The Greatest Showman
“No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else” declared Hugh Jackman’s P.T. Barnum in Michael Gracey’s Christmas Blockbuster, The Greatest Showman.
And with costume designer Ellen Mirojnick’s vision of Victorian costume meets contemporary, fashion forward brands, it’s no surprise she borrowed on the talents of Lilly e Violetta to dress her leading actors. The Greatest Showman is a Box Office phenomenon. Everything from the precise choreography, delightful soundtrack and spectacular wardrobe has fans around the world in awe.
We’ve all seen Madonna’s kids dancing to the soundtrack and we’ve enjoyed first hand the wonderful feelings and emotions the film conjures with it’s sheer exuberance and the overall spectacle, echoing the most ambitious projects of Barnum himself.
But it’s the costumes that have garnered attention from the media in recent days as the film enters it’s seventh week, making it the second leggiest movie of all time since Titanic. The beautiful, modern furs worn by Michelle Williams’ character, Charity, are Lilly e Violetta ready to wear items. Although some, like Jackman’s sumptuous black fox coat are custom classical designs, the pink Sarah Mini Mink Jacket is straight from our collection and can be purchased by anybody wanting to imitate her classical look.
It’s no accident the Sarah Mini – our most popular piece – was chosen for Charity. She is the stable mother and adored wife of Barnum. First time Director Michael Gracey had in mind a “fashionable accessible and modern” vision for the costumes of the Barnum family which precisely matches the Lilly e Violetta Brand; “Our brand identity is living luxury everyday and our customers at Harrods and Barneys come for the sense of uniqueness and confidence that a touch of fur can add to any outfit on any day. Everyday luxury, that’s in our DNA at Lilly e Violetta.
The Greatest Showman has a wardrobe of unparalleled diversity, “They wanted all the furs to be super luxurious and were impressed with our palette of 35 colours. This really excited Ellen as the furs matched perfectly to the costumes.” The masterful palette and sheer diversity of colours for the furs not only injects a charming yet commanding softness into the family scenes but also directs the audience towards the film’s central themes. This is the true genius of Ellen Mirojnick and will surely earn her the Empire and Costume Designers Guild Awards and will be the second haul of awards for a musical since 2016’s La La Land. Charity, the mother and grounding force wears pastel pinks and baby blues with comforting and gentle themes. “She is the one that will comfort all,” says Ellen. This is in stark contrast to the femme fatale’s wardrobe of Swarovski crystals and threatening purples.
Charity’s status as a strong mother, stabilising influence and busy, successful ‘power behind the throne’ character is just as evident from her wardrobe as from the script. But there’s more to this wardrobe than meets the eye and just like Barnum himself, there’s trickery at work. The unabashed and conspicuous inclusion of super-modern designs is a delightful anachronism that would have seemed as alien to Victorian Society as the Fiji Mermaid or the Tom Thumb exhibition at the Barnum American Museum.
The Lilly e Violetta label is about modern, everyday furs and everything from sourcing the materials to the designs is in keeping with 21st Century fashion. Our furs are available in a diverse range of colours, something that clearly influenced Mirojnick’s decisions in the task of bringing together the palette. But we cannot ignore the prevalence of the label among celebrities in recent years;
“When Madonna’s stylist contacted us to be the sole provider for furs for her Rebel Heart tour, it became obvious that we were onto something. Jennifer Lopez followed requesting three custom made full length furs for her All I Have Las Vegas residency, then FOX was on the phone ordering furs for Emma Roberts for her character in Scream Queen.”
And who can forget the iconic lynx worn by Kendall Jenner. This is the commanding power of real fur. To give confidence to young women while retaining their femininity and beauty.
“I believe furs offer confidence to any woman of any age. If you look at the way Bella Hadid has been wearing our leopard printed mink or Kendall Jenner our real lynx, you can see that there is this sense of status and authority that emanate from seeing them in real fur.”
The next major project is a Woody Allen movie and the label will be dressing Jennifer Lopez in a stunning fur coat, headlining the DirecTV Super Saturday Night concert.
“Lilly e Violetta is a childhood dream that came true. I hope I am not going to wake up any time soon!”
There’s certainly a fairy-tale quality to the story of The Greatest Showman and leaving behind the drab grey-blue hues of the city in favour of a life of sumptuous luxury, colour and freedom is a dream many of us have. It’s certainly a dream popular in the winter months, something perhaps responsible for the record-breaking performance of the movie, and something you can instantly remedy by visiting our sharply priced collection here: Lilly e Violetta Fur Collections.
