Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, created in 2007 and directed by Tim Burton. The musical, written by Stephen Sondheim, tells the story of a man who wants revenge, kills people, then quietly disposes of the bodies by making them into meat pies and selling them on the streets of London. Set in the 19th century, costume designer Colleen Atwood had her work cut out for her. Ms. Atwood faced the challenge of combining Tim Burton's unique style and darker outlook with the style of the era. Combining lots of black and dark colors with Crinoline period costumes, the film has a defined and easily recognizable style. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayCrinoline, the period of costume history from 1840 to 1865, is the time period in which Sweeney Todd is set. A defining feature of this period is absent from the majority of the film, the Crinoline. Crinolines were the main change from the previous period, and these undergarments kept dresses in enormous, even extreme, sizes. The main actors in the film don't particularly follow all the traditional styles of Crinolines, but the ensemble members come very close. For example, in the song "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir", the camera would often sweep across the set and they were all dressed according to the period. Women had traditional twisted hair and bonnets, but the leading ladies never wore their hair as such or bonnets. This film, although successful with the ensemble costumes, does not really reproduce the era. The takeaway from the film is that it is stylized and the costumes contain elements of the period without fully meeting the requirements of a realistic period piece. The Crinoline period had a very particular silhouette, smaller at the top with a large flared skirt. The overall silhouette looks a bit like a bell. Sweeney Todd does not entirely meet this requirement, however. Women's dresses are slightly bell-shaped, but are not quite big in the skirt, thanks to the lack of a crinoline. The best example of a bell shape would most likely be found in the chorus of extras rather than the main cast, but among the leads the best example would be the blue dress worn by Johanna, played by Jayne Wisener. This dress sits off the shoulder and flares out from the waist, then falls in large waves to the floor. This dress gives Johanna the bell silhouette that was desirable in the Crinoline era. The hair of the women in this film doesn't help the figure at all. The two female protagonists, Johanna and Mrs. Lovett (played by Helena Bonham Carter), wear their hair in styles that suit their personalities rather than the era. Mrs. Lovett's hair is styled in a strange, but original, hairstyle that sticks up at the back of her head. Johanna's long blonde hair falls down her back. Neither hairstyle matches (or even resembles) the twisted bun that sits on the lower half of a woman's head, held together by a small net called the Snood, the style worn at the time. The male silhouette is quite simple in this era, so it wasn't too difficult to replicate. The male figure is easily visible in the main male characters, with a few exceptions when it comes to costumes. Sweeney Todd, played by Johnny Depp, never wears a top hat, even outside. Todd also wears a jacket that is worn open and is not fitted, which does not fit the era. Once again, menwho make up the ensemble wear the appropriate top hats and jackets. Regardless of the stylistic choices, the costumes in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street were beautifully constructed. One costume that appears to be precisely constructed is the aforementioned blue dress that Johanna wears. The dress sits almost on her shoulders,and on the upper hem there is a line of white lace, which was popular in the Crinoline era. In the torso of this beautiful blue dress, you can clearly see the structural work done with the seams and topstitching. Also in the torso you can see that there is just the shadow of a corset underneath. The fabric this dress is made from looks luxurious and expensive, which would be accurate considering her adoptive person is a well-known judge. Additionally, if you look closely, you can see a small print on the fabric, especially on the bodice. The print would be true to the Crinoline period thanks to the advances of the Industrial Revolution. Stylistic choices can make any film more interesting, unless you are watching the film for analysis and criticism. Some stylization adds character, others detract from it. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street featured incredibly stylish costumes that were different from the Crinoline period in which the film is supposed to be set. The greatest examples of structural changes would be found in the main characters, Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. The most common, and honestly surprising, stylistic choice would be the fact that Mr. Todd wears a leather jacket during the film. In this era, men wore fitted frock coats, usually with tails. These coats were made of fabric, not leather. When one sits down and truly thinks about why Ms. Colleen Atwood would make this radical choice, this inconsistency with history can make sense. Sweeney Todd is the hero of the story, but if this story were true and we read it in a history book, Mr. Todd would be seen as an antagonist. Leather jackets and the automatic assumptions that come with seeing someone wearing a leather jacket make you feel reckless or tough. Sweeney Todd would definitely be the definition of reckless and murderous while we're at it, so in a way it makes sense to give him a leather jacket. The leather jacket is part of his character, as completely inaccurate as it is. Otherwise, Mr. Todd wears a well-fitted vest and a white shirt with sleeves resembling Leg-O-Mutton. Lovett's costumes were more accurate, in some ways. Her main costume resembled a Raggedy-Anne punk doll with slight Crinoline embellishments, like a corset worn on the outside of her Clara Barton-style clothing. The corset looks like it was made correctly and nicely, and it's obviously a fashion corset rather than one that's supposed to bring all your organs together to achieve a "nice" wasp-waist effect. His main costume also includes black mesh fingerless gloves, which appear to be from the 1980s and were clearly out of place. Ms. Lovett's main costume also includes combat boots that, regardless of her personality, no woman in that era would wear. His other costumes are more period-correct while still remaining true to the character. For example, her final costume is made with more lace and is fancier (there's some kind of shiny fabric around the chest and it looks, and it makes her look, more expensive), simply because her stuff is picking up now and earn more money. Her new dress reflects her new social status and shows that she is gaining wealth and "success." Under her dress..