible time. If he had thrown himself into the audience, he would have killed someone!”

And no movie about a king would be perfect without showing off his jewelry and watches (including the old Rolex Midas that Butler wore in the movie). “Elvis has always had a great fondness for watches and jewelry. It was a psychological symbol of his success,” says Martin. The more successful he became, the more he invested in jewelry. As he progressed in his career, he was accompanied by a personal jewelry box with a jewelry bag.”

Martin notes that in addition to being a perfect performer, “Elvis was an extraordinary stylist and nobody helped him. He created the look himself, [including] How he looked both in everyday life and on stage. He was also an integral part of the Graceland landscape.

The story first appeared in the June 22 issue of The Gossipify. Click here to subscribe.