I’m a frustrated dressmaker, and I say this because the most complicated things I can sew well are drawstring jammies or skirts. Sewing zippers terrifies and fascinates me at the same time, and it’s this kind of interest in clothes construction that makes me ferret out designers and costumers, if only to look at their pieces and marvel at how talented they are.

I’ve been stalking Jaqueline Durran online ever since I saw the green dress she designed for Keira Knightley’s character Cecilia Tallis from the movie Atonement.

It appears in the movie only about a fourth of the film’s running time, but it’s the one thing I remember visually. Granted, a LOT happens to Cecilia in this dress (watch the movie!), but I think it’s more because of how rich that green is.

Green is my favorite color and before the dress above, my favorite green movie outfit was this one, worn by Estella in the fountain scene of Cuaron’s Great Expectations:

But just look at how stunning THIS dress is:

Ah, lovely. If you look closely, there’s delicate cutwork on her neckline and all that graceful drapery around her hips.

What’s even more fascinating is the story of how Jaqueline Durran, who was nominated for an Academy Award for the costumes in this film, found the perfect shade of green. After poring through all the green silk and organza in London, she zeroed in on three choices: a lime-green silk, a black and green organza and another type of green chiffon. A master dyer studied the swatches and special-dyed 100 yards of plain white fabric into the combination of all those hues.

And no wonder I was drawn to Durran’s costumes. She also designed those in another film I love, Pride & Prejudice:

And she assisted my costume hero, Trisha Biggar, for Star Wars Episode II:

In a parallel universe, I’m a costume designer who has yards of special fabric at her disposal and can pleat and smock and construct corsets with my eyes closed.

In this lifetime, though, I still can’t do a decent zipper! Tutorials for cookies, anyone?