Bukater in “Titanic” (1997)
Royal Ambition and Wisdom
In times past, purple was a color of royalty. This was because dye was expensive to produce thus only the ruling class could afford it. Purple still holds its royal and luxury status as meaning creatively, wisdom, power, ambition and magic. It also has the appeal of being both simulating and calming.
The combination of red and blue creates an interesting issue: does the shade of purple look more red or blue? Warm or cool? This list is for shades of purple appear warmer with more red in the mix. Shades like magenta, fuchsia, eggplant, some lilac, some lavenders, jam, boysenberry etc.
Purple movie costumes that have more blue tones or shades that just appear cooler like violets, periwinkles and other shades of the blue/red combo will have their own lists. This list ranks warm purple costumes from Period Movies. Modern and Fantasy/Sci-Fi costumes have separate rankings.
Articles of clothing, like undergarments, cover-ups, sleepwear, outerwear etc are not included. The costumes are ranked by aesthetics, memorability and how it suits the character/film.
Enjoy!
List Subject to Change
10. Alma from Phantom Thread (2017)
Costume Designer: Mark Bridges
Phantom Thread is about the creative process explored with 1950s culture fashion with a dash of obsession and a dose of an unhealthy muse-creator dynamic. The fashions in the movie are not so much about art or pushing the creative envelope but it more in line with a conservative sense of what chic was in the 50s for high society people stillwaxing poetic about the 40s.
So the fashions in this film are purposely kind of clunky and not as in vogue as they should be. They are safe, almost boring and yet the soft lavender gown that Alma (Vicky Krieps) is very feminine and eye-catching.
It does sport that heavy white lace other costumes in the movie have but it does blend into the soft tones of the shiny fabric. The matching tulle shawl helps to diminish the overt conservative mood of the gown as does the off shoulder necklace.
9. Anna Karenina from Anna Karenina (2012)
Designer: Jacqueline Durran
The 2012 version of Anna Karenina took creative liberties and the highly styled approach to the narrative and costumes design resulting is a very memorable and beautifully cinematic movie. The design if the costumes are a combination of 1950s with some flourishes of the Late Victorian period rather than the 1870s.
However early in the movie Anna (Keira Knightley) does keep to a more Victorian look as she is more on page with her husband who projects his power and position through less ornamentation.
The purple gown while simple is lovely with a iridescent color shift to the fabric. The bodice as drapped swag-like collar adding a subtle sense of femininity. The entire shape of the silhouette is very lovely and soft with the refine muted purple color of the dress.
She does wear a pair 50s style diamond earring which she wears through the movie.
8. Angelica Sedara from The Leopard (1963)
Costume Designer: Piero Tosi
The costumes in The Leopard are hailed as some of the most historically accurate costumes in cinema. Now it should be noted that it doesn’t make for memorable/iconic costumes or even a good movie but it does help as it adds to a level of sincerity and a feeling of immersion. It doesn’t come off as cheapening the period of the setting with a sense of modernity of the film makers or some gimmick.
Angelica (Claudia Cardinale) wears this fuchsia day dress when she meets Prince Tancredi Falconeri for a romantic tryst. It’s a fairly simple costume; it does have some nice touches and details that spot on for the period.
7. Giuliana Hermil from L’Innocente (1976)
Costume Designer: Piero Tosi
Based on a novel, this movie depicts a very dour melo-drama about a tragic love triangle of sorts. The story is not the appeal of the movie film’s direction especially with the costumes. Giuliana Hermil (Laura Antonelli) plays a neglected wife whose husband is engaged with a mistress. Giuliana finds love with a lover herself which makes her husbanddesire her again.
This evening gown that she wears is a sugar plum color. There is some beading at the puffed sleeves and at the frontof the skirt. The bodice has pin-tucks which adds a subtle bit of visual interest. It’s not the most grand and ostentatious gown in the room but it is very lovely and with the sheer veil it adds a dreamlike quality to the look.
6. Dolly Levi from Hello Dolly (1969)
Costume Designer: Irene Sharaff
Dolly Levi (Barbra Streisand) is a very competent lady. If her motives or ambitions were at all nefarious she could be quite the villain however she is not. Her careful yet fairly mad-cap plans are aimed at people and herself finding love and bettering their positions. She is a Queen amongst the people and this purple ensemble is very reflective of that aspect of her character.
Dolly wears this tonal royal purple daywear to Irene’s hat shop as her scheme works their mischief and plants some seeds of love. The costume is a high neckline long sleeve blouse with a matching skirt and a fabulous hat. Criss- crossing ruffles with rosettes make up the details. The rosettes get bigger in size as they go down the outfit to the hem. Is it the most historically accurate costume? No, it is not and doesn’t have to be either. Is it iconic? Yes it is.
5. Paro from Devdas (2002)
Costume Designers: Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosla, Neeta Lulla, and Reza Shariffi
The 2002 version of Devdas is an opulent feast for the eyes. It’s a gorgeous and luxurious looking movie from the over the top sets to the tiniest details on the costumes.
Based on the novel of the same name, Paro (Aishwarya Rai) is the childhood sweetheart of the main character Devdas. Due to some machinations, weak-willed motivated mistakes and pride, Devdas and Paro do not get married despite the almost supernatural love they share. Instead she marries someone else in an arranged marriage and Devdas wallows in misery.
This purple saree Paro wears when she is reprimanded by her husband and her mother-in-law with regards to her deep feelings towards Devdas is very beautiful and a little unusual.
The blouse has a high neckline with long sleeves which were in fashion for the time and place. You don’t see this combination too often in Bollywood movies as it’s more historical for the turn of the 20th century and less to modern sensibilities. So it does look more subdued as an ensemble especially considering the spectacle of some of the other costumes in this movie. There is a gold trim at the neckline and at the cuffs. There is also a subtle gold pattern on the blouse. The saree border is also gold which adds some lovely layers.
While the color purple does not have the same associations in India as it does in Western countries, it is linked to the 7th chakra. The 7th chakra is the crown and its about the connection to the divine and the universe which suits Paro’s feelings for her childhood sweetheart.
4. Gertrude from Ophelia (2018)
Costume Designer: Massimo Cantini Parrini
The 2018 movie Ophelia is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet from the perspective of Ophelia. All the costumes in the film are a pre-Raphaelites dream. They are all just so amazingly stunning and gorgeous.
Amongst these lovely costumes is this one deep royal purple piece that Queen Gertrude (Naomi Watts) wears a few times, mostly notably when she marries Claudius. The costume is textural adding luxurious quality. The fabric looks like it is made from velvet and it’s richly embroidery with a heavy gold pattern.
The sleeves are long and trimmed with gold. There is an insert at the side seams that looks to be made of some kind of texture fabric, maybe a silk of some kind. The collar is a high stand up which adds a feeling of regality to the look. The costume is further adorned with beads, purple jewels, pearls, rings and a crown with a long veil.
3. Empress Elisabeth from Ludwig (1973)
Costume Designer: Piero Tosi
1973’s Ludwig sees Romy Schneider reprising her role as Empress Elisabeth. However in this movie her character is
darker than in the 1950s trilogy. When she arrives in Bavaria, she wears a beautiful, jammy-purple suit. The display of the costume and the way it looks in the films are weird as in the display it looks more purple and in the movie it reads more reddish.
The material of the suit has a slight texture. The neckline is with black embroidery at the neck, down the front at the cuff and on the train. The hem of the jacket has a ball fringe. The full matching skirt has the same black embroidery application at the bottom of the skirt in three rows.
2. Dido Elizabeth Belle from Belle (2013)
Costume Designer: Anushia Nieradzik
The 2013 film Belle is a biopic of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) the first black member of the British aristocracy in the late 1700s. She was the illegitimate daughter of Maria Belle, formerly enslaved African woman and Sir John Lindsay. She was raised by her great aunt and uncle the Countess and first Earl of Mansfield along with her cousin Elizabeth Murray. Her great-uncle was the most powerful British jurist at the time.
One of her most iconic costumes is her purple magenta gown. It is in the Robe à l’Anglaise style. The stomacher is adorned with bows. The trim along edges of the gown is pleated ruffle with a contrasting lighter shade that is closer to pink. As she is wearing this gown to a garden party she wears a lacy white hat and has a matching parasol.
1. Rose DeWitt Bukater from Titanic (1997)
Costume Designer: Deborah L Scott
As a young woman in the upper epsilon of high society and having just completed a grand tour of Europe in during a late gilded age, Rose (Kate Winslet) wear clothing that are all insanely beautiful and in peak vogue for 1912.
The costume she wears at the climax of the movie—which is the sinking of Titanic and its aftermath—is a seemly simple dress. She really just slips it on because it was most likely easy for her to get into without assistance. It’s fun to speculate what sort of event or function this dress would have been worn to, maybe a tea or garden party or some other society gathering she would have hated.
This dress is a day wear garment made from layers of sheer pale lavender as well as white and pink which add depth. It has a high empire waistline with long pink sash and short sleeves. The neckline is angled square and trimmed with lace
The dress is very diaphanous which gives great fluidity as she runs, swims and moves around during this section of the movie. It makes her look fragile against the dark water that submerges the sets all around her. This dress is called the “The Swim Dress.”
More Purple Movie Costumes
- The 10 Best Purple Costumes from Modern Set Movies
- The 10 Best Purple Costumes from Fantasy/Sci-Fi Movies
