Another article from our series highlighting Water for Elephants

By Open Book

This is our last week highlighting the Sara Gruen novel Water for Elephants. It’s been fun discovering various facts about the novel. The film open’s in theaters this Friday April 22^nd, 2011. However, costumes (which helps to tell this story) is the last area we have yet to uncover.

Costume designer’s can be described as visual storytellers who use texture, silhouettes and color as their means of communication. As some of you know Jacqueline West  (the costume designer for Water for Elephants) not only shaped the characters personality in the film but also illustrated (for audiences) Hollywood’s influence over this period. To help us understand what may have inspired the look for  Marlena played by Reese Witherspoon, we are going to look back at the social customs, magazine articles and costume designers of the 1930’s.

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Tags: costumes, Reese Witherspoon, Water for Elephants, WFE