Dark Suits and Square Glasses

THE MOVIE: “Malcolm X”

THE SETUP: Biographical film of the black liberation leader Malcolm Little (Denzel Washington, pictured) spans his teen-age hustler years in 1940s Boston, his political and religious transformation and his assassination in New York in 1965.

THE COSTUME DESIGNER: Ruth Carter, who has worked on Spike Lee’s “School Daze,” “Jungle Fever,” “Do the Right Thing,” “Mo’ Better Blues” plus the films “The Five Heartbeats,” “House Party 2” and “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.”

THE LOOK: In his prime years--the late ‘50s and ‘60s--Malcolm X dresses primarily in black, white and gray, as do his wife, Betty Shabazz (Angela Bassett), Elijah Muhammad (Al Freeman Jr.) and other Nation of Islam leaders. This may be partly because the Muslim dress code called for modest clothing, but Malcolm X really did favor black single-breasted suits (making an exception for an occasional brown plaid), white tab-collar shirts and skinny black neckties. Even his eyeglasses were framed in black or gray plastic, except for one pair in reddish-brown.

Shabazz’s prim wardrobe included black and dark blue button-front dresses with white collars and cardigans.

The colorless clothes aid in giving the film a near-documentary feel, since the era largely evokes the black and white imagery of photographs and TV news. Indeed, when the film cuts to pseudo-documentary footage in black and white, the segue is seamless.

Malcolm X does dress ever-so-slightly more exuberantly on his inspirational trip to Mecca: His suit is navy and his tie is gold.

WE COULD LIVE WITHOUT: In his early years, Malcolm X was a low-life hustler who, if one believes these costumes, dressed like a chorus dancer in “Guys and Dolls.” His red plaid, green plaid, powder blue, orange and awning-striped zoot suits and Robin Hood-style hats may fit the era, but director Lee should have left that look on Broadway.

QUOTED: “The glasses are the signature. Denzel was adamant about having the exact style of glasses Malcolm X wore. I can put on a pair of Malcolm X glasses and look like Malcolm X,” Carter says of the frames.

THE RESEARCH: Working with news photographs and footage, Carter aimed to duplicate Malcolm X’s clothing. She even consulted his mug shot at the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. She also did period research at the Fashion Institute of Technology library in New York.

SOURCES: The signature eyeglasses are by Art Craft, which is now out of business. Some of Malcolm X’s suits were made at Saint Laurie in New York, while others were rented from Peggy Ferrell’s costume shop in Wilmington, N.C. The tab-collar shirts are from Barneys New York. The zoot suits and some of Shabazz’s dresses were custom-made.

Other vintage items came from Flashy Trash in Chicago, Early Halloween and Eaves Brooks in New York, and Palace Costumes and Motion Picture Costume in Los Angeles.