Five Questions
vintage fashion collector John Hadeed’s star turn.
John Hadeed sank into a cushiony theater seat at the Metreon. This would be his first chance to watch the new adventure film “The Lost City of Z.” Yet he is intimately acquainted with most of the wardrobe worn by Sienna Miller, playing the devoted stay-at-home wife of real-life British explorer Percy Fawcett, who at the dawn of the 20th century believed he’d come upon the remains of an advanced civilization in the Amazon.
Hadeed is akin to a clothes whisperer — the fashion maven who becomes involved in a movie after a costume designer and wardrobe staff determines a look for a character. It is then left to Hadeed to find the actual pieces to fit their concept. He is known in Hollywood for his extensive collection — culled from 25 years of buying personal wardrobes and other people’s collections — all of it categorized and archived like a library. Much of it is stored in Hadeed’s downtown San Francisco shop, Torso Vintages. And until April 22, a variety of ’60s-era clothing, jewelry and accessories can also be purchased at the Love Boutique “installation” at Neiman Marcus Union Square.
So when he needed to compile an upperclass woman’s wardrobe worn between 19121935, the time span of the movie, he knew just where to look. Hadeed was charged with dressing just Miller. But to prepare, he read the script early in the process and all of the Fawcett biographies. The extensive men’s clothes were done by Ralph Lauren.
Q: How did you come to work on “The Lost City of Z”?
A: It was through Wanda Morales, an assistant to the main costume person on a Woody Allen movie. She found me a unique source for period movies. Woody wanted a negligee from the 1920s for one scene. He wanted to rent it instead of buying it to save a little money. I really don’t like to do rentals but then I thought, “Why not? I’ll have one of my pieces in a Woody Allen movie.” So when Wanda was hired on “Lost City,” she got in touch with me. She knows I am very easy to work with and that I would give them options from my archival collections. Everything you see in the movie was all original. I know what looks good on camera. Just because a dress is gorgeous doesn’t mean it will read on camera. It can’t be camera-shy. I have a trained eye, and I know my period clothing very well.
Q: Did you meet with Sienna Miller to go through possible selections?
A: Are you kidding? She was just incredibly busy. I got her measurements and then the costume people did the fittings. They had like one day to fit her. The film was shot all over the place overseas, and I had to keep figuring out where to send the boxes of clothing.
Q: How did you know how many ensembles to send?
A: When I read the script, I saw her scenes were marked. You only see her six times. I guess the more screen time an actor has, the bigger the clothes budget.
Q: Describe some of the clothes you put her in.
A: When the Fawcetts are on the grass and he is telling her goodbye before he leaves for the Amazon, she has on an olive green and white checkered linen lawn skirt. When he returns from his trip at an event honoring him, Sienna wears a silver empire gown with a lace lamé bodice that to my mind is the star of the whole thing. From the bust line all the way down to the floor it has an asymmetrical train of purple cut velvet matched by a large purple flower on her bosom. At the end she has on a beautifully molded wool cloche (a close-fitting woman’s hat almost like a helmet) with a side kind of bow and big rhinestone buckle.
Q: What else are you working on?
A: A couple of television shows. I found a red vintage Versace dress for Cookie on “Empire” to wear this month. And I have been working on “Feud” (a limited-run TV series about the bad blood between Hollywood divas Bette Davis and Joan Crawford). Part of the show is set in the ’60s but then there are these flashbacks. I am trying to fill in the gaps with pieces that really have an impact onscreen. For Joan I found a turquoise silk turban and a matching turquoise purse. Things had to be matchy-matchy back then.
“The Lost City of Z” opened this weekend at Bay Area theaters.