The styles of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan make a strong comeback this fall after by the release of Baz Luhrmann’s new film The Great Gatsby, based on the eponymous novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Jack Clayton’s successful 1974 adaptation of The Great Gatsby was a huge success, not only for the studio, but also for Bloomingdales, which released a fashion line dedicated to the film. The costumes created by the Greek designer Theoni V. Aldredge for Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, marked a trend that year, and received and Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
Forty years later, Miuccia Prada, Tiffany’s, Brooks Brothers and designer and co-producer Catherine Martin, (who is also the director´s wife and has an Oscar for the film Moulin Rouge) have joined together to design the spectacular costumes for the new movie. The stunning creations are already causing furor within fashion circles.
This partnership of cinema and fashion brings back the flapper culture and the spirit of the jazz age, with pearls, fringes, the bob cut and Coco Chanel´s art deco style. It is safe to say that with Gatsby, the Roaring Twenties will have a strong presence in this year’s international catwalks.
Baz Luhrmann´s magnificent new version is preceded by enormous expectations, and by an expensive publicity campaign. After all, it is not too often that film producers have the luxury of bringing together a designer of the caliber of Miuccia Prada, the stunning jewels of Tiffany’s, and a soundtrack featuring Jay Z, Beyonce, Florence and the Machine, and the young Lana del Rey. If to this we add the all-star cast, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire, among others, you certainly have a winning product.
Baz Luhrmann.
Brooks Brothers, the label Fitzgerald himself favored in the 1920s, is responsible for the men’s wardrobe, which includes more than 200 pieces. In this case they introduced a selection of classic tuxedos, impeccable summer suits in pastel colors, and wonderful shirts and ties.
Miuccia Prada, granddaughter of Mario Prada who created the brand in 1913, was in charge of the women’s costumes. She made 40 pieces for the film in a predominantly pastel palette of sea foam, ski blue, cream and gold tones.
But this is not the first collaboration between Prada and Luhrmann. The pair worked together in the movie Romeo and Juliet, also staring DiCaprio, and later in the video for the exhibition Schiaparelli and Prada, at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Luhrmann also did the 2004 ad campaign for Chanel, featuring Nicole Kidman.
The Prada store in SoHO, NY, is currently presenting an exhibition of their dresses for the film until June 14, when it will travel to Tokyo and Shanghai. The crystal-beaded gown worn by Carey Mulligan in her rendition of Daisy Buchanan is available at the shop for a little more than $ 20,000.
Tiffany’s also has a splendid display of the jewels used in the film at their Fifth Avenue store. It is a collection rich in pearls, diamonds, sapphires and cascading earrings. Carey Mulligan wore Tiffany’s for the premier of the film at the Cannes Film Festival, paired with a sleek, pale pink satin Dior Couture gown.
Despite some criticism, The Great Gatsby in 3D is a fair recreation of Fitzgerald’s New York, and it is expected to have great success at the box office. ■
PHOTOS
