…From Mercutio’s glitzy lingerie set and cape as he belted out “Young Hearts Run Free” at the Capulet party, to Juliet’s ethereal angel wings, to the flaming sacred heart on the Hawaiian shirt worn by Romeo in the opening scenes on Verona beach, these are looks that haven’t just become a part of cinematic history, but fashion history too. (The latter style in particular has never been far from a menswear catwalk over the last 25 years.)
…It’s under the former category that Barrett slots her memorable collaborations with Dolce & Gabbana (for the young Capulets’ gunslinging leather waistcoats and cowboy belts), Prada (for DiCaprio’s dreamy wedding suit), and Yves Saint Laurent (for the razor-sharp tailoring and gowns worn by the elder generation’s mob bosses and wives). “That was a dream come true,” Barrett adds. Still, the bulk of the clothing was fabricated by Barrett’s team of pattern cutters and seamstresses, including those famous Hawaiian shirts, which were all painstakingly handpainted as riffs on a piece she picked up in a Miami thrift store.
…Here, Barrett shares the story behind the costumes, from her eclectic range of references, to collaborating with Miuccia Prada on DiCaprio’s tailoring, to how she used clothes to bring Shakespeare’s romantic tale back to vivid, unforgettable life.
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