Alluring, Glamorous, Elegant
Black is arguably one of the most sophisticated and elegant colors or shades. It signifies formality like a “ black tie” affair. It also means death and mourning, sadness, maturity, mystery and power.
As a color/shade black is flattering on most people but it can be hard to showcase it on film however it can make fro a bold and dramatic statement.
This page ranks black costumes from period movies. These costumes read mostly black on film. Black costumes from modern and fantasy movies have their own lists.
Undergarments, cover-ups, sleepwear, outerwear, swimwear etc are not included
They are ranked on beauty, memorability and how they reflect the character/scene.
List Subject to change
10. Anna Karenina from Anna Karenina (1997)
Designer: Maurizio Millenotti
There are so many iterations and versions of Tolstoy’s tragic heroine, however the 1997 version combines Anna’s charms with her poetic melancholy with heartbreakingly beautiful costumes.
Early in the film at a ball Anna (Sophie Marceau) sees the man who becomes her lover and thus brings on her downfall. As she is no longer a debutante and married she wears black.
Her ball gown has a 1870s silhouette. It has a rounded neckline with a bow at the center-front. It’s sleeveless with a white ruffle at the edge and tapering fringe off the shoulders. The skirt has a long elegant train.
9. Isabel from The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
Designer: Janet Patterson
Based on Henry James’ novel, 1996’s The Portrait of a Lady is one of those utterly beautiful and utterly depressing types of movies. The story follows Isabel (Nicole Kidman) who is wealth and independent woman who makes for a bad marriage to on overbearing man
After three years she is married and living in Rome. She wears this black with metallic gold embroidery with fringed trim at the edge. The gold cord loops around the back is sewn to an embroidery appliqué. It has a military aesthetic.
The matching black floor-length skirt has a bustle and a gold fringe at the lower portion.
8. Empress Elisabeth from Ludwig (1975)
Designer: Piero Tosi
In 1973’s Ludwig, Romy Schneider reprising her role as Empress Elisabeth. In this movie her character is not only older but darker than her characterizarion 1950s trilogy.
Elisabeth seeks out Ludwig and as goes from palace to place to find him to speak with him she wears a stunning black bustle walking gown. This costume is very ornate with a floral motif. It made from silks and velvets and embellished with beads, and perfectly excessive amount of ruffle trim.
It might be too beautiful as much as it dark.
7. Satine from Moulin Rouge (2001)
Designers: Catherine Martin & Angus Strathie
2001’s Moulin Rouge is a lavish jukebox musical that follows the excessive melodrama of a Bollywood movie.
One of the best parts is the “Tango de Roxanne” number that is intercut with Gothic Tower sequence when Satine (Nicole Kidman) seduces the duke to get the proper ending to the big show.
Her asymmetrical one-shoulder black floor-length gown is minimally decorated. It has a deep red sash with fur on the shoulder and the hem of the skirt is trimmed with fur. The details make it look edgy to highlight the dramatic and intense scene.
Also the costume is meant to blend into the background to highlight the impressive million dollar diamond necklace.
6. Natasha from War and Peace (1956)
Designers: Maria De Matteis & Giulio Ferrari
Based on Tolstoy’s novel, the 1956 version of War and Peace stars Audrey Hepburn as the vivacious and joyful Natasha who is in a love triangle with three men.
One of those men is a womanizer who despite already being married tried to convince her to elope. For a formal affair when he seduces her she is wearing a lovely black velvet gown. It has a rounded square neckline, an empire waistline with long sleeves that are puffed at the upper section and tight with ruching at the forearm. Thin goldish-green trim is sewn along the waist line and between the sleeve sections.
5. Paro from Devdas (2002)
Designers: Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosla, Neeta Lulla and Reza Shariffi
Based on the novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhy, Devdas is a tragic story of two childhood sweethearts. Though family scheming and bad decisions they forced apart. The 2002 Bollywood adaptation of the story sees this intimate story as a big opulent film that is an extravagant experience.
Paro, (Aishwarya Rai) Devdas’ childhood sweetheart of Devdas is married off to an aristocratic widower. While all her costumes through the movie are very lavish they get more so after her marriage.
When she meets her grow-up step-daughter and nefarious son-in-law she wears a stunning black and gold saree. Her blouse perfectly matches the gold detail of the saree. Indeed the contrast of the gold with the black makes her look look not only beautiful but commanding and majestic. The picture of the an aristocratic even if her heart and soul belongs to another.
4. Scarlett from Gone with the Wind (1939)
Designer: Walter Plunkett
Much can be said for Gone with the Wind and while those conversations are important and should be acknowledged, this page is a costume ranking. Despite any and all criticisms of the movie it still has beautiful and memorable costumes.
Also Scarlett wears a lot black gowns throughout the movie.
At the end of the movie Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) is in mourning and thus is wearing a somber yet elegant mourning gown. She wears this costume in the final moments of the movie when Rhett leaves her and utters one of the most memorable movie quotes of all times.
It’s made of velvet and has a standing collar, shoulder cape and large cuffs. The bustle is 1870’s in style with a long train. It’s completed by an oversized brooch that belonged to Plunkett’s mother.
3. Maggie from The Great Race (1965)
Designer: Edith Head
The 1965 slap-stick comedy involves a race around the world with Maggie (Natalie Wood) covering the event as a photojournalist.
During the bar fight scene Maggie wears a very frothy black gown that is very much on theme with the setting of a saloon. The gown has a off-the shoulder beaded draped sleeves. Th bust of the gown is beaed while the bottom has sheer over-lay with a wide ruffle trim at the hem.
The gown is lovely and over-the-top but the black color of the costume makes Maggie stand-out from the chaos as well as making her look elegant.
2. Marie Antoinette from Marie Antoinette (2006)
Designer: Milena Canonero
The 2006 movie Marie Antoinette for many is their go-to fashion movie as it modernizes the extravagance of the Rococo style in super bright candy colors.
Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) wears this highly stylized version of robe à l’anglaise to a masked ball. It made from silk organza with sheer 3/4 length sleeves and the over-lay of the skirt is made of the same sheer fabric. The bodice has silver sequins sewn on to the fabric.
The look is made complete with a sheer eye make and large black feathers in her hair.
1. Lucille from Crimson Peak (2015)
Designer: Kate Hawley
Crimson Peak is a dark romantic story that features ghosts, it’s really the unhinged foil, Lucille (Jessica Chastain) to the main character, Edith that is the true antagonist. Lucille is established early in the film that she is everything that Edith is not. Lucille is a moth who is sensual, cold, dark, and murderous.
As her and her brother are facing poverty with their ruin of an estate, her costumes reflect her clinging to the past by favoring older styles of the mid 1870s to early 1880s.
This doesn’t mean her costumes are not fabulous because they are. One of her most notable costumes in the movie is her gothic day look. It’s made from black velvet with white bobbin lace on the high collar and cuffs.
Down the bodice are a black leaves, a motif herself throughout the movie along with a bright red rose.
Given her decades outdated fashion her skirt is more from the “ Natural Form Era” in which the bustle all but disappeared. She does has overskirt with a black lace trim.
Her hat with costume is meant to look like the face of a gargoyle which is a nod to the gothic architecture inspiration.
Honorable Mention: Christine from The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Designer: Alexandra Byrne
In contrast to the musical Christine (Emmy Rossum) wears more a sombre and mournful costume for her song “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.”
While it is a very pretty dress with black lace trim at the neck and cuffs it’s really hard to to see in the scene especially with her cloak and red sheer scarf pulling focus.
