There’s a new version of Miss Julie out in theaters. This is an adaptation of the 1888 August Strindberg play and tells a dark, dramatic, and a bit twisted examination of the relationship between mistress and servant. The current version stars Jessica Chastain and Colin Farrell, but back in 1999, there was a version starring Saffron Burrows and Peter Mullan. Most importantly, the costumes in the 1999 version were designed by none other than the great Sandy Powell.
I don’t know if I liked the story enough to bother seeing the new one, and I don’t know if I can really recommend the 1999 one, unless you’re into twisted, claustrophobic character studies.
But I can tell you that Miss Julie/Saffron Burrows’s primary costume from that 1999 version was STUNNING:
I remember studying this play in class (Thus starting a love/hate relationship with Strindberg) and thinking that I never ever wanted to see an adaptation of it because only reading it had been a very emotionally draining experience.
BUT JESUS CHRIST IS THAT DRESS GORGEOUS. (and the boots. I want a pair like those.)
Seriously NICE BOOTS!
Yeah, it’s not an easy watch. But the stripes! The boots! The polka dots!
that embroidered collar! Yum!