We’re only days away from the premiere of Bong Joon-Ho’s sci-fi dream Okja, a film that delighted — and courted controversy — at Cannes. Yesterday, costume designer Catherine George spoke with Fashionista about dressing Tilda Swinton for the film, which, of course, just made us even more eager to see it.
With Joon-Ho’s longtime collaborator Choi Seyeon handling the wardrobe for scenes shot in Korea, Catherine was charged with costuming Tilda’s American character Lucy Mirando, the CEO of a bizarre bio-food company. Catherine consulted all sources, from Richard Branson’s bizarre suits to Chanel’s runway, to create a wardrobe fit for the fictional, fantastical magnate, loosely inspired by Ivanka Trump.
The key look Tilda sports in the film, Catherine told Fashionista, is a custom Chanel delight. While the pair were looking over Chanel’s 2016 resort collection, a particular gown jumped out. “[Tilda] suddenly remembered: ‘I saw that dress! Yes, of course it should be the one,'” Catherine recalled. As it turns out, Swinton was sitting front row at the show, which took place in Seoul. The actor reached out to the house, and soon enough, Chanel’s design studio was at work on a custom version of the dress, trading the black trim for a forrest green ribbon. “We loved the idea of the Chanel dress,” Catherine reflected, “and the fact that Lucy is wearing Chanel. It’s part of her stature.”
Okja premieres on Netflix Wednesday, June 28th.
Credits
Text Isabelle Hellyer
Photography courtesy Netflix, © 2017