Carol (2015) dir. Todd Hayness
“He (director, Todd Hayness) never specifically said, “I want Carol to be wearing this, and I want Therese to be wearing that”. We talked about the characters in depth. We knew that Carol had money and so she would wear beautiful clothes, and there was a choice of silhouettes and shapes that she could have worn in 1952. It would have to be the sort of lean shapes and narrow skirt, as opposed to the big Dior new look which was just currently very fashionable. That felt like it was too extravagant and too frivolous really for her. Therese is not defined by men. She doesn’t dress for men either. That’s what is interesting about it. She’s not dressing for her boyfriend, she dresses for herself. Then I wanted to show a development. She’s on a journey of self-discovery, really, and by the end of the film she really has changed, she’s discovered who she is. And then she finally starts earning some money, and I reckon that she spent her first pay packet on a new outfit and a haircut. So that’s when she gets the more grown-up, more sophisticated looking two piece suit, it’s sort of inspired by Carol yet not emulating her. She’s discovered her own sense of style.“ - Sandy Powell, costume designer.
