Tell us just how important a role a film’s wardrobe plays in helping an actor get into character.

Jacqueline Durran (JD): “Costumes are always important for an actor creating a character – but sometimes more than others. This was the kind of job where it was important for the character to be recognised from the outside and for our interpretation of Diana to come to life.”

Kristen Stewart (KS): “What I noticed in my research was that whenever Diana wore Chanel, she didn’t feel like a prisoner in the clothes. When she looked strong and powerful, quite often she was wearing Chanel. So when we incorporated the looks into the movie, I wanted to make sure that if a scene was more difficult, or where she was feeling threatened, we put her in a Chanel suit – think of it as a bit of a support system. When you watch the movie, all the Chanel looks are worn when she needs help.”

Pictured: Besides the three archival looks recreated for the film – including this ready-to-wear tweed coat originally from Fall/Winter 1988 – Chanel loaned a number of outfits, accessories and jewellery for the wardrobe of Spencer. These span from couture creations from 1983 to modern-day classics such as the 11.12 leather flap bag and its Coco Crush line of fine jewellery; the latter is a mix of everyday elegance and edge befitting of Kristen Stewart’s role.

How did this collaboration with Chanel start and what was the process like?

JD: “I’ve worked with Chanel on movies for over 15 years and have always enjoyed the process and the opportunities to use beautiful things. Pablo (Larrain – filmmaker and the director of Spencer) and I met in London and I brought along pictures of Diana from 1988 to 1992 to show him the different styles and colours she wore during that period. There was a significant Chanel outfit that she had put on when visiting Paris in 1988 – the red coat that she had worn on arrival – and this became the coat used in the Christmas church scene (a significant one in the movie, but no spoilers here).”

Pictured: The beige haute couture dress that’s part of the film’s pivotal scene, as well as its promotional materials, is a Spring/Summer 1988 Karl Lagerfeld design. Because the archival pieces were too precious to be worn for filming, the house painstakingly remade replicas. The intricate boning, pleating and embroidery of this Spring/Summer 1988 couture gown replica alone took 1,034 hours of work.

What to you was the most memorable Chanel look in Spencer?

KS: “The haute couture dress. It’s a heartbreaking dress because of how gorgeous it is. To see someone crumbling on the bathroom floor in a dress so spectacularly beautiful, unique and one-of-a-kind is truly heartbreaking. We went through the archives thinking ‘what is the dress?’, and everyone knew it as soon as I put it on. It was undeniably the right one.”

JD: “For me, although the haute couture dress is the most iconic, the red coat was the first costume that really encapsulated Diana for our movie. We wanted to capture the spirit of Princess Diana’s style, but not slavishly copy – and the red coat was our starting point. In our second fitting with Kristen in London, we put together with the original from the archive and the hat made for the movie by a London milliner and suddenly we had found the look.”

Pictured: Princess Diana reportedly used to wear blue clothes and eyeshadow to emphasise the colour of her eyes. The blue tweed jacket that Chanel remade for the film is originally from its Fall/Winter 1990 ready-to-wear collection. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity

This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2022 Art & Music: The Analogue Edition of FEMALE