In this interview, Jacqueline Durran talks about working with Chanel to create the costumes on 'Spencer' and how she felt about Kristen Stewart playing Princess Diana
Jacqueline Durran is more than experienced with bringing a period to life via the medium of costume—she won an Oscar for Little Women last year. Her latest project, Spencer, is a fashion lover's dream—from the attention to detail that went into recreating memorable outfits the Princess Diana wore, to the refreshed take on these looks so they weren’t simply a copy. We spoke with the costume designer to learn more about the process.
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What was the starting point of your collaboration with Pablo Larrain and how did it go through the whole project?
Pablo and I met in London and I brought boards of pictures of Diana that I had selected from the period 1988-92. I tried to show the different styles and colours that she was using in that period so I could get an idea of what Pablo was looking for in his interpretation. I used his feedback from that meeting as the starting point for the clothes that I prepared for the first fitting with Kristen Stewart.
Can you tell us about the process of working on this film? How did you choose all the Chanel pieces?
I have worked with Chanel on movies over the last 15 years and have always really enjoyed the process and of course the wonderful opportunity to use beautiful things! I looked back through pictures of Diana for images of her wearing Chanel. Most that I found were later than 1992, but there was one significant Chanel outfit that she wore when visiting Paris in 1988—the red coat that she wore on arrival in Paris. This became the red coat worn in the Christmas church scene. The blue cardigan/jacket fit very well with the style that she was wearing in our period, so I felt that it would fit in seamlessly. The Chanel costume jewellery we used was also perfect for our date, and for Diana’s style.
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