FromReservoir Dogs(1992) toDjango Unchained(2012),the characters of Quentin Tarantinohave consistently resonated with critics and audiences alike thanks to their thought-out lines of dialogue, memorable plot points, and award-winning performances. Plenty of them, however, are often recognized by modern audiences by their colorful and off-the-wall outfits.
The thieves fromReservoir Dogsand the hitmen fromPulp Fiction(1994) — specifically the former, thanks to the volume of matching characters with the complimenting sunglasses to boot — are widely remembered for their suits, among other specific character traits. But those aren’t exactly original. Although they’re reminiscent of the gangster films they take inspiration from and remain iconic in themselves, suits have been worn for a century bycriminally inclinedmovie characters.
Genre Inspirations - Blaxploitation, Spaghetti Westerns, and Good Old Fashioned Revenge Flicks
Among the more paradigmatic of his costumes include those that fit the revenge-seeking anti-hero archetype. Both of the titular characters fromJackie Brown(1997) andDjango Unchained(2012) don full blue suits on their respective quests for vengeance, and they’re overtly indicative of separate, specific subgenres.
With regard to Pam Grier’s portrayal of Jackie: her striking blue suit called back to theblaxploitation filmsthat defined the actress’s career. She pulls it off in terms of both fashion and story continuity, and it reveals a general allure to the character from the movie’s opening scene.
Meanwhile, the matching full blue suit that Jamie Foxx wore inDjango Unchainedwas undoubtedly zanier re: general appearance, but it nonetheless evoked images of Spaghetti Westerns past. In a generally memorable fashion, too. The suit remains a key image of the movie as a whole — as is the case with the famous protagonist from theKill Billmovies.
Essentially a straight-up replica of Bruce Lee’s jumpsuit of matching yellow and black fromGame of Death(1978), the Bride’s costume arguably overshadows the former’s in today’s landscape of film. The bright yellow jumpsuit was rendered the perfect canvas for Tarantino’sbloodstained-visions of violence, and it’s ultimately what people associate withKill Billand the Bride. Not a wedding dress, or anything.
However, withInglourious Basterds(2009), the full red dress of revenge that Shoshanna Dreyfuss wore in the film’s final act symbolized everything the character stood for. The color of love and passion, blood and violence, red is also strongly associated with the theme of revenge — not to mention, it’s the primary color of the Nazi flag. And ultimately, Shoshanna got revenge on Hitler and his Nazis, and she did it while sporting their colors.
Dress for the Times (And for the Job You Want)
Inglourious Basterds(2009),The Hateful Eight(2015), and (perhaps) most prominentlyOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood(2019) are all projects that strongly represent the times in which they take place. Aside from obvious plot points, the time period is generally portrayed through the lingo of the characters, the film’s featured locations, and of coursethe costumes of the characters.
WithInglourious Basterds, the titular group of American soldiers obviously don their military uniforms with matching guns and cigarettes. But other characters like Bridgett von Hammersmark approach their appearance with a higher sense of fashion. She looked as if her clothes were picked straight out of a 1940s wardrobe. Her movie star grace permeated through the screen, with a feather in her hat and all.
Finally and in particular, Brad Pitt’s character Cliff Booth fromOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodexhibited a keen sartorial sense that looked straight out of the 1960s, the decade in which the film takes place. He looked like a movie star and a normal individual at the same time, living in Los Angeles as a stunt double forLeonardo DiCaprio’s character, Rick Dalton. An actor, Rick was always dressed to the nines, and his style was almost a foil to Cliff’s.
That’s what makes the wardrobes of every Tarantino character stand out. They’re so disparate from everyone else in their respective stories that they’re instantly recognizable in both the foreground and the background, standing by themselves or within a group of others. The colors project themselves, their styles pop into the audience’s memory and stay there until the movie’s end. Often times, it will resonate for weeks, months, even years down the line.
Beatrix Kiddo, Django Freeman, the pseudonymous thieves fromReservoir Dogs— upon hearing or seeing the names of those characters, the first thing to spring to mind are their respective movies. Vice versa, too. And that can be largely attributed to the costumes thereof. Shockingly enough: the only Tarantino movie to be nominated for Best Costume Design — throughout any association of awards, really — wasOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood.Arianne Phillips was nominated across the board for hercostume designtherein, and while she came up short at all the major associations, it’s noteworthy nonetheless.
In the end, accolades aside, the characters of Quentin Tarantino have donned some of the most iconic outfits in modern movie memory. The evoke strong resonance from their respective audiences and implant themselves in the public headspace largely because of what they decided to wear. Whether they referenced movies of the past like those from Bruce Lee or they resembled the times in which the films were set, the clothes of Tarantino’s creations will never be forgotten.
