



1 / 4 Chevron Chevron Photo: Dave Allocca / Startraksphoto.com Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, and Mia Wasikowska

You’d be surprised by how spooky the seventh-floor restaurant at Bergdorf Goodman can feel with a few sprays of roses and some scarlet flood lighting. The lurid decor made for the perfect setting to toast Guillermo del Toro’s latest film, Crimson Peak, and the newly installed storefront windows inspired by the movie. Although there were spooks and scares in spades and enough gore to satiate the most devout of horror buffs, partygoers could not stop talking about the clothes—the party was at Bergdorf’s, after all. And while Del Toro was under the weather and unable to make it, costume designer Kate Hawley sang his praises: “Working with someone like Guillermo, who has such a specific, rich visual style, is so incredible creatively—he gives you the ground rules and just sort of lets you build it up from there. There were 10 million ways to do Crimson Peak, but what we landed on just felt right.”

The clothes feel so right that Hawley nearly makes the case for bringing back the leg-of-mutton sleeve. Joked actress Mia Wasikowska: “Well, as much as I love a big poofy shoulder, my personal style is much more understated.” Indeed, her pixie cut and gray Alexander McQueen party frock were a far cry from the flowing blonde waves and billowing nightgown she sports for most of the film. “There was this idea of making my character, Edith, look like a butterfly. There was so much incredible detail in all the costumes.”

Hawley’s eye extended to the film’s menswear, as well. Over a drink at the bar, male lead Tom Hiddleston lamented about having to learn to tie his own 19th-century cravat. “It was incredibly difficult and technical. It’s a strange mixture of double windsor and bow tie, but I’m very proud to say that I tied it by myself. First shot of the day, everyone would ask, ‘Where the hell is Tom?’ And I would still be tying my cravat!” Hiddleston, we were pleased to learn, has a competent fashion vocabulary not just for 19th-century menswear, but for current-day designers, as well. “Tonight I’m wearing Alexander McQueen,” he said. “It’s perfect for the occasion, don’t you think?” A British-inflected party at Bergdorf’s for a gothic psychosexual horror flick? Now there’s an occasion that calls for McQueen if we ever heard one.