Research : Costumes for Date Scene (Including hair and make up)

For our film opening, Della and I need to think of suitable costumes for our male and female actors which relate to the story as well as reflect the personalities of our characters. Costume is a very important micro-element which can instantly reflect a character's social and economic class and for us, it needs to represent that they are out on a date and not just two friends meeting for a meal. For this reason I think we should have them in 'smart casual' style clothing.

For Alison we liked the idea of a dress and heels, and I thought having her hair loose and wavy could reflect the fact that she's young and quite carefree, also it will enhance how naturally pretty she is and will make her character look more natural and down to earth - which is how I see her to be. I was thinking of something like this for her (but obviously slightly longer).

For make up, I was thinking simplistic but maybe with a touch of glamour with dark eyes like the ones below - which is quite an easy look to do and also connotes glamour and mystery without being too over the top. 

As for the dress and heels, both Della and I were thinking a dark blue or preferably red dress, we asked Alison to see if she has one, and she does; it's black and navy checkered - I think this will be effective because it will look date-like when teamed with heels, but also doesn't look too much or make her character out to be promiscuous.


Will was slightly easier to think about as boys don't really need make up or hair. Will's hair gives off quite a laid back impression, which is how we want him to appear in this scene. For clothes I was thinking a button shirt and jeans - going with the relaxed and approachable look. I can imagine Will's character as the slightly quieter type, who is really sweet and cute to Alison. I feel using jeans and a shirt also links with the 'smart casual' look we want to use.