(500) Days of Summer is probably one of my favorite (non)romantic movies to date. I liked the idea behind it, the actors’ performances, the decor, the warm color tone of the movie, the vintage feel. And Summer Finn’s outfits, which, you guessed it, is what this post is about.
Here’s an excerpt from an interview with costume designer, Hope Hanafin.
HC: So when you set out to start dressing her for the movie, were you only looking for blue fabrics and accessories?
Absolutely. It was for her eyes, but it was also the romance from a male point of view. Even when you first see her, she has on a white shirt, but still has a blue butterfly. So it tracks all the way through. I just wanted there to be a way to make her stand out. Because she is such the object of desire that in a crowded room the audience and Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) would immediately be drawn to her. She becomes a magnet. The only other place blue is used is the dance sequence, after Tom’s first night with Summer. The whole world would turn into her, so that’s what everyone is in blue in that scene — the construction workers, the mailmen, the office workers. Everything becomes kind of a reflection of his love for her.HC: Did you go only vintage shopping for her?
A lot of it is vintage, but there’s still plenty that’s not. Though I have great respect for these romantic comedies where secretaries are wearing Prada, I wanted [“500 Days”] to be kind of the anti-“Sex and the City.” So, Zooey’s wearing clothes that her character really could afford, things are also repeated. Her clothes are a mix of things from [places like] Old Navy, GAP, BCBG and then there’s a lot of vintage. But not all of it was glamorous vintage. She has a Built By Wendy denim skirt (pictured as a thumbnail above, right) and a couple other great things.
HC: So we’re dying to know about two specific dresses Zooey wore in two very pivotal scenes: the co-worker’s wedding (above, left) and her rooftop party (above, right)!
[The wedding one] was from Western Costume. What I liked about that dress was that it was architectural. Here’s this man [Tom] who is an architect and then there’s this romantic dress made out of straight lines. That dress just reminded me of the lines he would use when he was drawing, so I just fell in love with that dress for that moment. [The floral dress she wore during the rooftop party] is vintage from Palace Costume.
Have a great Sunday!
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