THERE’S A MOMENT IN THE
OUTRAGEOUSLY BRILLIANT TV
showKilling Eve that typifies the
complicated relationship of the
two female protagonists. It involves
a dress. Or, more specifically, a silk
dress by Roland Mouret. Villanelle- a psychopathic assassin with a
taste for French designers (played
by Jodie Comer) – taunts her
adversary, Eve Polastri – an
unglamorous MI5 agent (played by Sandra Oh) – by stealing
her suitcase and replacing everything in it with gift-wrapped
designer pieces.
While she desperately hates Villanelle, Polastri can’t help
but be seduced by the stylish assassin she’s investigating.
When she tries on the dress and marvels at how good she
looks in it, she’s flirting with a version of herself that harnesses
her sexuality. “The discussions really centred around the
contrast between Eve’s lack of interest in her appearance and
Villanelle’s hyper-awareness of the effect she is having on those
around her,” says Phoebe De Gaye, the show’s lauded
costume designer. “Over the course of the series, Villanelle’s
interventions lead Eve to discover her womanly qualities, and
perhaps allow Villanelle to discover her humanity.”
The costumes in the show became an immediate sensation,
with Villanelle being revered as one of the breakout style
icons of 2018. Every publication fromThe GuardiantoNew
York MagazineandVanity Fairchronicled the character’s
sartorial choices, spawning “get the look” galleries of high-
street alternatives. It’s really no surprise. De Gaye aimed to
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ON
FILM
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keep the character’s personal style
ambiguous (“I was hoping it would
be difficult for viewers to pin down
her look because she’s using clothes
to experiment with different
personas”) which meant viewers
were privy to an ingenious mixing of
aesthetics. A patterned Dries Van Noten power suit one day,
a pretty Miu Miu day dress the next. “She doesn’t necessarily
go for the most expensive clothes as a way of chasing status,”
says De Gaye. “She’s like a magpie – she chooses what
catches her eye at any given moment.”
Killing Eve marks the latest in a crop of hyper-stylish films
and TV shows with engaging female protagonists, including
2017’s Atomic Blonde, in which Charlize Theron plays an
elite MI6 spy with a penchant for John Galliano-era Dior;
Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 remake of Suspiria, which sees
Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson and Mia Goth occupy
a dance academy-cum-witch coven in custom Francesco
Russo shoes; or Ocean’s 8, with its Alberta Ferretti, Valentino
and archival Givenchy.
This month marks the release of Captain Marvel (in cinemas
March 8) – the first female-led film in the Marvel Universe
(which has spawned 14 male-led releases since 2014),
starring Oscar winner Brie Larson as the superhero. As
expected, every part of the costuming process was analysed,
debated upon and pulled-apart by Twitter as the first stills
trickled out of the set and found their way onto the internet.
There was backlash when the suit appeared green in some
photos, instead of the blue and red of the original comicsTHERE’S A NEW CROP
OF COMPLEX
CHARACTERS AND
SELF-POSSESSED
HEROINES HIT TING
OUR SCREENS – AND
THEIR COSTUMES ARE
JUST AS POWERFULIN FOCUSAlexander McQueenCelineBalenciagaStella McCartney