Thursday Style Icon: X-Men First Class

Note: This is a bit of a lopsided post. What I did like, I liked a LOT, and what I didn't like, I hated.


The gang's all here.

I recently saw X-Men: First Class, and, while I wholeheartedly disagree with the reviews hailing it as the next Dark Knight (come the fuck on!), there was one thing undeniably spectacular about the film: the costumes! The movie is set in 1962 and, while definitely not on the same caliber as say, The King's Speech, as far as period pieces go, the outfits were pretty solid. I got a definite sense of a time and place from the main characters: Erik Lehnsherr's mock turtlenecks, Charles Xaviers' double-breasted jackets, and Raven/Mystique's mod minidresses all clearly defined the era. Not to mention the tornado-twisting mutant called Riptide, who's lean, tailored suits, bow ties, and shaggy hair just SCREAMED sixties chic. I've read reviews stating that the movie took a lot of it's sartorial cues from the old James Bond movies, and I can definitely see the influence. (If Mystique's normal form isn't inspired by Dr. No, which came out in 1962, I don't know what is.)

However.

As you all will notice, the bulk of the pictures are of January Jones. More than a moderate amount of consideration seems to have gone into the wardrobe of the Mad Men star, who portrayed telepath Emma Frost, and while I get that she was one of the larger names attached to the project, so much attention was paid to her that I can't help but wonder if the rest of the cast was left to style themselves according to whatever they thought the fashion of time period was. And I'm not kidding; some succeeded and others failed miserably, looking as if they walked on set in their street clothes and were just filmed as is. Meanwhile, taking clear cues from Jane Fonda's Barbarella, which came out in 1968, Jones' ice queen has immaculate make-up, teased blonde hair and multiple outfit changes, including skintight leather jumpsuits and one totally spacey Russian get-up. Overall, the effect of the costumes and settings was quite nice, I just wish I got more of a total package, instead of the sense of an A-list star and a chorus line.

Oh, and yes... that IS Kevin Bacon.






















***SPOILER ALERT*** To read what I think of the movie, click here