green with envy

I mentioned that I had seen the wonderful “Atonement” over the weekend but I didn’t mention how much I adored the costume design on the set. Since the movie was set in the 1930′s, all the outfits were styled with that bit of vintage flair I love. I was so inspired by the film’s fashion that I did my research, trying to find as much information about the costumes as possible.

The movie’s costumer designer is Jacqueline Durran known for her work in Knightley’s other fantastic movie, “Pride & Prejudice”. She explains that because the movie is based on a child’ memory, she played around with the looks instead of sticking to the normal frumpy and scruffy looks common at that time in Britain.

One dress in particular that I can’t get out of my mind is this dazzling green dress Keira Knightley wears in the movie. Durran said that, “(the director) Joe wanted the gown to have a wide hemline so that it moved beautifully when she walked. He knew he was going to shoot the ground and the dress billowing. It also had to be a dress that she looked almost naked in, as fine a fabric as possible, and loose-bodied.”

Every time Knightley walked or shifted in this dress, it looked like she was floating because the dress moved so well.” Durran explains more about the dress and the design for “Atonement” in this article from the LA Times. The dress also had to survive the love scene in the library, so she had to make sure that it tore correctly and could last.

Here is one  of the original sketches of the dress.

And here is the dress shown on film. Simply stunning, right?

The girls at FabSugar tried to find the same dress at a cheaper price and they were pretty successful. Style Bubble also wrote a bit about this movie and the costumes as well, so check that out.

If you haven’t seen this movie, go see it. Not only will you see some great clothes, but you will be enthralled by this epic film.