The Costume Secrets of 'Pulp Fiction'

A look into the costume secrets of Quentin Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction' reveals interesting details about the characters' clothing choices. Costume designer Betsy Heimann, who also worked with Tarantino on Reservoir Dogs, spoke to Dazed magazine about the challenges and inspirations behind the costumes.

For the character of Mia Wallace, played by Uma Thurman, Heimann wanted to create the image of a 'cool' and 'bad' woman, isolated by her gangster husband. Due to the low budget, the team had to crop Thurman's pants, creating a cropped look that was not in fashion at the time. The gold Chanel shoes, however, were borrowed and used to highlight the character's financial comfort.

The inspiration for the Speed Racer t-shirt worn by Eric Stoltz's character came from Japanese animation. Tarantino had such a t-shirt and it was decided to use it for the character who never left his house, always wearing a dirty gray bathrobe.

Critic Janet Maslin wrote in 1994 that 'Pulp Fiction' uses subversive power to keep the audience in suspense, suspending viewers' moral judgments.