I t’s as central to Bob Dylan as a harmonica – it is, of course, a scarf, Dylan’s preferred accessory, and one that has become a go-to for Timothée Chalamet, who has been wearing them constantly since filming the Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown . But the brown, bedraggled scarf scrunched around his neck at the beginning of the film, as a young and carefree Dylan, isn’t quite what it seems. According to costume designer Arianne Phillips, the well-worn shawl was a last-minute fix.
“We had a hard time making [our original scarf] look authentically raggedy,” she says. “So that was actually a piece of blanket that we found at a charity shop. That was very last-minute – we did everything on the spot, leading up to the final moments where Timmy was walking on set, to give it that aged look.
” Otherwise it’s Dylan’s trademark denim, boots and hair that unify each era of his low-key yet instantly recognisable clothing style, says Phillips. As the costume designer on James Mangold’s film – currently topping the UK box office – she was tasked with showing the subtle progression of the rock veteran’s wardrobe. Through Chalamet – who plays him with a winning mix of arrogance and indifference – we see Dylan evolve from scraggly, scruffy young kid, to an aloof mod in Wayfarers in line with his growing fame.
Recreating iconic looks – from his Freewheelin’ album cover to the leather jacket and super-skinny jeans he sported on stage at the Newport folk fe.