How Costume Shows Character

How costume hints to character:
Camille (Olga Kurylenko) in James Bond: Quantum of Solace (2008, Marc Forster) :
In this shot we see Camille wearing a simple black dress. This is because she was at a black tie event, however the simplicity and practicality of the dress shows her character. She needs to be able to fight in the dress but at the same time needs to use her sexuality to get closer to the men that she is trying to get revenge on. This shows in the simple black dress she wears and also in the high-waisted khaki skirt she wears to meet one of the men she is trying to get revenge on. Both outfits show that she is practical but still feminine, and this comes through in her other outfits during the film as well.

Mr Smith (Dane Cook) in Mr Brooks (2007, Bruce A. Evans) :
We can see that Mr Smith wears very plain and average clothes. His 'uniform' is a pair of jeans with a t-shirt and jacket. The clothes he wears show that he is just an average guy and although he wants to be like Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner), he is essentially just like most other people. Even his unoriginal choice of fake name (Mr Smith isn't his real name, he just uses this with Earl Brooks) shows that he is just an average Joe looking to make his life more interesting. His style during the film highlights his average life.

These characters are very different, while Camille is a heroic character seeking revenge for the death of her family, Mr Smith is an average guy who wants a chance to kill people, and this shows through their costume. Although, they are not the same gender it’s still possible to compare the two. They are similar in that both wear practical and comfortable clothing. However, Camille varies her clothes and they show that she has style and class. Mr Smith on the other hand, wears pretty much the same thing everyday and doesn’t have a very interesting variation of clothes. This shows the difference between the heroic Camille and the average Mr Smith.