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Dressing Australia: A Conversation with Catherine Martin

By Joan Wagner

What was it like designing for Australia? You had this Parisian opulence in Moulin Rouge, and here you've got a more earthy feel.

Catherine: I think that every single story kind of has its own impurities and its own challenges. And I hope as a costume designer I'm a helpful part of the storytelling team. And Baz as a director is always asking for the clothes to inform the character and the story.

Watch Catherine discuss how to create costumes that truly fit characters! Watch

So the challenges were twofold, I suppose for me, on this film. It's the first time, and I sort of set this to myself as a professional challenge, where I did both the set and costumes completely alone. And previously I'd done co-costume design and set design, so I'd shared the workload. So it was about seeing if I was professionally ready to take on those challenges, and the world may suggest that for themselves.

The second challenge is, I think, when you're doing anything with clothes that are relatively simple—in the sense that ultimately it's a skirt and a shirt or pants and a top—the challenge to express character is a greater challenge. And I found that very interesting because the clothes are much closer to present day than, say, Moulin Rouge. But there [was] much more subtle expression.