Unlike most biopics, which can span decades, A Complete Unknown takes place over just four years, 1961-1965, meaning that the style changes are more due to changes in character rather than major trend shifts.
Chalamet pushed for all of his costumes to be aged so that they would feel more lived in.
When we first meet Dylan (Timothée Chalamet), he is dressed in a style that mimics that of his musical hero, Woody Guthrie, demonstrating that this is who Dylan aspired to be like at the beginning of his career. Philips revealed in an interview that the scarf that Chalamet wears was actually made from an old blanket found at a charity shop to get the authentic worn look, noting that Chalamet pushed for all of his costumes to be aged so that they would feel more lived in.
Over the course of the film, we see Dylan develop as a character and move away from this image. In a memorable scene towards the end of the movie, Chalamet wears a bright green polka dot shirt, potentially foreshadowing the chaos that unfolds later in the movie, and contrasting his outfits at the beginning.
Many of the jeans that Chalamet wears in the film were actually custom-made for the movie by Levi's.
One of the key elements of costume in the film are the jeans that Dylan wears. Although she “immersed” herself in all photographic evidence of Dylan (including photos not released to the public), Philips was struggling to find the exact jeans that Dylan had worn. After contacting the head of Levi's vintage department, she eventually discovered that they were a style that was only manufactured for a few years in the 60s. Therefore, many of the jeans that Chalamet wears in the film were actually custom-made for the movie by Levi's.
...a third of the wardrobe came from vintage shops or Etsy.
Not all of the clothes were made new for the film however, as Phillips states that a third of the wardrobe came from vintage shops or Etsy, with the suede coat belonging to Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) being one of these pieces. Vintage fabric was also occasionally used to get the desired effect. The dress that Sylvie wears in the emotional ferry scene is made of a vintage fabric specifically chosen by Philips for its watercolour-like quality. The dress is also softer and more feminine than anything we see Sylvie in the rest of the film, in order to highlight her vulnerability and sadness in this scene.
Philips, who also designed costumes for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood and Don’t Worry Darling, was nominated for a BAFTA for her work on this film.