Costume Symbolism in The work of Designer Eiko Ishioka (An Analytical Study on The Films: “Bram Stoker’s: Dracula “– “The Cell “– “Mirror Mirror”)

Films are part of visual communication, and therefore film costumes are also linked to everyday visual culture, from the time they are released and premiered to the audience. Through costume, visual culture is interdisciplinary, making it divided between different sciences such as cultural studies, sociology and arts. Visual or film studies, different sciences have different views on the image.

The sementic of film costume is considered one of the most important elements of the cinematic image, as it gives the viewer the opportunity to see the character and read him through his clothes. Costume design is not limited only to the clothes in their essence, but rather has a narrative and visual mandate, as the designers serve the script and the director through creating original characters and using color, texture, and silhouette to achieve balance in creating a cinematic frame. Film costumes are images that can function independently and give connotations without relying entirely on the character, body, or narrative. They are special costumes that are not only functional, but also work as metaphors. They can be costume alone denotes a concept or connotation, although in deep context with the character's entire appearance within the events. Film industry is full of creative artists and fashion designers in their field, who left prominent marks on the films in which they were a part. Among these pioneering designers: Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka, who was able to achieve the difficult equation between design appropriate to the character and the aesthetic form, which made her designs a breakthrough in the field of design. Film costumes, as their innovations were a major reason for the success of the films in which she participated. The researcher selected three of her most important films in different time periods, analyzed them, and concluded some of the reasons that made these designs have lasting impact and have iconic connotations that distinguished them. These films are: “Bram Stoker’s Dracula 1992,"The Cell 2000"," Mirror Mirror 2014".