Comedy Costuming: The Bold Costume Design of The Transcendental Call Girl Centre
- Jessica Elizabeth
- Mar 26
- 4 min read
Denise
The brief I was given for Denise described her as ‘cooler than Mark', contemporary and trendy.
This was a bit of a challenge to make her feel contemporary in a world out of time. I therefore defined her style as Pinterest Trendy with a hint of eastern motifs (from her interest in Daoism). She wears a lot of purples, blues and greys, building her cool toned colour-scheme to contrast with Selena's costume later in the film.
Look 1 - Femme Fatale
For her film onscreen appearance, I wanted Denise in a timeless feminine silhouette, therefore I went for a sort of Grecian femme fatale look. This featured a lot of pearls, long skirt and lots of floaty, ethereal fabric. Since this is her costume for the hotel scene too, it was essential to make her stand out against the call girl's room, but have her in keeping with the film's atmosphere. Therefore I went for a purple chiffon top. This defined Denise's colour scheme for the film, having her in a lot of blues, reds and purples (in contrast to the Selena's pink and Mark's green).
Look 2 - Everyday
Denise's everyday look was a lot more toned down - but of course, she still dresses more stylish than the average person at home. I really liked the idea of Mark in a frumpy Christmas jumper too, so this sparkly jumper acted as a nice mirror of this.
Look 3 - Working from home
Again, working from home Denise is still more dressy than a normal person. This time she features an Asian inspired top - solidifying this house as hers. As the background was fairly plain for this shot, it was essential that she be wearing a vibrant top to continue the bright look.
Look 4 - Bedtime
Her PJ's are also purple, this time with a cute contrasting dressing gown from Vietnam ! If you look on her bedroom door, you can see this hanging along with her kimono.
Mark
Mark is an awkward, weird mess of a man, and I wanted his costumes to reflect this. None of his clothes seem to quite fit him and it seems he's ran out of clean things to wear. I still wanted him to be colourful to match the tone, therefore his colours are green, brown and white. He dresses more humble than Denise - asserting her as the dominant one in the relationship.
Look 1 - Christmas Dinner
I really wanted Mark in a Christmas jumper. I wanted to give the impression he's ran out of clothes, doesn't know how to do his washing, so he has just worn the last thing from the bottom of his wardrobe. This green one is maybe not as bold as I would have liked, but it still fits the theme !
Look 2 - Return from work
For this look, I really wanted Mark in a frumpy oversized blazer. The script was very vague about his ‘sewage’ job, so I opted for a blazer, lanyard and bag to add to the surreal nature of his work. The jumper underneath is just plain green with some little stains on it.
Look 3 - Hotel
Mark is all dressed up for this look ! He still has an awkward vibe from his big blazer, but wears a nice (old 00s) shirt. Nothing is particularly fitted, but he carries his present and one of the faux flowers from the kitchen too !
Look 4 - Bedroom
The dream for this look would have been a Scrooge-esc nightgown and cap - this may have been too ridiculous however. Instead I went for a classic matching PJ set in red this time ! To match his little communist hat he cuddles and makes him more inline with the room and Denise.
Detective Homer
The detective had to have a classic film noir look, as he acts as a sort of characature of a film detective. Working with the actor, Tal Profs, we put together a detective look using his trench coat and a pinstriped suit of mine. One note from the DOP, Loredan Mardale, was that this costume lacked colour in for the dark way he was shooting it. Therefore, I opted for a red tie, gloves and handkerchief for that extra note of detail.
Selena
Selena, the titular Call Girl, was a hard character to costume. As an ‘intellectual prostitute’ determining her look was a careful balance of her two facets. Therefore I used a classic pink robe to facilitate a pin-up style to Selena. Instead of lingerie underneath this, she is wearing what Mark desires most - a frumpy jumper and tartan dress, the more layers the better ! Of course, this featured pink details and a little pink garter belt to tie it all together.
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