Julien's Auctions
Lot 115
An original three-piece costume ensemble for the film Mad Max: The Road Warrior (Warner Brothers, 1981). These pieces are not seen in the film, but are most likely prototypes for the film's costume design.Components of the costume include a distressed leather jacket, leather-studded-spiked-arm-cuff, and a pair of lace-up leather boots. The feature piece to this outfit is the distressed leather jacket, originally dark brown, the leather was dyed/painted black for the film, the jacket has a center zip closure with an "IDEAL" logo pull, a fold-over-collar, two welted pockets below the waist on the right and left side of the jacket. There is top-stitching and diagonal lapped seams, typically seen on leather motorcycle jackets. There is an inverted vent at the center back, as well as a western yoke on the mantle/shoulders of the jacket. The left sleeve was cut off to distress the jacket for the look of the film, and the right shoulder has a plastic shoulder guard with foam padding underneath that was painted black, this design feature is also distressed with a hole at the front of the shoulder cover, scratches, marks, and indentations throughout; there is also an assortment of pyramid studs and spikes on the shoulder cover's border. The jacket is lined but the stitching securing the lining came undone, likely by distressing the garment for production. The leather boots are a dark brown that lace up to the upper calf, at the back of the boot going up the shaft are spikes on both sides of the center seam, the pair of boots is missing a total of 9 spike embellishments. There is moderate wear and creasing to the vamps, as well as the soles. The forearm leather cuff has three buckles to fasten the accessory and is almost completely embellished with silver spikes and studs.Mel Gibson reprises his role as Max Rockatansky in this sequel film, he is traveling the apocalyptic outback where he reluctantly aids “Pappagallo” and his tribe against “The Humungus” and his violent marauders.Norma Moriceau designed the costumes for the second and third installments of the Mad Max films. Before becoming a costume designer Moriceau, a native Australian, moved to London, England, and worked as a photographer and stylist. She most notably collaborated with English designer Vivienne Westwood and Westwood's partner Malcom McLaren. Moriceau also styled and worked with The Sex Pistols, utilizing the punk aesthetic, which defined the later part of the seventies. Moriceau took the punk-style-fundamentals and applied them to the Mad Max films she worked on, she used biker wear, bondage, fetish wear, and sports equipment to create a dystopian look that still inspires looks and outfits today in terms of cosplay with fans wanting to mirror the designs in the films. Jenny Beavan, who worked as the costume designer on Mad Max: Fury Road (Warner Bros., 2015), won an Academy Award in 2015. The costumes in the film paid homage to Moriceau and her work in the 1981 and 1984 films.This lot comes with a DVD box set of the original three films, as well as a note acknowledging these pieces came from the costume designer Norma Moriceau’s archive.
