Clothes make the man - and the big Hollywood movie. Costume designer Mary Zophres wielded that philosophy beautifully in "The Terminal," "Catch Me If You Can," "No Country for Old Men" and other box office winners. Now she's back in action on "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

With just eight weeks to costume the most anticipated sequel in Hollywood history, Zophres' challenge was almost as daunting as piecing together the Staff of Ra.

"It was a huge job and in every place we shot, from L.A. to Connecticut to New Mexico, we had simultaneous crews working nonstop," says Zophres.

Her biggest test was taking the blockbuster franchise, which starts in the 1930s, into the Cold War era without losing that famed "Indiana Jones" flavour. "Steven Spielberg felt very strongly about how the cast should look, particularly Harrison Ford. He wanted to keep that iconic silhouette of his leather jacket and still bring Indy into the 1950s."

Bernie Pollack signed on as Ford's personal costumer. Zophres tackled everyone else, including Karen Allen, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, John Hurt and hundreds of extras.

"Bernie's job was difficult," says Zophres. "He and Steven couldn't ignore the fact that Harrison and Indy had aged. So when he's not in the leather jacket, Harrison wears doubled-pleated pants, sports coats and ties of a certain width that are appropriate for his age and 1957."

Back to the future: Icons of history and Hollywood shape 'Indy 4' fashions

History and Hollywood inspired Zophres' creations for Ford's co-stars. Karen Allen, who returns as Indy's old flame "Marion Ravenwood," gets a touch of Amelia Earhart's adventurous spirit.

"Earhart is courageous. She's not afraid to go to the other side of the earth to look for someone. Everything she is and stood for made sense for Marion," says Zophres.

Dressed mostly in pants, Zophres says, "Marion knows she's going to Peru as the film begins and dressed as a traveller throughout the picture. She's dressed for action, not drinks on the Riviera."

Marlon Brando's youthful, tough-guy hotness in "The Wild One" influences "Mutt Williams," Shia LaBeouf's character. "Shia's playing a guy who is smart enough to get onto a college campus but still unruly. His leather jacket is younger in attitude than something Indiana would wear," she says.

Walter Huston, the crotchety star of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," spices up John Hurt's "Dr. Oxley" and Ernest Hemingway fuels Zophres' designs for "'Mac' McHale," Ray Winstone's character.

Finally Cate Blanchett, this flick's super-fly Soviet spy, gets her movie mojo on in a Russian parade uniform from the 1950s. "What's interesting is that the Soviets didn't have any female officers," says Zophres. "So we sexed up that masculine suit, cut it to Cate's proportions and she pulled it off."

The big picture: Keeping 'Indy 4's' look authentic down to the last detail

Even with hundreds of extras, Zophres passion for detail is evident.

"Steven left everything to me because I'm plenty obsessed for both of us," says Zophres. If penny loafers were worn and the coins were not from the 1950s, extras turned them right-side up. Mens' pants were worn high at the waist, not at the hip. And every woman wore real period foundations.

"No woman in the 1950s would walk out of the house without a girdle. Their brassieres were also more structured and pointy," says Zophres. "Authentic undergarments completely sell the silhouette of the decade."

Her passion for authenticity made Spielberg happy. "He's such a film buff and remembers how actors looked in so many movies. Getting a big smile from him was very satisfying," says Zophre. "But he wasn't checking Indy's underpants to see how authentic they really were."