'Sense and Sensibility' Costume Designer Grace Snell: 'We Want to Do Jane Austen Justice'

By Elena Vasquez

Costume designer Grace Snell built the look of Georgia Oakley's new "Sense and Sensibility" in chapters, costuming the Dashwood sisters differently for the country and the city. Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Elinor and Esmé Creed-Miles plays Marianne in the adaptation of Jane Austen's 1811 debut novel, and Snell grounded every wardrobe decision in the book's structure.

The first distinct chapter is Barton Cottage, shaped by the Devonshire landscape, where the sisters' relationship is at its most intimate behind closed doors. The London chapter follows, where Elinor and Marianne's presentation to society takes on a different palette. Snell said the sets, the weather and the changing seasons inspired her work across the film's phases.

Where does history meet modern styling?

The novel sits between the Georgian and Regency eras, in what Snell calls an "unusual transition period" as fashion began to "massively revolutionize" into the simpler style associated with Austen. Snell, who studied historical dress at university, brought a dress historian on board for three weeks of research.

"I wanted how we made the costumes to be historically accurate with the fabrics we used, and the techniques we used, and the hand sewing," she said. "For me as a designer, it was an amazing experience to try and fight those two sides, making historic accuracy marry up with how I wanted to give us a more modern take in the film."

Her references pulled from an unusually wide span: period-accurate paintings, archival costume pieces and family portraits from the 2000s, plus runway looks from the 1980s and 1990s. Of the family photographs, she said: "I really homed in on the intimacy that is within a family. Particularly with sisters, and how relaxed and how comfortable they are with each other, and what that looks like in clothing."

The modern styling served a clear purpose.

"What I wanted to do was design a film that I could see myself in, my friends in, my family in, try and knock down the wall that often is associated with period dramas," Snell said. "There's sometimes this level of separation that you feel you're looking at them on a pedestal, and I really wanted to open that up."

Why do the Dashwood sisters share clothes?

One detail Snell hopes fans notice: the sisters borrow garments from one another. At the story's onset, Marianne is 19, Elinor is 16 and Margaret is 13. The age gap shapes the hand-me-down dynamic.

"There's moments of borrowing because that's what sisters do. They're stealing clothes from each other. There's being inspired by each other and reimagining clothing," Snell said. "We do rework some of the fabrics so that the garments look that they have a life themselves and how garments are loved and shared and borrowed within a family."

Color carried narrative weight. The film opens in mourning, which formed "this idea of 'shades of black.'" In London, Elinor and Edward both wear shades of blue to reflect the disappointment of their situation. Snell deployed brighter colors sparingly, mainly for supporting characters.

How does it differ from the 1995 film?

"Sense and Sensibility" was Snell's first period film. She said the volume of pieces and managing the full costume team made the first challenge one "within yourself and your own head." Her verdict: "The biggest challenge is overcoming self-doubt."

The film also stands apart from Ang Lee's 1995 adaptation, a touchstone for many Austen fans. "I love that film. I have massive respect for [costume designers] Jenny Beavan and John Bright," Snell said, while noting it "was not a reference point for the design." She acknowledged the weight of the earlier film's beloved status for many viewers.

A self-proclaimed Austen fan, Snell framed the project by returning to the author herself. "We want to do Jane Austen justice," she said. "It's important to keep reworking these stories. Jane Austen's books are so timeless and so relevant today, and hopefully we reach a new audience as well with our film."