CRUELLA’S COSTUMES ARE THE STAR OF THIS FASHION FILM

Cruella's costumes truly have the starring role in the latest Disney spectacular. I love films. When one comes along that is a costume film, like Cruella is, I get excited. I settled in to watch the latest incarnation of Cruella with some trepidation. However, I was pleasantly surprised. As a costume designer myself, the dream of any costume designer is a project like Cruella. The sheer delight of bringing one of the screen's most glamorous villainesses to sartorial splendor is irresistible. Moreover, the costume design for this film not only has to establish the characters , but also has to be the height of fashion. Each garment Cruella dons has to be covetable.

Two time Oscar winning designer Jenny Bevan ( Room With A View, Mad Max: Fury Road) had a double task as a costume designer and a fashion designer. The results of her work are an epic display of amazing proportions.

CRUELLA'S COSTUMES HELP TELL THE TALE

Cruella is a tale set in the fashion world. The protagonist Estella (with the alter ego Cruella), played by Emma Stone, loses her adoptive mother in tragic circumstances. The orphaned girl heads to London, where she takes up with a couple of street kids. Estella has the desire to become a fashion designer. On her rise to illustriousness is the ultimate fashion battle. Her rival is Baroness Von Hellman, portrayed by Emma Thompson. The Baroness, is the secret biological mother of Cruella De Vil and an esteemed fashion designer. Known for founding the House of Baroness, she is fiercely protective of her position and reputation. A war between Estrella and Von Hellman pursues and the weapons are frocks!

The fashion battle of this film is set in 1970's London with punk references and inspired visual nods to the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, David Bowie, and even Marie Antoinette. Designer Jenny Bevan uses her talents to create character-driven costumes while giving the fashion world the starring role.

CRUELLA'S COSTUMES;

THE BARONESS

The Baroness is an example of how a skilled designer uses the costume to help the actress create the character. The crisp, sharp details of her wardrobe aid in revealing her prickly personality.
In homage to Christian Dior and Cristobal Balenciaga, Baroness Von Hellman is a couture shroud fashion icon. These are costumes in a fantasy film. There is the perfect amount of exaggeration. The draped collars, pencil skirts, and turbans worn by the baroness are a tribute to the 1950s Haute Couture. For, all my fashion student followers pay attention to the details. It's these details that make amazing clothes and costumes.

photo Walt Disney Pictures

CRUELLA'S COSTUMES

THE RED DRESS

While the Baroness is a reflection of the great days of Haute Couture, our heroine's costumes are a reflection of everything current. The era of the film is London in the 1970s. The designer uses the past but also shows us fashion-forward looks. The costumes work on the screen to the catwalk. Many of Cruella's costumes show more like editorial photoshoots from the pages of the latest high fashion magazine, than film costumes. The first appearance of Cruella is her surprise appearance at the Baroness's party. Cruella wears a dress that she has repurposed from one of the Baroness's designs.

Fashionista's here's a clue, want to make an entrance and turn heads, wear red. While many of us will fall back to the fashion lover's best friend black, take a risk and wear red. What matters here is the spectacle, and this dress has it. Cruella manages to be the scene-stealer by wearing a red dress to a black and white ball, reminiscent of Bette Davis in the ball scene in Jezebel.

This red dress has a classic mermaid silhouette, what makes it unique is the ruched fabric, The asymmetrical neckline adds interest and modernity, while the flashes of white cut into the skirt give a break to the solid red and create movement. This frock looks fabulous from all angels.

CRUELLA'S COSTUMES

THE DALMATIAN COAT

While Dalmatian dogs don't play the featured role as they did in previous incarnations of this story, there is one image that could make you bark and growl. The painted coat Dalmatian is a show-stealer. What enthralls me with this look is the fitted tailored silhouette; the runway scene is the perfect setting for this garment. The extravagant stylized coat with metallic closures and the swooping skirt are reminiscent of the great days of John Galliano at Dior. As a lover of fashion, more than one Galliano look for Dior lives in my head rent-free. This ensemble creates one of those fashion great moments.

photo Walt Disney Pictures

CRUELLA'S COSTUMES

A TRASHY LOOK

Another breathtaking fashion moment in the film Cruella is the dress of garbage. A garbage truck interrupts one of the Baroness's photo ops and strews rubbish made up of old fabrics and newsprint. Out of the trash arises Cruella in a stunning dress made from the garbage.

The dress is a corset (covered with newspapers and fabric) and a gigantic train. Cruella's hair is like a punk-inspired Marie Antoinette. She wears make-up right off of Ru Paul's Drag Race. This dress is perhaps the most extravagant costume of the film. This look has all the punked-out inspiration of Vivienne Westwood.

photo Walt Disney Pictures

CRUELLA'S COSTUMES

MY FAVORITE

Cruella's costumes are all magnificent creations. One, in particular, stands out. Jenny Bevan researched and compiled a large number of vintage items to create the costumes for Cruella. However, none of them were used, except the militaresque jacket that Cruella wears for her fashion warfare. The jacket, has large golden epaulets and is covered with found trinkets. This look evokes the punk-inspired creations of Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood. This outfit stands out for me, because of the juxtaposition of hard and soft elements and a battle between feminine and masculine.

This military jacket pairs with a voluminous red skirt made up of 5000 silk petals. The combination of these two elements create an extraordinary silhouette. The close-fitting jacket with this gigantic embellished skirt gives us one of the most powerful visuals of the film. In my opinion, this ensemble is equally at home on the movie set as it would be on an haute couture runway.