Cinema Style: Bruce

It seems as though it has taken me forever and a day to finish this set. Most of the issue came with trying to figure out who exactly Bruce Wayne is in order to frame a proper set around the character.

Unlike what it may appear, I do put a lot of thought into my sets, some more than others. Trying to embody a character with an outfit piece and some accesories became more challenging than I originally anticipated, especially for the complex character of Bruce Wayne. I originally struggled with whether I should do one for Batman or Bruce Wayne, which I believed to be two different style entities in themselves. Because I did the last set for Selina rather than "Catwoman", I decided to go with the person rather than a character within a character.

But even this decision did not end my puzzlement. Bruce himself wears two masks in the films: the playboy billionaire that the public sees, and the terrifying vigilante jumping off rooftops. But which is truly Batman? Certainly not the former; Rachel Dawes makes a point in Batman Begins that Bruce's true face is the one criminals fear. However, if Bruce Wayne is solely "Batman", then I do not feel he would have made a point to repair the Bat's autopilot in order to live out his life in peace without being that persona; he would have given up his will to live altogether.

So Bruce Wayne is somewhere in between. A man, not a creature. He believes in justice. He misses his parents. He has had some, err, women troubles through the movies. He likes his toys; both Batman and Playboy enjoy driving in the fast lane, whether it be in the Tumbler or a Lamborghini. He is definitely a techie and researcher, making the Otterbox iPhone and the typewriter important in their own right. He enjoys being talked about and making a scene; he excitedly reads the newspaper in Batman Begins to see that both Batman and Playboy had their own articiles dedicated to them.

The dress was the most difficult part of the puzzle. I ended up going with this one for two reasons: the texture and the color. The texture of the dress looks pieced and put together similar to Batman's armor in the last two movies. The color itself is very important. The blue undertone of the dress connects to the idea of the "rare blue flower" Bruce is sent out to retrieve in order to figure out the answers he is searching for. It represents the search that Bruce sets out for himself to achieve, and stops at nothing not only to take the flower to Ra's al Ghul's lair, but also to figure out the true power that such small things -like a little flower at the top of a mountain -can hold. The journey does not come full circle until is able to see another "rare blue flower": Selina, in their final scene in the film. Her blue dress is striking compared to her usual black dresses and dark ensembles back in Gotham. Just as the first flower symbolized the beginning of Bruce's jounrney to become Batman, the second flower symbolizes the new beginnings of Bruce Wayne (or whatever alias he goes by in Italy).

Yes, I can very well be over analyzing the movie and costumes, but I enjoy doing so.

If you're interested, I came across another analysis of the tie between the flower and the dress over on The Bat and the Cat tumblr page that is different from my own, but quite interesting nonetheless.

Next, it's time to move on to another movie. So many choices! I am trying to veer away from Disney ones, mostly because I have done so many in the past, and concentrate more on live action movies.

Cinema Style: Selina Kyle

This set was a lot of fun to put together. I love Nolan's version of Selina Kyle/Catwoman compared to other interpretations of the character. In the past -at least to me -Catwoman seemed to only represent the sexy villain trying to seduce Batman to her side. Nolan's character seemed more realistic; she is portrayed as a struggling poor young woman, and though she does have skills in the seductress department, she is still human. She cries when she thinks that all of her work is in vain. She is scared when the bad guys surround her. She is not so human that she is the damsel in distress character either; she is able to carry her own and work with Batman, not simply being saved by him.

Selina Kyle's costume in the movie seemed to reflect a different sort of intrigue than what would normally be associated with Catwoman. It is made up of minimalist and dark color pieces that have a close fit, but no overtly revealing cuts. To me, this allows her to blend in more with the upper class she steals from. The outfit is just enough to fit in with the rich, while not enough to make her stand out from the crowd; a perfect combination for a cat burglar.

I came across the long sleeve dressed and instantly knew it would be something Selina would have in her run down studio apartment. I felt as though she would appreciate the Chanel eau de parfum, and may even use it a time or two prior to going to the latest gala. The pearl string necklace is a homage to the one which she steals from Bruce Wayne at the beginning of the movie. I chose the shoes to be the one non-traditional piece to her ensemble, and maybe purchased with the money made from one of her heists.

Cinema Style: Bane

To say I'm a big Nolan fan would be an understatement. It is only fitting that I create a set surrounding one of my favorite bad guys.

Even though I've made a number of other outfits inspired by movie characters (Ariadne, Bella), those were mainly based on me trying to get the outfit as close to what is worn in the movie as I could. With this set (and the others I will be creating in the series), I tried to concentrate more on the character rather than the costume. For instance, the shirt I chose for the Bane set reads "If not now, when?" which reminded me of the liberation he tried to inspire the struggling people of Gotham with. I did try and make the jacket as close to the one worn in the movie, just because I knew that there were already jackets that were similar to them. The watch is also a necessary component. It represents the timer for the bomb that will inevitably go off in Gotham, fulfilling Ra's al Ghul's original plan.

I will most likely make a couple of other sets around characters from The Dark Knight Trilogy (Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle) before movie onto other movies NOT by Nolan.