Cautionary Women

In "The Huntsman: Winter's War," the sequel-slash-prequel to "Snow White and the Huntsman," the costumes of Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) are truly rare birds. Ravenna is the survivor of a wave of fairy-tale villainesses that assaulted the early 2010s: Julia Roberts' Clementianna ("Mirror, Mirror"), Famke Janssen's Muriel ("Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters"), and Angelina Jolie's Maleficent ("Maleficent"). Costume designer Colleen Atwood had the honor of taking the character under her wing again, and the result is yet another feather in her cap. You don't need a hawk's eye to see it. Channeling Ravenna will have you ruling the roost at a costume party. Costume Spoilers for "The Huntsman" movies ahead. Ravenna may be dead as a dodo in the first film, but, boy, this bird has come back as a golden girl. Clearly, the idea this time is to shine like a gold bar to the silver coin that is h...

2015 was a good year for female power. We've had Hillary Clinton running for President, Bruce Jenner proudly proclaiming he's Caitlyn, a female Jedi top-billing Star Wars, Ronda Rousey drawing record ratings, and villainesses crowding screens, big and small (and small-small). We took it upon ourselves to count down the biggest, baddest of the latter: 15. Kommissar  Her name sure sounds like a comic book supervillainess, but Kommissar is just the mean girl who makes aca-mazing Europop in "Pitch Perfect." Those sure are pipes of gold...if gold were rotting, that is. 14. Scarlet Overkill Sign us up for that villain conference and we'd be screaming ourselves hoarse too, front row, for this despicably mod meanie. 13. Arsyn Taylor Swift took "1989" to even more stratospheric success by releasing this diss song against Katy Perry. Selena Gomez's Arsyn, Perry's obvious stand-in in the cinematic music video, is guilty by associat...

Horror television has reached the apotheosis of camp and glamour in the form of Fiona Borgia Vandenheuvel Goode, the sorcer-ific, Emmy-winning character played by Jessica Lange in the third season of "American Horror Story." Fiona Goode was a phenomenon from the get-go, and for a moment we imagined she (and Myrtle Snow) cast a spell on the fashion industry . It was only a matter of time before it all hit home for Jessica, who when passing by some starstruck fanboys one day, heard them say: "Holy shitballs. The Supreme!" Now there's an entire  Tumblr  page dedicated to Fiona, and even  a toy .  While the loopholes in this season are big enough to drive 13 broomsticks into, the cutting dialogue and cutting-edge fashion more than atoned for them. Viewers will be bewitched, visually. As ringleader of the coven, Fiona Goode wielded “all that power" and "dressed it up in Chanel.” Part Anna Wintour, Part Hillary Clinton...Fiona Goode is truly in c...

An entrance to entrance for the Wicked Stepmom Everyone's favorite tufthunter, Lady Tremaine, clawed her way to the cinemas this year with the live-action version of Disney's "Cinderella." Cate Blanchett was a casting coup for the character, given that she had practically played a fairytale villainess before . With the help of acclaimed costumer Sandy Powell, Cate Blanchett portrayed the quintessential Wicked Stepmother in an array of outfits that would make both Joan Crawford and Queen Victoria seethe with jealousy.  Instead of following the Halloween herd by slipping on The Dress, why not vaunt some hard-won class by going as Cate's version of Madam Tremaine? If you think every eligible maiden wants to be Cinderella on All Hallows' Eve, think again.   Costume  If you get the sense that the movie's costumes are a little bit anachronistic, it's because they are supposed to be. Sandy purposely designed the costumes to look like a 194...

Photo via Heider Carlos Eat your heart out, Mystique. The magnificent, marvelous, mad Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone has the shapeshifting business down pat. With powers of transfiguration rivalled only by Merlin and Maleficent, Madam Mim is a one-size-fits-all Disney villain. This is the sorceress with the ability to turn herself from this: To this: Madam Mim can reverse ageing and shed weight for the fraction of time it takes Ursula to morph into Vanessa. In hindsight, Mother Gothel should have just asked Mim for tips instead of committing all those crimes in pursuit of rejuvenation. Hair via New Republic Be beautiful, lovely and fair, have some silvery voice, but never forget the long purple hair! The lavender wig is essential if you intend to channel the scourge of Camelot. If you want to be skinny Madam Mim, go for the longest wig . The older, plumper Mim would opt for a shoulder-length one . Either way, give the wig a little tousle for that truly ...

From a play-it-safe country chanteuse, Taylor Swift has morphed into a kick-ass pop tart not afraid to play up her progressive (Meredith? Olivia?) side. Millions of viewers saw that facet of hers at least in the music video for "Bad Blood," which promptly broke a VEVO record within 24 hours of its release. For the video, Taylor rounded up her ever-populous cadre of famous friends, including OG BFF Selena Gomez, to slip into $13,000 worth of clothes from a Los Angeles-based sex shop called The Stockroom  (NSFW). If you're not really a die-hard Swiftie, the biggest of your #squadgoals would probably be the outfits Selena wore to the video. We've got you covered, so no bad blood between us, okurr? In character as the deceptive Arsyn, Selena wore The Stockroom's $360 Syren latex blouse called the Garbo. Guaranteed to "help you project your inner vintage film diva," the Garbo blouse has a high collar with a pussy bow and flows into bishop sleeves. ...

DANCING QUEEN. Dazzler is Marvel's mutant pop star For every Wonder Woman, there's a Storm prepared to electrocute her.  For every Captain Marvel, there's a goddess-like Selene  able to suck the spiritual viscera out of her.  Emma Frost. Rogue. Psylocke. All great mutants for a solo movie. All ready to dash Ike Perlmutter's sexist confirmation bias . Movie studios can even walk the road less trodden and bring to the big screen a mutant relatively unknown, someone underutilized. Someone who was supposed to have a movie that for some reason was shelved. Someone perhaps like...Dazzler?  I LOVE ROCK 'N' ROLL. Alison Blaire is more Joan Jett than Britney Spears in the Earth-1610 reality. As you may know, Dazzler a.k.a. Alison Blaire is Marvel's Madonna, the mutant Queen of Pop. (Incidentally, Madonna had her own comic book .) She was literally born for the concert stage. She is a walking light show, able to convert sonic vibrations into vari...