Anticipation has been rising this month as Baz Luhrmann’s adaption of The Great Gatsby has finally been released; the film fronts Carrey Mulligan as Daisy and a dapper Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby himself. With the help of costume designer Catherine Martin and close reference to the novel by F Scott Fitzgerald, literary and fashion worlds became synchronised into a beautiful kaleidoscope depiction of the roaring Twenties. For the two opulent party scenes that featured in the film, Miuccia Prada was asked to design 40 gowns. Collaboration between the legendary designer and Luhrmann has been ongoing since the acid-trip spectacular of Romeo and Juliet, released in 1996. The two creative forces scanned the Miu Miu and Prada archives from the last 15 years to find dresses with hints to the art deco aesthetic, they were then redesigned slightly and styled with head dresses and excessive jewellery to accentuate their 1920’s qualities.

Carey Mulligan was the belle of the ball in a nude shift dress that had been heavily embellished with large reflective crystals; this was worn with a pale blue shawl made entirely of feathers and a geometric crystal headband. This look which held great resemblance to the chandelier dress shown in the resemblance to the chandelier dress shown in the Prada S/S 2010 collection, captured the era of overindulgence and excess perfectly.

Prada told WWD that the dress "was meant to be about light,” stating that for Gatsby “it became about money, because [Luhrmann] wanted to show her as the most beautiful and rich woman on earth.”

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Other post-war flapper girls armed with martinis raved the night away in more slinky Prada numbers.

This included an organza silk dress that had been covered entirely in large, glistening sequins (complete with fur collar for extra pomp). An unstructured dress in petrol blue that ended just unstructured dress in petrol blue that ended just above the knee boasted sheer panelling and Swarovski detailing. Ex-supermodel Gemma Ward made her acting debut as she fluttered past the screen in Nautical sequin stripes of blue and black with tassels that bounced from the hemline.

The party-goers sported the boyish bob-cuts and theatrical make up

synonymous with the period.

Right: Daisy’s MAC make up chart for the film

Sketches courtesy of Prada.