The most stunning period costumes ever seen on film

From iconic period dramas like Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette to contemporary classics-to-be like Autumn de Wilde’s Emma, Vogue presents a thorough list of the silver screen’s most memorable costumes.

Gladys Lai

less than 2 min read

January 29, 2021 - 5:38PM

Vogue Australia

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Some of us watch period dramas for the romance, woven through with brevity or steeped in melancholia; others survey such films for the escapism of it all, that overwhelming desire to abandon the city for an idyllic country town where we can—in true Austen-approved fashion—visit our neighbours’ houses and write snarkily about them in our diaries.

All of us, however, are ardent admirers of the genre’s visual feasts. Sumptuous silhouettes, rich velveteen and brocade in all shades, period dramas offer us a smorgasbord of tactile delights, giving us a glimpse at the costumes we might have worn in another time. After the credits begin to roll, it’s almost impossible not to wish that the fashion cycle would dig a little further back into history before recommencing its feedback loop. Of course, corsets have experienced somewhat of a revival, but imagine wearing a bustle and hoop skirt to work (impractical, we admit, but eye-catching all the same), or an empire-line gown and opera gloves to your next soirée?

Practitioners of such a tradition will tell you how easy it is to lose even the most beautiful creations to the ever-moving current of popular culture. Sometimes, however, a look will come along that refuses to be swept up, anchoring itself firmly in our collective consciousness. It would be difficult, for example, to find a dress that possesses the mainstay Jacqueline Durran’s green slip in Atonement, immortalised on the wonderful Keira Knightley. Durran herself is one of the industry’s most foremost veterans, having designed many an Oscar-winning costume in films like Macbeth, Anna Karenina and most recently 2019’s Little Women.

But others too, along with newcomers, have also earned their title as one of the best costumes of all time. Look at 2020’s Emma, for example, with The Queen’s Gambit’s Anya Taylor-Joy dressed up in regency garb by Alexandra Byrne with impressive historical detail. Wong Kar Wai’s iconic In the Mood for Love kicked off the new millennium with lusciously modern cheongsams and suits, while Tulip Fever’s relishes in excess, an array of ruffled collars and golden embroidery against the backdrop of 17th century Amsterdam.

Here, Vogue rounds up the best period costumes ever seen on film, from the little-known to the much-acclaimed, beginning with our favourite ten and closing with a list of others we can't help but love. Scroll on for a (lengthy) walk down memory lane.

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In the Mood for Love

The film: Count In the Mood for Love responsible for kickstarting our lifelong obsession with the inimitable Maggie Cheung. Cheung, who plays Su Li-zhen, falls in love with her neighbour, Chow Mo-wan (played by Tony Leung). To call Wong Kar Wai’s film a period romance would be an injustice—his masterpiece, set in 1960s Hong Kong, is a study of passion, agony and restraint, mirrored brilliantly in the costumes worn by the two protagonists. Cheung’s Su wears cheongsams that embody her reservedness, stiff collared and tight-fitting, while Leung’s Chow wears clean suits and slicked back hair, surrendering to his emotions only when his hair comes undone and his jacket is off.

The look: All of Cheung’s floral dresses are breathtaking, but this blue and pink cheongsam worn by Su at the movie’s beginning is unforgettable.

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Emma

The film: You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again: Autumn de Wilde’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma is the best so far. Aside from its delightful irreverence and sharp wit, Emma has been praised to the edges of the universe for its dedication to historical detail in its costumes. Gone are the days of period dramas with gratuitous and wholly inaccurate shots of pushed up busts and corsets on bare skin (we’re looking at you, all Tudor films ever). No, in Emma, designer Alexandra Byrne gives audiences the spencers, pelisses and fur trims of their dreams. They’re so on point that you can find almost all of the actual regency illustrations and real-life pieces that inspired the characters’ looks.

The look: We’re perpetually in love with this look seen on Emma herself, a pink spencer with cording and delicate, leaf-like epaulettes. This piece of outerwear, paired with a fabulously-feathered bonnet, was derived from a 1817 silk coat with rouleaux hoops and intricate sleeve detailing, owned by the Chertsey Museum.

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Atonement

The film: No, you can’t find an article about period costumes that fails to mention Atonement, and no, we won’t stop gushing about it. Joe Wright’s adaptation of Ian McEwan’s modern classic, a tragedy bristling with romance and guilt, was made famous in part (arguably in significant part) because of its costuming. Those who’ve watched the film will remember a scene near its opening, when Knightley’s Cecilia dives into the fountain in nothing but a champagne-coloured slip and re-emerges, soaked in water and dripping with defiance. And what about her later appearances in a blue coat and matching hat, or as a coiffed nurse in powder blue?

The look: What other look apart from that green dress? This low-backed, bias cut emerald-green evening gown is the stuff of pure dreams. Catch us walking out of a dinner party in this dress to engage in an illicit tryst (accessorised with a Chanel bracelet, of course).

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Portrait of a Lady on Fire

The film: Dorothée Guiraud works her costuming magic in 2019’s sleeper hit Portrait of a Lady on Fire, directed by Céline Sciamma. The 18th century French romance immerses us in the struggle of young Héloïse (courtesy of Adèle Haenel), a bride-to-be entering into an arranged marriage with more than a little reluctance. The film charts her romance with Noémie Merlant’s Marianne, the artist charged with painting her portrait. In an interview with British Vogue, Guiraud shared insights into her meticulous creative process. “Marianne’s dress has pockets, which probably allowed her to act out more poses,” she said. “When I was working on Marianne and Héloïse’s costumes I followed Sciamma’s direction: to make a film with a clear and refined aesthetic while incorporating modern aspects.”

The look: Simple it may be, simplistic it is not. This lovely green gown worn by Haenel’s Héloïse is painted by Marianne has seared itself into our memory, rendered especially bright in one scene against white sand and foaming grey-blue waves.

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Marie Antoinette

The film: What better film to conclude on than Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola’s candy-coloured confection that’s almost too sweet for the eyes. The film, which follows the Austrian queen through her arranged marriage with then-Dauphin and future King of France Louis XIV, illicit affairs with courtiers and unabashed love of the material, is a symphony of pastel-coloured gorgeousness. Make your way through the early parts of the film with doe-eyed delight, basking in the glow of Kirsten Dunst’s performance, but brace yourself for the undercurrent of class commentary as the narrative goes on. The excessive wealth of the royals becomes more than a little hard to stomach as the film touches on their subjects, languishing in extreme poverty and on the brink of rebellion.

The look: There’s many a notable outfit in Marie Antoinette, but this white dress, patterned with blue and pink florals, is just adorable. The blue ribbon choker and the fingerless red gloves add the perfect amount of flair.

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Tulip Fever

The film: If there’s anything that period dramas tell us, it’s that painting someone else’s portrait can quickly turn into a heated affair. Like in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, the artist falls in love with the muse. This time, Alicia Vikander’s Sophia, unhappily married to Christoph Waltz’s mercantile Dutchman Cornelis, embarks on a romance with her painter, played by Dane DeHaan. As all the best costumes do, the clothes worn by Vikander reflect her character’s arc as she transforms from repressed wife to liberated lover. In an interview with S Magazine, the film’s costume designer Michael O’Connor affirms his use of dress as a storytelling tool. “The idea for Sophia was strong looks done in typical Dutch fashion when she goes to be Cornelis’ wife because he and his family are dressing her,” he says. “As the affair progresses, the clothes become more revealing: her collars and caps start going, and her dresses become less strict and robust.”

The look: The sapphire blue gown worn by Vikander in much of the film’s press imagery, with its full, ballooning sleeves and laced neckline, is nothing short of divine.

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Jackie

The film: You could argue that making a biopic about a fashion icon is practically does the job for you. Nevertheless, 2016’s Jackie, with Natalie Portman starring as the former First Lady of the United States, is as visually pleasing as it is well-acted. The film, set in the aftermath of her husband’s infamous assassination, features a series of looks seen on Jackie Kennedy herself. Throughout the film, costume designer Madeline Fontaine recreates the chic black shift dresses, wool suits and pillbox hats that were so often worn by Kennedy on television and during social events.

The look: As stunning as that pink Chanel wool suit was, we can’t seem to get past this pale green gown, worn by Jackie at a White House event with white elbow-length gloves.

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Elizabeth: The Golden Age

The film: It’s been over a decade since Elizabeth: The Golden Age, the 2007 sequel to 1998’s Elizabeth that rocketed Cate Blanchett to the status of household name. Still, nothing of the awe and aura surrounding the film—a tale of the English queen at the pinnacle of her reign—seems to have faded. Admittedly, the film isn’t the most accurate in terms of its costuming. In fact, its over-the-top interpretation of Tudor dress (topped off with headgear so ginormous it would make any Derby-attendee envious) set off a controversy about the balance between artistic license and historical fact. All debate aside, the costumes are, quite undeniably, jaw-dropping, and have us wishing we could wear gem-encrusted bodices while lounging about at home.

The look: This marigold yellow gown, with velvet brocade and glittering ruffled collar, is so rich on the screen that we can almost feel it. Elizabeth’s white make-up and coiled mass of red curls serve only to accentuate the colour, brimming with the fiery determination of the character herself.

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A Royal Affair

The film: Alicia Vikander her second appearance on this list in A Royal Affair, widely cited as the film that catapulted her to stardom. Set in 18th century Denmark, Nikolaj Arcel’s film focuses on the deteriorating relationship between the mentally ill King Christian VII, and his British wife Caroline Matilda (played by Alicia Vikander). As she engages in an affair with the royal physician, Mads Mikkelsen’s Johann Friedrich Struensee, secrecy and eventual chaos ensue.

The look: As beautiful as most of Caroline’s dresses are in this film, this all-pink look accessorised with a wide brim hat and matching lace fan, sticks in our memory.

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Barry Lyndon

The film: You can thank Ulla-Britt Söderlund and Milena Canonero (who also worked on Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette mentioned later in this list) for the lush costumes you see at play throughout 1975’s Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick’s 18th century tale of a young Irishman who joins the British army. Unsurprisingly, military uniforms abound in the first half of the film, but as soon as the eponymous Barry meets his future wife, audiences are treated to a display of square necklines, striped cotton bodices and hairstyles that are almost as wide as they are tall. If you don’t believe us, trust the Academy, which awarded the film an Oscar for Best Costume Design the following year.

The look: This striped pink gown worn by Marisa Berenson’s Lady Lyndon, replete with ruffled lace, satin gloves and pearl choker, puts pared back neutrals to shame and makes our inner maximalist squeal with joy.

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