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COURTESY OF MYUNG CHUN/LOS ANGELES TIMES/GETTY IMAGES

We can thank Jenny Beaven for her creativity in costume design because the looks in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris are beautiful. With working as the costume designer for the recent film, Cruella, and her award-winning accomplishments, we can conclude that Beaven knows what she is doing.

The film itself is about a London-based cleaning woman in the ‘50s who falls in love with her aristocratic employer’s floral-appliqued Dior gown (also known as the Ravissante dress that referenced the Miss Dior dress from 1949 originally made from more than 1000 silk flowers). After losing her husband in WWll, she is filled with love again as she embarks on a Parisian escapade to secure her own Dior. It also emphasizes how fashion unites us all rather than separating us.

Beaven demonstrates the elegance of Dior Couture by recreating a lot of the luxury brand’s pieces (of course with Dior’s approval). Beaven and her team created several garments that replicated Christian Dior from 1947 to 1957. One ensemble that was highlighted in the film was Dior’s New Look Bar Suit that exemplified the women’s ability to work post WWll with its A-lined skirt and fitted bodice silhouette.

COURTESY OF CHRISTIAN DIOR ; COURTESY OF DAVID LUKACS/2021 ADA FILMS LTD

Beaven and her team collaborated with Jane Law and John Bright of Cosprop costume supplier to recreate these designs from scratch. Being in Covid lockdown at the time, it was hard to find stock, so Beaven mentioned that she relied heavily on their stock to echo a lot of Dior’s classic pieces. They studied every detail from the color of the dye, to the cut, boning, and interior underpinnings. Beaven even had the opportunity to visit Dior’s Héritage archives of sketches, fabric samples, precious garments, and runway show notes.

To maintain Mrs. Harris’s character, Beaven kept the thick stockings and shoes Mrs. Harris typically wore no matter how much her style evolved. It shaped a deeper sense of her authenticity. Even though she was exploring new fashions, she still remembered who she was and what was important to her.

Here are some of the looks from the film that we adore…

The retro runway show that was put on for Dior’s 10th Anniversary in the film shows the “Vaudeville” dress. This specific gown embodied the New Look silhouette with its white organza and black velvet ribbon stringed through the dress for a fitted look.

COURTESY OF GAMMA-RAPHO VIA GETTY IMAGES

The inspiration of the runway show shown above was Dior’s 1957 show.

The emerald green color and jeweled sweetheart neckline dress

The “Temptation” crimson-red satin dress with intricately hand-sewn sequins which honored Dior’s “Diablotine” dress from the F/W 1957 Haute Couture collection