For director Charles Shyer. it was important that the film give a nod to the style of the previous film and especially to the “Swinging ‘60s.” For costume designer Beatrix Aruna Pasztor (“Good Will Hunting.” “Drugstore Cowboy,” “The Fisher King”) this presented a fascinating challenge.
“The idea was to blend in some design elements of the ‘60s, while still being stylish, contemporary and at all times real,” says Pasztor. “Jude Law really knows clothes and he wears them very well. Still, we couldn’t exactly dress him in brand new designer suits because his character doesn’t have a lot of money. To that end, we found a marvelous Belgian designer, Martin Margiela, whose clothes are simple but wonderful and just a touch retro.”
Most memorable among Law’s outfits is the one Alfie wears on New Year’s Eve - a black, handmade tailored suit and a daring pink shirt from the talented English designer Osward Boateng.
“We were looking for something single-breasted, very narrow cut, a suit that reflected the style of the ‘60s,” remembers Pasztor. “Then we added that pink shirt, which was sort of a bold statement in itself, and silver cube cufflinks from Yves Saint Laurent. Allie always has a unique style to his clothing. That is to say, when he dresses down. he doesn’t wear your typical Levis jeans: he may only be able to afford one pair, but they would be designer Rogan jeans.”
Pasztor was able to indulge quite a bit more variety in the women’s costumes. For example, Liz, the wealthy cosmetics mogul played by Susan Sarandon, is a successful businesswoman clad in Chanel, Gucci and Donna Karan. Her jewelry - not costume, but real gold and precious stones - was made by top designer Solange Azagury, and her vintage necklace was from Steinberg and Tolkien, said to house the largest collections of vintage designs in the world.
“Liz is a woman of understated, very fine taste,” explains Pasztor. “She’s usually in blacks and whites, and except for her Japanese 1920s-style kimono, never in flashy colors. Susan Sarandon absolutely loved wearing the outfits for her character,” adds Pasztor. “She especially liked the close-fitting clothing, like the classic tight Gucci pencil skirt, that fits narrowly against the body in a way reminiscent of styles worn by Sophia Loren.”
On the other end of the spectrum is Julie, portrayed by Marisa Tomei, who’s as far away from Chanel and Gucci as Liz is draped in it. “We shopped in flea markets for Julie’s accessories and simple, single-mom style of clothing,” recalls Pasztor. “Her character leans more toward the artistic side rather than going with more costly designer clothing, and Marisa has a wonderful offbeat flair.”
Nia Long’s most memorable outfit is the one her character, Lonette. wore while playing a very seductive game of pool with Alfie. “Nia’s sexy clothing is a vintage black skirt and blouse from COSTUME NATIONAL, with a gorgeous deep V neck in the front and back, which is a style only certain women, like Nia, can handle,” says Pasztor. “The outfit really suited Nia and it was classy, yet sexy enough for the way she dances and moves in that scene.”
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