In “Persuasion,” 20-something Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson) is still mourning the loss of her first true love since turning down the proposal of dashing (then broke) Navy Captain Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis) eight long years before. She finds some solace in a heartbreaking “playlist” – paper sheet music hidden in a centuries-old old memory box, as opposed to a CD or Spotify compilation. Like a Jane Austen classic, it serves as an evergreen and universal balm. That’s not the only part of our 19th-century protagonist that’s inflected with modernity in the Carrie Cracknell-directed Netflix adaptation.

The anachronisms of Anne’s Regency-Era dress reflect both her capable, fashion-forward character and her contemporary, ironic vernacular (plus, asides that break the fourth wall). For a solid background knowledge, costume designer Marianne Agertoft researched the period extensively through images, paintings and fashion prints, which later allowed her to expand with creative liberties on her art boards. mood. “[I then] combined that with more modern imagery and photography to illustrate characters and attitude,” she says.

The London-based costume designer also turned to a trio of 20th-century icons to convey Anne’s wit and complexity: Patti Smith, Debbie Harry and Audrey Hepburn.

“It’s more their attitude, like how they present themselves, not so much what they wore,” says Agertoft, referring to a photo of punk-rock legend Smith in a men’s shirt with a jacket. slung casually over his shoulder.

Agertoft has also moved the clock a bit forward, to the end of the 19th century, lowering dress and coat sizes slightly for Anne and her financially savvy confidante, Lady Russell (Nikki Amuka-Bird). “We had to go with what gave us the opportunity to say something that felt a little bit different, and I like the simplicity,” she says, adding that she jumped at the chance to sing. deviate from the empire-waist “pelisse” silhouette, which remained popular in the early to mid-19th century. “Tome, [the lower waistline] feels more timeless.”

Anne and Lady Russell’s pointed-forward waistline also sets them apart from the more conventional sisters of the former: Elizabeth (Yolanda Kettle, below), “Somerset’s most forward-thinking luminary”, as Anne the described, and Mary, well-married and adorably self-absorbed. (Mia McKenna-Bruce).

Working with Cracknell and production designer John Paul Kelly, Agertoft designed an expressive color palette for Anne and the cast, including a black and white theme for the debauched but debt-ridden Elliot family, starting with grays tactile darks, over-dyed. linen and sheer organza on Anne – because she’s “stuck in a world of memories, regrets and little action”, explains the costume designer.

The heroine of Austen’s last and darkest work, Anne is considered the author’s most mature character, one who observes a time of societal change in England. In this direction, “[the dark gray] just felt a little more complex and a little deeper, and resonated really well with me,” says Agertoft.

Anne’s buttoned and collared silhouettes – like the cropped white shirt with sleeves rolled up over a gray dress to prepare the family estate, Kellynch, for rental (gasp!) – speak to her love of reading and her intellect sharpened. In addition, Anne is “hands-on,” says Agertoft: “She doesn’t care about etiquette. She talks about what she love wearing.”

Unlike her temperamental sisters who never wear the same thing twice, Anne repeats her favorite ‘hero’ pieces, such as a low-waisted shawl-collar linen coat (above) on her travels through the English countryside and on a beach getaway to Lyme, where she finds a still injured Wentworth. “It’s like having a pair of jeans or a leather jacket that you love to travel in,” says Agertoft. “He sits on you and he grew into your form.”

Anne also stays comforted at home in her teal dressing gown with delicate puff shoulders and floral embroidery on silk (below). Her comfortable underwear reveals more about her character, while taking inauthentic liberties.

“Underneath it carries Regency front closing drawers [for men]”, Agertoft says, noting that “a woman of her status” would probably never have worn men’s underwear in those days. “It’s kind of like wearing your long johns. It’s, again, that modern interpretation.” (At the start of the film, Anne wears thick, slouchy woolen socks while drinking wine from the bottle – another anachronistic character choice.)

The teal dressing gown ties in with Anne’s blue theme; her monochromatic pattern expands with her journey as she slowly builds a second chance with Wentworth.

“Breaking up a monochromatic look with a teal is a really nice way to keep the same kind of character,” says Agertoft, whose favorite costume in the film is the aqua dress Anne wears to visit Mary, her rambunctious children and his loving friends. laws of his Uppercross domain (below).

The button-down dress goes through an active, elated, and ultimately discouraged sequence – so it had to be dynamic.

“I found a fabric and it was stiff, like a board,” says Agertoft. She and her team dyed and re-dyed the linen blend, while repeatedly washing and breaking it down. “It’s just become this beautiful room, kind of like when you go to a more relaxed house, like a younger sister’s house, where it’s all about the fun.”

Anne’s ocean-colored theme, tied to Wentworth’s naval blues, reaches its climax when the two meet on the cold, windswept beach of Lyme. (Agertoft says any sort of marine symbolism in the colors is unintentional.) Wentworth eventually grows closer to Anne, as she sways literal and figurative chill in a jewel-toned, teal-embroidered envelope on a denim dress (above) – the “most amazing fabric”.

As the misunderstandings continue and the scheming but deceitful Mr. Elliot (Henry Golding) piques Anne’s interest, her monochrome veers into silky ruby ​​tones, like a riding coat at the confectioners and a simple but beautiful pelisse cherry dress at the opera (below).

“This dress got a lot of attention from our studio. It was slowly but surely developed throughout filming,” says Agertoft. “[It was] we try not to go too way too much because it still had to fit in with the other Bathers who were there and Anne didn’t suddenly look a bit overdressed. It was a balance.”

Back in Bath with her family, Anne returns to her trusty gray tones, but in cleaner shapes and a silkier sheen.

“The Bath version of this monochrome, keeping everything very pure and clean, feels less relaxed than in the opening it is in the library at home [at Kellynch]says Agertoft, who enjoyed another contemporary take on the etiquette-dictated beanies and top hats of the era by accessorizing Anne with a flippant knit beret (above).

Anne’s headgear also thwarts Lady Russell’s elaborate hat, which gives Anne what she thinks is another devastating upgrade to top her previous heartache. “It was kind of the ‘bad news’ outfit, in that sense,” says Agertoft. “Go back to where she was at the beginning.”

“Persuasion” premieres Friday, July 15 on Netflix.

Never miss the latest fashion industry news. Sign up for Fashionista’s daily newsletter.