Hello, and welcome back!
Today we’re going to be discussing costuming in coming of age films.
I’ve already written a blog post discussing the other aspects of coming of age films so go check that out if you haven’t already.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
So as you already know (hopefully), costume design is a hugggggeeee part of film and developing the tone within the narrative world. It can all be used to hint or illustrate a characters social status and/or personality.
This is very important in coming of age films since we need to present them as innocent and naive in the beginning and than watch them grow and evolve throughout the film. This is usually done through costuming and events like piercings, tattoos, makeovers, etc.
Ex: As we can see here, the large baggy clothing used in the first photo is meant to establish a sense of unfamiliarity and awkwardness. In this case, it is Cady's unfamiliarity with fashion that is later addressed by the "Plastics".
The second photo marks a shift in Cady's character as she goes from looking her age to dressing more mature and finding herself in a way.
A lot of costumes in the CoA genre usually follow a pretty authentic/nostalgic style that relates to the theme and time era of the movie. The costumes in these movies are also sometimes meant to purposely look bad or ‘try-hard’ to express the character’s attempts at being cool. Most of the costumes in this genre are usually vintage pieces or have that thrifty aesthetic to them.
These costumes typically use stylistic choices to reflect identity and color to represent the emotional state of the character. Costumes are sometimes also used to represent events like funerals, weddings, dances, etc. Basically, anything that would have a significant impact on the characters life and situation.
A really good way of explaining this would be to reference movies like Juno or Superbad. In these films the costuming very much represents their social status and that sort of 'try-hard' style I was talking about.
Ex:
You can see in these examples that their clothes are either too baggy, too tight, or just don't look right. And honestly, are just not the most flattering. These were deliberate choices made to express awkwardness and helps to communicate their journey to finding themselves.
On the other hand, costuming can also express maturity or self expression and illustrate the characters identity and personality traits.
Some examples of this would be characters like Cher from Clueless and Katniss from the Hunger Games. While they are two very different characters, their costumes tell a lot about themselves and their status in the narrative world. Cher’s bold use of colors and designer clothing tells us that she is confident, popular, and wealthy. While katniss’ neutral tones and sensible style communicates that she is reasonable and is a part of the lower social class compared to other districts like the capitol.
Ex:
Furthermore, on top of these stylistic and aesthetic choices. CoA films typically gravitate towards warm color palettes as they reflect the emotions of nostalgia and help to visualize the character's emotional transitions throughout the film. Though these palettes may differ depending on the film and the situation, considering that colors reflect emotions and feelings (think of Disney’s Inside Out and its characters).
Overall, costuming is extremely important in all genres of film as it sets the tone, social status, emotional state, and time era of the film. And helps the audience to make inferences about characters, as well as give context to scenes.
Sources:
Kim, G. (2023, November 21). The genius of costume design. FAST at UCLA. https://www.fastatucla.com/fast-at-ucla/the-genius-of-costume-design
ScreenSkills. (n.d.). Costume designer (Film and TV drama). ScreenSkills. https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/film-and-tv-drama/craft/costume-designer-film-and-tv-drama/
Maberry, S. (2021, May 1). The movies that defined 90s style. WearZeitgeist. https://wearzeitgeist.com/vintage-fashion/90s-movies-fashion
Lewis, M. (2025, April 28). Color psychology in film & television. Color Institute. https://colorinstitute.com/color-psychology-in-film-television/
Tjeuw, E. (n.d.). A short guide for HSC film techniques. Project Academy. https://projectacademy.nsw.edu.au/year-12-guides/a-short-guide-for-hsc-film-techniques/
Gama, D. (2024, October 4). 10 movies with the best costume design, ranked. Collider. https://collider.com/costume-design-movies-best-ranked/
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