Cruella Costume Designer Jenny Beavan On Revisiting The '70s London Fashion Scene [Interview] - /Film

Oh, wow. And then, of course, that dramatic military dress.

Oh, yeah.

I know that Emma [Stone] had spoken about that and about how crazy that was. Did you have to train her to move that? Because I remember doing plays and being trained to kick up a dance loop, and all kinds of things like that.

We trialed everything, including the garbage truck dress on either the stunt double, if there was one, or one of our own team. But I think that one, we did several trials on it, because it had to be light enough for her to walk onto the car, but heavy enough to swoop around, and land in the right place. My memory is that she only did it on the day, and did it for real because we had tested it on ... I can't remember exactly who tested it.

Probably was a stunt person who did the trials of that. But everything was tested, and she was in Doc Marten boots, which are pretty good and solid, and not heels or anything. And the jacket. Oh, that was a work of art. Wonderful Jonathan Burniston [junior costume maker] made it and got completely carried away with the epaulettes. I mean, they are complete little towns on each shoulder. But it was all sort of part of the fun. That's almost my favorite.

That was incredible. Some of the costumes though aren't quite as dramatic but still really stand out. Can you talk a little bit about Anita Darling [Kirby Howell-Baptiste], Jasper [Joel Fry], and Horace [Paul Walter Hauser], and that sort of design?

Well, I loved Anita. I was in LA and ... Was that Atlanta? No, we went to Atlanta to fit for Walter Hauser. I found this incredible fabric store called Mood. And we just found stuff that looked like the '70s. And I'd taken some real vintage stuff to try on her. And we knew she looked great in trouser suits, but we didn't have anything that was quite right. And then we found these amazing fabrics that would just speak the '70s. And so, they were all made in London for her. And then, naturally, this kind of bonkers big hair, which of course, we all had, and anyone who's Afro-Caribbean would've had in the '70s. So it was just great. And she's a lovely, lovely actor. So that was fun.

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Jasper and Horace, if you sort of see them, and you know. And again, in Atlanta, we couldn't see Paul until the evening. And we were there from, I think, even the day before because I'd come over from LA on our way back to London. And I said to the person who was helping us, local costumer, I said, "Is there a shop for slightly larger people?" And we went to this place, and it was just absolutely full of the most wonderful Horace-y kind of just ordinary polo shirts, and greens, and dark reds. Oh God, it was brilliant. So we did a real haul there. And probably spent about $20. I mean, it was so cheap.

And actually, a lot of that ends up in the film, and I said, "Well, while we're here, why don't we just buy in threes? Why buy one when, at that price, we could just get doubles in case we needed them." And actually, that fitting that evening was such fun. I have never met him before. He brought his sister, I think. And we ordered food and drink, and just had a ball in this hotel room, and used a lot of those clothes. And then, Jasper was obviously the sharper one. And that sort of slightly cheque ... I can't think of the word, but there's a sort of coat in England that sportsmen wear. And it's a bit sharp and sort of sassy. And I thought, it just has to be Jasper in a way, because he really aspires to being the gentleman. Rather than Horace who aspires to being the rogue and the thief. So yeah, I mean, they sort of found themselves.