I Ranked 19 "Catching Fire" Costumes From "Cinna Isn't Impressed" To "Worthy Of The One And Only Effie Trinket"
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The Hunger Games movies are back on Netflix this month, and since I was raised by both my parents and the dystopian YA literature boom of the 2010s, of course I gave them a rewatch. I reread the books during the earliest days of lockdown, but I hadn't seen the movies in full and in order for a while, and during my marathon, two things became clear to me.
First of all, I think they hold up! These are among the rarest treasures of all: satisfying, well-made adaptations of beloved books with a demanding fanbase.
And secondly, wow, Catching Fire is absolutely the best movie. I remembered thinking that when the movies came out, but I have returned from my Netflix cave to tell you that it's still true. Catching Fire is my least favorite of the three books in the main trilogy, but through a combination of exciting action sequences, vivid characterization through both humor and heartbreak, and stunning production design, this movie has an edge on the other three.
And one of the areas in which that edge is most apparent is in the costuming. Costumes are hugely significant in both the books and movies, as both a means by which to separate the decadent Capitol citizens from the struggling District residents and a tool through which Katniss becomes first a possible Victor and then a revolutionary symbol. For Catching Fire, the wardrobe department gave their blood, sweat, and tulle to the cause. In honor of their work and my own love for this movie, I've ranked 19 Catching Fire costumes from "Eh" to "Worthy of Effie."
Just so you know, this isn't a ranking of every single costume that appears in Catching Fire. The movie is an embarrassment of costuming riches, but I limited the pool to outfits that are either narratively significant or caught my eye for some reason. Also, I ranked the costumes in The Hunger Games a while back, so feel free to go back and check that out, if you're so inclined.
19.Peeta's Interview Tuxedo
Cinna: "I will make a transforming dress for Katniss that both defies the laws of physics and crystallizes her role as the symbol of revolution in our totalitarian hell nation. I'll literally die for that dress."
Cinna's hypothetical assistant: "That sounds amazing! What about Peeta?"
Cinna: "I don't know, give him a tinfoil pocket square or something."
(I know Peeta technically has a separate stylist — don't think I've forgotten you, Portia — but you barely see her, and regardless, this outfit's clearly an afterthought. He probably saw it and was like, "Well now I have to make up a fake pregnancy, or else everyone is going to forget who I am.")
18.Cashmere and Gloss's Reaping Outfits
Do you think they have a third sibling named Polyester Blend?
I am spiritually opposed to Gloss's beige tunic...
...and to Cashmere's outfit in general. Between the statement shoulders, the golden armbands, and the animal print skirt, it reads as a hodgepodge of different luxury items, which may well have been the point, considering they're from the luxury district. But the overall impact is less "rich" and more "random."
But, in fairness, if you showed me a photo of this character and I had to guess their name, "Cashmere" would be in my first five guesses.
17.Katniss's Victory Tour Suit
She looks like a flight attendant on Panem Airways. Panem Airways: Bread, Circuses, and Service.
16.Peeta's Reaping Outfit
Sure! Why not?
15.Finnick's Reaping Sweater
I don't know what it is about a white cable knit fisherman's sweater, but it goes a long way in the "establishing a character as a charismatic but dangerous rogue" department.
Anyway, the sweater's fine, but not particularly interesting.
14.The Tribute Jumpsuits
Chic, sleek, and goes great with a golden bangle indicating the alliance your beloved but shady mentor made on your behalf.
I like these jumpsuits all the more for straying from their description in the books and dropping the silly flotation belts. They're futuristic but not distractingly so, and they look like something Michael Phelps would wear to break the sound barrier in the pool. No complaints here!
13.Effie's Train Outfit
Inexplicably, Effie changes from her butterfly dress into this red ensemble after the Reaping. There is simply no narrative reason for this costume to go so hard. And yet, it does, and I am grateful both to it and to every coffee filter that dedicated its life to its creation.
She tops it off with a metallic gold wig to match Katniss's pin, and her emotional declaration that she, Haymitch, and their two Victors are a team that can't be broken apart by the Capitol is one of the first whispers of her growing sympathy toward her two District charges.
12.Katniss's Casual Poaching Outfit
I love the weird torso scarf because it's a subtle but effective indication of Katniss's new social status as a Victor. She still has her Dad's leather jacket on underneath it, but the extra accessory, though practical rather than purely ornamental, is a luxury she wouldn't have had access to in the first film. Also, I want one. Weird torso scarves for everyone, please and thank you.
11.Johanna's Interview Gown
Johanna talks a big game about how much she hates that her stylist always dresses their tributes as trees, but in this one instance, it works. The layered neckpiece evokes bark, but otherwise, this gown is more luxury than lumber.
10.Effie's Black and White Victory Tour Ensemble
She looks great! She always looks great.
Also, that particular screenshot, with a member of Katniss's prep team lingering in the background, makes for an excellent meme format.
The memes make themselves, folks.
9.The Dystopian Legwarmers
I think about these legwarmers all the time. They make no sense and I wish Katniss was wearing them in every single scene.
8.Effie's Interview Gown
Effie wears this outfit in the same scene Katniss does her dramatic wedding gown, and the fact that it still makes an impression speaks to both the effectiveness of Effie's costumes and the raw power of hot pink tulle.
7.The Mockingjay Dress
Pros: Oh my god, the fire effects are so much better in this movie. How did they improve so dramatically? Whose hand can I shake to thank them for making the whole "Girl on Fire" thing look marginally real?
Cons: While I love the dress itself, and the contrast between the sleekness of its silhouette with the ballgown that came before it, I always thought the wings were kind of goofy. They don't look real, and I prefer the book's description of dramatic, feathered sleeves that give the impression of a mockingjay, rather than what Capitol stylists might refer to as the "full bird."
Also, side note, but it's a shame that the jokes that Katniss describes Peeta and Caesar telling about overcooking poultry don't make it into the film.
6.Effie's Presidential Palace Look
This is a beautiful costume, and while not all of the details work for me — sorry, wrist ruffs — it elevates Effie's normally dramatic wardrobe to new and even more bizarre heights. This is arguably her moment of greatest triumph in the film franchise, as the escort to not one but two Victors, and the literal height of her dress aligns with the figurative heights of her glee.
5.Katniss's Reaping Jumpsuit
Sad scene, great jumpsuit. It's practical, verging on utilitarian, and a departure from both the more feminine dress she wore during her first Reaping and the luxurious costumes of her Victory Tour. This costume manages to convey her dignity, sense of identity, and preparedness for a fight. She might be going back into the Games, but she's going as herself, rather than the Capitol's prop.
4.Katniss's Victory Ball Dress
This dress is mostly shot from the shoulders up, which is a shame, because it's a lovely costume with a lot of delicate detailing that deserves to be seen. Its nods to Katniss's motifs — the elaborate braided hairstyle, the fabric feathers on her shoulders — are prominent but not as obvious as, you know, actual bird wings. And the metal and leather hand gauntlet, which later makes an appearance in her chariot costume, is the perfect gladiatorial touch (as is her "you all disgust me" facial expression).
3.The Chariot Costumes
First of all, there's that gauntlet from the Victory Tour!
Where can I get one of these?
They look great. These ember costumes are a natural evolution of their first chariot outfits but enjoy the benefit of way, way, way better fire special effects.
(As a reminder, here's what we were working with in the first movie.)
The only detail I wish they'd included were the black Victor crowns that Katniss and Peeta wear in the books. Something about the red-hot glowing metal and reminder to Snow that they're more than just normal tributes is just the right "go to hell" touch that I think these outfits are missing.
Though Katniss igniting their costumes while staring dead into Snow's eyes is its own *chef's kiss* moment.
2.The Wedding Gown
In both the book and the movie, Snow forces Katniss to wear the wedding gown to make an example of her powerlessness, and in the book Katniss explicitly compares the dress to a shroud. The design of this costume matches perfectly with the narrative meaning of the gown: Not only is it not remotely like anything Katniss would choose for herself, its intended purpose as a humiliation tactic contrasts with the actual impact it has on the Capitol crowd, who genuinely love Katniss, in their own strange and limited way. This dress had to carry a ton of storytelling weight on its bedazzled shoulders, and it's up to the challenge.
I was going to rank this dress highly regardless for all the reasons outlined above, but I'm curious, so let me know in the comments what you think about the actual design of the dress. Is it something you'd wear to your own wedding? Would you get rid of the shoulder piece? Is it just lingering bad vibes from The Last of Us finale or is there something vaguely fungal about it?
1.Effie's Reaping Ensemble
When I ranked the costumes from the first movie about a year ago, many of the comments mentioned the absence of the butterfly dress, which goes to show how prominently it sticks out in peoples' memories of the film series.
This is probably the most exquisite costume from the film series, and the contrast between it and the horror of the Reaping makes it doubly memorable.
I don't want to strain a muscle with this reach, but do the butterflies symbolize the transformation — chrysalis style — of Effie from a casually cruel and vapid citizen of the Capitol to the more empathetic, self-aware character she becomes in the latter half of the series? Movie Effie's character arc is as skillfully executed as her wardrobe, and the devastation of having to reap Katniss and Peeta again, along with this dress, stand out to me as a philosophical turning point for her.
