The highly anticipated Cruella was released in Singapore on May 27, featuring the Academy Award winner Emma Stone and the two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson. This live-action film is a prequel to Disney’s classic animated 101 Dalmatians and offers an interesting take on the originally antagonistic Cruella. Set against the backdrop of the fashion industry, villainy is reimagined as Cruella dominates with her wit and impeccable style.
Many of the outfits featured in Cruella have been discussed from a fashion standpoint, from the Baroness’ Dior’s New Look aesthetic to Cruella’s ’70s London punk rock vibe. But what else do Cruella’s outfits convey? Although she is chiefly dressed to impress, her finely nuanced performance is no doubt partly a result of her expressive ensembles that speak for themselves and these three dresses arguably take the centre stage.
The Iconic Flame Red Gown
This extravagant red dress marks Cruella’s first and enduring appearance as an adult. She puts up a jaw-dropping show for the Baroness and her guests as the white cape concealing her actual attire go up in flames, leaving those around her in awe (or perhaps shock). Aptly, this move is symbolic of her destructive nature and the innate fiery temper that she possesses, as Estella fails to continue suppressing her alter ego Cruella.
In this scene, Cruella ingeniously contrives to spite the Baroness by redesigning the latter’s dress from an old collection. She smugly remarks, “I fixed it [the dress]”. Laced with satire, Cruella’s reinvention of what was once the Baroness’ pride is a subtle yet brutal insult aimed at degrading the legendary designer.
Shortly after their tense exchange, Cruella comes to a revelation that the Baroness is, in fact, the real cause behind her mother’s death. The scarlet wrap dress, therefore, is also a physical manifestation of the burning wrath she harbours towards the Baroness—an indication that blood will soon be shed.
The Newspaper Dump Ensemble
Subsequently in the film, Cruella crashes many of the Baroness’ events and the audience can certainly count on her to make a grand guerrilla-style entrance each time without fail. Stitched together with ostensibly sparse pieces of garments and newspaper excerpts of herself, this particular gown with a long train is a haphazard work of art that screams creativity as it unravels out of a garbage truck.
Once again, Cruella conspires to draw the attention away from the Baroness. This dress, however, is not only a visual message that alludes to the Baroness being old news, but it is also a testament to Cruella’s flair for design to transform just about anything into an haute couture piece (even ‘trash’, it seems). She then deliberately parades her showpiece down the street, successfully taking a jab at the Baroness as the ostentatious dress trails dramatically behind in the wind.
The Sequin Bugged Dress
The Devil works hard, but de Vil clearly works harder. The ultimate ‘betrayal’ is timed to perfection—Estella’s big reveal that she is really Cruella as the dazzling centrepiece of the Baroness’ spring collection goes awry. Evidently, not all that glitters is gold.
This mermaid hem dress reveals how crafty Cruella truly is, both literally and metaphorically. Although designed and handcrafted by Estella, the Baroness quickly takes credit for the creation. But of course, this is all part of Cruella’s well-thought-out ploy. With hundreds of bug sacs meticulously sewn in place of the sequins, this dress is set to become the epitome of exacting revenge in style when the ‘beads’ eventually explode simultaneously into a mess of flying bugs.
Cruella unveils her true masterpiece and ruins the Baroness’ fashion show, all while hosting her own pop-up runway just across the street. A bold and fitting move to convey a wicked warning—she’s merely reclaiming what belongs to her, and she’s only just getting started.
This article was brought to you by Cecilia Yeo. I love coffee, cats, cash.. oh and literature.
