SCREAM QUEENS (2015 - ?)

CHANEL, PASTELS & NIGHTMARES
inside the delicately deadly world of Scream Queens

Like the rest of the internet, I've been sucked into the girlishly hued vortex that is Ryan Murphy's latest train wreck tour-de-force. Logical characterization and narrative coherency be damned, you HAVE to admire a show that commits this hard to its feathery cotton candy aesthetic.

Borrowing heavily from Clueless (in terms of outlandish prints, mini-skirt & sweater sets, kneesocks, and general 90s nostalgia) and Heathers (in terms of monochromatic color designs and murderous girl gangs who happen to share a single name), costume designed Lou Eyrich has cultivated a strikingly fashionable atmosphere that lends a sugar-coated edge to the show.


Onto the clothes....

PUSHING DAISIES (2007)

WHY PUSHING DAISIES IS THE PERFECT SHOW

• film noir fairy tale vibes
• body horror
• romantic rivals turned bffs
• star crossed lovers
• puns used as plot devices
• immortal golden retriever
• saturated monochromatic design schemes
• retro/kitsch-chic costumes
• the costumes
• the costumes????
• the costumes!!!!

SUSPIRIA (1977)

The first film in Dario Argento's Three Mothers trilogy, Suspiria, follows a young ballet student who travels to Germany to train at a prestigious dance academy, only to uncover a supernatural mystery when her classmates begin disappearing. 

Part fairytale, part nightmare, part underground rave - this is an elegantly crafted film with one of the best examples of production design. 

In the original script, the dance school was intended to be for girls younger than twelve, but Argento's producers were concerned that a film with such violence towards children would not pass the censors. Although the characters were aged up, the costumes are designed to convey a sense of youthfulness - lots of simple silhouettes in neutral colors (whites, lavenders, pinks, and occasionally black) with lacy adornments. The color palette worn by Suzy and her classmates is also in sharp contrast to the bright, often garish lights.

                                     

[Original] - DRESS LIKE A SCREAM QUEEN

THE MADONNA/WHORE COMPLEX AND YOU

For as a long as there have been people, probably, dudes across the world have been categorizing women into two categories: the “good” women who deserve love and protection and the “bad” women who don’t. This dichotomy is a fundamental tool of oppression that has been used for centuries to keep women in line with social conventions (and punish those who break them). Cool, but what does that have to do with slasher films (and more importantly, the costumes worn by characters in slasher films)??

A lot, actually.

THE FINAL GIRL

As equally a defining feature of the genre as the slasher himself, the Final Girl is an unassuming “girl next door type” who is the only character capable of facing down the killer and living to see another day (and the sequel).

Friday the 13th (1980)

Scream (1996)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Halloween (1978)

Patterns in their character designs:

-       minimal “natural” make up

-       often a brunette* 

-       loose, boyish silhouettes

-    more conservative, in coverage and color palette

-       shy & virginal**

*Alice and Laurie are blondes, but note how different their hairstyles are from their friends.

** This changed in the 90s largely because of Buffy, who was conceived as the anti-final girl. Lampshaded pretty effectivelyin Scream

The Final Girl's character design is in sharp contrast to her worldlier, more disposable friends. Note the more obvious presentations of femininity

-       usually blonde

-       heavy make up

-       close fitting clothes, skirts,

-       outgoing, overtly sexual

OUTFITTING YOURSELF FOR SURVIVAL