Once more unto the tight breeches!
There may not be a Mr Darcy wet shirt scene, but the sumptuous uniforms and taut breeches the men wear in War And Peace will set hearts racing. ‘The breeches were cut as tight as possible and the broad shoulders and narrow waists of the uniforms accentuate the male physique,’ says costume designer Edward K Gibbon. ‘They weren’t particularly practical but they cut quite a dash on the battlefield!’ Each pair of breeches was made to measure and care was taken to ensure each actor’s modesty was protected. ‘Although the breeches are made of wool there’s stretch to them, and as they were cut correctly no one seemed to have any problems,’ laughs Edward. ‘The correctsized underwear helped. We didn’t need a wet shirt moment because Tolstoy provided us with more than enough “phwoar” moments!’ ‘The breeches were quite tight and they got tighter – I certainly wasn’t allowed to ride sidesaddle,’ says James Norton, who plays Andrei. Great attention to detail was paid to make sure the uniforms are as faithful as possible to the originals. The Pavlograd Hussar uniforms alone each had 180 buttons and 49 metres of braid. ‘It’s all about bravado and macho posturing,’ says Edward. ‘The Pavlograd Hussars, the regiment Nikolai Rostov and his friend Dolokhov join, was the regiment favoured by the aristocracy. The jacket worn over one shoulder only is called the dolman – it was the winter jacket with a sheepskin trim for warmth.’ Original furs as well as satins, silks and fine laces were used. ‘Russia was a wild and decadent place peopled by beautiful, rich people at the time,’ says Edward. ‘It was inherently sexy and at times depraved, so we tried to emphasise the decadence through the clothes. It’s no surprise to hear that the ballgown was Lily James’s favourite costume. ‘I didn’t wear a corset because it wasn’t the fashion back then and I loved the long flowing dresses.’