When one thinks of Jane Austen and Sense & Sensibility, avant-garde fashion and courtesans may not be the first thing to pop into mind. But that's exactly where British costume designer Grace Snell went for inspiration for Georgia Oakley's 2026 adaptation of the classic novel.
Sense & Sensibility tells the story of Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones), the calm and sensible Dashwood, and her younger, more passionate sister Marianne, as they experience love and heartbreak after they're forced to leave their family estate with their widowed mother and move to a humble cottage.
Although the movie is a sister to Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice in tone and color, the fashion tells a more intimate story, with Grace looking towards the deconstructed tailoring favored by Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons in the 1990s for more modern shapes.
© Courtesy of Focus FeaturesModern Tailoring for Elinor
"I really delved deep in the tailoring side for Elinor," Grace tells HELLO!
"I went to fashion, and particularly tailoring pieces. I looked at Yohji Yamamoto from the 90s, and Comme des Garçons' idea of tailoring, and Ann Demeulemeester – I looked at her for a lot of the tailoring and shapes."
Those collections featured exposed seams, raw hems, and oversized silhouettes, and paired with earthy tones and weathered fabrics helped to physically embody not only Elinor's internal constraints but also the economic devastation that the family finds themselves in.
"I looked at Yohji Yamamoto from the 90s, and Comme des Garcons' idea of tailoring, and Ann Demeulemeester."
18th-Century Rebellion for Marianne
For Marianne, however, Grace looked back even further, to the late 18th century and Lady Emma Hamilton, an English courtesan who is most remembered as the mistress of naval hero Lord Nelson and the muse of artist George Romney, as well as Marie Antoinette, and in particular her "chemise a la reine", one of the first known uses of underwear as outerwear, and an important intersection of Marianne's sensibility and romanticism.
© Courtesy of Focus Features"I looked at, particularly, portraits of Lady Emma where she used to dress up and have a lot of fun and was also quite sort of romantic," says Grace, who was fascinated by the concept of Marianne looking for her own inspiration in the vintage fashions of the day.
"I also liked the idea that Marianne was getting inspired by these women, such as Marie Antoinette when she wore her "chemise à la reine" during her cottage phase, having a lovely time in her cottage where she spent the rest of her days."
Storytelling Through Natural Dyes…
Grace used natural dyes such as madder, logwood, and elderflowers to help control the color palettes of the costumes, almost all of which were handmade, and the intentional use of color was a way to "guide the emotional state of the actors".
© Courtesy of Focus Features"When we come to Barton, we start warming up – we have more reds and pinks coming in – and when we're in London and you see the crowd at the hop, there's a lot of color and energy. I wanted it to feel like this inclusive space that exploded with joy, and I used color to guide the emotional state of the actors," she says.
"It was a device to help emphasize moments of joy. For me, color is a really, really important part of how I design, and we did control our palette."
… and jewelry
Also intentional was the lack of jewelry in the movie.
© Alex Bailey"I just really took it on board that Elinor would have said, 'Everybody, we're going to have to sell the jewelry,'" laughs Grace.
Only Mrs Dashwood (Caitriona Balfe) is seen with jewelry early on, wearing her mourning ring which includes a lock of her late husband's hair, "but for the sisters, we wanted to keep it very minimal and to show that jewelry and wealth go hand in hand."
"I used color to guide the emotional state of the actors."
At Barton and in London, jewelry returns on the guests of the balls, with pearls, diamonds, and coral all on display to highlight the world of wealth the girls were stepping back into, and help audiences understand the societal shifts the sisters were undergoing.
The importance of menswear
© Alex BaileyGrace also helped to guide the storytelling through the costuming of George MacKay's Edward Ferrars – an awkward and understated man who does not desire his family's high-society status.
Edward is the film's main love interest, the man with whom Elinor falls in love but doesn't believe she can match.
But where Elinor's tailoring remains unconventional, Edward's is more structured and practical, an embodiment of the world he lives in, an intentional choice made by Grace to anchor the film's climactic love scene that sees Elinor chase after Edward on the moors.
"[Edward] is a man who has walked for miles but he is so distinctive that she sees his silhouette [and knows it's him] before she sees him. That was really important for me."
"You have to make sure that the actor can work in the corset!"
Corsetry guides
Daisy has praised Grace's costuming decisions, acknowledging how they influenced the actors' posture and performance. The pair began working together early on, as Daisy was already confirmed for the role when Grace joined the project, which gave Grace "early insight" into how Daisy wanted to move forward with the character.
© Alex BaileyTogether the pair had "dress-up sessions," trying on different corsets, bum rolls, and petticoats to figure out how each one may help or hinder Daisy, and influence how she would walk as Elinor.
Most importantly though, Daisy was given Grace's guide to wearing a corset which involves walking while laughing, as well as deep breathing and shallow breathing: "You have to make sure that the actor can work in the corset!"
