Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1178754
40 The Costume Designer Fall 2019 The Maverick is a hero with a touch of the desperado. He dresses like clothes don't matter, but looks great anyway. His garments mirror his experience. You can read his his- tory in the creases of his leather jacket or on the threadbare patches of his faded jeans. When the Maverick saunters into the picture, he is recognizable as a knight even in battered armor and with his plume awry. He is his own call to action. John Mollo gave Han Solo (Harrison Ford) an open vest and white shirt, which immediately told Star Wars fans that he was ready for action and comfortable in his own skin. Alonzo Wilson had Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) don a leather jacket to canvas the streets in The Wire, and we know the city is just a bit safer. Working with Quentin Tarantino to create Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood meant Costume Designer Arianne Phillips would be immersed in film and television history. Phillips was well prepared for that challenge. "I like a strong director with a point of view. One of the most exciting things about working with Quentin is his specific visual vocabulary and visual style." One example is the shirt that Booth wears through much of the first half of the film. "The Hawaiian shirt is part of Quentin's vernacular and it was right in the script. What wasn't in the script was the color and the motif—that was up for collaboration." Phillips layered it over a T-shirt with the Champion spark plug logo, made for the film, so the character wears his heroism with a dash of Tarantino signature flair. "The Champion tee shirt was an idea that happened in the first fitting. It was a pure Quentin idea, and Brad loved it. Quentin also loved the idea of the Lions speedway T-shirts, so we made that tee shirt too. Message tee shirts like the banana slug shirt John Travolta wears in Pulp Fiction are part of Quentin's visual vernacular." When Phillips came across a Hollywood Stuntman's Association belt buckle at Warner Bros. it instantly became a "talisman" and she had it cast in multiple. Her assessment of the character was from head to toe. "I love the moccasins because it reflected the time and it also had a bravado to it that a Maverick would have the confidence to wear." Many aspects of the character reference the films and stars of the period. "We talked about Tom McLachlan and Billy Jack, which was a big inspiration for the denim on denim." Booth remains in denim for the entire film, but when the character has returned from Italy at the end with a little more sophisti- cation, his palette shifts to white. Embracing the foibles and shortcomings of characters was the foundation of her char- acter design, and Phillips sees that understanding as the basis of her work. "You have to have empathy for your characters, even if there might be things about them that are unsavory. You have to help tell that story." THE MAVERICK Photo: Sony Pictures Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth