Pirates (1986)

Costume Design by: - Anthony Powell ( notable efforts: The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1969), Travels with My Aunt (1972), Papillon (1973), Sorcerer (1977), Death on the Nile (1978), Tess (1979), Evil Under the Sun (1982), Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Hook (1991), 101 Dalmatians (1996), 102 Dalmatians (2000) )

The most visually interesting aspect of this pirate adventure flop are the costumes, some of which are so detailed and pretty they stand out amidst the grodiness of the film's general design sense - just look at how much golden material is adorning the various seafarers jackets, with even some of the less important characters having colourful patterns on their vests. I actually wonder if Powell didn't get hired as costume designer for Hook a few years later thanks to his work on this film, as seen in the lovely red coat with golden trim, worn by Captain Red (Walter Matthau) - the various pirates under his command wear a variety of colourful patterned vests, though the grimy and claustrophobic style of the film doesn't let the viewer see them properly.

The Spanish navy forces are led by the devious Don Alfonso de Salamanca de la Torre (Damien Thomas), whose uniform is similar to Captain Red's, but black with silver trim, until his official captain's uniform which has beautiful golden trim instead.

Of course, the royal ship is carrying members of the Spanish royalty, one passenger being the aristocrat María-Dolores de la Jenya de la Calde (Charlotte Lewis), who sports some of the most pretty dresses in the film (probably sticking out better thanks to just how mucky the film looks). She is first seen wearing this white and black dress, with a rose-shaped crest over the front.

María-Dolores also has a personal maid, whose dress is then worn by the pirate Boomako (Olu Jacobs), the dress being a frilly black design with jewels worn over the collar.

Charlotte Lewis' next dress in the film is this red and black striped deal, worn with a shiny hooded cloak and again with the flower crest on the chest, though of a slightly different design.

The most spectacular dresses are however barely seen in the film itself, and only at the end anyway! Just look at this golden coloured dress with striped sleeves and lace around the collar. Again, apologies for the stock photos with ugly watermarks.

Other women's dresses in the film follow this design, such as some of the prostitutes in the ship, such as the black dress worn by the queen, which also looks to be a very eye-catching design, but doesn't even get the dignity of publicity photos to show it off better.