The hotly anticipated film, the House of Gucci, hits theaters November 24th! Starring Lady Gaga, Jared Leto, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, and Salma Hayek, the Ridley Scott directed film follows the story of Patrizia Reggiani, a woman who married into the Gucci family and ultimately murdered her husband and Gucci heir, Maurizio Gucci.
The film is chock full of betrayal, decadence, and of course, fashion:
We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with House of Gucci’s Oscar Award winning costume director Janty Yates, who dipped into the archives of iconic Italian House to create over 250 costumes for the well heeled cast.
Of working with Iconic Actress Lady Gaga, Yates says, “Working with L.G. was so collaborative. She was wonderful. I couldn’t have wanted for a better actress. With Gucci, we did quite a bit on our own. They came in towards the end of prep and opened the doors for us.”
While the movie spans over several decades, Yates felt comfortable showcasing the evolution of style in the film. She says, “[Director Ridley Scott] and I are of a certain generation. We lived through the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. It was very straight forward. My favorite Gucci era was Tom Ford. Their design [before Tom Ford], I described it as round and brown. Tom Ford came along in ’94 and tore a strip though it and made it monochrome and slinky and sexy, and he was just amazing. Alessandro Michele has carried on with that philosophy.”
Lady Gaga (or L.G. as Yates calls her) had over 100 looks in the movie, sourced from the Gucci archives, various costume houses, and even Gaga’s personal collection. Yates offers, “I loved everything I put her in. We had rails of costumes that my costume cutter Dominic Young had made with his team. I had rails of vintage from Tirelli Costume House, Annamode Costume House and Ferragni Costume House. L.G. actually offered up her archive as well, which was fantastic. We were very blessed in choices. One of my favorite [looks from the movie] was a mock Chanel suit, pale blue and white check, very ornate in the pockets. But I have a lot of favorites.”
Yates, who has worked on films ranging from American Gangster to Alien and won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for the 2000 film Gladiator, advises that anyone who wants to work as a costume designer to simply persevere and do the work. She says, “I [started sewing at] the age of 11. You need to have some sort of formal training. You need to have that passion. I went to dress design, dress pattern cutting, and dressmaking college. I went to work eventually for other designers as an assistant’s assistant assistant for no money. You’ve got to absolutely keep trying. You’ve got to persevere. You’ve got to work in every department. Do your breakdowns, your dying, your sewing, you have to do your pattern cutting, you have to know your fabric. I wish I learned to dye with sticks. I wish I learned to dye with mushrooms. [Never stop learning]. I love my job.”
The House of Gucci is in theaters November 24th.
*Fashion Bomb Daily is actually hosting a screening of the House of Gucci in New York on November 21st. Want to attend? Leave a comment below, and we will pick two readers at random to attend.
Images: Backgrid/MGM