Life Is Beautiful (1997)

Costume Design by Danilo Donati

Costume designer Danilo Donati had previously worked with Benigni on 1994's The Monster and would work with him again on 2002's Pinocchio; Donati's experience on Fascist-era period productions like Fellini's Amarcord and Pasolini's Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom - both of which are far superior films to Benigni's tasteless exercise in cutesying up the Holocaust - was no doubt another factor in Donati being handed the job.

Most of the costumes made by Donati's team for the main players - Benigni himself as Jewish waiter Guido, and Nicoletta Braschi as his character's love interest Dora - are fairly formal 1930s wear, with 1930s children's clothing being custom-made for a young Giorgio Cantarini as Guido's son. Waiter uniforms were also made for Benigni in various scenes.

The costumes were constructed in Italian costume house Costumi D'Arte, which also supplied the 1930s stock wardrobe and Fascist uniforms for extras in the film's first half set in 1930s Italy. The SS uniforms and prisoner outfits in the concentration camp scenes were presumably made in bulk for the film, though I don't know if it was Costumi D'Arte or a different movie uniform supplier that made them.

It is Braschi who gets to wear most of the film's standout costumes; Braschi is first seen wearing a white dress and bolera jacket with orange and green lining around the collar, pockets and cuffs.

Braschi's next costume, worn when Dora is watching opera, is a black patterned jacket with glittery lining on the lapels, worn with a small hat also encrusted with similar ornamentation, and worn with a plain black skirt.

Donati also constructed a pair of bright red costumes worn by the opera singers; both are made from shiny materials, one a frilly dress and one a suit with top hat.

The rest of the film's costume highlights are worn during the dinner party sequence; Raffaella Lebboroni, as Dora's friend Elena, wears a shiny steely-grey dress with golden buttons.

A more elaborate white dress was designed for Marisa Paredes as Dora's mother, consisting of floral ornamentation around the shoulders and chest, with a white chiffon cape.

However, the film's costume design showstopper is again worn by Braschi; a pink dress with stone-like white ornamentation around the collar, with hard pieces covering the dress all over it, with a bow on the back of the dress.