Costume and character in the film 'Black Swan'

'Black Swan' is a film made in 2010 that centres around the ballet production of Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake' by a New York dance company. The film is a psychological drama that requires the ballerina (played by Natalie Portman) to play both the innocent white swan and also double up as the sensual black swan. Viewers are taken on a journey with the lead character as she discovers the dark side to herself, which in turn helps her to get into her role as the black swan. I thought the film was fantastic with an excellent story line and a twist at the end. I was equally impressed by the costume designs and the way that the ballet postures further emphasised the outfits.

  

I loved watching the elegant poses throughout the film, and also how Portman changes her character between the white and black swans. As you can see above, the white outfit on the left shows her portraying the innocent white swan and her posture and body language emphasises the shyness of this character. However, later in the film when she discovers her darker side, Portman shows viewers the black swan. As you can see on the right, her outfit is much more revealing with nothing covering her shoulders. This helps to emphasise the sensual side of the black swan. Her make up also helps to show this, with dark eyes and red lips that make her look more sexually desirable. 

I think it's very clever the way that the film makers differentiate between the two personalities of this character, as this can be seen throughout the film. Portman's character is seen at the beginning of the film wearing light colours such as pink, but as the film progresses viewers start to see her develop into a darker and more sexual character, which is also seen through her trying new outfits and new looks.