The Time Machine (2002)

Costume Design by:

- Bob Ringwood ( notable efforts: Excalibur (1981), Solarbabies (1986), Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Demolition Man (1993), The Shadow (1994), Batman Forever (1995), A. I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), Troy (2004) )

- Deena Appel ( notable efforts: the Austin Powers films )

A dumbed down and insipid Hollywood makeover of the classic HG Wells novel (which is very odd given this was directed by Simon Wells, his great-grandson!) that is a very mixed bag with its design sense too, feeling like a cheap Hallmark TV movie more than a blockbuster. I suspect the more low-quality costumes, seen in the 19th century and 21st century segments (that latter of which is plainclothes barring a really ugly cyclist unitard though who knows if that wasn't bought too) were the work of Deena Appel, who is honestly a mediocre at best costume designer especially when compared to Ringwood. The most interesting outfits are worn by the evolved humans that inhabit the far-future, split into two different species; the forest-dwelling Eloi and the cave-dwelling Morloks, and I suspect all the future outfits were the work of Ringwood rather than Appel.

The Eloi in this film are treated oddly when compared to previous adaptations; here being a vaguely Mesoamerican or Pacific Islander inspired culture who need to be rescued by the white Victorian (making James Cameron's Avatar look almost smart in comparison). The outfits of the Eloi reflect this, with some hints of ancient Middle Eastern and Ancient Egyptian fashion as well. The women of the Eloi, in particular Samantha Mumba's character, wear rather revealing vests made of a woven fabric, as well as more typical bikini-like tops as well.

The Morloks by contrast wear makeshift tunics and skirts that look somewhere between cliched 'tribal' bone dresses, and Mad Max-style makeshift armor - given Ringwood's experience on Solarbabies and Demolition Man, this is some proof to me that the Morloks outfits were his work, I imagine with some consulting of Stan Winston's special effects team given they were worn over the prosthetic bodysuits.

One notable difference from the original book and this very dumb movie is the addition of the Morloks being led by a telepathic 'Uber-Morlok', who is admittedly one of the better aspects thanks to an eerie performance by Jeremy Irons, as well as the very imposing costume he sports - looking somewhere between a regal dress and a tribal warrior, it's one of the film's few design highlights.

The Shadow (1994)

Costume Design by:

- Bob Ringwood ( notable efforts: Excalibur (1981), Solarbabies (1986), Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Demolition Man (1993), The Shadow (1994), Batman Forever (1995), A. I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), Troy (2004) )

The success of Tim Burton's Batman didn't just lead to sequels being made, but also to a very short-lived glut of movies that were scrambling to be as big a smash, adapting 1930s pulp comics in the process. One of these happened to be Russell Mulchahy's (the director of Highlander, Razorback, and so many music videos) adaptation of The Shadow, a sleek and stylish albeit ill-received effort, and as if to hammer home that this sprung up thanks to Batman, the costume designer was none other than Bob Ringwood - though for once not having to sculpt rubber suits as Alec Baldwin would just be in a fedora, greatcoat and scarf. This was more or less a period piece set in the 1930s, meaning a perfect oppurtunity to design some old-school glamour with the various dresses worn by Penelope Ann Miller as 'Margo Lane', who gets to wears several lovely 1930s dresses with the first being this silver dress with an asymmetrically cut shoulder, worn with a furred cape.

Margo's second dress is a deep blue-green deal with glittery thread around the collar and shoulder lining, worn with a furred coat that also has shiny strips across the sides.

Margo briefly wears this jacket and hat that is mostly distinguished by the leopard print lapels and cuffs - uh, a loud design choice, I suppose.

Margo's last dress is this dark blue dress with a deep collar with black criss-cross lining, which is briefly worn with a wide-collared black and blue jacket over it.

Blue is a bit of a recurring colour in the film, with the bar that Margo is first encountered having waitresses dressed in blue dresses with black frilled ends, as well as a singer in this asymmetrically designed blue dress.

The villain of the film, Shiwan Khan (John Lone), being a descendant of the actual Genghis Khan of course wears pastiches of Mongolian historical garb, and as such is first seen wearing this impressive set of armor made out of a teal material with golden lining all over it, as well as a helmet.

The other most notable outfit Shiwan wears is this fur-lined golden patterned robe, that is sometimes seen being worn with a furred hat as well - it is worn over a traditional robe that is fairly muted in colouration, with fur-lined cuffs.

The soldiers under Shiwan's command meanwhile wear suits of armor consisting of reddish robes and shiny metallic segments over the front and sleeves, again indebted to the traditional imagery of Mongolian warriors.