Keira Knightley’s Atonement dress that wasn’t actually a dress but everyone wanted it anyway

Kiera Knightly’s Atonement dress that everyone wanted wasn’t actually a dress

Transcript

00:00Long before Brat Green, there was Keira Knightley's emerald green dress in Atonement.

00:05Ever since the film came out in 2007 and was quickly voted the greatest film costume ever

00:10in a Sky Movies InStyle poll, it's been unforgettable, with fashionistas like

00:15Victoria Beckham and Alexa Chung attempting their own imitations years later.

00:19People loved this shade of green,

00:21even though back in 2007 it was considered a bit of a rogue cue for a movie costume.

00:27Film critics have speculated about what this shade of green symbolises.

00:31During the time the film was set, jewel tones such as emerald were, in fashion, signifying wealth.

00:37Although according to colour theory, the green could signify abundance of nature,

00:42others have speculated that it shows mystery or menace.

00:46The author of the book Atonement, Ian McEwan,

00:48dedicated several pages to his character Cecilia's process of choosing her outfit.

00:53He writes that when she put it on, it was a mermaid who rose to meet her in her own

00:58full-length mirror. Scroll through Etsy and you'll find artisan versions.

01:02But it doesn't matter how hard you try, you probably won't be able to replicate the look,

01:08even if you do have Keira Knightley's bone structure.

01:11Because the designer Jacqueline Duran made this costume with impossibly thin,

01:15fragile silk, complete with many replicas in case one ripped on set.

01:20Her work is absolutely incredible.

01:21It's meant to be seen, not worn, just because of how iconic it is and how specific it is.

01:27Duran says that although it was impractical,

01:29a thicker material wouldn't have hung the same way, or clung to her body as well.

01:33Also, I'm sorry to ruin the illusion, but it's not actually a dress.

01:36It's a skirt, sash and top.

01:38If you go through the process of trying to make something that someone has created,

01:43you sort of, you learn how much you don't know about the process.

01:47It was sort of an unrecreatable dress in general.

01:50Oh, and you might not have noticed, but Keira Knightley deliberately wears

01:53three slightly different shades of green in this sequence.

01:56They bought reams of white silk and dyed it different colours.

02:00Initially, her dress is a bright green,

02:01while for a raunchy scene in the library, her dress is darker.

02:04Anyway, if you don't know the story,

02:06Keira Knightley wears the costume when her little sister's mind is playing a trick on her.

02:10And this iconic green dress, I mean three three-piece outfits, are one hell of a trick.