Cinderella (2015)

Costume Designer: Sandy Powell

This live-action remake of “Cinderella” by Disney takes the idea of timelessness and invokes it through the costumes portrayed. Because the film, like many others by Disney, is not time or region specific, the idea that the costumes for this film can be critiqued by historical accuracy or regional fashion goes out of the window. In most cases this timeless feel can go wrong, and it falls down to the design team to be imaginative and invoke cohesion between looks to neatly tie the film together. In Cinderella, this works perfectly! The costumes throughout this film are coherent and work together to create a functional wardrobe for each character whilst also drawing inspiration from every time period imaginable. 

Cinderella

(Cinderella's Day Dress)

For most of Cinderella’s costumes, there is the running colour scheme of blue. Not only is this in-keeping with the original Disney’s Cinderella from 1950, but the choice of pastel blue lends itself to the personality of the character extremely well. The first dress that Cinderella is seem in is a plain pastel blue dress stereotypical peasant style dress paired with a burgundy-coloured apron. This style of dress is often seen in films with historical elements, and so due to this the audience already has a feeling of familiarity with the character coupled with the familiarity of the storyline. The use of pastel blue here leans into Cinderella’s personality, as the connotations of pastel blue can be calm and serene. Pastel blue is also associated with children, and in the scenes where this dress is worn, the character of Cinderella is still quite child-like. She has had no real experiences with the outside world, depended on her father entirely and has lived a life of privilege and naivety. It is only when her father remarries to the evil Lady Tremaine does Cinderella fully understand that there is cruelty in the world, and that she can experience it. The dress itself is quite child-like in design, with little expensive detailing or trimming. There is shaping around the bodice, but there has been no extras or expensive accessories added. This could reflect the fact that Cinderella does chores in this dress, as seen in the film, or it could be a reflection on her giving personality and her ability to lessen what she has for the sake of others. By turning down lavish dresses and finery, she is able to support her hard-working father and the upkeep of the house they live in. Here it is obvious that Cinderella is naïve to the ways of relationships and love, a core theme of the film.

(Cinderella's Ballgown)

The ballgown is full of symbolism for the change of Cinderella’s character at this point in the film. Loosely based on ballgowns from the 1860s, with the ruffled neckline, small waist and large hoop skirt being seen on dresses of the time. The overall silhouette of the dress is also in keeping with the original character design, although other parts of the original dress are missing. The change from pastel blue to a deeper blue is symbolic of Cinderella’s change from childhood to womanhood. If the pastel carried connotations of childhood and innocence, then the dark blue carries connotations of wisdom and confidence that Cinderella now exhibits. She is wise to the world, now knowing that is it not the pretty place she thought it was. Her confidence stems from her ability to survive her stepmother and stepsister’s torment, and now she will do what she wants and not what others tell her to do. The butterflies that feature on the neckline of the bodice and the glass slippers hold key ideas of change and rebirth. Similar to the colour change, the butterflies echo the idea of metamorphosis and the change that Cinderella has undergone physically due to the Fairy Godmother’s magic, as well as the change she will go through from childhood to womanhood as she attends the ball and falls in love with the prince. Butterflies are a symbol of virginity and innocence, and this may link to her current state as still being naïve: she hasn’t met the prince yet, and so hasn’t experienced love like that. There is also the common myth of a butterfly, specifically a white one, being a deceased loved one. This could lend itself to Cinderella’s ballgown here, as the godmother uses the dress Cinderella was wearing as a basis for the gown, and that dress was one that had belonged to her mother. By having the butterflies on the neckline, it symbolises her mother being close to her heart even in death. The butterflies on the shoes may suggest that her mother is with her every step of the way, both physically as she attends the ball and metaphorically through every step of her life.

(Cinderella's Wedding Dress)

The last dress that I would like to touch on for Cinderella is her wedding dress. This dress is simple in design, a white or cream silk or taffeta dress with floral detail and a lightweight organza veil. This dress is tastefully understated in appearance, and once again reflects Cinderella’s personality as someone who is modest and gentle towards others. Even though she is in a position to have expensive things, it is obvious that Cinderella doesn’t care for that, and so her love for the prince truly is built on love and not monetary gain that is seen in the stepsisters and Lady Tremaine.  Her finest dress is her ballgown, and it is not one that she has chosen or had bought. The floral detailing on the skirt and neckline both flatter the colours that the Prince wears with his pastel blue jacket with gold detailing, but also are a nod to the country life that Cinderella had as she was growing up in her father’s house.  The dresses simplicity makes it beautiful to look at, and the colour choice of the cream makes it accessible to all who watch it, as white is a very western colour for a wedding dress.

Lady Tremaine

(Lady Tremaine's Day Ensemble)

Throughout out film, lady Tremaine is depicted in a lot of green and black. Throughout the Disney franchise, these two colours have been heavily linked with other villains, such as Maleficent, Ursula and the Evil Queen. By utilising a similar colour palette with Lady Tremaine’s outfits throughout the film it allows the audience to know that from the moment we see her, she is the antagonist. The silhouette of the dresses that Lady Tremaine wears throughout the film does not change, with a blouse or bodice, a column skirt, and an overskirt. This silhouette is quite striking and dramatic and emphasises Cate Blanchette’s slender frame and height, which work to create the tall and intimidating nature of Lady Tremaine. The clean lines of her day dresses and exaggerated shoulder pads and silhouette only emphasises her wickedness and attention-grabbing behaviour.

The green and red hues used throughout the dresses of Lady Tremaine emphasise deadliness and evil. The greens are sickly and vibrant in colour, with connotations of poison and danger. The shade of green is very similar to that of Maleficent’s magic in the film Sleeping Beauty and the Maleficent films themselves, helping avid Disney watchers and fans be able to easily connect the character of lady Tremaine to the idea of the antagonist of the film.

(Lady Tremaine's Ballgown)

The dress that Lady Tremaine wears to the ball is perhaps her most striking and impressive. Upon researching more on this dress, I found that it takes inspiration from mid-20th century fashion designer Charles James’ “Butterfly Dress”. James’s gowns are known for their extremely sculptural quality and many have a rigid architecture to easily support layers of luxury fabric. The fabric in question for this dress (and the other ensembles in Lady Tremaine’s wardrobe) is a taffeta. This fabric has expensive connotations and is easily linked to the taste for wealth that lady Tremaine has, as well as the lifestyle that she once knew before the death of her first husband. The idea of her ballgown also being based on a butterfly, albeit rooted in fashion, could symbolise Lady Tremaine’s own want for change. Lady Tremaine married Cinderella’s father in the hopes of bettering her life and the life of her daughters, and as she heads to the ball her hope is to do the same again: procure more for herself and children by marrying one of them off. However, it could also symbolise her change from youth to older, and her bitterness through that change due to the hardships she may have faced.

(James Charles "Butterfly Dress" Circa 1950)

I think that it is important to know how the costumes of Lady Tremaine juxtapose those of Cinderella and the setting so beautifully. The house, and the outside meadows are beautifully coloured with light and pastel colour palette. This makes Lady Tremaine even more striking and scary as she wanders through the house, as she so effortlessly dominated the passive colours with her bold greens and dark black. She is so different, so much more complex and eviler, that her colour palette clashes with that of her surroundings, and hers seemingly wins.

One final thing to note in comparison to Cinderella’s costumes is the theme of childhood and womanhood. Cinderella’s dresses do not show her figure, and are coloured so as the highlight her youth and innocence. In contrast, every one of Lady Tremaine’s outfits shows her figure; hugging her chest, cinching her waist, exaggerating her hips and flattering her long legs. The dark colours as well all link to that idea that Lady Tremaine is a woman in her full adulthood. She has made the transition into womanhood but has lost her innocence and this is evident in the colour choice of her ensembles. The wedding dress of Cinderella nods towards her shape somewhat, but the colour still points towards her innocence that we never actually see her lose in the film. Cinderella is blossoming into womanhood but may be able to take her innocent and charming qualities with her. Lady Tremaine is fully in her womanhood, and has lost all her innocence and youthfulness, something she envies Cinderella

Conclusion

The costumes of Disney’s live-action Cinderella are amazingly made and effortlessly portray the ideas, themes and personalities that are embodied by the characters. Powell effortlessly blends certain fashion ideas from many time periods to create amazing, timeless costumes that accentuate characters and elevate the setting and story to a whole new level. None of the costumes feel out of place in the film, and so the suspension of disbelief from the audience is never broken. This is a key idea, as it allows the audience to think and feel for the characters and become fully submerged in the world the director is creating. These costumes are extremely successful in aiding the story and creating a beautiful and realistic setting. Overall, Amazing, pretty and fantastic costumes for a live-action fairy-tale.