Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has created another modern art piece in Frankenstien. Now streaming on Netflix, del Toro’s retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic Gothic novel is a lush, decadent, dramatic and monstrously great cinematic achievement. It’s a film that hits big on both a visual and emotional level. You’ll be thinking about the performances well after the credits roll, particularly Jacob Elordi as The Creature who received a 14-minute standing ovation at the film’s world premiere at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. Spoiler alert: He will break your heart. Cue the Oscar nom.
Another thing that will captivate your imagination in this film is the costuming, particularly the looks worn by Mia Goth who has a dual role playing Elizabeth Lavenza—fiancée of William Frankenstein (Felix Kammerer) who’s the brother of Victor (Oscar Isaac)—and Victor’s mother Baroness Claire Frankenstein (plot twist!). It’s Elizabeth’s costumes in that make a massive fashion impact throughout the film and almost steal the show.
All costumes for the film were created by legendary New Zealand-born costume designer Kate Hawley, a frequent del Toro collaborator. The looks are incredibly ornate, with plush velvet, jewel-tone tapestry fabrics, trailing tulle veils and feathered headpieces playing a starring role. There’s also some jaw dropping jewels courtesy of Tiffany & Co. who opened its vaults to provide rare and archival pieces for the film.
In a recent interview with British Vogue, Hawley talks about the creative costuming process for Frankenstein and working with del Toro. She notes the importance of colour in his films, and how he’s a master of hidden details in every facet of his movies including wardrobe. Hawley reveals Elizabeth has several easter eggs in her wardrobe of gowns like quiet embroidered symbols and patterning (watch this film more than once so you can hunt for them). One of the grandest and most important dresses Elizabeth wears that packs a huge amount of meaning is her wedding dress which is also a star of the movie’s promo poster.
“That was the first look we created—once I’d done the Jesus-like bandages for the creature,” Hawley explains. “The bridal look was really important, and this is Guillermo’s bride, not a Victorian bride. It needed to be period but also have the more modern sensibility that he wanted. It echoes the creature’s bandages and his skeleton framework. We built the dress like we built the creature, from the inside out – it has five layers of organza and a Swiss ribbon bodice, and we put that on the outside instead of the inside because, at this point in the story, Elizabeth is reflecting the creature more than she is Victor. The ribbons on her arms are also a lovely homage to [the 1931] Frankenstein and [the 1935] Bride of Frankenstein.”
Hawley also shares the crest of the Frankenstein family is incorporated into the fabric of the gown. Hawley’s favourite part of the dress? The dream-like swoosh of the fabric on screen. “We used the lightest silk, and Mia’s constantly running in and out and up and down stairs, so it looks incredible. There’s also a slightly Biba-esque, sort of ’60s dreaminess to the look which comes through in the exquisite make-up by [make-up designer] Jordan [Samuel] and that very long hair by [hair designer] Cliona [Furey].”
What’s interesting to note about Elizabeth’s wedding dress is that it’s serendipitously in sync with what’s happening in the current realm of modern bridal fashion. After years of simpler silhouettes and minimally detailed wedding gowns, designers are once again embracing gowns with a feeling of nostalgic grandeur. Luxury laces, intricate jacquard fabrics, clouds of tulle, Basque waistlines and old-world bateaux necklines are huge for the year ahead. We love a moment when the fantasy of great cinema and real-time fashion collide and are so perfectly aligned.
