7 Little Known Secrets About the Beautiful '50s Costumes of Carol

"I start with the silhouette, and that means the underwear. The bra had to be the right shape for the tie, which was the conical cups. She also needed a silhouette that accentuated her hips, bosom, and waist, so she wears waist cinchers. So, while the rest of the film looks 1940s and a lot of characters still have the big ‘40s shoulders, she looks more modern with the very soft rounded shoulder, the tiny hips, and the tiny waist."

"Carol is meant to look like she had money. But she wasn’t extravagant and she wasn’t flashy or showy. Instead, I wanted her to be completely tasteful and stylish, yet up-to-date. Therefore, all of her stuff is less big, more real, as in using real diamonds, rubies, and pearls. We borrowed estate jewelry from Fred Leighton and Van Cleef & Arpels. Those types of pieces get handed down, and never go out of fashion. This also goes for Carol’s top-handle bags. All of those were real, too, made with real ostrich and alligator skins."

"Brooches were fashionable at the time, so we wanted to include a variety of them. They haven’t been fashionable for many, many years now. I like them because they are big statement pieces, which work well with the simple, refined shapes of the dresses in the period. Really, they were used as a focal point in a look."

"We used scarves many times to replace hats, as the ‘50s were the first time when women weren’t wearing a hat every single time they left the house. Carol has a muted palette overall, but her scarves are designed so you see her from across the room. That’s how Therese sees her for the first time, and audiences should, too."

"When she wears coral, it uplifts her look. It’s a color that was very fashionable for the period, be it lipstick, nail polish, clothing, or scarves. It’s a very old-fashioned color. Recently it’s become more fashionable. I think that’s because colors always go in and out of fashion."

"In the film, Carol wore a pair of vintage sunglasses. They look modern, but the biggest difference is that they are much smaller than the ones we wear today. Today, a similar shape is a bit bigger. Though, that could have to do with the fact that people are bigger these days than they were 60 to 70 years ago."

"There was no choice. If you’re choosing a watch for a woman in 1952, it’s going to be delicate—so tiny you can hardly see it. They didn’t have big watches then. If they were big, a man wore it. At the time, they were considered pieces of jewelry as opposed to timepieces."