(CNN) – More than 35 years after the release of Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice”, Michael Keaton and his unforgettable colored suit have been resurrected, together with their former colleagues Winona Ryder, Catherine O With young Jenna Ortega.
The costumes worn in the 1988 movie were so influential, that Aggie Guerard Rodgers’ designs have become pillars of the Halloween costume industry. Lydia Deetz’s red wedding dress, sent to the screen by 16-year-old Ryder at the time, has become a real way to get up for the celebrations on October 31. Just take Bella Hadid’s word for it – in the year 2018, the model was carefully dressed in a scarlet dress together with singer The Weeknd, who was dressed like Keaton in his famous burgundy tux.
Costume designer Colleen Attwood, who worked on the remake of the 2024 film released earlier this month, handled the expectations of Beetlejuice fans with extreme care – making sure to respect the appearance of the original image. But even with a film boasting such a fashion legacy, there was room for improvement, improvement and even experimentation. CNN spoke with Attwood on a Zoom call from Dublin. The interview has been edited and shortened. (Warner Bros. Discovery is CNN’s parent company.)
CNN: What were some of your influences when designing the costumes for “Beetlejuice”?
Attwood: For (pictures set under) the world (an arranged waiting room of sorts, for ghosts like Beetlejuice) I was really looking at the 1970s. We have people painted in different colors. So the kind of color pick that looks good with a blue face that isn’t too bright or overwhelming. And it ended up being a kind of “70s palette”.
In the world, there are people who have been around longer than others. So I have things from the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s, and I have things from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. All the different times are combined down there, but the palette is controlled within a certain parameter.
There are also “Bobs”, who are shrinkers (or zombies) in the underworld. My inspiration for them were the old guys at Century 21 Real Estate who used to wear gold colored blazers, a brown tie and a white shirt. I had a very specific feeling for that part of the world.
What was it like to make clothes for a movie with so many classic fashion moments?
When you take a picture of someone, you nod to the picture. (The character of) Beetlejuice stayed in the same striped suit, but it wasn’t the same suit. It’s a more aged Beetlejuice, with a bit more paunch, so I’ve aged the suit in a refined way, and not like the dirt that’s been smeared on it. The feeling was that he had it for another 35 years, that he had been at it too long. We used more organic material than the original, which meant it was easier because it was already old looking like that.
Something similar to his wedding tuxedo. It felt like a cheap rental tux, but fit better. We had fun and it was a challenge, but we wanted to honor the work done before Aggie Rodgers, even in today’s world.
What does aging involve?
The fabric is dyed to make the white a little dirty. Then after the (piece) is made, wet dye paints are used to paint the green, moldy parts in black and white to soften them. The bottoms of the pants are painted and frayed, the ends of the cuffs… You can discolor the area around the neck with rings to make it look grubby. It takes two or three days to make a jacket because like painting, you have to let it dry and then go in with another layer.
Warner Brothers. brought out the original wedding tux from your archive with Michael Keaton. What was that like and did you get to see some of Rodger’s clothes in the flesh?
The tux was very messy, off the tux rack. So it didn’t bother me. It was just like, ‘Okay, this is a tux. To be continued.’ No, I didn’t see a wedding dress at all, and I didn’t need one. I didn’t care what it was. I just wanted to do it myself. So I didn’t go back the way you would if something was 200 years old.
How did Lydia’s wedding dress come about?
The first thing that struck me was its Victorian silhouette. I took that and found some amazing lace from France and used different combinations of it to make it lighter and more breathable than the original. Because it is made of highly refined materials, it is slightly different.
Many “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” costumes are common. Prefer to create from scratch?
I love making clothes, but I also love vintage clothes and fashion today. So it was fun in “Beetlejuice” because you can combine all these different times and create a special world where sometimes you see things at the same time and suddenly they work at the same time. one, in a good way. For me, that’s what made this film so unique and fun as a composer.
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