Costume Critique: Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Now that the LDS General Conference is over, I think it is appropriate for me to go back to watching Keira Knightley's films. For this entry, I'll be focusing on Jane Austen's most celebrated novel that has been adapted into several films and television shows around the world—Pride and Prejudice.

I am assuming that by now you already know who Jacqueline Durran is. If not, you might want to read this post and this post again. Anyway, Durran's aesthetic is truly remarkable. For this 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Durran focused on the fashion style of the late eighteen century, allowing all the characters wear period costumes that would still appeal to modern audiences. For Elizabeth, she chose earthly colours that would tell of the country attitude that Elizabeth possesses, but would also show her "boyish" demeanour. Jane's costumes, on the other hand, are refined and feminine, but still have the home-made look since the Bennets are struggling financially.

Lydia and Kitty's clothes are the fun ones. Durran said that she wanted the two to have a visual asymmetry. That is why, when Lydia is wearing a pink jacket, Kitty is seen wearing a pink dress. The two young girls are, in a way, similar to Tweedledum and Tweedledee, teenage girls edition.

The picture on the right is a very good example of how the costumes helped in narrating the personalities and backgrounds of the characters. To begin with, the colour of Elizabeth's clothes is a contrast to Kitty and Jane's bright dresses. This tells of Elizabeth's strong personality, opposite to Kitty and Jane's very effeminate nature. Another thing worth mentioning is the style of Jane's clothing which is very simple yet reserved as opposed to Kitty's stylish jacket—helping the audience be reminded of the two's age gap. Truly, every detail of the actors' costumes is well-planned and beautifully executed.