Fashion In Film: Midnight in Paris (2011)

Director: Woody Allen
Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard
Costume Design: Sonia Grande

AKA: The best dress in Paris at any time of day

Midnight in Paris pleasantly surprised me. I liked it. Now, of course, my last Woody Allen film was Everyone Says I Love You, which was horrid, and even more horrid because it butchered the musical film genre. But this movie, I liked. A lot. Being both an art history major and a fan of the 1920's, I got a lot of the references and characters within the film.

However, one thing pulled me out of the film experience. A little white and red dress worn by the character Adriana (Marion Cotillard) during a few scenes. It was found by Sonia Grande, the film's costume designer. I have always loved 1920s dresses, see here and here. I've even thought about making one of my own by using this booklet, The One-Hour Dress. But this dress made me REALLY want to make one. Just look at it!

It is such a basic design, every article that explains how to make a '20s dress basically describes this dress. The only addition to the design would be the middy collar and trim details. It is a simple shift but with the extra hip fabric gathered on either side. In this case, the top of those gathers are covered with ribbon trim and matching buttons.

Note that the sleeves, even though made of the same fabric as the dress, are not lined. This gives me a look at the fabric weave which seems to be lawn or batiste. What do you think?

I would love to see the trim closer; it could be jacquard ribbon or lace, I can not tell. However, there are many decorative ribbon trims that could be used in this way.

Isn't it a sweet and simple dress?