Welcome to Dressing For Dread, a style analysis focusing on key characters in horror films.
Clive Barker’s HELLRAISER needs virtually no introduction. But for the sake of this post, lets shift the focus away from the iconic BDSM-inspired costumes of the Cenobites towards the film’s most endearing human villain. Dashing antagonist Julia Cotton (Clare Higgins) gives in to viciousness in the name of love and lust. Her wardrobe hides the beast within in, upkeeping her image of control and domestic bliss.
Speculation
When audiences first meet Julia, she gives the indelible impression of an uptight ice queen, which she totally is. She plays the role of a beautiful housewife well by staying out of the way, interacting with guests politely, and letting arguments fizzle. Kirsty, her stepdaughter, is an annoyance and is of disinterest. Even as she aims a sly glare towards the moving men who leer, her outward appearance and behavior alerts others that she is measured and careful. But underneath the cold exterior is a lustful woman who wants to roll in the dirt.
Her knack for control is taxing. She is perceived as the strong one, despite her domestic role. When her husband Larry injures his hand, he cries out for her because he cannot stand the sight of blood. Collected and cool, she handles his injuries without a flinch. Her relationship with blood evolves after this encounter. It stains her clothes and splatters her face, marring her prudish image. It gets her dirty and absolutely thrills her.
Julia is out of place, pantomiming as someone else in a life she didn’t want. She wants someone else to call the shots. She wants to be the messy one, and Frank’s sadistic tendencies fit the bill. He’s commanding, exciting, and brutish, nothing at all like his brother. Julia is an eager accomplice if only to feel his fire once again.
Unlike her husband and his daughter, Frank takes Julia exactly as is. She can be nasty. She can be mean. She can be homicidal, and he will still want her. That is, until he’s done using her for his own needs. This kind of allure is too big to ignore for someone who has repressed their true nature. The sexual release she experienced with Frank was on par with the greatest high any drug could provide. Frank doesn’t treat her like a delicate flower to tiptoe around and she loves it.
If Julia is put together and ladylike, no one would ever suspect the animal lurking underneath the tailoring. The role she’s embodied so well has suddenly become her greatest tool. Her elegance is her lure. Her quiet, polite disposition disarms her unsuspecting victims until she raises her weapon. She is death in a nylon slip, hiding the desiccated corpse of a man she brought home before her husband arrives. Desperate housewife? Not in the usual sense.
Style
Julia Cotton sports a cropped pompadour hairstyle with ample volume on top, one that was prominent during the mid 1980s to early 1990s. She wears nude and coral pink lipstick paired with gold and brown eyeshadow that carries all the way to her thin brows. She lines her top and bottom lash lines with black liner. Her cheeks are sculpted with pink blusher. Julia’s color palette leans warm, sporting orange, pink, and mustard hues. Her manicure is short and shiny, either lipstick red or buff.
She wears black, white, and gray pieces with pops of primary colors. Her wardrobe is built on what we’d now call office wear. In 1987, it wasn’t abnormal for men and women to dress in button-downs or suit jackets off the clock. Julia rocks a power suit jacket regularly throughout the film. According to Vogue, power suits were a departure from the fitted silhouette of the 1970s. This new style was angular and exaggerated. They were being designed for women who wanted to occupy space that was previously barred. Julia is seen wearing skirts with her jackets instead of pants to maintain a sense of femininity. Her closet also includes button-ups, V-neck blouses, and high-waisted trousers in plain or plaid print. When wearing pencil skirts, she wears black or beige hosiery. Her footwear of choice are black leather pumps. She favors satin finishes and wool blends. Most of her outfits are cinched at the waist with a belt.
She accessories with jewelry, including brooches, a strand of black beads, and her wedding ring. However, her trademark item is statement earrings. This is where most of her personality comes out. She’s seen wearing masquerade masks, leopard-print stars, and faux pearl drops with rhinestones. Her wardrobe has a deep sense of authenticity to it because she rotates these pieces in different outfits for the duration of the film. She’s fashionable, classy, and completely normal to the naked eye.
Key Scenes
Julia’s personality softens as she discovers Frank has been in the house. She’s eager, alert, and has no problem taking a photograph for herself. We see her facade of perfection drop as she crouches down in his swill.
Committed to Frank, she sets out to bring back a body. Her sunglasses hide any lingering doubt or fear that might give her away.
Julia’s final moments are spent wearing blue. In Western culture, blue signifies both trust and calmness. On the cusp of getting away with her lover, she is blindsided when he betrays her.
Guide
To dress like Julia Cotton, don’t shy away from boxy suit jackets. The shoulders should be padded. The same goes for any button-up blouses. An angular silhouette should broaden your frame, not skim it. White or solid color tops are a great investment. Midi-length pencil skirts may translate as too professional nowadays, so opting for a shorter length can easily modernize them. Julia would never go out with bare legs, so grab a couple pair of hosiery stockings. High-waist trousers should be belted and straight-legged. A good pair of leather pumps can last a lifetime if the heel is more squat. The toe should be almond or round, not pointed. A few pairs of funky, vintage earrings will add personality to a plain outfit. Don’t be afraid to clash patterns or go too big with them.
High waist trousers
Button-ups
Padded suit jackets
Pencil skirts
Black nylon slips
Leather pumps
Sheer stockings
Statement earrings
The costume designer for Julia Cotton in HELLRAISER was Joanna Johnston.
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