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When a woman’s job involves the business of love, what does her wardrobe look like?
That was the question Katina Danabassis was tasked with answering as the costume designer of Materialists, the new film from writer-director Celine Song. Danabassis previously worked with Song on Past Lives, her critically acclaimed directorial debut. Now, two years later, she is dressing a new, and very different, leading lady.
Unlike Past Lives’ Nora (Greta Lee), who decidedly doesn’t care much about her apparel, Materialists’ Lucy (Dakota Johnson) pays more attention to her clothing choices. She is, after all, a professional matchmaker. She’s acutely aware of the role that personal style plays in how someone is perceived by the outside world, particularly when trying to attract potential suitors.
Even so, nothing about Lucy’s leading lady wardrobe seems the least bit forced or frivolous. Danabassis cites the ’90s minimalism of the late Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and “a touch of French sensibility” as essential ingredients in crafting Lucy’s fashion taste. “We aim to achieve naturalism in the character’s wardrobe,” Danabassis tells ELLE. “It is paramount to the story to not distract when thinking about the wardrobe. If it’s feeling loud, that’s where it gets a little hard for me.”
While Lucy might not shy away from bickering with her boyfriend on a busy New York City street, her outfit choices are noticeably quieter, softer, and more subdued. And some are certainly influenced by iconic onscreen looks from the celebrated romantic comedies of yesteryear.
Let’s take, for instance, the bar scene when Lucy, John (Chris Evans), and Harry (Pedro Pascal) go out for drinks after watching John’s play. She’s wearing a long, black leather coat over a white top and light-wash denim—a combination that calls to mind one of the most quintessential leading lady looks of all time.
“That leather jacket and the white underneath, that’s not not a nod to Notting Hill and the epic beret outfit,” Danabassis says. “I am not oblivious to the fact that this is going to exist in the greater canon of rom-coms and rom-drams. It’s all part of the fun.”
Ahead, Danabassis dissects some of Lucy’s sartorial sensibilities.
Power Suiting
At the beginning of the movie, Lucy is introduced to viewers as she power-struts her way through the city. She’s a woman on a mission, and it’s hard not to root for her when she’s stomping around in tall black leather boots paired with the sleekest skirt suit and a super-silky, cream-colored blouse. The look was partly inspired by Johnson’s mother, Melanie Griffith, and her role as the suited receptionist in the 1988 film Working Girl, and by a stylish stranger Danabassis encountered one day.
“I saw a girl crossing Bowery in a skirt suit wearing thigh high boots, carrying a trench coat over her shoulder with her finger, and I was just like, that is memorable as hell,” she says. “The knee-high boots, to me, that’s part of the friction in the outfit that makes it so badass. If she was wearing a pump, it’s kind of predictable.”
Generation Blazer
$248.00 at aritzia.com
The Oversized Shirt
$74.99 at bananarepublic.gap.com
Individual 10 Tights
$43.13 at amazon.com
Goldy Knee-High Leather Boots
$695.00 at saksfifthavenue.com
Calella Distressed Leather Tote Bag
$650.00 at bergdorfgoodman.com
Something Blue
While there are two wedding scenes in Materialists, it’s the one in the beginning of the film that sets up the rest of the story. At her client’s black tie reception, Lucy is quite literally confronted with her past and (potential) future when she meets Harry and reconnects with her ex, John. For this impossibly messy-yet-enviable entanglement, she’s wearing a strapless, floor-length gown by Proenza Schouler in a stunning cerulean hue.
“On the rack, that dress looks like nothing, but Dakota gravitated toward it, put it on, and it just worked,” Danabassis recalls. “I also really liked the city vibe to it; I liked that it wasn’t super romantic. I liked that it was communicating business without being too hot, and the back is so beautiful.”
Satin Dress
$168.00 at aritzia.com
Thin Collar Necklace
$195.00 at neimanmarcus.com
High Heel Knot Sandals
$1650.00 at bloomingdales.com
Sweet Touches of Silver
Lucy’s penchant for silver accoutrements shines throughout the film. From the heels, choker, and ring she wears with the blue dress to the myriad of other heart-shaped accessories she dons elsewhere, her go-to choice of metal is clear. But it’s not just about personal style; the hardware is also symbolic of the class hierarchy Lucy experiences.
“Celine was like, ‘This is a silver movie. Lucy’s a silver girl,’” Danabassis says. “Another little differentiating point is that [Harry’s] a gold man. The [engagement] ring she sees is gold—she’s down here and he’s up here, and she’s having to navigate those differences.”
Sterling Silver Heart Charm Ring
$28.39 at amazon.com
Bold Herringbone Chain Necklace
$198.00 at mejuri.com
Billowy Button-Ups
The billowy button-up might as well have its own podium in the Rom-Com Fashion Hall of Fame. Lucy’s spotted in a couple of these staples, including an oversized blue striped top the morning after she first stays the night at Harry’s. Then, in the third act, she’s in a classic white version styled with worn-in denim when she embarks on the road trip upstate with John.
“The casual looks are really simple basics that are in everyone’s closet,” she says. “It’s nothing crazy, it’s just this tissuey, billowy, cotton top that’s beautiful and looks so good. We’re not reinventing the wheel; we’re just riffing.”
Linen Button-Up Shirt
$258.00 at Nordstrom
The Arrow Flared Jeans
$278.00 at saksfifthavenue.com
Arco Small Hoop Earrings
$167.00 at missoma.com
Flirtatious Florals
Theoretically, the buttercream dress dripping in ruffles and florals was an item Lucy had packed for her trip to Iceland with Harry. When those plans fall through, she inadvertently gets another chance to let the ultra-romantic gown have a moment in the spotlight.
“It’s like she was trying to get in touch with the lover in her,” Danabassis says of Lucy wearing florals. “That’s why you see it so much with John and not so much with Harry. One gets these clean lines, business, transactional talk, pragmatic stuff. And then the other one gets more leading with the heart. One is mind, one is heart.”
Ruffled Floral-Print Crepon Midi Dress
$895.00 at theoutnet.com
LD 1000 Sneaker
$100.00 at revolve.com
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