THE GREAT ESCAPE—TOO TRENDY FOR THE TIME
The Great Escape is a film about allied prisoners escaping their dastardly, uncomfortable, Nazi-infested German prison camp that was in dire need of roof repair. So, of course, it was set in World War 2. You wouldn’t know that from seeing how the characters were dressed, however, since the main character in particular (played by Steve McQueen) looks like he’d feel right at home in the ‘60s, simply based on his choice of textile. Making this costume error doubly annoying is the fact that this film was supposed to be based on a true story.
PRETTY WOMAN—MAGICAL TIE
If you needed more evidence that Pretty Woman was actually about a magical witch, then look no further. In one scene, Vivian undoes Edward’s tie, only for it to be back on, neatly tied to Edward’s neck a moment later, and then undone again a moment after that. It’s weird, we know. You’ll also see in the background was the show I Love Lucy. Why do they always have tv shows from the ‘50s playing in every television set in the background in movies? In any case, this film had so many costume blunders that we can be certain that the investment money paid to the costume designer would have been better spent elsewhere.
WHERE EAGLES DARE—WRONG HAIR
This 1968 British World War 2 film that starred Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood was a big commercial success. But, like other films on this list, the makeup artists didn’t follow the hairstyle trends of the time. Heidi Schmidt (played by Ingrid Pitt) can, in fact, be seen all throughout the film in a hairstyle that would make her perfect for a film set in the ‘60s, except that this particular film was set in the ‘40s. In any case, this blunder was more than offset by the fact that the film is now considered a classic, for which Burton and Eastwood deserve all the credit.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN—A COWBOY IN THE BACKGROUND
In one scene of the film, a lone cowboy can be seen in the background. It was quite befuddling, and we suspect this was an extra, or someone in the production crew, that mistakenly entered the scene, and in the most inopportune of moments. It was just a single frame, and very few would have even noticed the cowboy hat-wearing man in the background. But, yeah, he’s there, as though part of some moving company or something.
THE AVIATOR—THOSE WIRED GLASSES
This 2004 biographical drama that starred Leonardo DiCaprio as the weird and wily Howard Hughes was set in the ‘20s. So, it was rather comical that Robert Gross (played by Brent Spiner) can be seen wearing wire-framed glasses, which would have looked alien to people of the time. During the ‘20s, eyeglasses were typically horned-rimmed and had rounded focals. That is to say, they are very different to what Gross was wearing. Credit goes to Spiner, however, for accepting the role of Robert Gross. Spiner, as some of you might know, plays Spock in Star Trek; so, although he’s a huge star, his appearance in this film was very brief!
ALIEN—THE DISAPPEARING HOOD
This sci-fi classic directed by Ridley Scott was a huge success at the box office. Indeed, a slew of sequels followed precisely because the original was such a success. But despite the good credits, there were a few mistakes. For example, the disappearing hood of one of the alien’s victims. In one scene, a pre-pubescent alien successfully bypasses the ship’s security system, jumps up to Kane and wraps around his head. It all happened moments after he removed his headgear. When the alien was finally removed, however, Kane’s hood, which he was wearing prior to removing his headgear, magically disappeared. Not too many viewers noticed the continuity error, not least because they were too focused on the grossness of the scene.
PRETTY WOMAN—THE MAGICAL MUTATING GOWN OF VIVIAN
Who would have thought that in the film Pretty Woman, Vivian, played by Julia Roberts, was actually a magical witch. We kid! But, seriously, there was one scene that her gown seems to have changed length all by itself. It happened so quickly, and most would not have noticed, but in the epic scene were Vivian kisses Edward—the corporate raider whose business involved leaving other companies in bankruptcy—for the first time, she was wearing a long white nightgown. A few minutes later, and she’s in a short white nightgown. Yes, that is weird.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS—ANNA BAXTER’S FUTURISTIC DRESS
Futuristic, at least, for people who lived in 1,500 B.C.—the time when Anna Baxter’s character, Nefertiti, was a thing. Indeed, Anna Baxter’s lacy bra was invented some 3,000 years after the film was set, so the people of the time would have rightly seen someone in a lacy bra as some alien from another planet. And it gets worse: that bluish hue that Baxter’s dress was in, well, it would have been impossible to create using 1,500 B.C. technology. And yes—surprise!—it gets worse still: all the characters had haircuts that were popular in the 1950s. We’re not sure how much investment money was spent on the costumes, but we’re certain that a huge amount of creative liberty was taken by the costume designer in their creation.
BAYWATCH—GENA’S SEE-THROUGH SWIMSUIT
Baywatch, the hugely popular television series of the nineties that nobody could keep their eyes away from, had its fair share of behind the scenes drama. Indeed, it would take a whole other listicle to fairly encapsulate the interesting tidbits and shenanigans that went on while the cameras weren’t rolling, but since this is an article about costume mistakes, we’ll focus on one. It’s Gena Lee Nolin’s swimsuit for one scene that happened to be—gasp!—see-through! There was one time when she apparently went out of the water, only to give the film crew more than an eye-full. Thankfully, no pictures were leaked so her attorney didn’t sue.
THE MUMMY RETURNS—SKIRTS WERE MASS-PRODUCED IN ANCIENT EGYPT
You heard that right. It seems skirts were being mass-produced in ancient Egypt—why has no historian ever mentioned this? Those skirts had tags in them, after all, so whoever sold these ancient Egyptians those skirts were practicing a form of commerce that was thousands of years ahead of its time. Of course, we know it’s just a movie, and the remaining tags, as well as the ill-conceived costume design, was an egregious oversight. It’s a bit like the costume designer took a few online classes on costume design and went, ‘yeah, I think I’m good enough to work in Hollywood now!’
THE TUDORS—SCANDALOUS RUFFS
The costumes used in the television series The Tudors were said to be so historically inaccurate, and so egregious in their inaccuracy, that some couldn’t help but suspect that being historically inaccurate was the whole point of the show. Indeed, the costume designer of the show even admitted during one interview that much of their designs were, to a huge degree, reinterpretations of the original. One such blunder—or intentional blunder, whatever the case may be—was the ruffs seen on some of the gowns. Ruffs worn unaccompanied with an undergarment would have been scandalous at the time, but there it is.