History Main / WTHCostumingDepartment

* ''Series/WhenCallsTheHeart'': A lot of the costumes are very obviously modern, off-the-rack clothing. The costume designer has said Hallmark wants the series to be somewhat visually in line with their other media (especially regarding color palette), and it doesn't break their budget trying to continuously come up with new clothes for a decent-sized cast. The costume staff modify a lot of it as best they can, but it can be very jarring to see an obviously anachronistic cut or fabric. It doesn’t help that despite the Gay90s setting, no woman is ever seen with their hair up or a hat and all of the men are clean shaven.

* ''Series/MenWithSword'': Two words. [[https://64.media.tumblr.com/ffeda4b31d6dbdc8d4fcb6e16299efd6/d0d4915dd9b2a7d5-b3/s540x810/c15f25737d98c40daf7e9b62c17dc02164e2e3ac.png Feather boa]]. [[{{Understatement}} Not exactly the sort of fashion you'd expect to see in ancient China.]]

** In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' animated series, ''New Teen Titans'', a short has the Titans being tossed through time, donning costumes and looks from each era. In the '90s era, Beast Boy laughs at Robin's mullet (as he was wearing Tim Drake's ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}} costume with Dick Grayson's Nightwing mullet) before noticing his own. When they get to the '80s, ComicBook/{{Starfire}} sees what she's wearing and promptly freaks out, using her hair to cover herself up.

That is the essence of "What the Hell, Costuming Department?" Maybe it's an [[DerivativeWorks adaptation of another work]] where the costumers decided, for no apparent reason, to make the character look entirely unlike he or she does in the source material. Maybe it's an original work where [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs the costumers were evidently insane]]. Either way, confusion and dismay ensue.

Related tropes include: RummageSaleReject (where the characters at least have the excuse that maybe they got dressed in the dark), CostumePorn (which provides a possible explanation for some examples), FashionVictimVillain (a bad guy whose costumes attract WTH moments) and WTHCastingAgency (where the confusion arises over who's ''in'' the costumes). Specific to video games is RainbowPimpGear, where the best combination of items for gameplay purposes results in a visual eyesore.

* ''Film/TheRoom'':

* In ''Literature/{{Twilight}}: New Moon'', when Alice shows Aro her vision of Bella being a vampire, Bella and Edward are seen running through the forest in slow motion... wearing clothes that look like they came right out of 18th-century Colonial America. Needless to say, this scene drew much unintended laughter from the audience. [[http://www.pulpconnection.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Edward-Bella-running.jpg Here's a screenshot of the narmful scene.]]

** Poor [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Nowi]], many do agree she genuinely has a compelling and tragic story, but to most it is undermined by the baffling decision to give her what amounts to a dragon-scale bikini, short shorts and garter boots, which on their own wouldn't be too bad, had Nowi [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld not had the body]] [[AgeInappropriateDress of a pre-teen]]. While manaketes who look like children aren't anything new to the franchise, her look along with her child-like personality have made it hard for many to take her seriously.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3'' has Jill Valentine's infamous [[{{Stripperific}} tube-top and mini skirt]] combo. She has a more situation-appropriate long-sleeved top, but for some reason she has it tied around her waist. This one is actually given a nod in the novel, mentioning that Jill chose this ensemble for ease of movement. Whether that's a good justification or not is up to the reader.

* Wrestling/BraunStrowman of Wrestling/TheWyattFamily wears tweed colored trousers with dark patches on the inner sides of his thighs, [[https://twitter.com/TableofJapan/status/653210032763441152 making it look as though he pissed himself.]]

-->"Oh no! Oh no! His mask is off! Oh someone's getting fired!"

* In ''Film/Immortals'', the outfits worn by the Olympians, especially the armor and headgear looks absolutely laughable.

** Gray's Grand Magic Games outfit with exposed shoulders, detactacted sleeves held on by belts, and baggy Hakama pants looks ridiculous and nothing like anything else he's worn. Thankfully he looks better once he loses inevitably loses the top.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' shows us [[https://zelda-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Ganondorf_(Twilight_Princess)?file=Ganondorf_%2528Twilight_Princess%2529.png this incarnation]] of [[BigBad Ganondorf]]: while the character himself remains the DiabolicalMastermind we know and LoveToHate, his headdress gives the impression that he styled his hair in curlers.
** IGN [[http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/12/29/2011s-worst-dressed-video-game-characters rated]] the outfit Link wears at the beginning of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' as making him one of the worst-dressed video game characters of 2011, calling it a "burlap sack disaster" and saying that "dressing like an Arizona grandma" was bad for the [[{{Bishonen}} already effeminate]] hero.

** All the women's costumes, except Madame Giry's, somewhat anachronistically show a lot of cleavage, and the slave girl outfits are altered from those of the stage show such that they [[BareYourMidriff show midriff]]. Christine in particular runs around half-dressed far more than would be expected for a naïve young [[TheIngenue Ingenue]].

Related tropes include: RummageSaleReject, where the characters at least have the excuse that maybe they got dressed in the dark; CostumePorn, which provides a possible explanation for some examples; FashionVictimVillain, a bad guy whose costumes attract WTH moments; and WTHCastingAgency, where the confusion arises over who's ''in'' the costumes. Specific to video games is RainbowPimpGear, where the best combination of items for gameplay purposes results in a visual eyesore.

* ''Film/DeathMachines'': With the exception of Madame Lee, all the crime bosses and gangsters are given costumes more in line with ordinary insurance salesmen or used car dealers.

-->-- '''Tom Servo''' riffing ''Film/TimeChasers'', ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''

* ''Film/ThePhantom1996'' makes an honest effort to preserve the look of the titular character from [[ComicStrip/ThePhantom the original 1930's comic strips]], but given that said look is adapted very literally and consists of purple spandex, black UnderwearOfPower, and a DominoMask... it's not a very flattering guise. The fact this is supposed to be [[HighlyVisibleNinja his sneaking outfit in]] ''[[HighlyVisibleNinja a jungle]]'' makes the questionability of this decision and the quality of the execution even more gaudy and ridiculous.