On the occasion of the theatrical release of “A dress for Mrs Harris”, discover 11 legendary cinema dresses in a playful way.
Anthony Fabian’s feature film, A Dress for Mrs. Harris has been in theaters since Wednesday, October 26. In the film adapted from Paul Gallico’s novel, Lesley Manville plays Ada Harris. A woman who lives in post-war London and earns her living cleaning.
If she leads a very solitary life since the death of her husband Eddie, missing in action. Ada is however not the style to complain, nor even dwell on her fate, and yet, she who thought her feet were firmly anchored in reality, is suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of dream and wonder. when she discovers a magnificent dress signed DIOR, nonchalantly hanging in the bedroom of one of her wealthy clients. She is then surprised to think that such a beautiful work of art, so pure, so ethereal can only change the life of whoever owns it.
The life of the character in this comedy will be turned upside down by a dress. There are many mythical dresses in the 7th Art. Designer dress or outfit created especially for a film by a team of passionate costume designers.
Can you find in which film can we see these 11 mythical dresses of cinema?
Did you know ?
Jenny Beavan, the costume designer for the film A Dress for Mrs Harris, had previously dressed Lesley Manville on the Cranford miniseries and had just finished filming Cruella (which won her 3rd Oscar), a film that was already happening. in the fashion world. She explains :
“The Baroness, played by Emma Thompson in the film was already a very Dior inspiration and that’s what in my opinion led me straight to A dress for Mrs Harris. I then immersed myself in the work of Christian Dior but I also studied his life and the incredible relationships he had with his models..”
Jenny Beavan also benefited from the collaboration with Dior representatives on set, who gave her access to original sketches, trend books and even patterns.
Maison Dior lent five sets from its personal collection and the rest were recreated. Jenny Beavan called on two London costume designers: John Bright, a specialist in costume films with whom she has worked several times, and Jane Law, whom she met on Cruella.
Liam Daniel / 2021 Ada Films Ltd – Harris Squared Kft. Alba Baptist
The impressive parade of the film
All the dresses in the show were created by Dior except two: Tentation and Venus, which were designed in the Dior spirit by John Bright and Jane Law. These have reproduced the lines of the famous designer, as well as the weight of the time, because often the materials were very thick.
“Everything was heavier, because there was no central heating and people needed thicker fabrics to keep warm. The fabrics were also dyed to look like the hues spotted in photos from the time. The real problem was finding enough fabric for the costumes.“
“This is what defined the Dior touch: the quantity of fabrics used. In a world that had been devastated by war, which had suffered deprivation, the opulence displayed by Dior made its success“, confides Jenny Beavan.