9 Wardrobe Mishaps in Movies That Are Hard to Spot, Even for Die-Hard Fans

year ago

Movies have a magical way of transporting us to different worlds and captivating our imaginations. But sometimes, even the most attentive director can miss a detail or 2. In particular, wardrobe malfunctions can sneak into a movie’s final cut, unnoticed by the filming crew. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most interesting and hard-to-spot wardrobe mishaps in movies, from historical inaccuracies to continuity errors.

1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon — Alice’s scarf changes styles.

The existence of vampires is not the only mystery in the Twilight Saga. If you pay close attention, the blue and white scarf on Ashley Greene’s Alice in The New Moon changes on its own.

2. La La Land — Sebastian’s shirt repeatedly changes colors.

A continuity error crept into the La La Land plot. Sebastian, the character played by Ryan Gosling, is driving a car while wearing a brown shirt. In a subsequent scene, he goes to his apartment to meet his sister. Here, he appears to be wearing a blue shirt, even though he didn’t have the chance or time to change. Then Sebastian sits at the piano, and he’s back in the brown shirt.

3. Troy — characters use umbrellas from the future.

The fall of Troy is believed to have taken place in the thirteenth or twelfth century BCE. The movie showcased several scenes with characters taking shelter under sun umbrellas. However, archeological evidence shows that collapsible umbrellas with a sliding mechanism, similar to those demonstrated in Troy, were invented centuries later.

4. Gladiator — Maximus opts for a comfy sports garment.

The costume designers of the Oscar-winning Gladiator decided to play it safe and keep Russell Crowe comfortable. When the brave Maximus falls during one of the battles in the arena, he can be seen wearing black bike shorts under his armor.

5. Pearl Harbor — the ladies don’t wear stockings.

The events of Pearl Harbor took place in the year 1941. At that time, women were expected to adhere to a particular dress code, which included wearing stockings. However, ladies demonstrated their bare legs during certain scenes. The fashionable women of that era would have made every effort to wear nylon stockings or, at the very least, painted-on stockings with a seam down the back, as nylon was scarce during those years.

6. Elizabeth I — the queen wears her neck ruff improperly.

In Elizabeth I, the 2005 miniseries, Helen Mirren showcased all the facets of her talent playing the queen, yet the character suffered from a wardrobe blunder. Throughout the series, Elizabeth I is observed sporting a neck ruff, a popular accessory in Tudor England. However, the ruff was designed to be worn with a shirt covering the neck, which the character seemed to overlook in favor of a spectacular look.

7. Pride & Prejudice — Elizabeth prefers rubber boots that haven’t yet been invented.

The renowned 2005 film, Pride & Prejudice, was adapted from Jane Austen’s novel written in 1813. The movie was nominated for numerous accolades, including 4 categories at the Academy Awards. Nonetheless, not all aspects of the film were successful, particularly the characters’ rubber boots. The iconic Wellington boots that gained international recognition were invented decades after the original novel was published.

8. Braveheart — Mel Gibson’s character didn’t want to wait for centuries to wear a kilt.

While kilts are quite popular in present-day Scotland, they were not used as an element of men’s fashion during the 13th-century setting of the movie. Kilts did not become a common garment in Scotland until several centuries after the events depicted in the film.

9. The Other Boleyn Girl — Ann’s hairdo mishap.

The historical drama from 2008 features Natalie Portman playing the role of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. In the movie, she makes a big mistake by revealing her long hair often. Though it may look great now, in the 1500s, it was not acceptable for a woman to expose her hair like that. At that period ladies wore caps designed to hide the hair under their headdresses.

Believe it or not, errors remain in the final cuts of popular films quite often. Check out our many collections of bloopers that will show movies in a different light:

Preview photo credit The Other Boleyn Girl / Columbia Pictures and co-producers