Little Women And 9 Other Films Featuring Jacqueline Durran’s Costumes

British costume designer Jacqueline Durran has been in the industry for over 2 decades, but her beautifully-crafted designs span centuries. Known mostly for her work in period pieces like Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice and Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, Durran has won 2 Academy Awards and 3 BAFTAs throughout her career.

Her last film, Pablo Larraín’s Spencer, has made headlines, especially when it comes to Durran’s impeccable costuming and ability to replicate outfits worn by the late Princess Diana. Along with star Kristen Stewart, Durran has earned nominations at different award ceremonies for her work in Spencer, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg for fans of the designer’s gorgeous costumes.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Durran earned her first Academy Award for Best Costume Design nomination for the Keira Knightley-helmed Pride & Prejudice. In this adaption of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, director Joe Wright set the story a little before the Regency era. This choice allows Durran to pull fashion inspiration from the Georgian era as well.

Centered around the five Bennet sisters, Durran uses her costuming to differentiate between the genteel Jane, intelligent Elizabeth, solemn Mary, sensitive Kitty and wild child Lydia. The designer also created beautiful costumes for the wealthier characters – the empire waist gowns worn by Caroline Bingley more in line with the in-vogue regency fashion than the slightly dated dresses favored by the Bennets.

Atonement (2007)

In her second collaboration with Joe Wright, Durran crafted one of the most memorable green dresses in cinema history. Based on Ian McEwan’s novel, the romantic war film Atonement gave Saoirse Ronan her big break. Durran earned the second Academy Award and third BAFTA nomination of her career for her glamorous costuming.

Keira Knightley plays the free-spirited Cecilia Tallis whose troublesome 13-year-old sister, Ronan’s Briony, accuses her love interest Robbie Turner of assaulting their cousin. The film explores the consequences of Briony’s incrimination of Robbie over the course of 60 years. Durran crafted wonderful costumes that had to span six decades, the beautiful 1930s wardrobes of Cecilia and Briony featuring some of the film’s best looks. The designer even manages to make World War II nurse uniforms feel chic and polished.

Anna Karenina (2012)

Anna Karenina marks the fourth collaboration between Durran and director Joe Wright, and the costume designer’s third time working with Keira Knightley. An adaptation of the Leo Tolstoy novel, Anna Karenina tells the story of the tragic love affair between a Russian socialite and a cavalry officer. Durran received her second BAFTA and first Academy Award for Best Costume Design for the film’s luxurious and ornate costumes.

A stylized take on the classic novel, Durran crafted high-fashion moments featuring structured looks for Knightley’s Anna Karenina that feel less like 1870s evening wear and more like 1950s Dior. Alicia Vikander’s Princess Kitty is a more classic Victorian beauty who grows from a childlike young girl to a sophisticated woman, and her wardrobe reflects the change.

Mr. Turner (2014)

In the 2014 biographical drama Mr. Turner, Timothy Spall, most well-known for his role as Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter franchise, stars as Romantic painter J. M. W. Turner. Durran’s sixth collaboration with British filmmaker Mike Leigh, Mr. Turner centers around the last 25 years of the controversial artist’s life. The costume designer received her fourth Academy Award nomination for this film.

Yet another period piece within Durran’s filmography, she dresses the titular artist in earth tones and favors a muted palette, these choices reflecting the painter’s work. The fashion of the era mirrored the Romantic movement happening in the art world, becoming more dramatic in silhouette and brighter in color. Durran chooses to dress some supporting characters this way but tends to favor Mr. Turner’s subdued style for most of her perfectly tailored costumes.

Macbeth (2015)

For Justin Kurzel’s 2015 Macbeth, Durran had to go all the way back to the 11th century. Durran worked hard to create historically accurate garb for the Scottish king and his cunning bride. One of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Macbeth is a tragedy that follows a general who kills the King of Scotland after being consumed by his ambitions and the goading of his wife, Lady Macbeth.

Macbeth might be one of Shakespeare’s most adapted works, but Kurzel and Durran make this version stick out thanks to their strong artistic and aesthetic choices. For her fantastic, period-accurate costuming, Durran received a nomination for Best Costume Design at the Satellite Awards.

Darkest Hour (2017)

At the 90th Academy Awards and 71st BAFTAs, Durran competed against herself in the Best Costume Design category. The political war drama Darkest Hour was one of the films she was nominated for, though she would lose to Mark Bridges’ jaw-dropping Phantom Thread costumes at both ceremonies.

Centered around Winston Churchill’s early days as Prime Minister, Darkest Hour won praise for its award-winning performances. Darkest Hour is the sixth Joe Wright film Durran designed costumes for, the two growing into a great creative team and masters of the period piece.

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast was the second film Durran received Academy Award and BAFTA nominations for in 2018. A retelling of the classic French fairytale, this version of Beauty and the Beast stars Emma Watson as the bookish Belle and Dan Stevens as the boarish Beast. This film would be the first of two films where Durran and Watson worked together.

While Durran’s take on Belle’s iconic yellow ballgown was met with harsh criticism, her overall costuming of the film fits the fun and whimsy of its source material. Her practical take on Belle’s blue village dress gives the outfit the functionality and flair of personality that was missing in the 1991 animated version.

Mary Magdalene (2019)

Starring Rooney Mara in the titular role, Mary Magdalene centers around the biblical figure who flees an arranged marriage to become a follower of Jesus Christ. Mary finds safety and a sense of purpose in his movement and is the one to report the resurrection of Jesus. Mary Magdalene has since been accepted as one of Jesus’ apostles, but the early views on her were not as favorable.

Mary Magdalene’s 30 AD setting is the earliest time period Durran has had to design for, so far. Unlike many of her flashier period pieces, Durran favors plain costumes made of linen and other natural fabrics that would be worn by people in the first century. These simple costumes allow the strong performances from Mara and Joaquin Phoenix to shine through.

Little Women (2019)

Durran won her second Academy Award and third BAFTA for Best Costume Design for her work on Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. The seventh film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s coming-of-age novel, Little Women follows the four March sisters as they grow up in Civil War-era Massachusetts.

Much like her Anna Karenina costuming, Durran’s designs for Little Women draw inspiration from a variety of time periods and don’t always fit the norm for 1860s fashion. Gerwig and Durran wanted to present the March family as bohemians, the family of free thinkers and artists not quite as polished as their richer neighbors. From Beth’s plain house dresses to Amy’s elaborate European ensembles, Durran’s beautifully detailed costumes run the gamut of what women would need in their closets during the time.

Spencer (2021)

A prominent figure in modern culture, Princess Diana’s life has been explored countless times in recent years. The latest film entry is Pablo Larraín’s biographical drama, Spencer, which follows the late princess as she decides to end her marriage to Prince Charles and leave the monarchy. The film’s leading performance from Kristen Stewart, along with Durran’s costuming, has received critical acclaim and award nominations.

Princess Diana was praised for her fashion sense before her death, but since her passing in 1997, she’s become a legendary fashion icon like Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy. To recapture the beauty and magic of some of her most iconic looks is a daunting task, but Durran does a fantastic job at capturing the Diana most audience members are familiar with without copying every single detail.

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