Costume Design’s Blockbuster Year: “Challengers” and Beyond

On the commercial strength of Twisters alone, it would be easy to declare Glen Powell the biggest star of the year. Chef-turned-Calvin-Klein-model Jeremy Allen White is also in contention, for the third year running, despite his small-screen status (and the perceived weakness of the third season of The Bear). Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet both flexed indie and mainstream muscles this year. Jenna Ortega affirmed that she’s the young actress to beat. 

And yet, if you were to ask who had the most impactful year as it pertains to screens big and small, you would be justified in pointing beyond the actor category. Not to the director class, although one could perhaps argue a case for Sean Baker, the creator of presumptive Best Picture winner Anora. Certainly not to the C-Suite — though Bob Iger has certainly orchestrated a turnaround at Disney. Instead, the finger lands on a much more unexpected category: costume design. 

In particular, it was Loewe designer Jonathan Anderson and his work with director Luca Guadagnino on the film Challengers (and to a lesser extent, Queer) that captured our collective moviegoing imagination this past year. Offering an expertly curated mash of thrifted Nike Dri-FIT Stanford hoodies, Chanel espadrilles, stinky-looking shorts and, above all, a grey cotton tee plastered with the phrase “I TOLD YA,” the clothing was the key that helped the movie break through the cultural noise — even more than the throuple vibes.

To be clear, a giant of fashion — Anderson’s Loewe and his eponymous JW Anderson brand have consistently been valued as some of the hottest apparel in the world over the past decade — dabbling in film isn’t particularly monumental. Giorgio Armani and Miuccia Prada are repeat offenders. And more to the point: people have idolized movie style for decades.

What seems distinctly new is the ability for costume design to have a significant impact on the culture at large. In the age of social media, clothes in film and TV are no longer just props that might, if they’re lucky, eventually end up on a mood board; they’ve become active trend fodder — and a new form of merchandise — for the vertical-scroll-conditioned viewing public in desperate need of content.

Paolo Sandoval is Commerce Editor at InsideHook, having previously contributed to Valet Mag. An expert when it comes to vintage denim, soccer kits and tailoring, Paolo reports on style, grooming, wellness, menswear trends, celebrity, media and other pursuits tangential to looking and feeling like a million bucks, and is the voice behind the InsideHook fashion newsletter, The Stitch. You can reach him at [email protected].