To
dismiss the films of Wes Anderson as cutesy or kitsch based on their stylised
nature is to miss their point completely. Bubbling just underneath the
sunshine-coated surface are always themes of a very dark, twisted and wholly
adult nature. Placing a high importance on the visual aesthetic of his films,
more can be revealed about the characters that Anderson creates by their
costumes and their surrounding world than perhaps by the dialogue or storyline
itself. Here lies the warped layers of depth and feeling that may easily be
missed by a casual viewer of the pretty colours.
The
Royal Tenenbaums is the connoisseur of Anderson
style filmmaking, with the characters clothing playing a vital part in who they
are and how we see them. Each of the Tenenbaum children, now in the midst of
their 30s, have already long ago reached the height of their success and have
since fallen from their great potential. Adopted Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) - the
child genius of the family - wrote and staged plays from a young age, Richie
(Luke Wilson) was a young tennis prodigy destined for great things and brother
Chas (Ben Stiller) was a financial star. After their early successes fell from
beneath their feet, each of the children now live for their glory days, unsure
what to do next. Their daily struggle with this can easily be seen from their
clothing choices.
Margot
Margot’s
costuming speaks volumes about her inner turmoil. She feels stuck between the
trappings of womanhood, the innocence of a little girl and the scruffily
glamorous style of a wildly bohemian artist. She clads herself in a
vintage-look fur coat paired with 1960s-style loafers and an extraordinarily
expensive designer Hermes Birkin bag. She clashes identities further with a
childlike red plastic hair barrette and heavy eyeliner, the outer presentation
of her dark, complex character. Her style is supposedly said to be inspired by
60s sensation of the darkly cool, Nico of Andy Warhol and The Velvet
Underground fame. Alluding to this idea of Margot as a tortured soul, Nico’s
song These Days plays when Margot
meets her brother Richie for the first time in years.
The
Lacoste tennis dresses Margot wears throughout the film are an ode to her
brother Richie, once upon a time a would-be pro tennis star. Since her romantic
love for him can never become anything physical under the restrictions of
society, this is all that she can hold on to. The dresses also play on the
jokey aesthetic of dressing a genius such as Margot in an outfit
deliberately set to undermine her intelligence.
Richie
As
with Margot, Richie Tenenbaum is also trapped in the costume of his life’s peak
– that of his tennis career. He dresses as if he pictures himself still a
serious professional tennis player, clad in preppy whites and complete with
both head and arm bands. He uses his costume to hide behind, forever staying in
the height of his one-time success and in this way not admitting that his prime
time has moved on. His large sunglasses obscure his face and allow him to stay
disconnected from the reality of life, as well as disconnected from those
around him who may tell him so.
Towards
the climax of the film, much is made of the act of Richie shaving off his
moustache and beard; such is the gravitas of it as a depiction of his
character. For Richie, shaving his beard is a ritualistic act and, as a result,
emerges from the past to face his current place in life.
Chas
Chas
Tenenbaum’s clothing is immediately reflective of and influenced by the
tragedies of his life. Once a high-flying money maker, he has long since shed
his business suits for tracksuits in the wake of his wife's death. Chas’ life
now is all about running away from sadness, danger and above all from reality.
His red Adidas tracksuits are perfectly matched to his children’s, in attempt
to both protect them and revert himself to the unobtainable safety of
adolescence. Throughout the film, we see Chas implementing emergency drills at
his home, pushing his sons to run out of the house in time to be saved
from the threat of tragedy. It is almost as if by dressing them all in
identical clothing, they are now bound by fate to experience the same realities
of life, whether they are good or bad.
The
Royal Tenenbaums is ultimately a powerful
statement on clothing's ability to truly be a visual reflection on who it is
that we are and who we present ourselves as to the outside world. As a viewer,
we find ourselves hoping that as the film draws to a close, the Tenebaums
will finally be able to change their clothes, having figured out first how to
change themselves.
USA, 2001
Director: Wes Anderson
Costume Design: Karen Patch
