"Back to Black: The Amy Winehouse Story" trailer/courtesy Tulip Entertainment
"Yes, she was jazz, but she was also rock and roll," says PC Williams, the costume designer responsible for the iconic looks in the highly anticipated Back to Black: The Amy Winehouse Story. "There were pieces that I saw in my private closet and I didn't understand how they fit together, but when you see in the photos how Amy put everything together suddenly it makes so much sense, and that's what we tried to achieve. So, for example, I could dress the actress Marissa Abella who played her in a corset, combine skinny jeans and sign the The look with ballerina shoes." Through fine music, addictions, complicated relationships, larger-than-life hair and eclectic fashion, the new film that was released in London last week, and also in our regions (which is currently receiving mixed reviews) tells the story of the all-too-short life of the huge star who, despite the tragedy, also "got" to enter the club The 27th.
Williams is a costume designer and stylist, winner of an APTA award (the British equivalent of the Oscars) for designing authentic looks
with a London twist for the stars of the sitcom series "We Are Lady Parts". From a young age, she was keen to find a career that would allow her to tell stories. After studying drama, Art and politics, Williams let the universe guide her towards costume design.At the beginning of her career she mainly styled music artists, until she began to flow towards television and from there the transition to the big screen was quite fast and expected.
Dolce Gabbana agreed to restore the dress
As someone who tells a story through clothes - how did you prepare from the moment you joined the production, in terms of research and the creative process, to be able to capture the essence of Amy Winehouse's iconic style?
"The late Amy and I are about the same age (if she were alive today) and in my youth I used to hang out in Camden in London about the same time she was there too. So once I got the job, it was actually an opportunity to go back in time to a time I myself experienced, and to be able to tell this story Amy recorded so much that it was quite easy to find images of her, especially from the time she worked on the album "Back to Black". But what was really fascinating for me was to go back even further, to the times of her debut album "Frank" and even Before it. When I went through the photo archives of what she wore during the "Frank" period in 2004-5, compared to "back to black" around 2008-9, I could see the changes in her style. I mean, we researched lots and lots of photos, and I hung them all on the wall in the office Mine so that a kind of timeline of Amy was obtained. These images were always in front of me during the work on the film, so it was very clear to me what changes she went through and what her style meant at each point in time."
The dressing team
And what did you discover?
"The vintage aesthetic was always there, but she made it more 'London' - a pin-up style of the 60s that she combined with typical London street items, such as classic Reebok shoes or a short-sleeved Adidas jacket. What's more Ballet was the use of color during the "Frank" album, compared to the transition that Amy made to black-white-and-gray monochromaticity around "Back to Black", including touches of blue and spotted print. This really helped us understand how to approach the design of the clothing sets from which we wanted to take inspiration or reproduce. .
Speaking of restoring. In certain scenes, it's clear that Williams has made sure to stay true to iconic Winehouse looks, especially those that have been widely documented in the media - whether it's the ensemble of tweed skirt, belt and black tank top that paparazzi captured from every obviously unflattering angle, or the heavy sequined dress in the infamous Glastonbury festival scene , where the singer complains that it took "three women" to get inside her. But even though Williams could, if she really wanted to, reproduce the locks quite accurately, it seems that she actually chose to do them a little differently here and there.
For example, Williams added cute but slightly worn ballerina shoes, while in the original the haunted Winehouse was barefoot on the street
, and replaced the clump of yellow hair that "decorated" her mane of black hair with a spotted scarf that was tied to the actress's head.
The implied interpretations I noticed in some of the looks, is that coming from the stylist in you? Perhaps a desire to weave a little of your sense of style and aesthetics into the story?
"It may be a small part of the matter. But I think that as Sam (the director) made sure to say from the first meeting that took place until the premiere; it's a story about Amy but through her own eyes. So if, for example, we go back to that memorable sequin dress, this piece was perfect as it is But when I thought about how she, Amy, would see herself, I wanted to refine that experience - so we thought about how the interaction on stage between the lights and the dress would look, and we decided to play with shades of blue (instead of leaving it monotonous) so that the audience would witness a kind of dance between the singer And the dress and the lighting. While in some cases I made sure to stick to the original as much as possible because it was important to us and to
the plot
, there were times when I took it in the direction of - "What would Amy feel inside the garment?"
I believe she never thought of herself in the way she was presented in these photos, so I thought how I could demonstrate how Amy must have felt in the outfit and bring it to life, on the screen. But in some cases we decided that ok now we are telling a story here, so let's use the tools at our disposal, such as color, texture and silhouette, to create our story, or add something to the existing story. This is the essence of costume design - an addition that helps storytelling, just visually instead of using words."
It's amazing that Williams was given the artistic freedom to do this but not very surprising, since the late Winehouse's family gave their blessing to director Sam Taylor-Johnson ("50 Shades of Grey", "Nowhere Boy") to make the film. "If we were making a documentary film then we would approach it differently" she wants to clarify, "but when making a cinematic work, you are asked to "play" with things in a certain sense." This topic, which grabbed headlines, the director also made sure to clarify in a preliminary statement to the press when she said that this is not a biographical film, but as she and screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh defined it - "This is a love story: the one between Winehouse and Fielder-Civil" (Amy's husband between 2007-9 , played by actor Jack O'Connell).
At this point, I wanted to know all about the wardrobe that Williams created for Marissa Abella, the 27-year-old British actress (known for her roles in the hit BBC Two series and HBO's The Industry), who was chosen to step into the iconic singer's narrow but huge shoes. Abella said in an interview with the Independent magazine that she decided to appear at the first casting meeting as herself, that is, without "putting on" huge hair and all the make-up (as did the other contestants for the role), thinking that if she could convince the cast that Amy is inside her only through her eyes and what she is Project, so it has a chance. This decision paid off big time and Abella did get the coveted role.
Tell me all: Did you have access to the late Amy's clothing archive? Where did you get the vintage items you combined? And were there any costumes that designers created specifically for the film?
"Many of the items were prepared in-house, such as the sequined dress that Abella wore at the Glastonbury festival.
Fortunately, Mitch (the late singer's father) very kindly agreed to allow me access to Amy's space, go through her clothes, and even borrow several items.
For example, in the scene in which G K and Amy meet at the pool party it's actually her real cardigan, and in some scenes Abella wears Amy's Star of David necklace. In addition, in the hotel scene Abella wears jeans that have been recreated from Amy's real jeans, as well as the leather jacket."
And as for the Israeli connection; On the red carpet of the festive premiere held last week in London, members of the Jewish-British family of the one-time singer who passed away in 2011 were of course also present. While father Mitch, mother Janice, Amy's older brother Alex and his partner - all decided to wear the yellow abductee pins as a sign of solidarity and a reminder that they, the abductees and our abductees, are still in Gaza.
"As for the items that were custom-made for the film," Williams continues, "there were actually only two; the dress Amy wore to the Grammys was made by Dolce & Gabbana, who graciously agreed to dress Bella in the film. And for the scene at the festival, Christian Louboutin exactly recreated the shoes In addition, since Amy was so eclectic when it came to her personal style, it allowed us to expand our search for clothes while the question "What would Amy wear?" "Shopping in markets as well as online (such as Vestiaire Collective), so as soon as I had racks upon racks of clothes standing in front of me, I could start the process of filtering the looks."
Actress Marissa Abella wears Fendi to the movie premiere
One of the surprising revelations that came up during the investigation I conducted before the interview with Williams was that for reasons of caution on the part of the production, actors and crew, the film was shot in reverse chronological order so that Abella could start taking pictures, because later she was under strict nutritional control to reach Winehouse's final and terrible weight. Or as the director Taylor-Johnson said: "We shot [first] all the difficult scenes with Amy, at that point where she disappears painfully [before our eyes]".
To what extent did it make it difficult or affect your work process with the actress, which must also have become very intimate and emotional in light of the special circumstances?
"Abella began to lose weight during the preparations for the film, and I met her when she was already in the middle of this process. We did the measurements for the scenes of the "Back to Black" album period, for example, knowing that she was shrinking, so along the way I had to gamble and rely on my judgment about what It will fit her and how. That's why I didn't dwell too much on the fit at any given moment, knowing that only when the photo shoot itself will we know the circumference and make the necessary adjustments. The relationship forged between a costume designer and a talent is always quite personal, but this is doubled as soon as there is Such an experience, that is, an actress losing or gaining a lot of weight for the role. The emotional aspect that was added to the rather drastic physical changes that took place made my relationship with Marissa very intimate, with a lot of it being to watch over her. Her weight loss was monitored very closely, while the team made sure that she was feels fine and she trusted us. It was definitely a challenge, but as soon as things are done correctly it is possible, and I also believe that thanks to this we have the final product as you see on the screen."
What's next for you - is there a new film project in the pipeline that you can tell about? And would you consider returning to do personal styling for artists in the music worlds?
"I started working on a remake of the movie "The War of the Roses", with Olivia Colman ("The Crown") and Benedict Cumberbatch ("Doctor Strange"), this is my third project since I finished my work on the movie about Amy. As for styling, I still work a lot with athletes , especially in Nike campaigns. I'm very lucky to do a lot of things, and they all make me happy. So as long as I can stay happy and satisfied in my work, if there's an amazing artist who likes his singing, then I'm open to working together I will have the time for that of course. I feel that I am doing the right things for me and at the right time for me, and I believe that the universe knows best," Williams signs off with a wide smile.