“Why aren’t they wearing their colors?” Michael Kaplan’s costumes from 'Clue: The Movie'

Many people who see the 1985 cult classic, "Clue", wonder why the colors of the costumes don't match the names of the characters. "Why isn't Miss Scarlet wearing red? Why isn't Mr. Green in green?" Great questions! Here are the answers straight from "Clue" costume designer Michael Kaplan and director Jonathan Lynn from "Who Done It: The Clue Documentary", coming soon from It Looks So Fake Productions.

#Clue #MichaelKaplan #JonathanLynn #WhoDoneIt #ClueDocumentary #Costumes

[postmodernrecycler]

Always liked this choice in costuming against their color names. Made you think. And there are a few details like Mrs. White's cloak reveal w/the white lining, Col. Mustard's overcoat being yellowy-camel, Mrs. Peacock wearing feathers and a peacock brooch. For Miss Scarlet, green is opposite red on the color wheel, and Mr. Green is uptight and possibly isn't attracted to women: so, the polar opposite of Miss Scarlett running a brothel. Oh my, am I overanalyzing this movie? Alright, I'm overanalyzing!

[MrDooteronomy]

I feel like so many of us who love this movie are people who first discovered it when we were kids, and as kids we maybe can't help but be a bit discomfited at the cognitive dissonance of something like Miss Scarlet wearing green instead of red. But as an adult, you realize, "Oh yeah, of course, " and the more realistic aesthetic for the costuming just makes so much more sense, and is part of what makes the movie so appealing.

[Dparish]

It makes so much sense, these characters are not the characters from the game, they're just playing the characters. Just like we play the characters when we play the game, we don't dress like the characters while playing we just have the color tokens. The tokens in the film are represented with their cars, all the character drive their color car. Also the costumes are fantastic and match their personalities well, I think wearing their colors might've been too distracting.

[garretthoie]

Here’s a little clip from the Clue documentary explaining their costume choices


And besides that, the character’s cars all match their assigned color.

[texashazzard]

I'm just dying here when can I see this???

[expressivefloret]

I like the explanation of the costumes. But I do think it’s a shame Leslie did not wear “scarlet”.

[jemstar]

It would've been fun to have them colour coded. Logically it would not make sense, but like just do it, it's not that serious.

[dergluckliche]

What fabric is used to make the wrap Miss Scarlett wears? The sort of diaphanous pale green piece? It's got enough body to stand on its own but it's not crinoline, is it?

[philnewton-england]

I rewatched this last night (for the umpteenth time) & said out loud "What a shame they didn't wear their actual colours". They were all given invitations saying they would go under their (Colour) pseudonyms, I would have added 'wear the appropriate colours too'. 😔