Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, The Wizard of Oz – live action recreations of classic fairytales is becoming Disney’s new specialty. These movies are keeping the stories we grew up on alive for the generations of today, equipped with new dazzling special effects and creative twists. The most recent addition to the growing line-up is Cinderella.
When Disney announced they would be recreating one of the most classic rags-to-riches story, all eyes and ears were on how the fairytale’s masterminds planned to showcase the story’s famous ball gown. To design to dress, the glass slipper seemed to fit on three-time Academy Award winning costume designer Sandy Powell’s foot.
Powell is responsible for the luxurious wardrobe designs in famous films like Shakespeare in Love, The Other Boleyn Girl, and, most recently, The Wolf of Wall Street.
To construct the whimsical cerulean gown, the designer used over a dozen layers of gossamer-fine silk in a wide variety of oceanic shades, including pale blue, turquoise, greens and lavender.
Instead of designing a heavy period piece dress, Powell said, in an interview with InStyle, she, “wanted it to look as light as air – really light.” Overall, the fanciful gown took four to five months before it was ready for the ball.
Of course no gown is complete without the perfect pair of shoes, and in a story that centers on the footwear like Cinderella, no expenses were spared. The result was a crystal slipper that cost over $235,000.
“It is real glass! It’s crystal. What’s fabulous about it is that it really sparkles like a chandelier or diamond ring. I teamed up with Swarovski to create the shoe, and even they hadn’t done anything like it before,” Powell said in the same interview.
Brands worldwide have released special Cinderella edition items, especially recreations of the glass slipper. Jimmy Choo, Stuart Weitzman, and Charlotte Olympia have all made high-priced replicas that have been flying off the shelves.
The film has already grossed over $70 million dollars domestically since its Friday release, and shows no sign of slowing down.
