In cinemas now, Cinderella is the live-action feature of Disney’s perhaps most magical fairytale starring Lily James as Cinderella and Cate Blanchett as her wicked stepmother, Lady Tremaine. But the film’s true star comes in million-fold, courtesy of the 1.7 million finely cut Swarovski crystals used by costume designer Sandy Powell to illuminate everything from dresses to hairstyles and of course jewellery. Celebrating the intricate work that went into her costumes for Cinderella, Atelier Swarovski and Powell have launched The Tremaine Collection, a collaboration of jewellery inspired by Blanchett’s character.
Next to the Powell collection, Swarovski have launched a line of jewellery and figurines in homage to Cinderella herself, complete with two versions of the most famous slipper in fiction, one, a collector’s edition and the other, a smaller take on it. At a screening of Cinderella in London last week, Powell said how important it was to her that all the famous pieces from the story were produced and not just created in CGI – including the glass slipper.
Powell is one of the top costume designers in Hollywood, with three Academy Awards to her name for Shakespeare in Love, The Aviator and The Young Victoria. Before the screening, she talked about Cinderella‘s fairytale splendour and the possibilities it had created in terms of costume design. The blue princess gown worn by Lily James in the ballroom scene – which features 150 tiaras from Swarovski’s archives worn by extras – was made in seven versions for various filming purposes, all of which are currently travelling the world as part of exhibitions marking the release of the film.