The Art and Science of Costume Archaeology: A Look at the 1995 Film Costumes

When it comes to costume archaeology, the 1995 film costumes are a fascinating subject for study. These costumes have been carefully curated and inventoried to provide a better understanding of the production process and the actors who wore them. The labeling system used in these costumes is an excellent example of modern inventory management, with clear markings indicating which actor wore the costume and when.

The use of labeling systems like this allows researchers to track the provenance of individual items, making it easier to screen match costumes from different productions or studios. In the case of the 1995 film, many of the costumes have been carefully preserved and documented, providing a wealth of information for future generations of costume enthusiasts.

One of the most interesting aspects of these costumes is the level of detail that has gone into their creation. From the intricate paintwork on the alien three suit to the stunts markings on the gloves and boots, every aspect of these costumes has been carefully considered. This attention to detail not only adds to the overall aesthetic appeal of the costume but also provides a window into the creative process used by the production team.

The use of modern materials and techniques in costume creation is another area of interest. The 1995 film costumes are made from a combination of foam latex, fiberglass, and other materials, providing a durable and long-lasting finish. This attention to detail has resulted in some truly remarkable costumes that have stood the test of time.

Of course, no discussion of costume archaeology would be complete without mentioning the importance of archival preservation. The careful storage and handling of these costumes over the years has ensured their longevity, allowing future generations to study and appreciate them. In addition to the physical preservation efforts, many of the costumes have also been digitized, providing a wealth of online resources for fans and researchers alike.

As we look through the 900 lots of memorabilia on offer, it's clear that there is something for everyone. From spacesuits to James Bond costumes, each item has its own unique story to tell. The Martian space suits are particularly noteworthy, with their stunning paintwork and impressive level of detail. These costumes provide a glimpse into the world of science fiction filmmaking and are sure to delight fans of the genre.

The catalog for this auction is an absolute treasure trove of costume history, with detailed descriptions and images that allow readers to get up close and personal with each item. The inclusion of official Eon paperwork adds an extra layer of authenticity to many of the costumes, providing a tangible connection to the film itself.

As we explore the world of costume archaeology, it becomes clear that every aspect of these costumes has been carefully considered. From the labels on the costumes to the materials used in their construction, every detail has contributed to creating a truly remarkable collection. As fans and researchers, we are lucky to have access to these treasures, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for this fascinating field.

Standing behind me is General Kale from Willow, who brings a wealth of knowledge about 80s fantasy kick costumes to the table. We also have some spacesuits on display, including Martian suits that are truly stunning. These costumes provide a glimpse into the world of science fiction filmmaking and are sure to delight fans of the genre.

The James Bond costumes on offer are another highlight of the auction, with their official Eon paperwork providing an extra layer of authenticity. Fans of the franchise will be thrilled to see these costumes up close, and I'm confident that they will make some serious bids when the auction gets underway.

As we look through the catalog, it's clear that there is something for everyone. From spacesuits to James Bond costumes, each item has its own unique story to tell. And with over 900 lots of memorabilia on offer, fans and researchers are sure to find something that sparks their interest.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey everyone norm from tested here once again at prop store for an upcoming  auction brandon there are a bunch of costumes you guys have for this upcoming auction and you  have a few of them lined up here something from my childhood the power rangers movie yes yeah loads  of great costumes in this auction uh december 1st and 2nd the auction's taking place but the power  rangers costumes are very cool because a they're from the movie as you just said the 1995 film  not the television show the movie has far more interesting costumes and b i think this is the  first time the costumes from the movie have ever been on auction so we're happy to have this set  and we do actually have the full set of all six rangers we just have a few of them out here today  uh and a few few more of the helmets but we do have the full costumes for all six of them what's  super interesting from the production standpoint is obviously for the tv show they used a lot of  the footage from japan spliced in with stuff they shot in america for the kids but for the film it  was like a full-on american production they got to make all the costumes and kind of redesign them  blow them up for the for the big screen and so the aesthetics here much more armored which you could  tell was influencing than the the reboot also yes yeah definitely i mean i think they just i'm sure  they had more money for the film right yeah and i think they wanted to bring a more interesting look  to the rangers themselves and i'm sure they're influenced by other things that are going on in  film at the time and it's like hey let's get a cool sort of muscle suit superhero type suit let's  get some detail in there and so you know these kind of start with a spandex base they're actually  really interesting construction and obviously there's some deterioration from time you know they  they they show some of their age as you would expect from an artifact like this but but they  start with the base spandex suit and then that's actually treated with like uh a latex like maybe  they were dipped in latex or there's some sort of coating on that to give it a little bit more  of a of a glossy sheen and then you've got these pieces of armor that have been installed  that are i think casted out of a urethane um and you know you've got various like  elements of vinyl in the cuffs where it's you know they created  ribbed stitched areas and obviously the helmets are made of fiberglass and top the thing off um  and the helmets i think a bit more stylized also than their television counterparts right  it's so cool you think about like you ask a kid of the 90s to draw a power ranger and you think of  you know the diamonds and the silhouettes and the obviously the color scheme  but like you said there's so much layering in here in the cut and so you know things like the ribbing  there and and all of that it's you know to to make it look like some type of futuristic superhero  oh the helmets themselves can you talk about the the helmets and how they were made and used yeah  yeah the helmets are really neat so let me see if i can just take this one off and show you this is  actually a one-off uh from a special shot in the film where the yellow ranger has lights most of  the movie the yellow ranger does not have lights on the helmet there's one shot in the film where  they're in the parking garage i think and all of a sudden they need to light up the scene and for  whatever reason the yellow ranger then has lights on the helmet so this one actually had practical  lights and the way all these ranger helmets are made they're seamed at the sides and they open up  this one i think's been taped so i can't open it right now but there's little hinges in there like  little uh ball and clasp hinges where a ball would snap into a socket to lock it in place and you can  see the wiring for the electronics um and some of the padding in there this one's just marked yellow  one of the really interesting things that we learned as we're researching these helmets and  i think you can see it on one of the dvd special features is that they were considering having the  rangers wear their helmets without the eyepiece in and the mouthpiece in because they wanted to  see the actors faces and you know they sort of talked about the fact that when you watch the show  you can sort of tell that maybe it's not the actors in the suits maybe it's just the stunt  performers yeah maybe we'd like to see the actors in the helmet so they tried versions where the  eye lens was removable and the mouthpiece was removable but i think they said it just looked  ridiculous you would still have that seam over the nose right there exactly yeah so i don't think  they wound up ever using any of that footage but they did experiment with it and like you can tell  with this one the mouth is actually a separate piece in there that's that's cast in fiberglass  and that's been fixed in now i think it's just hot glued in but at one time they were experimenting  with the idea that you know they would have these things installed with magnets and you'd be able  to take the mouthpiece out and an actor you know a principal actor would wear a ranger helmet without  the mouthpiece in so that's that's the yellow ranger um and whenever i take a look at this stuff  you know it has to look good on the outside but i also always try to empathize with the performers  whether it's the stunt performer or the main actors and how comfortable this thing is to wear  looking inside the helmet it's just glued in pieces of foam sure they added more foam took  things out to to make it feel snug but they're pretty snug as helmets yeah absolutely yeah you  wouldn't want to be claustrophobic in there and um you know the suits themselves i'm sure we're very  very hot with all these layers here and such but i think when they design these things especially  in this era they tend to go for form over function should we say not necessarily the most comfortable  thing to wear but it looks cool yeah totally and you have the white ranger of course so  even though there's the helmets here it's the full costumes for the whole it is yeah  on the red ranger the helmets of replica unfortunately so that's the only one that doesn't  have its original helmet the other five rangers all have original helmets most of them are comp  or 100 complete costumes some of them are missing a couple of components here there  it's all detailed in the descriptions um i could show you maybe another one of the helmets let's  see if we can take a look at the blue helmet this is honestly a big piece of my childhood like i  remember seeing this on the big screen waiting in line so excited to watch power rangers and this is  you know yeah over 25 years later now where that helmet is ended up and it says right there hero  so that's what we saw on screen that's so cool so you see it's basically just attached with a  couple of pieces of elastic at the top of the head they've built up all this yellow foam padding for  actor comfort um you can see some of the padding on the side is actually colored and dyed blue  so you know maybe they thought that that would be visible through seam at some point and then  these little pole straps are basically designed for the actor to grab pull down and break the  face away from the back of it and the the mesh screen that's in the mouth here that's actually  been installed later someone put that in because the original mouthpiece was missing so that was  put in just for display that's not original to it um but the helmet itself is original and  yeah in a way very simple but also very effective way to get in and out of a helmet quickly right  and you saw that labeling in there so as we've seen costumes and you guys you guys  have costumes come in through the warehouse you know modern labeling and inventory systems are  very robust in terms of what actor what's seen and when you find something like this that's gone  through collector's hands is there more research that's needed to find out the providence of it and  where and screen matching it and how it was used sometimes i mean something like this is very hard  to screen match because all the suits would be so similar to them to each other and obviously  you have reasonable deterioration and wear on them so it makes it tough to screen match but  you know it is interesting and we do note in the catalog the various markings you know some  some components are marked hero some are marked i believe some of the helmets say specifically hero  dark working set and that was a reference to a dark visor so there were probably multiple shades  of visor some dark some light maybe depending on whether they're filming at night or not or whether  it's an action scene or not some pieces are stunts you know sometimes the gloves or the boots or even  the body suits themselves will be marked stunts and again all that's called out specifically  in the description so it is kind of a mix match but all original pieces from that 1995 film and  it's all kind of archaeology that's done so that when you re-watch the film you can have a better  understanding of the production and recognize this stuff speaking of costumes though plenty of other  costumes of course you know the 900 lots here any of your favorites anything you want to call out  uh well there's actually one here that i love the alien three suit oh yeah so that's from the third  film which doesn't always get the most love but i really like the movie and i really like  the costume as well you know they went back to the translucent dome on the alien head which i  think is a really nice effect and i just love the paintwork i mean it's somewhat faded now on the  bodysuit i think the foam latex kind of absorbed the the airbrushed paints but you can really still  see it on the shoulder blades which are fiberglass amazing paintwork on those alien 3 suits  and that i think is the only alien 3 costume that still exists anywhere so that's a significant one  uh but we have lots of great costumes you know standing behind me is general kale from willow yes  on the 80s fantasy kick we have some spacesuits we have spacesuits from things like the martian  we have some stallone costumes from things like creed so there's some great costumes  throughout the auction absolutely especially in the world of spacesuits one of those things where  it probably is at a fraction of what the the studio was charged  to make that or what the you know what the actual fabricators that do you know when it comes on the  market oh yeah and those martian space suits are beautiful so gorgeous um yeah james bond  couple of very nice james bond costumes with the official eon paperwork those are really nice lots  yeah take a look at the catalog there's there's a great spread in there awesome and the catalog is  online as well for people it is yeah calm auction you can also get a printed copy if we still have  them i think we're running low but there's still a few there and yeah take a look over 900 lots  of of great memorabilia well thanks for bringing some of those out here to share with me brandon's  always great to see you and good luck with the auction yep thanks norm thanks for coming out\n"