Clothes and accessories were given as much attention as the set design in the upcoming epic adventure Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman and directed by Baz Luhrmann of Moulin Rouge fame.
Australia follows Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) as she travels through uncharted territory Down Under to follow her philandering husband. Along the way, she meets a cattle drover, known only as “The Drover” (Jackman) and eventually joins forces with him to save the last cattle station they own.
As the story begins, we see Sarah as a rather cold and prudish woman who cares more for her Ferragamo shoes than for her husband. To help create the world of the Australian outback of the 1930s as envisioned by Luhrmann, an enormous amount of research was undertaken by two-time Academy Award-winning production and costume designer Catherine Martin. Martin and her costume team were responsible for creating almost 2,000 costumes for the film on a scale four times larger than for Moulin Rouge.
The department had to make nine pairs of jodhpurs for Kidman to wear during a horse-action sequence and altered versions for scenes where she is standing. Another issue was that 1930s vintage clothing proved too small for contemporary actors to wear, resulting in the design and creation of 60 evening dresses for one scene alone.
To complement the fashion in Lady Sarah’s wardrobe, Martin approached Ferragamo to collaborate on the design of Lady Sarah’s shoes. As Martin says, “When you think of the 1930s one of the first names of shoes that comes to mind is Ferragamo. Ferragamo is synonymous with famous persons from the past and has a long association of making shoes for films and of revolutionizing certain styling and manufacturing techniques. One of the quintessential Ferragamo traits is their confidence to mix often exotic materials with more luxurious fabrics; the showcasing of this trait and use of materials such as shagreen is a wonderful complement to the exoticism of Northern Australia during this period.”
Although traditionally known in the film world as props, Lady Sarah’s vast suite of blue and white luggage, supplied by legendary fashion house Prada, further identifies Sarah as being from the upper echelons of society. Prada, founded in 1913, was a logical choice as in the 1930s, the period of the film, the leather goods designed by Prada were a favorite of royalty and aristocracy.
From 20th Century Fox and distributed by Warner Bros., Australia opens Jan. 28 in theaters.