Experimenting with Costumes

During the Christmas break I decided to do some further experimenting with potential costume ideas for my music video. This extra research proved very convenient for myself as I used my younger sister as my model and her own clothes. No money was spent and I shot all of the images on my phone which has a HD camera. My house (upstairs hallway) served as the location for my shoot.

I put together three looks which I thought were suitable for my video, the artist and also the audience. With each look I have thought of a concept which best explains the styling of the outfit. Each outfit comes with two images: one with accessories and one without.




The first look was inspired by my favourite designer, Balmain. The outfit consists of a full length, long sleeved, black dress with a slit at the knee. For added sex appeal the dress has mesh inserts along the waist. The sleeves are also mesh, as is the bottom half of the dress. I think this outfit would be most suitable for the performance scene against the white background. 

In the performance, Amelia will be in full hair & makeup and her look/image during this scene will be 'Rock Glam'. Balmain's collections show a very prominent and heavy influence of Rock N Roll. In relation to the genre of my music video which is pop-rock, it is essential that the Mise-en-scene and costume represent the genre. 

The second image shows the full outfit after I styled the outfit. I added a hounds-tooth print, grey, biker-style jacket. Accessories include a silver watch and ankle-strap pointed heels. There are two different shoes in the images; either shoe will match the outfit. Pointy heels were very popular in the 80's seen on legendary pop-rock artists like Madonna. 

In Balmain's SS'13 collection, bold prints and patterns were showcased on the catwalk. I chose this outfit because I wanted to recreate an ensemble which could be found in one of Balmain's collection. A black dress is the easiest way to look glamorous and also black is stereo-typically associated with rock n roll therefore, reinforcing the pop rock genre. 

The second outfit has more of a 'Punk'. Red tartan is an essential must have when wanting to dress 'Punk'. Tartan also happens to be one of the biggest trends this Autumn/Winter season. This outfit is suitable for the 'recording studio' scene of the video. The concept of that scene is to show the making of the song but also to capture the "real" Amelia. In magazines celebrities are usually pictured dressed in casual attire when they are not working and an outfit like this can be seen on artists like Miley Cyrus.

The first picture shows the outfit without the accessories. The outfit consists of red tart leggings teamed with a crisp white "Celine" printed, baggy t-shirt. 

In the second image, I added accessories such as blue pointy heels, a grey tote bag, a watch and a gold Cuban links chain. I also tucked the t-shirt into the leggings to make the outfit look more put together. 

Although by adding accessories it could contradict the 'casualness' of the outfit, Amelia is pop star which means that they are made up at all times wherever they are. The accessories add a touch of glamour and femininity to the outfit. 

This outfit is the most formal of all three looks. Black is a very classy colour and often connotes "business". It is also the most simple of outfits and I chose this look for the beginning of the video which shows Amelia arriving on location for filming. 

The first image shows a black silk shirt worn with simple black leggings. The second images shows the outfit accessorised with  strappy metallic pointy heels with a matching grey bag and a silver watch.