Molly’s Game is an American Biographical crime/thriller movie following the 2014 memoir by Molly Bloom. It has been written and directed by Aaron Sorkin The movie follows the life of an ex-Olympic hopeful who, after suffering a life-changing ski crash, postpones her dreams of going to law school and settles in the big city, running an underground poker empire. Molly (Jessica Chastain) runs shoulders with all kinds of big names, including Hollywood celebrities, tycoons, athletes and even the Russian mob.
Looking at the kind of games she runs, you get a feel of how some casino games really require a lot of skill. For example, we usually think that casino games are just a game of luck, for instance, slots. Well, anyway, this is basically true since the different titles just require you to spin the reels. A slot title like Book of Ra is intriguing, but no special skills are needed. However, while Book of Ra relies on luck, Molly’s Game delves into the skill aspect of gambling, particularly in poker. You’ve got to respect the gurus of the game right after you watch the movie.
Anyway, when watching this fantastic movie, there is something that might catch your attention: Molly’s sense of dressing. The evening gowns and sleek minidresses that Molly wears tell a story and the different approaches Molly uses in different situations. From the sharp blazer to the cleave-baring dresses, Molly is not only designed for professionalism but also set to appeal to the male gaze. Let’s look at some of the top looks that costume designer Susan Lyall used to transform Jessica Chastain into Molly Bloom.
Let the cleavage stand out
When you look at many of the scenes, Chastain is always in a dress with a deep V, or a push-up bra, or both. However, Lyall, when doing the costumes, had to make sure that the dresses were the right amount of sexy but not trashy. It had to be just enough to capture attention but not go overboard.
When speaking to the Vulture, Lyall explained that there were so many things that they had to check before allowing a dress to go on set. She goes on to say that the cleavage acted like armor during a war. It just had to be there but on different scales. When going to a game, Molly’s cleavage had to be deep enough, but in professional meetings, like meeting her attorney, it was mild.
Sequins are it!
If the strapless pink Dsquared minidress that Molly wears when she pulls over at Sunset Boulevard does not capture your attention, then nothing can. This is perhaps among the most iconic dresses in the movie. Lyall says that this dress was saved specifically for that iconic moment.
During this scene, Molly is driving and has to pull over in order to pick a call from an angry and dissatisfied player. Jessica insisted that this would be the dress that would bring out the best shot when Molly is standing outside the car. Although there was a little back and forth concerning the dress, it sure achieved the greatness that it was intended to. The dress just brings out a certain look and feel that feels impossible to recreate with another type of dress.
Lyall says that in real life, Molly Bloom was not really a big fan of sequin, but they added it to the movie to make Jessica’s dresses more interesting. During her earlier days when Molly runs games for her boss in the dimly lit Viper Room’s basement, the glitter in the dresses help bring more attention to her. Well, sequins are more photogenic and they just give more life.
Frills, don’t fear them
If you think of an attention grabber, then you’ll think about the dress Molly wears when she wants to pitch her big game. It’s a nude dress with black ruffles on the front. The men she’s called are all in a suite on the Peninsula, and Molly calls for their attention.
Even before she’d said, “Can I have your attention please?” a good number of the men in that room already had given all her attention. Just walking into that room in that dress was all the statement she needed to make.
Interestingly, Lyall was not for the dress initially, but Chastain did some good work of insisting on it. Just so you know, Lyall had initially thought that it was too much, too feminine. However, Jessica thought it would nail the scene and was ecstatic about it. In fact, Jessica thought that it was the perfect attention-getter, with all the men in the room waiting to hear the proposal. Honestly, how could someone resist such a charm? It’s the perfect calculation!
White reads wealthy
Once Molly moves to New York, the life of luxury and high prices just stands out. No more Los Angeles bright colors, but now, she has to look like the wealth she makes.
In one scene when she is leaving the Plaza after a successful game night, Molly is shown being adorned in a white fur coat. Lyall says that this coat had to scream wealthy and filthy rich, since you could hardly see what she was wearing beneath. And what could scream it better than a white coat?
If there was a color that screams exclusively fancy, it would be white. You see when you are wearing white, then it means that you will be picked up in a car and are going to a place you do not expect to meet dirt. When you have a white suit, it just means that you don’t wear it that much, and when you do, it’s only to places that see dirt as an enemy.
When in the lawyer’s office, Molly wears a beautiful white La Perla suit, which means she is not just another regular client. The business that happens in a white suit is definitely not one that happens in a black or navy suit.
Blacks show the other side
As Molly’s life takes a plunge, so does her dressing. Instead of the bright-pinks and reds she wore in L.A. Molly is frequently seen in blacks and dark greys. The clothes also have added details, like heavier zippers, to make her look feel as gloomy as her life is.
Lyall states that Molly went from dressing to impress to dressing to depressed. Heavy makeup, darker clothes and a deep-diving neckline become her day-to-day look. Even when, in the present day, she goes to meet her lawyer, she still has looks that give a shy and more reserved impression. You can just tell that her life is not as vibrant as it used to be.
Wrapping up
Dressing really helps tell the story. The brighter, the darker, the more colorful or the heavier can easily tell what phase a character is in. In this case, Molly elaborates her different life phases and what she wants to communicate by the kind of clothes she wears.
