Dressing Bella Baxter: From dependance to empowerment

The costumes created by Oscar-winning designer Holly Waddington for Yorgos Lanthimos' film "Poor Things" follow the journey of Bella Baxter - the main character played by Emma Stone - from childhood to adulthood and witness the transition from the heroine's complete dependence on men to her complete empowerment. Lanthimos had given his British collaborator, whom we first met as a costume designer's assistant for the 2007 film "Atonement," only one direction: He did not want his film to look like a period drama in terms of costumes. But he failed to tell her exactly what he had in mind. She had to figure that out on her own.

Bella Baxter would not have been etched in our memories if she did not wear these mismatched outfits, reminiscent of nothing in particular but drawn from many periods, from 1890s satirical illustrations and dress patterns, to Otto Dix paintings and...