This paper examines costume design across three period films — Miss Julie, The Imitation Game, and The Homesman — analyzing how each film's costumes reflect historical accuracy, social class, and gender roles. The paper evaluates the work of designers Consolata Boyle, Sammy Sheldon Differ, and Lahly Poore, noting how fabric choices, color palettes, accessories, and silhouettes communicate character and social context. From Victorian-era Ireland to World War II Britain to nineteenth-century American frontier life, the paper argues that effective costume design is inseparable from storytelling and thematic expression.
Effective costume design does more than dress actors in period-appropriate clothing — it communicates social class, gender dynamics, and character psychology without a single line of dialogue. The following analysis examines costume design in three period films: Miss Julie, The Imitation Game, and The Homesman, evaluating how each designer used clothing to reinforce historical setting and thematic meaning.
As a period piece set in Victorian-era Ireland, Miss Julie depends on effective costumes. Costume designer Consolata Boyle delivers, providing the titular protagonist with the requisite garb of the era. Issues of gender and social class are conveyed through clothing: the title character wears rich silks and other gleaming fabrics that denote her social status. Likewise, the colors of Miss Julie's dresses are deep jewel tones befitting her wealth and power.
The prevalence of the color green also corresponds with the film's Irish setting. Thus, Boyle was given considerably more leeway in her selection of hues than she would have had if constrained to the original stage play, which was set in Sweden. Some of the defining features of Miss Julie's Victorian dresses include lace trims — particularly around collars and lapels — ruffled dress hems, long sleeves, long-length skirts, stark waistlines, and full skirts. Necklines vary but are generally high, with the occasional scoop neck. If there is one flaw in Boyle's approach, it would be allowing Miss Julie's neckline to plunge slightly more than what would presumably have been acceptable for an Irish woman prior to the turn of the century. Conservatism and gender roles of the era would likely have meant that Miss Julie exposed less of her flesh.
However, Boyle does a superb job of differentiating between the class statuses of different characters. Comparing Miss Julie to her servant offers the prime example of how costume conveys class. The servant, unlike Julie, continually covers her hair in an unflattering bonnet. Her necklines are much higher than those of Miss Julie, and her dress — complete with apron and a black-and-white color scheme — clearly indicates her role as a maid. A person of her class and position in society would certainly have worn such an outfit.
The male characters' clothing is less ostentatious than the women's. Darker colors prevail, with attractive long coats likely made of wool. Vests and ties were also common. Boyle was careful to make the clothes look genuinely tailored rather than ready-to-wear; some elements carry a naturalistic, unfinished quality — such as the white collars of the men's shirts — that adds authenticity.
In The Imitation Game, the period shifts to the World War II era. Costume designer Sammy Sheldon Differ provides costumes that feel entirely appropriate to the time. Colors are muted throughout, with a pervasive sepia quality. Dress is formal for both men and women: men's uniforms are militaristic, featuring double-breasted cuts in navy with gold buttons, while civilian wear favors rich tweeds, woolen sport coats, and loose-fitting slacks. Suits are sensible and not far removed from men's formalwear of the twenty-first century. The main distinguishing feature of the era, which Sheldon capitalizes on judiciously, is the frequency of hats. Felt hats and fedoras grace the heads of the main male characters. Likewise, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) is often depicted carrying a leather satchel — a pleasantly utilitarian accessory.
Female clothing in The Imitation Game is somewhat drab, but in keeping with the social setting and characterization, and it fits the film's overall sepia aesthetic. Cardigan sweaters in greys and earth tones are commonly worn by female characters. A few more colorful pieces are introduced without feeling anachronistic. Overall, the costumes are remarkably precise given their lack of exaggeration, and they bear close resemblance to fashions visible in actual photographs from the period.
"Poore's frontier costumes and restrictive gender roles"
Across all three films, costume design functions as far more than period decoration. Each designer uses clothing to communicate character psychology, social hierarchy, and the lived experience of gender in their respective historical settings. Consolata Boyle's Victorian silks, Sammy Sheldon Differ's muted wartime palette, and Lahly Poore's bulky frontier layers all demonstrate that when costume design is executed with care and historical grounding, it becomes an inseparable element of cinematic storytelling.
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