In the spring of 2015, the film "Cinderella" is released 65 years after the release of the cartoon based on this fairy tale from the Disney studio. Chief costume designer Sandy Powell (who has won 3 Oscars for her film costumes, by the way) drew her inspiration from 19th century and 1950s fashion.
Sandy Powell (according to her) wanted to make her costumes bold with bright colors, as if they were illustrations from a book, but at the same time they had to be suitable for each character.
When it came time to design Cinderella's wedding gown, the designer decided it was important to make this dress different from the puffy gown Cinderella wears to the ball. Instead of making the wedding dress even more original than the ball gown, Sandy Powell went down the path of simplifying the design. She wanted to do something just cute, ephemeral and beautiful. The resulting dress is light beige in color, with long sleeves, made of silk and organza, decorated with flower embroidery, should represent the simplicity of the princess. Cinderella wins the prince's heart with her innate kindness, and although she becomes part of the royal family, initially she is just a sweet and kind girl.
The team of seamstresses cut, cut, stitched and created the dress for the film for a whole month. After this wonderful dress with a long train was ready, it was handed over to professional embroiderers, who embroidered all the flowers by hand. In total, 16 people were involved in the work on this dress alone, and it took 550 hours of work to create it. However, all the work done on Cinderella's wedding dress was nearly ruined. When the dress was tried on by actress Lily James and a photo session was started in the dress, at one point (when Lily got too close to the heater) part of the dress ignited and one of its layers burned out. Unfortunately, only one wedding dress was made by the artists (several copies of the same costume or dress are usually made in the cinema) and part of the work on it had to be redone.
The prince's wedding attire is made in a military theme, but the colors for him are not the most familiar to ordinary men. (The woolen tunic is made in light blue tones, but emphasizes the color of the prince's eyes). By the way, the gold embroidery on the prince's suit is also handmade.
As for Cinderella's ball gown, the effect of its splendor and hugeness is created thanks to more than twelve different layers of fabric (silk, polyester and iridescent nylon). Here the ball gown was created in the amount of as many as 9 pieces. And Cinderella's glass slippers were also made in several copies. Shoes, as you probably already know, are made of Swarovski crystals. This choice was made in favor of crystals, because they sparkle, unlike glass, for example (glass will not give such a shine).
But in none of the scenes does the actress actually wear the crystal shoes, as the foot needs to move and the crystal won't let it. Shoes in all scenes are added using special effects.
Retelling from the site
On March 6, a new Disney fairy tale "Cinderella" is released, based on the 1950 Disney cartoon. We counted how many meters of fabric and Swarovski crystals it took to turn Cinderella into a real fairy princess.
It is clear that the main thing in the film is, of course, the story that there is nothing more important than a kind heart and true love. But dresses are also not to be ignored! We remember: Cinderella, of course, struck down the prince with beauty and kindness, but at the same time she was far from wearing rags. She had a real fairy godmother dress! And it's one thing to fantasize him in a cartoon, but it's quite another to dress Cinderella in a movie. So costume designer Sandy Powell had a hell of a job: a) copy a 1950s cartoon; b) come up with something of your own; c) and that it was all fabulous and blew us away. Sandy had to start work two years before filming, and in addition to all the outfits, her duties included: Cinderella's 12-layer ball gown, wedding dress and glass shoes. The ball gown alone took 550 hours. We applaud!
Sandy made patterns based on the illustrations of the classic fairy tale. "We decided to try to make some kind of fashionable women's suits of the forties of the twentieth century, which could be worn in the nineteenth" she explains. But let's get down to the details!
Cinderella's ball gown
As you can imagine, it was impossible to miss here. It had to be something fantastic, magical, like a dress from a cartoon and at the same time not like anything else. Ella had to look like the most beautiful girl at the ball on the one hand, and on the other hand, remain that simple girl that everyone offends. This is what it looked like in the cartoon:
We make allowances for the fashion of the 50s and understand: Sandy Powell had room to maneuver. The designer decided to keep blue as the key color, but to combine its various shades and fabrics. As a result, more than 240 meters of fabric and 10,000 Swarovski crystals were used to sew Cinderella's dress, more than 4,800 meters of stitches were made. For the filming of the film, 9 absolutely identical dresses were made - for every firefighter. And here is the result:
Believe me, Cinderella's dress turned out to be truly magical! It sparkles, shimmers with all shades of blue (we bit our lip with envy!), and when Cinderella begins to spin in the dance - girls and boys gasp!
Sandy admits that in fact she thought about other color options, went through everything she could, and realized: Cinderella's magical dress cannot be red or yellow - only blue! But the monochromatic blue color will drive us into depression - this is how the idea of \u200b\u200bshades came up.
Sandy's skirt was made of light silk and polyester, with which she covered a large crinoline. The fabric, in turn, was strewn with tiny crystals - 10 thousand, we remind you. The Fairy Godmother did not waste time! "Can you imagine a Cinderella that doesn't sparkle?" the designer wonders. Before this film, we personally represented, now - no.
Of course, it was not without a corset - Powell was inspired by the 50s textured silhouette. However, at the same time, the new dress looks more flying and free - all because of the thin waist and giant skirt. “The most important thing Cinderella does at the ball is dance and run, so all the movements of the dress must be beautiful!” Sandy says. Oh yeah! Beautiful movements of the dress - Madame knows a lot about women's desires!
Powell ditched all the accessories from the cartoon - long gloves, a black ribbon around her neck and other things, but put Cinderella on a butterfly bodice. “I wanted it to be like a haze. Cinderella was supposed to just stand and shine without any jewels and ornaments. She had to look very simple and innocent. It's all about silhouette, color and movement."
Not in the eyebrow, but in the eye. It turned out exactly as the designer intended. Here's a sketch and the result for comparison.
Cinderella's wedding dress
For someone, maybe in life this is the most important dress, but for Cinderella it is the second in the rating. Although, of course, the importance of his beauty is undeniable. Here, poor Sandy also had to dodge, because in the animated original there was this:
It was a challenge, Sandy complains. Imagine: you just designed the coolest fairy godmother ball gown, and they tell you - now it's banana! give wedding! "I had to do something completely different and simple, says the designer. — I wanted to achieve the effect of euphemism, so we made an extremely rigid corsage with a long train.
Sandy came up with the idea to make the dress beige, with long sleeves, organza and silk. The train has a floral print. The designer, therefore, in every way emphasizes the kindness of Cinderella through her clothes. "I wanted her to remain modest and pure even as part of the royal society."
As a result, 16 people worked on the wedding dress, in total it took 550 hours. And after all this, Lily James, who played Cinderella, gets too close to the spotlights at a promotional photo shoot, and the dress lights up. The shock of the designers is unimaginable! “It was a disaster! The entire top layer of the dress burned down, it had to be restored again! — screams Sandy. “No one asked:“ Is Lily all right? ”, Everyone was only worried about the dress, because only one dress was made on time and on budget”. These are the passions that flared up in the literal sense.
Fairy godmother dress
Sorry, but you can’t ignore the woman who arranged Cinderella’s personal life. How to make a princess out of Cinderella? “Find the right godmother!” - also has its place. Sandy Powell also worked hard and spent on creating a dress:
- 120 meters of fabric;
- 400 LEDs;
- Thousands of Swarovski crystals.
The width of the dress was almost 120 centimeters. Everything looked in the spirit of the 18th century - the Victorian era, noble and shiny fabulous mothballs. Let's face it, the fairy did better for Cinderella than for herself.
Evil Stepmother's Dress
This is the second woman who determined Cinderella's fate - so let's talk about her. Moreover, absolutely amazing outfits were invented for Cate Blanchett - every single one. Sandy Powell was inspired by 1940s fashion and divas like Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford. For the Stepmother, an ominous black-and-green color scheme and shoes from Salvatore Ferragamo were chosen. “Remember when you meet someone perfectly dressed, not a hair out of their hair, perfect makeup? There's always something scary about it, right? Sandy laughs. — This is the style of Anna Wintour. Everything is thought out, a man is in armor ".
All of Stepmother's outfits are amazing, but this green prom dress is the squeak!
Crystal shoes
The task is stronger than all the dresses. How to make such shoes, from what ?! Sandy Powell cracked her head. It's easy for the animators - they drew a crystal slipper and rejoice.
Mrs. Powell decided that she wanted the same, only cooler. Yes, yes, she also made crystal shoes! Swarovski came to the rescue, who made crystal shoes and decorated them with their own crystals. Sandy explains that she wanted to get not just glass shoes, but real magical shining pieces.
Lily James complained at a press conference in Moscow, and they didn’t fit her at all, so they only let her hold them and took them away, because they were shaking over them no worse than over a wedding dress. Therefore, in the film, in fact, the actress walks in different shoes, and all the crystals and crystal are later made using a computer.
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Nevertheless, Swarovski tried not in vain: their shoe was exhibited at all the premieres of Cinderella as a valuable exhibit. Walking in it is physically impossible due to the high rise and lack of a platform. “But glass shoes are more of a fetish, right?” Sandy argues.
The exploits of Sandy Powell have inspired many designers to create their own work. In addition to Sandy, the creators were also inspired by Disney, which entered into partnership agreements with many of the fashion designers. So, the Russian office asked our best designers to come up with their own image of the modern Cinderella. One of the main fashion stores in Moscow, TSUM, was involved in the project, where until March 31 you can see Cinderella dresses according to 12 domestic fashion designers in the windows. We look at the sketches, get inspired and create ourselves.
A LA RUSSE Anastasia Romantsova
Alexander Arutyunov
Alexander Terekhov
Igor Chapurin and brand CHAPURIN
Evgeniya Linovich
Julia Kalmanovich and brand KALMANOVICH
LUBLU Kira Plastinina
Alisa and Yulia Ruban and RUBAN brand
Alla Verber (TsUM)
Oleg Ovsiev and brand VIVA VOX
Andrey Artemov and Walk of Shame brand
KATYA DOBRЯKOVA
The shoe has also become a source of inspiration - already for shoe designers. 11 masters of shoemaking presented their versions of the crystal slipper to the world, and, unlike the Swarovski fetish, these shoes can be worn! Cinderella's shoes took part in a special Disney exhibition: in our country, the works of nine out of eleven designers are exhibited at the Central Department Store until March 23.
Alexandre Birman (Alexander Birman)
“The crystal shoes were inspired by the classic beauty and femininity that, in my opinion, unite Cinderella and the Alexandre Birman brand. I have created a new version of my signature Johanna pumps. A graceful curve, silk and Swarovski crystals make this pair of shoes fashionable and romantic. It seems to me that such shoes could be worn by a modern princess.
Charlotte Olympia (Charlotte Olympia)
“It was a great joy and honor for me to offer Disney to create their own version of the famous glass shoes. I worked on them with great pleasure and called them "If the shoe fits." The transparent platform is made of plastic, which I often use in my models. The shoes are embellished with stars and crystals, as befits a shoe meant for a princess."
Salvatore Ferragamo (Salvatore Ferragamo)
“Shoes that can turn a woman into a princess and make her feel like she's walking on clouds is the dream of many. The modern fairy tale about Cinderella reveals to us in a new way the soft sensuality and power of femininity. The shoe is literally created from air and light: the wedge-shaped heel, the iconic element of shoes from Salvatore Ferragamo, is studded with Swarovski crystals and seems absolutely weightless. ”- Massimiliano Giornetti, creative director of Salvatore Ferragamo.
Jerome C. Rousseau (Jerome Russo)
“I was inspired by the scene when the clock strikes midnight, the most intense moment of the Cinderella story. The result is deep blue sandals with very high heels. The wide, see-through web is reminiscent of the classic glass slipper, while whimsical gold and silver trim adds playfulness. I wanted to create shoes that would captivate the prince even more.
Jimmy Choo (Jimmy Choo)
“Any girl at least once in her life wants to feel like Cinderella. This tale awakens the love for shoes that we carry through our lives. Even in adulthood, we continue to feel the power of the miraculous transformation that so struck us as a child. I wanted to create a truly magical pair of shoes, inviting, with a classic feminine silhouette, able to evoke those distant childhood emotions,” commented Sandra Choi, creative director of Jimmy Choo.
Nicholas Kirkwood (Nicholas Kirkwood)
“Cinderella is a gentle and, at the same time, a very strong-willed heroine. This is especially noticeable in the scene of her magical transformation. The character of Cinderella inspired me to create glass slippers, the design of which is in tune with the magic of the film.
Paul Andrew (Paul Andrew)
“Crystal shoes are the dream of every girl. The tale of Cinderella inspired me to use the classic pointy-toe shape of the Paul Andrew brand. I decorated them with a scattering of Swarovski crystals. The clear vinyl created a 'crystal' effect, while the ivory suede helped give volume and rich texture to the shoes."
Rene Caovilla (Rene Caovilla)
“The process of creating shoes evokes emotions and fulfills desires. It is a true passion and a constant search for inspiration that goes beyond the imagination. This is how dreams come true in our fairy tale.”
Stuart Weitzman (Stuart Weitzman)
“Cinderella in the new film is infinitely attractive. Jeweled translucent closed shoes reflect my vision of the heroine."
The model of the idol of all women, and especially the fans of the Sex and the City series, did not reach Moscow and the Central Department Store. Yes, yes - Manolo Blahnik also created his Cinderella shoe, and we will show it to you now!
Another cult designer, Christian Louboutin, not only created his own version of the shoes, but also wore them to actress Lily James at the Hollywood premiere!
Cinderella in Louboutins - what could be more modern and desirable!
For the first time, a fabulous collection of all 11 shoes was shown as part of the Berlin Film Festival, where the premiere of Cinderella took place. Selected guests were able to enjoy the shoes with their own eyes and shoot them with their cameras.
The father of a young girl named Ella, having become a widow, marries a second time, and soon Ella finds herself face to face with greedy and envious new relatives - Lady Tremaine's stepmother and her daughters Anastasia and Drizella. From the mistress of the house, she turns into a servant, forever stained with ashes, for which she receives the nickname Cinderella from her grumpy half-sisters. Despite the misadventures that befell her, Cinderella does not despair, because even in the most difficult moments there is something that helps her think about the good: for example, a chance meeting on a forest path with a beautiful young man. Ella does not even assume that she met the prince himself, and that soon the Fairy Godmother will forever change her life for the better.
1 fact:
More than 240 meters of fabric and 10,000 Swarovski crystals were used to make the Cinderella dress, and more than 4,800 meters of stitches were made. For the filming of the film, 9 absolutely identical dresses were made.
2 fact:
Disney's Cinderella director Kenneth Branagh was nominated for five Academy Awards for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best short feature film. In the history of the Oscars, only three other actors - Warren Beatty, John Huston and George Clooney - have been nominated in so many categories.
3 fact:
Before meeting on the set of Cinderella, actresses Lily James (Cinderella) and Sophie McShera (Drizella) took part in the filming of the popular British TV series Downton Abbey.
4 fact:
The ballroom of the royal palace impresses with its size: 46 meters long and 32 meters wide. The décor is no less impressive: marble floors; massive staircase; curtains, the tailoring of which took more than 1800 meters of fabric; 17 huge chandeliers made to order in Italy; over 3,600 meters of turquoise velvet for wall upholstery; more than 16,000 artificial silk flowers, and 5,000 candles, each handmade.
5 fact:
The performer of the role of the King, Derek Jacobi, is the owner of two knighthoods, which he was given by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, only one other British actor was twice honored with such an honor - it was Sir Laurence Olivier. The director of the film, Kenneth Branagh, was also knighted for services to drama.
6 fact:
To create a dress for the Fairy Godmother, costume designer Sandy Powell took: 120 meters of fabric; 400 LEDs; thousands of Swarovski crystals. The width of the dress was almost 120 centimeters.
7 fact:
Cate Blanchett, who plays the Stepmother, has six Oscar nominations. She received four nominations for successfully portraying real people on screen: Elizabeth I in the film Elizabeth; Katharine Hepburn in the movie The Aviator; Bob Dylan in I'm Not Here and Sheba Hart in The Scandalous Diary.
8 fact:
Actor Derek Jacobi and director Kenneth Branagh have collaborated on Disney's Cinderella for the fourth time alongside Hamlet, Henry V and To Die Again.
9 fact:
In the Disney feature film Cinderella, sisters Anastasia and Drizella are always dressed in the same style but different colors of dresses, just like in the Disney animated masterpiece of the same name.
10 fact:
Behind the shoulders of production designer Dante Ferretti are not only many awards and nominations in the category "Best Production Design" of the prestigious Oscar and BAFTA awards in the field of cinema, but also works on designing scenery for the most famous opera houses in the world: "La Scala" in Milan, Bastille Opera in Paris and Colon in Buenos Aires. In addition, Ferretti created stage scenery for productions of Verdi's opera La Traviata, as well as Puccini's operas Tosca and La bohème. And the staging of the solemn ballroom dance of Cinderella and the Prince was entrusted to the winner of the Tony and Emmy awards, choreographer Rob Ashford.
The Downton Abbey star spoke about what it was like to play Cinderella and how she prepared for the role of Natasha Rostova.
[:rsame:]
On March 5, a new adaptation of Cinderella from Disney. The palace, the ball, the dress of the main character and her glass shoes turned out to be luxurious.
Cinderella was played by the star of Downton Abbey, 25-year-old Englishwoman Lily James, who is also interesting to us because she plays Natasha Rostova in the new TV series War and Peace, which has just begun shooting near St. Petersburg.
"Interlocutor" met with the actress before the premiere of "Cinderella" in Moscow.
– Lily, your Cinderella goes to the ball in the most magnificent dress (it took 240 meters of fabric and 10 thousand crystals to sew it) that I have ever seen. Was it difficult to dance in it?
- I don’t know how much it weighs exactly, but when the prince (Richard Madden, known for his role as Robb Stark in the Game of Thrones. - Auth.) lifted me at the end of our dance, he could hardly stay on his feet. He really tensed up.
In general, the whole shooting of the dance resembled a military operation. The dress was so voluminous that we had to specifically learn each step and adapt so as not to step on any of the petticoats. It seems that even on skates, learning to glide is not so difficult! I could hardly breathe during the filming, because the corset was very tight on me.
frame from the movie "Cinderella" / frame from the movie "Cinderella"
Why do you need a corset? Your waist is less than 50 cm.
- The corset was very important, because it made you hold on in a certain way, more gracefully.
- Have you watched previous adaptations of Cinderella, for example, the Soviet one?
- No, I only watched different cartoons to understand the character of the heroine. But I read more than I watched: I didn’t want to be influenced by the performance of this role by other actresses. Moreover, she read not only the classics from Charles Perrault, but also “Cinderella” in the interpretation of the Brothers Grimm and other storytellers and was imbued with the image.
[:rsame:]
- You have just started filming in War and Peace, where you play Natasha Rostova. Is she just an interesting book character or a responsible role for you?
- Of course, responsible! I can imagine how this series will be discussed when it comes out! For you Russians, this heroine is something very special, I know. I'll try not to let you down!
I can't get this role out of my head, even when I'm resting. Sometimes I get confused where I end and where Natasha begins. I like to learn more about my character's life - whether she sleeps with the curtains open or closed, what she eats for breakfast, what she dreams about when she walks in the garden...
I try to find out or imagine as many details as possible: if I lived in her house, how would I feel? We have some things in common, but she's more sublime than me.
240 meters of fabric and 10,000 Swarovski crystals it took to create Cinderella's dress. For the filming of the film, 9 absolutely identical dresses were made.
46 meters long and 32 meters wide- the size of the ballroom of the royal palace. The décor is just as impressive: marble floors, a massive staircase, curtains made with over 1,800 meters of fabric, 17 huge custom-made chandeliers in Italy, over 3,600 meters of turquoise velvet wall coverings, over 16,000 artificial silk flowers, as well as 5000 candles, each of which was made by hand.
In 5 different categories Disney Cinderella director Kenneth Branagh was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Short Feature Film. . In the history of the Oscars, only three other actors - Warren Beatty, John Huston and - were nominated in so many categories.
Frame from the movie "Cinderella" Photo: WDSSPR
2 knighthoods has the performer of the role of the King Derek Jacobi, which he was given by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. Only one other British actor has been so honored twice - it was
Sir Laurence Olivier. The director of the film, Kenneth Branagh, was also knighted for services to drama.
120 meters fabric was used to create a dress for the Fairy Godmother by costume designer Sandy Powell. The width of the dress was almost 120 centimeters.
Poster for the movie "Cinderella" Photo: WDSSPR
6th Oscar nomination and the performer of the role of Stepmother Cate Blanchett. She received four nominations for successfully portraying real people on screen: Elizabeth I in Elizabeth, Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator, Bob Dylan in I'm Not Here, and Sheba Hart in Scandalous Diary.
