IN CONVERSATION WITH ARIANNE PHILLIPS
Interview by Samo Šajn
Arianne Phillips is an award-winning costume designer and stylist known for her work in film, music, and fashion. She has designed iconic looks for The Crow, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Don’t Worry Darling, as well as collaborated with stars like Madonna. Her latest project, A Complete Unknown, brings Bob Dylan’s early style to life with the help of Levi’s Vintage Clothing.
You’ve shaped the role of costume design in film, music, and theater for decades. What first drew you to this field, and how has your creative approach evolved over the years?
My first interest at 16-years-old was my desire to work on music videos, that was the goal. When I moved to New York City to continue my university education, I was able to achieve that goal while working weekends as an assistant to a stylist. Eventually, I was styling music video projects on my own, which sparked my interest in narrative storytelling and a desire to pursue film. Every genre I have explored has led me to the next creative opportunity—from music videos, working with artists on album covers and photo shoots, to film and theater and back again.
Your latest work on A Complete Unknown involved recreating Bob Dylan’s signature Levi’s looks from the early 1960s. What were some of the most interesting discoveries you made while researching Dylan’s style?
It was interesting to learn that Bob Dylan’s style of dress had always been very considered and thoughtful, which I discovered after reading his girlfriend Sue Rotolo’s book, "A Freewheeling Time.” In the early days, Bob spent “hours in front of the mirror achieving his look.”
Working with Levi’s Vintage Clothing, you helped bring historically accurate denim fits to the screen. Can you share more about the collaboration process and how archival research played a role?
Early on in my research I noticed that Bob Dylan has consistently worn denim, which became a thread through my work. I reached out to the great team of historians and archivists at Levi’s to help me vet the images I was seeing of Bob Dylan in jeans to find out if they were in fact Levi’s. They were able to identify the jeans Bob wore and share some historical information on the specific styles. Paul O’Neill, the Design Director of Levi’s Vintage Collection, was able to share some information early on about Bob Dylan’s jeans, since he himself had researched Bob’s early style for a capsule collection in Winter 2019—way before our film.
From 1962-1964, Bob wore the classic Levis 501’s. In 1965, he wore a style Levi’s made, called “the super slims.” Levi's was kind enough to recreate the “super slims” bespoke for Timothée to wear in our film. All of this information was not only helpful for the costumes, but also useful and authentic research for Timothée and our director, Jim Mangold.
You’ve had a longstanding relationship with Levi’s and have placed their pieces in countless films. What makes Levi’s such a timeless and cinematic brand?
Levi’s has an incredible archive and values their history and heritage, which is a wonderful resource for accuracy for a costume designer! For ‘A Complete Unknown’, Bob wore Levi’s exclusively; it was the best-case scenario working with the source in recreating authentic denim for our film.
Costume design often plays a crucial role in character development. Can you share a moment from a film or music project where an outfit you designed completely transformed how the actor embodied their role?
For Lady Gaga and Joaquin Pheonix’s characters in’ Joker: Folie A Duex,’ I had the opportunity to design for “fantasy sequences” that showed a complete opposite side of their characters. It was thrilling to watch them manifest a joyful side of what was a very dark reality within the main theme of the film.
