Oscars 2014: Michael Wilkinson on costuming American Hustle's cons

American Hustle's costume designer Michael Wilkinson on the film that's not only won him an Oscar nomination but a place in Hollywood's costume history, too

BY Bibby Sowray | 26 February 2014

Photo: Sony Entertainment

Anyone who has seen David O. Russell's latest cinematic feat, American Hustle, won't have failed to notice how big a part the costumes play. Indeed, they're as pivotal in telling the tale of cons, corruption and confused love as any of the actors. As such, it seems only right that they, like Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Christian Bale, have been recognised by The Academy.

For costume designer Michael Wilkinson, the importance of the wardrobe was immediately clear - indeed, the clue was in the title. "What I really loved when I read the script for the first time was that each character has such a powerful and direct connection with their clothes and they're really using them to reinvent themselves constantly as part of their hustle," he says.

With the Seventies as it's setting, Wilkinson had to work with caution. "The Seventies have been used as a point of comedic reference for so long - the crazy bell bottoms, the platform shoes - and we really wanted to avoid those clichés because our characters are really unusual and highly original."

IN PICTURES: Seventies icons and fashion

Photographs of 'real' people from the era were his main point of inspiration, particularly those by Allan Tannenbaum, as they captured the sartorial idiosyncrasies of the time. At a certain point though, Wilkinson had to step away from period references and explore the psychologies of the characters. Encouraged by director David O. Russell, he began to think "more holistically about the characters, what made them tick, what made them different from each other, how they might express who they are through their clothes."

In this respect, it was Amy Adams's Sydney that provided the most scope. "She had such a strong trajectory for the film, she really had this amazing visual arc," says Wilkinson, referring to her journey from an Albuquerque girl who wants to reinvent herself in the big city, to Cosmopolitan employee and then, the convivial and convincing con artist that we see her as for the majority of the film.

The latter incarnation is a powerful one, trademarked by plunging necklines and designer labels foraged from her lover, Irv's, dry cleaning business.



Amy Adams as Sydney. Photos: Rex

"She falls in love with [Bale's character Irving Rosenfeld] who gives her the confidence and the resources to really explore clothes, how fantastic clothes can make you feel about yourself and affect the way that people see you in the world," explains Wilkinson.

Much of Adams's wardrobe was made from scratch using the likes of Faye Dunaway, Bianca Jagger and Jerry Hall as inspiration for her signature style, in part because it was a challenge to find pieces from the period that were the right size and looked 'fresh' enough on screen. But Wilkinson also sourced numerous vintage pieces by the likes of Gucci, Diane von Furstenberg, Halston and Valentino. Indeed, von Furstenberg's iconic wrap dresses feature a number of times - something Wilkinson calls a "lovely serendipitous connection" as the style this year celebrates its 40th anniversary: "Diane sent me a big bowl of orchids and a lovely card saying that it was the best anniversary present that she could ever imagine, seeing the wrap dress up on the screen in one of the year's most successful films on such a beautiful actress so she was filmed."



Michael Wikinson's sketches. Photos: Sony Entertainment

Sydney's strong sartorial fingerprint is juxtaposed by that of Rosalyn, Irv's chaotic wife, played by Jennifer Lawrence.

"She's a little hard to read and Jennifer and I loved the idea that with her clothes she wasn't quite getting it right, she was so in her own mixed-up, mental landscape that she was never quite sure what was appropriate to wear," says Wilkinson. "She's a more Long Island idea of what might be glamorous, a little ill-fitting, a little overdressed for the evening."

READ: American Hustle: costumes of the year?

Lawrence, says Wilkinson, was "fearless" when it comes to dressing the part: "There's no filter of ego, for her it's all about what is the highest impact choice for a scene. She has really clear ideas about what's right for the character so she would be able to look through a rack of clothes and chose the one or two pieces that would work best."

The super-clingy white dress she dons in the film's pivotal scenes (and posters) has well and truly cemented itself as a marker in silver screen costume history - it's currently part of Deborah Nandoolman Landis's Hollywood Costume exhibition (which debuted at London's V&A Museum) where it sits alongside the likes of Dorothy's red slippers and Holly Golightly's Hubert de Givenchy LBD. Quite an accolade.



Rosalyn's white dress. Photo: Rex

But while Adams and Lawrence's wardrobes have garnered the most attention, Wilkinson is actually particularly proud of how the men look in the film. "It was a rather expressive and exuberate time for clothes for men," he says, citing features like velvet inserts, binding and ruffles on evening wear as the interesting details that help a costume designer "nail exactly who these people are."

The transformative powers of fashion are also seen in Bradley Cooper's Richie. "This first time we meet he's just like any other FBI worker that's been in ill-fitting, polyester suits and garish ties and then, when he meets Christian and Amy's characters, he's introduced to this world of more sophisticated clothes," explains Wilkinson. "He realises how that can really affect how people feel about him so he starts wearing silk shirts and three-piece suits, cool leather jacket and silk scarves and so he's really exploring the power of clothes as his hustle as well."



Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper in American Hustle. Photo: Rex

For his next project, Wilkinson will be working on an entirely different type of suit, swapping Seventies for superhero as he recreates both the iconic Batsuit and Wonder Woman's outfit for Batman vs. Superman. "It's thrilling, but it's also very challenging - you really don't want to mess these things up because they're important to so many people," he says

He'll attend this year's Oscars , his first as a nominee, in a custom-made Gucci suit, which seems only fitting considering the brand's numerous nods throughout American Hustle.