Published in The Wardrobe | Written by Caviar & Co.
In cinema, costume is never just clothing. It’s language. It tells us who a character is — and more importantly, who they are becoming. In Victor Frankenstein, costume design becomes a quiet narrator, revealing emotional states, societal constraints, internal rebellion, and the monstrous line between human and other.
At the recent exhibit, seeing these garments up close — the rich textures, the exaggerated silhouettes, the intricate sketches pinned beside mannequins — was a reminder that fashion is one of the oldest forms of storytelling we have. It signals class, mood, and transformation. A velvet cloak, a tightly laced corset, the unravelling of formality — it all says something before a single word is spoken.
Think of Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice: from stiff tailoring to soft linen shirts, his clothing evolves with his emotional thaw. Or Rose in Titanic, suffocating in jewels and corsets, until her liberation is expressed not just in action, but in the flow of silk, the looseness of her silhouette. The garments become mirrors — not just of taste, but of truth.
Victor Frankenstein uses fashion in the same way. In the illustrations and full-costume displays, we see a visual arc of disintegration and invention. Elizabeth’s jewel-toned gowns speak to a character caught between innocence and influence. Victor’s layered tailoring and evolving textures reflect a man unravelling — or reconstructing himself. Even the creature’s garb is stitched together with intention, referencing decay and defiance in equal measure.
The Gothic period, so often romanticised through candlelight and lace, gains new weight here. Through costume, it becomes not just aesthetic, but atmospheric. The richness of red, the austerity of black, the way fabrics catch the light — all of it shapes how we emotionally read each scene. As the exhibition revealed, fashion is never simply a background. Its structure. It’s subtext. It’s soul. And in stories like Victor Frankenstein, where the line between creation and destruction is so thin, it’s the costumes that quietly anchor us — showing us, stitch by stitch, what transformation really looks like.
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How has fashion moved you? Has a film costume, a silhouette, or a particular era made you see a character — or yourself — differently? We’d love to know. Tag us in your reflections or inspirations on Instagram @CaviarAndCo using the hashtag: #InTheWardrobe.
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