Even though it's been over a decade since the first movie hit the screens and almost eight years since the saga officially came to an end, the Twilight phenomenon is still well alive in our memory. The saga defined an entire generation and the fan mania that began soon after the first movie premiered was truly remarkable. It's impossible to decide exactly what made it so popular in the first place. Was it the forbidden love story between a teenager and a vampire? Or could it be the exhilarating fight scenes between vampires and werewolves?
At the end of the day, we'll probably never know the answer. What we do know is that the legacy of Twilight still remains in the hearts of those who loved it so much. And because homage needs to be paid to such an incredible saga, we thought it's a good time to take a little trip down memory lane. Let's rewind all the way back to 2008 and take a look at ten hidden details about the costumes you didn't notice!
Budget Is Low, Low, Low
It's hard to imagine now, but back when the first movie got the green light to be filmed, it didn't have one-tenth of the popularity it came to harness later. Looking back at Twilight and the subsequent four movies, it becomes very clear just how much of a difference in the budget there was between the first installment and the ones that followed.
This translates not only into a significant change in special effects but also in the money costume designers had to work with. Because the budget for Twilight was so low, the biggest chunk of clothes came from stores you can find anywhere. These include, according to costume designer Wendy Chuck, Loehmann's, Nordstrom Rack, Internet outlets and local Portland stores.
There's Room For Some Gucci
Hard to imagine that a movie who went on to spawn four more blockbusters and a deep mania amongst fans had so little money to work with, right? Of course, it would be expected that the clothes would be some of the first to suffer from the lack of budget, but the designers still did a fantastic job.
And even though, as we've mentioned, most of the costumes were provided by your typical, everyday stores, there was one piece where the costume designing department decided to splurge on. If you feel like a rewatch and pay special attention to Edward's jacket during prom, you'll notice it's some serious quality piece. In fact, it's Gucci. We wouldn't expect anything less from him!
Vintage Alice
Quirky and adorable Alice quickly became one of the fans' favorite characters. Those who were already familiarized with the books had a little something extra to guide them when it came to this special character. Alice is, in fact, very much into fashion, and later in the series, we all had a laugh thanks to her efforts to convert Bella into a stylish vampire.
Dressing Alice for the first movie entailed two things - firstly, making sure she blended in with the rest of the Cullens and their style. And secondly, making sure her artsy personality shined through. This was accomplished by using a series of vintage pieces that the costume designer felt were good enough to convey who Alice was as a character.
The Blues And Greys
When one thinks vampires, the color palette automatically shifts to black. This, of course, would be valid for the typical vampires we all grew up hearing stories about. You know, the kind that sleeps in coffins, don't go out during the day, get burned by the sun, hate garlic, and all that good stuff.
However, we can agree on the fact that the Cullens aren't exactly those kinds of vampires. And their outfits were designed keeping exactly that in mind! They wanted to get away from the creepy vibe, and instead portray them as the civilized, stylish clan that they were. While initially they were meant to be dressed in lighter colors, the blues and greys were found to better accentuate their pale skins.
Bella's Progression
Bella's style was very much though trough. First of all, she arrives in Forks as an outsider. And an outsider who hates the cold and the rain, but absolutely loves the sun and the warmth. In order to make her stand out from everybody else, while simultaneously accentuating her love for her previous home, they dressed her in warm, earthy tones.
And then, throughout the movie, as she becomes closer with Edward and the Cullens there is a clear shift in her wardrobe. As her relationship with Edward evolves, so does Bella's wardrobe - she subtly begins wearing pieces that complement the Cullen palette, including blues and greys. This symbolizes the turn in Bella's life once she meets her one true love, Edward.
Polished Couple
While Emmet was quickly perceived as nothing more than the playful, gentle giant that he was, Rosalie's character took a while longer to develop. It wasn't until the third movie that we understood why she treated Bella the way she did, and it wasn't until the last two where we got to see the two "sisters" develop something akin to friendship.
So, in the first installment of the movie, Rosalie was dressed to be exactly what she seemed - stunning, rich, and polished. And because Emmett was always by her side, their aesthetic was pretty similar, which helped convey their dynamic as a couple, and their status as graceful and stunning outsiders.
Something Handmade
We've already made it clear that the first installment of the Twilight saga wasn't exactly overflowing with money. Add that to some less than desirable filming circumstances and having to make certain characters stand out, and you have some seriously complicated job ahead of you when it comes to finding exactly what you want to dress your characters in.
So much so that in one instance, costume designer Wendy Chuck actually hand made one of the pieces we see most often throughout the movie - Edward's gray jacket. The best part is probably that this became one of the most instantly recognizable pieces of clothing from the entire movie. Kudos!
The Cullen Crest
Even though there's no mention of a Cullen crest in the books, the movies decided it was a good idea to further present an idea of union and family between the Cullens. One that was silent and went beyond just seeing them together in school, one that only they knew about, and held dear to their hearts.
It's present in very small details, but every member of the clan uses it in some shape or form. For instance, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward each wear a leather cuff bracelet on their right hand. Rosalie wears a large pendant necklace, Alice wears a choker necklace, Carlisle wears a silver ring on his left hand, and Esme wears a silver bracelet.
Some Rock & Roll
The ultimate big bads of the first Twilight movies were obviously the nomads, particularly James and Victoria. These three were the complete opposite of the Cullen family in every way, something that was clearly shown through the costumes that they sported.
Because they were much darker and wilder than the other vampires introduced to us, the inspiration for they look was something a lot more rock and roll, and all over the place. This also included pieces that they would remove from their preys once they were done with them, thus accentuating their evil and emotionally detached nature.
Everyone Blends In
Making everything come to life was surely a tough challenge. The scenery in itself was so gloomy and grey it didn't give much room for creativity, especially because it wouldn't make sense for any character to wear extremely colorful clothes, with wacky patterns and very unique features.
All in all, every single character manages to blend into the physical space they are in, while still maintaining the characteristics that would force them to stand out. The mastery in Twilight's costume designing is that everything follows a similar color palette and a similar style, while simultaneously showing the subtle differences between the most important characters.