The Irish woman behind The Pursuit Of Love’s 800 costumes
Irish costume designer Sinéad Kidao is a real star of hit BBC series The Pursuit Of Love as her 800 outfits define the era in this dramatisation of Nancy Mitford’s novel
THE dramatisation of the novel The
Pursuit Of Love is taking television viewers on a thrilling trip back in time to the halycon interwar years when fashion was all about elegance and individual style. And while she does not appear on screen herself, talented Kildare costume designer Sinéad Kidao has a starring role in the BBC drama.
Sinéad, who is the sister of award-winning author Aisling Bea, immersed herself in books and pictures, meticulously researching that interwar era of aristocrats and sophisticates to ensure that every piece on the series is a standout. The the dresses and gowns worn by Lily James in her starring role as Linda Radlett, the fictional heroine whose family is based on the notorious English aristocratic Mitford household are particularly ravishing.
The semi-autobiographical The Pursuit of Love was written by Nancy Mitford and Sinéad began her research here. ‘I started with the book and the script, and then started researching the Mitfords, and British aristocratic high society at the time, looking for the most characterful individuals who we could use as inspiration. Fortunately, the people our characters are based on were widely documented and photographed. I worked very closely with the production designer, hair and make-up designer and cinematographer to create a look and tone that was true to the period – but a stylised, bright and bold version. Emily Mortimer [the director and writer] wanted something that felt fresh, relevant and fun.’
Sinéad says she sensed her future was in fashion when she was studying at Trinity College. ‘I had always been interested in fashion, art and costume. I did costume as part of my drama degree at Trinity and then was encouraged to apply to do a post grad in costume at RADA in London,’ she says.
A fortuitous encounter with director Mike Leigh at the 2012 London Olympics catapulted Sinéad to the A-List of her profession. Leigh connected Sinéad with his go-to costume designer Jacqueline Durran, who immediately recognised the young Irishwoman’s talent. Over the past decade she has crafted her trade as an assistant, working under Durran on Anna Karenina. She also assisted on blockbuster movies The Dark Knight Rises and Wonder Woman 1984.
Sinéad’s work caught the sartorial eye of the team behind
The Pursuit Of Love, who called upon her to create a decadent array of 800 eclectic looks for the mammoth production.
She says: ‘I had a month or so of research, then about eight weeks to pull it all together before we started filming. The
first lockdown happened about two weeks before we were due to film, so then we ended up with a hiatus in between to think about it some more, but we weren’t sure whether it would ever actually happen.’
Sinéad brought the past to life, dressing the leading actors, including Lily James, Dominic West and Andrew Scott, in a dazzling array of beautiful bespoke creations she made from scratch.
She tells Magazine: ‘The principal costumes were a mix of bespoke makes for the lead actors. The character of Lord Merlin was originally based on a wealthy aesthete called Lord Berners, and for our version, we were also heavily influenced by the style of [Oscar-winning stage and costume designer] Cecil Beaton.
‘Both individuals were such eccentrics in real life in how they lived and dressed, it felt like we had complete licence to go as big as we wanted with Andrew’s character … but
I always wanted to have a reference or a photograph to back up what we were doing.
‘We took pieces that existed during the period, and fancy dress items, and just used them in his everyday wardrobe.’
Likewise, she says Lily James’s wardrobe as Linda was a mix of the outrageous and the abstemious.
‘The teal silk dress Linda wears at the beginning of episode two is my favourite. It is scripted that her father-in-law is horrified when she buys herself a gift of an extravagant ruby and pearl necklace. We were incredibly lucky to have access to Bulgari’s archives, where much of Linda’s jewellery comes from, including this necklace. The whole look is quite a statement.’ n
Sinéad says she was fortunate the three Mitford sisters were something of ‘the Kardashians of the day’, and the social butterfly siblings were regularly photographed at the time.
‘The Mitfords were widely photographed from when they were children. We also looked at characters who were in their social circle; the bohemian socialites known as “The Bright Young Things” who loved dressing up in quite outrageous styles.’
Sinéad says the country gear worn by Dominic West, who plays the role of Uncle Matthew, was given a 21st century revamp.
‘Uncle Matthew loved shooting and hunting and we rarely see him outside the countryside so we followed the style of Nancy Mitford’s father and just dialled up the colours a bit.’
Sinéad brings magic to the screen through her creations, but she says going back to fashion days-gone-by was a daunting task, especially given present day problems. She reveals: ‘I did think when we first went back after lockdown and all the fabric shops were still closed and restrictions were in place that we might not be able to pull it off, but actually we just got on with it and it was fine, and we were all very grateful to be able to work.
‘We had to buy mostly online from vintage dealers via eBay, Etsy and 1stDibs, rather than in person. So there were a few disasters where I got the scale completely wrong, or the colours looked completely different in real life, or it seemed impossible to find the right fabric or button or trim because everything was closed! But that’s all pretty trivial in the scheme of things and part of the challenge on any project is working within limitations, whatever they may be.’
The Pursuit of Love is on BBC One tonight at 9pm.