Miuccia Prada collaborated with costume designer Catherine Martin to create over 40 lavish looks for Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, drawing inspiration from the Prada and Miu Miu archives. The designs perfectly captured the opulence of the 1920s, featuring crystal-embellished, sequined, and fringed dresses in jewel tones like emerald, jade, topaz, and gold. Rich velvets and furs added to the era-appropriate decadence. The costumes were worn by the film’s stars, including Carey Mulligan, and featured prominently in the film’s extravagant party scenes. Prada became involved in the project after some of her pieces were unintentionally used in early screen tests, and she noted how seamlessly her designs echoed ’20s fashion despite being originally created for modern collections, such as Mulligan’s “chandelier dress” from Prada’s Spring/Summer 2010 collection.
“Our collaboration with Prada recalls the European flair that was emerging amongst the aristocratic East Coast crowds in the Twenties,” costume designer Catherine Martin explained. “The fashions of the time saw the development of a dichotomy between those who aspired to the privileged, Ivy League look of wealthy Long Island and those who were aspiring to European glamour, sophistication and decadence. Our collaborations with Prada reflect the collision of these two aesthetics.”
