Skip to main content

Damien Chazelle's 'Babylon' Chronicles the Complexities of Hollywood's Golden Age Through Meticulous Fashion Decisions

by Sadik Ghita

Released in 2022, Damien Chazelle’s Babylon encapsulates the pursuit of stardom during Hollywood’s Golden Age.


Presenting the madness, the euphoria and the exuberance of the world of Hollywood, Babylon featured a cast of six main actors, over 100 speaking roles, and around 250 cast members - not to mention the numerous background actors. 


In total, the costume and wardrobe department painstakingly crafted 7,000 costumes for the movie, with the majority of them being handmade.


This attention to detail alongside being Best Costume Design nominee at the 95th Oscars, Mary Zophres’ style choices for Bablyon had to be recognised. 


Zophres initiated her research a complete year ahead of the production start date, following a challenge from Chazelle to move away from the overused flapper dresses and cloche hats associated with the 1920s. 


Her task was to discover historically accurate yet unexpected sources of inspiration. To do so, the designer meticulously curated countless albums brimming with movie posters, publicity stills, and candid photographs from that time period.



At the heart of the story are Jack Conrad, a superstar with an oversized ego, and Nellie LaRoy, a beginner actress whose sensuality is burning and attracts all the men who approach her. Each with signature styles that reveal all (in more ways than one). 


Nellie LaRoy, played by Margot Robbie, notes that “you either are a star or you are not” - and what you wear could make or break that decision. 


In fact, each costumes perfectly conveyed the arcs of the characters.


The most memorable look from Nellie was her red outfit for the opening party sequence. Wearing tap shorts and a scarfed top made of 1920s silk, Zophres' concept was that the outfit would look almost like Nellie made it herself.


In opposition, Nellie dawns a very modest mint green gown later in the film as she attends a more well-to-do party thrown by William Randolph Hearst in an attempt to rehabilitate her public image.


Forget the retro charleston dresses with fringes, in 'Babylon', Margot Robbie aka Nellie Laroy, is adorned with mid-thigh dresses with dizzying necklines or even mini skirts and crop tops with sequins. She embraces a fashion that goes against the normal in the 20s.


After the First World War, the 1920s represented a breath of fresh air, as far as fashion was concerned. 


Symbolising found freedom, dresses got shorter and bodies were revealed more and more - an idea that Damien Chazelle took literally.


And while female figures have a prominent place in Chazelle's work, it is impossible to miss the famous Brad Pitt who embodies the character of Jack Conrad. 


His wardrobe embraces jackets, tuxedos, bow ties and suspenders - the essentials pieces of the time to flirt with the gratin of the cinema and to make a place there.


The film encapsulates the reality perspective of cinema, and the tragic journey through decades of filmmaking. 


Damien Chazelle takes the viewer on a crazy adventure where, with flabbergasted creativity, he reconstructs the Homeric filming of the time, the crazy parties where elephants are invited to the dance floor and the ill-famed scenes of an industry where low blows and bloody dramas are very common.


Edited by Emily Duff


Most Popular

Fashion For a Cause: Brands That Stand with Palestine and the history of fashion as a form of Activism

by Oana-Maria Moldovan For over two months, there has been an ongoing genocide war in Gaza. To simplify a long and horrific issue, the situation that started, on a larger scale, around one hundred years ago, and has only become amplified since October 7th 2023. Taking place around the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Israel–Lebanon border, the armed conflict is between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups.  The problem is about “stolen” land. Said land is seen as an important holy part of both religions involved. But really, how holy can we consider a land to be, if people kill other people for it? It’s important to remember that this genocide is about three things: forced occupation, zionism, and religion. It’s also important to remember what ethnic erasure is. This terrible expresion, also known as cultural or ethnic assimilation, refers to the process by which the distinct cultural or ethnic identity of a particular group is gradually diminished or erased, often due to...

Now What? The Aftermath of the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl'

by Susan Moore Here is a bit about me: I am an open, excitable, creative AFAB who is also moderately attractive. I have a unique sense of personal style and a personality that on the surface can only be described as “bubbly” and “quirky”. For this reason, dating is a nightmare. To be sure, I do not have a hard time finding dates or potential suitors. The problems arise when said dates spend some time with me and decide that I am a rare specimen, and the connection they feel with me is “unlike anything they have felt before”. Then, things go one of two ways.  Either a) they decide I am too high maintenance and no longer palatable, or  b) they choose to never look further than the surface and are content to date the idea of me rather than the real me. There is something rather interesting, perhaps funny, about my situation. It is in no way unique. I have met so many people who constantly dealt with the same problem. Even funnier still, is the fact that there is a trope that simu...

Victoria’s Secret's Downfall: Lack of Diversity and the Reimagined Fashion Show That Aims to Save the Brand

by Ally McLaren For 23 years, Victoria's Secret dazzled the world with its extravagant annual Fashion Show, but in 2019, the event was abruptly canceled.  This decision, however, wasn't entirely surprising. The brand had faced mounting criticism for its lack of diversity, which contributed to declining ratings and scandals behind the scenes.  Now, Victoria's Secret is attempting to reinvent itself with a new fashion show concept. Will this be enough to save the brand from its troubled past? The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was once renowned for its bejeweled bras, angel wings, and A-list performances. Despite thus, its popularity waned due to the brand's refusal to embrace diversity.  Public outcry intensified in 2018 when the show's organizer, Edward Razek, made controversial remarks about not featuring plus-size or transgender models, suggesting it didn't align with the brand's fantasy image.  Moreover, revelations about the brand's former CEO...