Brigitte Bardot was the inspiration for Carey Mulligan's wardrobe in Promising Young Woman.
In director Emerald Fennell’s modern day thriller, the British actress plays Cassie, a woman intent on avenging the death of her best friend who was raped by one of their medical school classmates, and later committed suicide.
Costume designer Nancy Steiner said she initially thought that Carey's character would be dishevelled after she read the script, but Emerald wanted her to be dressed in bubblegum pinks and florals in an attempt to conceal her trauma and depression.
“I harkened back to the ’60s,” she told Variety. “I had Brigitte Bardot pictures on my mood board – a lot of cute blondes.”
The film, which was produced by Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment banner, follows Cassie as she tries to single-handedly change the ways of men who take advantage of drunk women, and ultimately tracks down those responsible for raping her best friend.
And Nancy wanted to tell Cassie's story "without shouting", and relied on creating a “sweet all-American girl" wardrobe to continue the protagonists deception and hide her inner turmoil.
“Emerald really wanted Cassie to dress as if she was this happy-go-lucky girl. You would never know she’s depressed,” she told Variety. “I’ve come to realise that it’s just another one of her costumes she wears to hide who she really is.”
Promising Young Woman, also starring Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, and Jennifer Coolidge, is available to watch via on-demand services now.
