BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Series 4 costumes, makeup and hairstyles

**Posted by Meretricious** January 8, 2017 4:23 am

I've only seen The Six Thatchers so far, but thought I'd start a new discussion if that's okay

I really liked Molly's christening outfit (would make a great cosplay!) and her gorgeous hair in the scene where she and Mrs Hudson are asked to be godparents

Did anyone think the makeup was a bit obvious in this episode? Especially Sherlock and John's.

**Posted by ewige** January 8, 2017 8:43 am

Yeah, I know, they are ORANGE!
Clair, the make up lady, claims that it's post production.
It's been noted that the saturation and the lightining in some shots are off, like the Persian rug is very red, for one thing, and can indicate a different reality of sorts. I very much hope so. It would be cool to have make up as a storytelling device :D

**Posted by besleybean** January 8, 2017 8:45 am

I actually don't like the idea...well I'll clarify: I don't so much mind the use of lighting. But not make up, it should be invisible.

**Posted by ewige** January 8, 2017 8:47 am

I don't like e.g. John's cheating in the same way, such things feel off in the new ep and I just hope there is a good explanation for all of them

**Posted by SusiGo** January 8, 2017 12:49 pm

Great idea for a thread - and please be patient for me starting again my favourite complaint: I love John's hair. I really do. That said - how do we explain the changed hairstyles? The scene with Lady Smallwood at the beginning makes us believe that this is shortly after the tarmac. But John's and Mary's hair shows a growth that would take months. Mary could have chosen extensions, but John?

And what is interesting, too, about John's hair is the similarity to Culverton Smith's hair. I watched a promo video with Toby Jones whose hair is very thin and short on top. They deliberately gave him a hairstyle and colour similar to John's. I think this might be important for TLD.

**Posted by ewige** January 8, 2017 12:53 pm

SusiGo wrote:
Great idea for a thread - and please be patient for me starting again my favourite complaint: I love John's hair. I really do. That said - how do we explain the changed hairstyles? The scene with Lady Smallwood at the beginning makes us believe that this is shortly after the tarmac. But John's and Mary's hair shows a growth that would take months. Mary could have chosen extensions, but John?

And what is interesting, too, about John's hair is the similarity to Culverton Smith's hair. I watched a promo video with Toby Jones whose hair is very thin and short on top. They deliberately gave him a hairstyle and colour similar to John's. I think this might be important for TLD.

John is very stylish now - both his hair and his outfit. I like Mary's new look too!
However, I think it would be cool as a storytelling device as well!

**Posted by Liberty** January 8, 2017 12:54 pm

It might well be. They are both short too. It's interesting that initially there was some debate over what was John and what was Culverton in the trailer. There may be some sort of mixup tonight!

I do think the hairstyles are just a new look for the series (but Culverton's hair could have been based around John's look).

**Posted by Lis** January 21, 2017 10:27 pm

I didn't mind John's hair but it was a little odd how his and Mary's changed so much in what I think was supposed to be a short time after TAB. I wasn't too keen on Sherlock's hair this series (apart from his scruffy look in TLD), it just seemed a little short/flat. The makeup was definitely weird and I don't think it can be completely blamed on post production because in some scenes their faces looked pretty orange but you could see they had no makeup on their necks. None of those are really huge issues for me though but I did notice them.

**Posted by besleybean** January 21, 2017 10:30 pm

I don't know if it's because I don't wear make up, but I don't notice stuff like that.

**Posted by Yitzock** January 21, 2017 10:53 pm

I didn't notice, either, but like you, besley, I don't use makeup so that could be why I didn't notice. Sometimes I notice eyeliner on people, but not always, and I can't think of a moment during series 4 where I did.

**Posted by Liberty** January 22, 2017 8:56 am

I think I noticed Eurus the most, because she looked quite different to how Sian looks "normally".

I do think the hairstyles are meant to be part of the new look for the series - I like them, and don't mind the lack of continuity. I think it would have been a nightmare to try to have them at various stages of growing their hair out in various takes. I think Culverton's hair may have just been the look they wanted to give him too - it did remind me of John's before the series aired, but I found I didn't think of it when watching.

**Posted by Yitzock** January 22, 2017 11:32 pm

I didn't think of it either. Only when we got to the scene where John beats up Sherlock did I remember that I wasn't sure in the trailer whether it was John or Culverton. When I actually saw the characters they looked different to me.

**Posted by ewige** January 29, 2017 12:27 am

I have a question.
So if it takes around one month to film one episode, does that mean Benedict had to wear his fashionable stubble one month long? I mean, it itches. And it needs to be trimmed to look the same every day!
And have I said that it itches? Give the man his BAFTA already, he's been tortured for this show!

**Posted by Vhanja** January 29, 2017 1:11 am

I've been wondering the same thing - is that his real stubble, or just makeup?

**Posted by ewige** January 29, 2017 1:18 am

I don't even know what would itch more - fake stubble or the real thing... It does look real, for what it's worth... albeit dyed a couple shades darker than Ben'd natural color maybe?

**Posted by Vhanja** January 29, 2017 1:41 am

In a way, it would be easier to just grow natural stubble.

Then again, for weeks on end, perhaps just having it shaved and add on make-up would be the easier option?

Don't know.

**Posted by besleybean** January 29, 2017 8:25 am

Men grow stubble at different rates...I'm not that intimate with Benedict's body to know, in his case!
But it can grow quickly and certainly with added make up, I think the necessary effect could be easily achieved.

**Posted by ewige** January 29, 2017 9:46 am

But here it's not an issue of growing stubble but maintaining it for one whole month.

**Posted by Liberty** January 29, 2017 10:33 am

Couldn't they just use a beard trimmer or similar to keep it at the same length?

**Posted by besleybean** January 29, 2017 11:16 am

Are people looking that closely?
But anyway, a day's growth would be the same every day!