An assumed anachronism
Unlike Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen , Ian McEwan's novel takes place in 1935, a period when clothing gradually began to loosen up. Thin straps with a flowing vaporous skirt but above all, a devastating back neckline and a central slit that reveals the length of the legs of the actress. To create this outfit that has become a cult hit, the costume designer plunged into the fashion archives of the 1930s - yet you won't find a single dress that looks like the one in the movie which is much more low-cut than the fashion of the time. If the costume designer admits this anachronism, the result of an assumed creative decision, the dress adapts to the scene and to the purely aristocratic style of Cecilia Tallis. With a model like Keira Knightley, Jacqueline Durran could afford a lot of follies. To highlight the actress' slender silhouette, the costume designer adds a drape tied around the hips. When Knightley turns around and exposes her bare skin, James McAvoy's gaze is similar to ours: captivated and envious. This umpteenth collaboration between the costume designer and the director resumes a few years later for Anna Karenina. With Keira Knightley as the ultimate muse to play the heroine of Tolstoy, Jacqueline Durran won the Oscar for Best Costume Design in 2012.