The Enduring Excellence of Charlie's Angels' Ridiculous Costume Design
EntertainmentMovies
Illustration: Elena Scotti
When I was 7, I broke my arm and my nose falling out of a stationary Honda Civic. The blood made an interesting addition to my karate uniform, which I insisted on wearing every time my dad picked me up from practice, my little hands still sore from pretending to break bricks. Shortly before falling out of the roll-down window of his dilapidated Civic, I attempted a daring maneuver that—if successful—would have been the first step in a long and storied career as a ninja (or a secret agent). With my incredibly short child body, which allowed me to stand upright on his car seats, I vaulted myself through the window and did a kick. I hoped it would impress my dad and any would-be ninja masters who happened to be watching. Instead, I wiggled around with one leg in and one leg out before sliding out and—CRACK!
Too much television was absolutely to blame for my jumping out the window, and also the fact that my mom had made the mistake of sitting me in front of the television to watch the 2000s remake of Charlie’s Angels. The movie was made during that millennium transition that saw women leading feminist-lite, irreverent comedies: Bring It On, Josie and the Pussycats, Legally Blonde, Miss Congeniality, Coyote Ugly. It was an interesting time to come of age, with all these women on screen in fantastical clothes, backflipping in cheer competitions and acing Harvard exams. I still frequent these films more often than I am comfortable admitting, but none have caused me as much physical pain as a broken (and permanently crooked) nose, outside of Charlie’s Angels.
I remember telling myself, “I want to be exactly like them.” My dreams remain haunted, decades later, by one garment in the movie: a sparkling YSL gown made for going deep undercover that also doubled as a tactical suit for chasing down would-be assassins. Practical and glamorous!
Through its art direction, Charlie’s Angels became a touchstone for an industry not yet bogged down by reactionary, post-9/11 war movies, a recession, and the stranglehold of the Disney-Marvel Animated Superhero Industrial Complex. Outlandish camera movements sweep through vibrant sets filled with over-the-top gowns and hairdos and ninja jumpsuits. The women in those clothes were more competent, intelligent, and athletic than the men around them who were dressed so plainly.
When yet another remake of the 40-year–old franchise hits theaters November 15, the series will undergo another transformation. The industry that released the 2000s reboot, and its (much better) sequel Full Throttle, doesn’t exist anymore. Movies haven’t been so stylistically vibrant or ambitiously campy in more than a decade. Trailers show a much tamer environment around the Angels, gritty-adjacent and painted in the neutral palette loved by action-movie directors. And despite a scene involving a closet chock full of sequins and saturation, most of the costumes look like the sort of outfits worn by girl bands whose labels dress them exclusively in Top Shop and Forever 21.Because of this, I figured it’d be best to look back on the film that defined my childhood and the costumes that had me (in my own mind) jumping through windows and roundhouse-kicking my enemies. It isn’t without its many, many flaws—but fuck is it a spectacularly good time.
#8. Alex, in General
While she had already been nominated for an Emmy and won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Ally McBeal by the time she was cast in Charlie’s Angels, Liu was arguably the least known actress next to Barrymore and Diaz. Despite this, it’s clear the filmmakers knew they had a star on their hands—her outfits, and the scenes she wears them in, are the funniest and most imaginative of her co-stars. She’s an astronaut who fences in skintight white jumpsuits and bakes rock-hard muffins in a leather corset. (Leather, as you can tell, being a popular choice for her character.) While Barrymore might have the more flamboyant costumes, and Diaz your more typical “hot girl” looks, Liu steals the scene every time. When she’s not screaming and breaking the back of a tech magnate deep undercover, she’s backflipping and baking a soufflé while dodging gunfire, or whipping tech bros in a dominatrix ensemble. “Iconic” doesn’t even begin to describe it!
#7. The Angels’ Tactical Ninja Suits for Fighting Assassins
While giving chase to a dastardly henchman they spot at the aforementioned party, Alex and Dylan tear away their gowns to reveal expertly tailored black suits with high-heeled combat boots. Normally, you’d imagine a heel would hinder a high-stakes chase through the alleys of Downtown Los Angeles, but the Angels are nothing if not practical, and the heels allow them to climb chain link fences, roundhouse-kick their assailant and backflip off the wall. It also shows how economical the art director was when planning the scene. Natalie, who was stuck with the catering role, is already dressed for combat when she joins the other Angels. Hot bitches plan ahead!
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