Sandy Powell, costume designer for the Disney film "Cinderella," which opens in Japan on April 25th, visited Japan. We spoke to her about the message behind the costumes of the characters living in the fantastical, modern-day world of Cinderella.

--For many historical films, you create costumes that retain the atmosphere of the era while incorporating modern elements. What do you value when designing costumes for a film?

When I design costumes for a film, I start by asking myself, "If I were a fashion designer for the era in which the film is set, what would I design?" I also believe that color is an important element in expressing characters on screen. In fact, I designed costumes for the characters in this Cinderella film in colors that matched the image I had in mind.

--How did you create the overall atmosphere of the costumes for "Cinderella"?

First, for the silhouettes, I considered fashion from various eras, from the 16th to the 19th centuries. As a result, I thought it would be interesting to create a 1940s version of 19th-century fashion, and that's what I decided to use. Similar to John Galliano and Christian Dior, my work involved reinterpreting a timeless silhouette with a modern sensibility.

--Tell me about the blue dress Cinderella wears at the ball.

I decided to make her dress blue from the beginning, because I thought there was no color more suitable for Cinderella than blue. To achieve the deep blue of this dress, I layered fabrics of different materials and textures. The top fabric is silk. By layering different textiles, such as silk and polyester, I created a dress that shows new sparkles every time Cinderella moves and the light shines on the dress. It took a team of 20 people a total of approximately 10,000 hours to create this dress.

--I heard that the dress Cinderella wears at the ball is studded with approximately 10,000 Swarovski crystals. Are the Swarovski crystals and glittery inner textiles meant to express Cinderella's inner beauty?

Exactly! And like the silk used on the surface of Cinderella's dress, high-quality materials create an elegant look. The sheer sparkle of the silk expresses Cinderella's inner charm. The selection of materials was also important to create the gorgeous flow and spread of this dress. Some people think the movement of Cinderella's dress is CGI, but it's real (laughs).

--The ball scene features princesses from many countries, including China, India, Japan, and Russia. Where did that idea come from?

It was an idea that was in the script. Cinderella is set in a seaside port town somewhere in the world. By featuring people from different countries in the town, we aimed to portray a universal and modern Cinderella world, and we featured characters that evoked diverse cultures.

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