Fairy-tale princesses in 2021? Well, they’re just like us.
“Any way you can make them more comfortable,” Cinderella, played by Camila Cabello, says to her Fabulous Godmother (Billy Porter) about wearing those famous glass slippers.
Cabello stars in the new “Cinderella,” streaming on Amazon now, and there’s been a shift in the traditional love story we grew up with. This time around, Cinderella isn’t just sweeping floors waiting for her prince. And she certainly isn’t pretending that shoes made out of glass aren’t painful.
Instead, this film centers on an independent woman chasing after her dreams, which is to be a dressmaker. The prince is just an added prize.
With that, fashion is at the forefront, and this Cinderella has been reimagined — all starting with the shoes.
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“I didn’t make a stiletto,” the film’s costume designer, Ellen Mirojnick, told FN. “And it felt as if it was something that did not come out of the ‘Cinderella’ vault. It looks accessible, somewhat modern, with period elements.”
Featuring a Louis heel shape, the glass slippers were designed in collaboration with Jimmy Choo and creative director Sandra Choi. Details included PVC materials to give the resemblance of glass, a pointed-toe, as well as Swarovski crystals that were embellished along the entire shoe.
Plus, the footwear came first, said Mirojnick, as it was the inspiration for Cinderella’s signature ball gown.
“I actually used the design of the crystals on the shoe as the beginning of the crystals on the bodice of the dress,” she said, noting that blue hues were left out of this version as it wasn’t helmed by Disney. “I wanted a feeling of cascading crystals that wound up at her feet. The crystals were all part of the cascading flowers from the trees and nature and the wind that created her dress.”
This isn’t the first time Mirojnick was challenged with creating costumes for the iconic character. She was also responsible for the 1997 TV film “Cinderella,” starring Brandy and Whitney Houston.
“I had already made a Cinderella blue dress,” she said with a laugh, “and this was quite inspired and a good challenge. I’m blessed that I have an opportunity to design a Cinderella that actually represents each one of our decades.”
With the 2021 version, Mirojnick’s goal was to clearly define the fairy-tale time period and create fantastical costumes that didn’t feel like it was in present day.
“I just I love design. I love silhouettes on the human body, but I love bringing out the essence of who’s in front of me. The essence of that movie star is something that I unconsciously incorporate in designing the costumes in that moment,” she said. “That feeling is what most contributes to what the costume will be.”
With Cabello, Mirojnick said she felt a rocket ship standing across from her. “Just feeling her fire, beauty, youth, her excitement and her vulnerability was enough for me to work with to know what Cinderella was going to be.”
