In David Lowery’s Mother Mary, Anne Hathaway stars as a pop star on the brink of a comeback. Gearing up for her highly-anticipated return to the spotlight, the singer turns to her estranged friend Sam (played by Michaela Coel), who has now become a hot fashion designer, to create a special dress. Of course, Mother Mary is after more than just a look for the stage: She is also hoping to put an end to the drama between her and the equally larger-than-life Sam. “The film talks about the complexity of creative relationships,” says Iris van Herpen, the Dutch designer who made the film’s grand-finale gown. “The dress becomes an expression of that—how one creative influences the other, and how you can lose or regain your identity through such a relationship.”
Director David Lowery (Peter Pan & Wendy, The Green Knight) enlisted Bina Daigeler, who worked on Tár and 2020’s Mulan, to oversee the film’s costumes. Taking on the project—which doubles as a true style spectacle—was about much more than covering Hathaway in sequins and Taylor Swift-esque bodysuits: Daigeler had a complex journey to craft on-screen. When we first meet Mother Mary in the film, her star has faded—and Daigeler had to manifest fashion-forward looks that conveyed the tension of lost fame. “For me, it was about finding ways to bring the emotions out, and translate them to the costumes,” she says.
In flashback scenes, we see Mother Mary in her early prime—covered in flowing capes, crystal-encrusted bodysuits, and halo-shaped headpieces, her signature accessory. (A not-so-subtle homage to the holy figure found in Christianity.) The costumer took inspiration for those from real-life singers. “I love Beyoncé, and she was doing the Renaissance tour at that time; we also looked at Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa. But I also went back a lot, too: We were drawn to older pop, especially Madonna in the ’80s.”
Hathaway sings original pop tracks on the soundtrack, courtesy of Charli XCX and Jack Antonoff. Similarly, it was important for the film’s costume team to cultivate looks that felt distinct and original. That’s where the many halo headpieces that Daigeler created for Hathaway’s character came in. “Each pop star has such a signature habit of dressing, but we really wanted to create our own,” says Daigeler. “We took inspiration from designers like Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. A lot of costumes we made [did not end up] in the movie.”
The film’s defining dress comes at the end. When Mother Mary finally emerges wearing the red, draped-organza frock Sam makes her (the one Iris van Herpen was responsible for in real life), it represents much more than just a fashion choice. “The dress embodies transcendence, and how you can evolve from your own life,” says Herpen. “Mother Mary is lost in her own fame and identity, but she’s trying to find herself again. When she puts on the dress, she goes into this spiritual elevation.”
Lowery had van Herpen in mind from the very beginning and the design process took months. “The dress is not really a dress in its physical form—it’s like a vessel or spirit,” says van Herpen. “My creative process was really through draping, a very intuitive way of working. We dyed the organza red, and made a very fine plissé to give it texture and shadow play.”
The hue and silhouette was especially important to get right, she says. “Red is something we all felt strongly about, it’s a spiritual color, but also represents the inside of your body, and the color of blood.” Daigeler was delighted with the final result. “It’s an absolutely stunning piece, but it still lets the person inside shine a lot. You wanted something that shows Mother Mary from the inside out.”
Equally fun for Daigeler was working with Coel. “Michaela and I spent quite a lot of time together,” says the costume designer. “She came to my workroom and spent a couple of days there, and I loved that process, because we had just so much fun with all of the glamour—the fabrics, stones, embroideries,” says Daigeler, adding, “I really enjoyed it.” Something tells us fashion fans in the audience will, too. Below, more sneak peaks at the costumes from Mother Mary.
