The Demon Barber's stained shoes, Queen Elizabeth's golden collar and King Leonidas' crimson cape grace the Art of Motion Picture Costume Design, a gallery that highlights the best costumes of 2007.
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising's free exhibit, just 10 minutes away from USC, features more than 125 costumes from last year's best movies.
Visitors walking through the gallery have the unique opportunity to view the costumes worn by the actors in films such as "Across the Universe," "Atonement," "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" and "La Vie en Rose" - all of which are nominated for this years Oscar for Best Costume Design.
Without any glass barrier blocking the view of the costumes, viewers can appreciate the intricate work that goes into constructing these outfits.
Many small details, easily overlooked in theaters, can better be appreciated in person.
In the "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" display, the detail of Professor Umbridge's pink cat broach adds such wonderful atrociousness to her pink, fluffy suit, which is right next to Nymphadora Tonks' red woven jacket and Sirius Black's musty velvet suit.
The most intriguing exhibit is the "Sweeney Todd" section, encompassed by earthy reds and dark overtones.
Johnny Depp, who owns the Demon Barber costume, allowed this vital piece, which was designed by Colleen Atwood, to be lent to the gallery.
Mrs. Lovett's working dress, another costume from "Sweeney Todd," is detailed with frayed lace around the edges of a small black corset.
Remnants of gold lacing around the neckline hint that the corsett might have once been a refined dress - as if holding on to some lost elegance.
The dress directly contrasts with pristine Johanna's blue and white Victorian dress.
Another beautiful costume from a later time period is Keira Knightley's green silk charmeuse dress from "Atonement."
The vivid color of the emerald gown, designed by Jacqueline Durran, stands out as visitors wind through the gallery. This stylized evening dress is likely to create much buzz in the fashion design industry because of its simplistic beauty.
Noteworthy designs are "Enchanted's" white wedding gown, "Across the Universe's" painted canvas outfits, "3:10 to Yuma's" suits, "La Vie en Rose's" period costumes, "Hairspray's" vintage-style dresses and the humorous "Blades of Glory" figure-skating leotards.
Soundtracks of featured movies alternate in the background as viewers wander through the gallery.
As guests enter and leave the exhibit, clips from the films' trailers are creatively fused together and projected onto a glittered background. The fountain-like effect of the images captures the excitement and spirit of costume design.
Full trailers for each movie are available for viewing in a showroom in the back of the gallery.
The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design gallery has appeared annually at FIDM for the past 16 years.
The exhibit has an impeccable record of choosing the finest film costumes in accordance with the Academy's nominees, even though the costumes are chosen before the Oscar nominations are released.
According to the gallery's tradition, a sample from the previous year's Oscar winner is featured in addition to the present year's costumes.
The winner for 2006 was designer Milena Canonero for "Marie Antionette." This year, Marie's off-white wedding dress acts as a centerpiece for the gallery.
The exhibit is held at the institute to inspire students, showcasing the best in contemporary costume design, as more than a few visitors carried sketchpads in order to draw inspiration from the costumes.
The exhibit offers one of the best ways to appreciate the skill of master designers by allowing viewers to see their work up close.
