Dakota Johnson’s ‘Persuasion’ Costumes Were Inspired by Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, and Audrey Hepburn
Netflix’s Persuasion is having a minute. Released on July 15, the film was panned by critics and eviscerated by Jane Austen fans. Yet it still ranked among Netflix’s Top 10.
At the center of the commotion is Dakota Johnson’s Anne Elliot. The character’s spunky spirit is paired with costumes inspired by Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, and Audrey Hepburn in Netflix’s unconventional new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
Why Netflix’s ‘Persuasion’ is so different
As the last of Austen’s novels, Persuasion is often set apart from the rest of the author’s works. Austen’s earlier heroines from her most popular books (Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility) are all young and plucky. But Persuasion‘s Elliot is more reserved and mature.
Elliot is considered past her prime at a staggering 27 years old. She’s far more burdened by her responsibility to her family than her boy-crazy predecessors. This lends itself to a far more serious character.
Netflix’s Persuasion, however, abandons much of what Elliot is supposed to be. Johnson’s Elliot is far from reserved. She boldly breaks the fourth wall to speak to the viewer in asides that are downright snarky at times. Her character draws serious comparisons to the hit show, Fleabag.
The consensus among critics and Austenites has been largely negative. Interestingly, the film has been among Netflix’s coveted Top 10 since its release. This proves that audiences are, in fact, drawn to the film’s daring style despite the negative reviews.
Dressing Dakota Johnson as ‘Persuasion’s Anne Elliot
When crafting the look for Johnson’s fresh new heroine, costume designer Marianne Agertoft drew inspiration from legendary singers Patti Smith and Debbie Harry along with classic movie star Audrey Hepburn.
“Anne is quite a complex character and after I read the script, I read quite a bit of Patti Smith and thought about that look,” Agertoft told Vogue. “It seemed to connect with Anne’s intellectual side, but Anne also has a more adventurous side,” the designer continues, “which I felt was more Debbie Harry.” Finally, Agertoft says, “There’s also something about her that’s a bit Audrey Hepburn.”
Netflix’s new adaptation includes the audience in Elliot’s inner dialogue by breaking the fourth wall. But Agertoft points out, “Austen’s characters internalize a lot of their emotions so it didn’t feel right for us to do anything too stylized or go overboard.”
The designer says much of the costume inspiration came from interpreting the character’s attitude and how each actor tried on their garments. “So, with Dakota as Anne, her stompy boots have something of Debbie Harry in them, the shirting is quite Patti Smith, and you see Audrey Hepburn in those jackets with the delicate shoulders,” explained Agertoft.
Dakota Johnson as Madame Web enters the Spider-Verse
Leaving behind the Regency Era for the Spider-Verse, Johnson will next appear as the lead in Sony’s Madame Web. While little is known about the plot, Madame Web is a character born of the comics.
As Marvel explains, Madame Web (aka Cassandra Webb) “suffered from a lifetime of blindness and many years of neurological deterioration due to myasthenia gravis; she compensated with her profound psychic abilities, establishing herself as a medium.”
Web’s comic storyline is quite involved and includes de-aging and re-aging, telepathy, power-stealing, and several Spider-women. It’s hard to tell which direction Sony will take Johnson’s Madame Web. However, new pictures from the set show Johnson in Spider-Woman Julia Carpenter’s trademark red leather jacket. No matter what century Johnson portrays, she does it in style.
