Lauren Hadley, Costume Critique

Fairy Godmother can’t get all the credit for creating the magnificent ball gown worn by Cinderella in the 2015 motion picture. Recognition should also be given to Sandy Powell, the lead costume designer on the set of Cinderella. Powell has been nominated ten times for an Academy Award for Costume Design, and has also won three for her work on Shakespeare in Love, The Aviator, and The Young Victoria.

I feel that Powell had a huge responsibility as lead costume designer. Not only did she have to recreate the iconic ball gown and glass slippers, but she had to do it in a way which was new, yet familiar. Costumes play a huge role in the story of Cinderella because they help distinguish evil characters from the good ones, and help viewers follow the different stages of Cinderella’s life. For example, through the costumes we can see when she is a struggling, mistreated stepdaughter and when she was transformed into a princess. The evil step-mother, played by Cate Blanchett wore a lot of greens and blacks. Her red hair also added to the evilness of her character. The ugly step-sisters wore obnoxious costumes with every color of the rainbow which supported their obnoxious personalities.

ELLE fashion magazine released an article about Powell’s work on Cinderella, and they stated something I completely agree about and is what I liked most about Powell’s work. They said, “She gave each character, from Lily James’ amiable Cinderella to Cate Blanchett’s cruel stepmother, her own palette and silhouette, resulting in a fantastical collection of dresses you will not-so-secretly want to wear.”

An observation I made right away while watching the production was that many, if not all, of the female characters wore corsets. I believe the use of corsets were essential in creating the Victorian look. However, all I could think of was how uncomfortable that would be to wear during the long hours of filming. Despite my thoughts of uncomfortable-ness, Powell thought otherwise. In a recent interview she said, “If the corset is made well by a proper corset-maker and fit to the exact measurements of the person wearing it, there should be no pain whatsoever. You put it on, it feels tight, and eventually it loosens up and molds itself to your body. A lot of actors actually like it.”

My favorite piece of the movie was of course Cinderella’s ball gown, I’m sure all would agree. I love how butterflies were added to the collar of the dress which added uniqueness and individualized the dress to the character’s love of butterflies. I loved how overly puffy it was. A ball gown isn't a ball gown if it isn't big and cupcake like. I love the color palette used. Of course, the light Cinderella blue as seen in Disney’s version. But I also noticed hints of purple show through as she danced. It was beautiful. I couldn't help but covet her dress.

I was most fascinated with the glass slippers and how they were able to create them. Powell said, “The glass had to sparkle and shine, which took me to crystal. And the only place to go for crystal was Swarovski. We approached them and asked them if they were interested in collaborating.” What I found most interested was how the glass slipper seen in the movie was actually a visual effect and was transposed onto her foot.