The Costumes Analysis in The Talented Mr. Ripley

Characters

The movie The Talented Mr. Ripley mainly tells a poor young man Ripley who has been arranged by a wealthy businessman to take his son Dickie back. Ripley envies Dickie’s rich life with flashing clothes and beautiful girlfriend. Such differences make Ripley have a strong psychological gap and Ripley is entirely overwhelmed with jealousy. This envy has induced him to kill one another and also gradually destroyed him at last. Dickie is a typical playboy who is addicted to the luxurious and unrestrained life, and he does not even care about his sick mother. It is his expensive lifestyle has taken away his life.

Costumes

The Talented Mr. Ripley has been nominated the Oscar Best Costume Design with the designer Ann Roth. The movie has shown the Italian holiday style 1950s. The costumes of the heroine Marge Sherwood have transformed two kinds of comparative and intense styles with the development of the suspense drama. In the beginning, the leisure short white shirt, pink strapless and flower skirt of rural style has demonstrated a comfortable, leisurely holiday for the whole movie. Both Dickie and Marge are from the noble class, all the earrings, necklaces and evening dresses are exquisite in the formal activities to express the noble and social status. In the later, when her finance Dickie is missing, the pure and fresh costumes have been changed to some dark and cold ones. The most eye-catching collocation is leopard hat and coat which started in the 1950s and then became a timeless symbol. The aristocratic fur costumes have made Marge be a frustrated elegant lady and become a key figure in the arrangement of the film. The 1950s is the most wonderful time for haute couture which could satisfy all women’s desire for material life.