A single word immediately comes to mind when one thinks of the costume designs behind Baz Luhrmann‘s The Great Gatsby adaptation: decadence. And since that word radiated from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, it makes perfect sense that the looks created by costume designer Catherine Martin would be over-the-top and sensational.
As the Academy Awards approach, and Gatsby finds itself up against films like American Hustle and 12 Years A Slave in the Best Costume Design category, it’s hard not to root for these eye-catching looks that absolutely transport viewers to the 1920s. You can’t help but be taken in by the glamour and luxury of it all, even if you know how the story ends. That scene with Leo/Gatsby throwing those shirts about? So delicious. And so fab, just like the party scenes. You can almost imagine Carey Mulligan and the other actors wanting to join the cast for the sole purpose of playing the most epic game of dress-up ever. But a designer’s touch can only take things so far, and as Martin points out in her interviews, the actors had to do much of the work to pull off these gorgeous looks.
With jewelry by Tiffany & Co., menswear from Brooks Brothers, and many of Daisy Buchanan’s iconic looks designed by Miuccia Prada herself (who worked closely with Martin, and also incorporated styles from Miu Miu), The Great Gatsby is a fashionista’s dream. And for those of us who never got an invite to a Roaring Twenties-themed party, this is the closest we’re going to get to this fabulous bygone era of fashion.
