PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (2005)

There's always going to be a debate about The Best Adaptation of Jane Austen's Highly Celebrated and Well Beloved Pride and Prejudice*. As much as I love the 1995 BBC miniseries with its careful attention to the nuances of Austen's writing (and Colin Firth), ultimately I am a shallow movie-goer and am easily won over by things like prettier cinematography and production design. 

(I'm being somewhat sarcastic and actually think Joe Wright's adaptation does a substantially better job of capturing the emotion of the novel. Also, Keira Knightley)

*(you're welcome for not going the "it is a truth universally acknowledged" route)

The costumes in the 2005 adaptation are sooooooo good though you guys. Set in 1797 specifically to avoid the Edwardian empire silhouette, which Wright and costume designer

Jacqueline Durran thought stiff and unflattering. As a result, the costumes have a wonderfully lived-in feel that you rarely get with period pieces. I love historical dramas but it's very easy for the wardrobe to feel very blatantly "costume-y", and that's been entirely sidestepped here in favor of a more naturalistic approach. 

Lizzie's wardrobe is very simple and practical, with lots of rich earth tones (warm browns, greens, and blues, with the occasional white). She's the tomboy of the family, very clever and witty and more interested in nature and the world around her than her clothing. 

Jane is the most refined of the Bennet sisters, and her wardrobe has an almost Princess-like color palette (ice blues, pinks, whites). She's elegant, but in a very homemade way, because the Bennet's are not a wealthy family. 

Kitty & Lydia are the youngest and "silliest" of the Bennet sisters. Very typical teenagers, they're boy-crazy and fashion conscious. Durran described them as being very "Tweedledee and Tweedledum" - reflected in the way their costumes complement each other. 

For me, successful costume design is when it's able to function as another layer of characterization. When you're able to simply look at a character, at the colors and textures of their clothing, and understand something about who they are as a person. Pride and Prejudice is actually an excellent example of this, and it's particularly noticeable when the characters are grouped together. Durran did a phenomenal job of outfitting each of the sisters in a way that reflected her personalities.