Just this week, actress Katie Holmes opened up at Kering’s Women In Motion talk, speaking about the power of film. She noted how costumes are one of the top aspects in films because they bring a production to life, to where she feels as an actress, that she doesn’t have to sometimes work so hard because costumes are so pivotal in storytelling. Killers of the Flower Moon is a serious film set at the turn of the 20th century, and though it is not a film known for its fashion, costume designer Jacqueline West (who has also designed costumes for The Revenant, Dune, and Argo) had a pivotal role that brings the film to life.
The Costumes
Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemmons in the film.
Photo Credit: Apple TV+
An Apple Original Film, it’s out October 6th in select theaters, and worldwide to be streamed on Apple TV+ on October 20th. Directed by Martin Scorsese, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, and a host of other talented actors, it details how oil brought prosperity to the Osage Nation. As the oil money flowed in fast, it also brought whites, who encroached and finagled away the wealth from the Osage people before they ultimately turned to murdering them.
West was able to signify the story by having actors wear 1920s era fashion that spoke to the storyline. The story is a true one, told through the romance of DiCaprio’s character, Ernest Burkhart and Gladstone’s character, Mollie Kyle. It’s a western crime story where, as Apple Original Films states, “real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal.” The screenplay by Eric Roth and Scorsese is based off David Grann’s best-selling book of the same title.
We see the progression of costumes throughout the film. Osage characters are more so in Western American attire than traditional clothing. And if Osage characters wore anything traditional, it was styled in a western way. But, what sticks out about Osage fashion is the women’s use of blankets as protection from the elements. Colorful blankets are worn as Osage women go about their daily activities, and they bring a richness to life in rural Oklahoma.
Another interesting touch to the fashion were men’s neckties during this era. DiCaprio’s character is seen donning many a necktie, which were a cut of 2-inch wide cloth backed ties, typically with heavier flannel material that sat 4-6 inches above the belt. Its details like this that West put in the costumes, that bring an authenticity to the film as a whole.
West is not only a costume designer but she’s an Academy Award nominated costume designer for her work in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Revenant, Dune, and Quills. She comes from a fashion heritage. Her mother was a renowned avant-garde fashion designer in the 1940s and 1950s. She had her own fashion line from 1988 to 1997, called “Identikit by Jacqueline West.” When she did the costumes for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Brad Pitt called her a “method costumer.”
She’s also done the costumes for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part II, out November 3rd. West sits on the advisory board of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA, and lives between the City of Angles, her ranch in Deadwood, South Dakota, and Aix-en-Provence, France.
A DiCaprio- Scorsese Affair
This is a film that once again DiCaprio, brought the story to Scorsese to make. It’s their sixth film together. DiCaprio optioned the rights to Grann’s manuscript in 2016 before its publication. The duo actor and director have worked on films from Gangs of New York, to The Departed, and The Wolf of Wall Street– a story that DiCaprio also took to Scorsese. “When I read David Grann’s book, I immediately started seeing it — the people, the setting, the action — and knew I had to make it into a movie. I was excited to be reuniting with Leo to bring this story to the screen,” says Scorsese in notes. But, Scorsese had to finish working on Silence and The Irishmen, before starting this project.
Lily Gladstone and Martin Scorsese.
Photo Credit: Apple TV+
Killers of the Flower Moon, is unfortunately a brutal stain on American history. It’s not an easy watch in places, but it’s genuine, believable, and it gets the blood pumping due to the injustice of the story. It will even have you laughing in parts, as you can’t believe a character is about to make the decision their going to make. Jacqueline West brought the film to life through her sartorial storytelling, and that matched with the work the actors put in, Scorsese’s directing, the producers producing, and other imperative arms of the film makes it a smashing success and a must watch.
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