Rewind: ANNA KARENINA

And the Oscar for Best Costumes Designer goes to... Jacqueline Durran for Anna Karenina. 

This year, at the 85th Oscar Academy Awards,  the incredible costumes designer of movies such as Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Soloist, Happy Go Lucky, Vera Drake, won the highly desirable golden prize. The movie, directed by Joe Wright (but the fantastic mise-en-scene make it looks like a Buz Luhrmann's movie) on Tom Stoppard's screenplay, is based on the epic, dramatic novel of russian writer Leo Tolstoy set in late 1870s.  On the screen and in the book we can follow the irregular life of Anna Karenina, wife of a senior government official Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, who fell in love with the young and attractive count Vronsky, starting an incredible scandal between russian aristocracy.

A great job was done to "actualize" the costumes and transform late 1800 "too much" enriched gowns in pure and clear costumes that remind us lines and shapes of 1950s dresses, in a Christian Dior style.  The only costumes that do border on period pieces are those worn by the supporting cast, meaning the bureaucrats in their waistcoats and the peasants in generic dresses of a Victorian gray tinge. The military costumes are an approximation of Russian uniforms, but not founded in any specific regiment. 

For next winter, but if you want you can start right now in these last freezing days, three are the main trend  you can choose within: 

1) THE RUSSIAN ARISTOCRACY OPULENT STYLE: furs are a must have (even if we prefer the fake ones), pearls, jewels (Chanel necklaces and earrings were the stars in this movie) brocade and velvet coats with trimmed particulars, fans, laces and feathers.

2) THE GREAT ARMY STYLE: military green & grey overcoat, large leather belts, flash and star shaped pins, high or havy boots

3) THE PEASANT COUNTRY ETHNIC STYLE: long heavy tunic as coat, large trousers, but also heavy flowered trimmed pattern for skirts and blouses, fur hat and gloves