Greta Gerwig’s Little Women is the latest adaptation of the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott. It had big shoes to fill with the 1994 version already a classic. This seventh Little Women adaptation has received critical acclaim for the performances of its ensemble cast and reimagining of the story for the 21st century.
Little Women has also inspired a pioneer fashion revival, with lace-up boots and prairie dresses trending on the runway. Jacqueline Durran drew on 19th-century paintings to create a distinct visual style for each character while ensuring that every scene looked like a well-composed painting. Read on for ten of the best outfits from the 2019 movie.
Beth’s house dress
Quiet, hardworking, and musical, Beth was a homebody who was happiest caring for her dolls and playing the piano. She didn’t survive the jump to adulthood like her sisters and never left the family home.
Because of this, most of her clothes were a shade of pink or brown. They were meant to be worn around the house, seen only by a trusted few. Beth looked beautiful in the simple homespun garments, much like the girls in the paintings that inspired her everyday look.
Jo’s publishing outfit
Jo moved to New York City in her twenties to pursue a teaching and writing career. She remained devoted to her family and sent the money from her published work to support Marmee and Beth.
While Jo was the same outspoken tomboy she always was, her new home away from home encouraged her to hold back some more. Her clothes reflected this maturity, consisting of a dress shirt and vest in somber colors, with only a flash of red when Jo is selling the manuscript that would become Little Women.
Jo’s red cloak
Back home in Concord, Jo’s red cloak helped her stand out in the snow and among her more conventionally dressed sisters. The cloak is the same color as the book Marmee gave Jo on Christmas in the novel. Her sisters also received books in colors that became the inspiration for their outfits. Meg’s cover was green, Beth’s brown, and Amy’s light blue.
Red was a fitting color for Jo. It represented her impulsiveness, passion for writing, and determination to live her own life.
Jo’s beach dress
For a beach day, Jo wore her usual menswear-inspired coat, cinched with a belt, and paired with a navy skirt. Once again, she stood out from her sisters, this time because her dress was a stronger color than the pastels Meg, Beth, and Amy wore. She finished the look with a straw hat, lace-up boots, and a picnic basket. As it turns out, this look is perfect for the beach!
According to Greta Gerwig, Winslow Homer’s paintings inspired Jo’s outfits. The attention to light and movement in his outdoors scenes captured Jo’s free spirit.
Amy’s blue carriage dress
Amy makes her first appearance in this beautiful blue coat with a fur collar. Immediately, it is clear that she is in a very different place than her the rest of her family. The coat is more luxurious than anything she would have worn at home, and she is riding in a carriage with Aunt March along a grand, tree-lined street.
After accepting Aunt March’s invitation to join her in Europe, Amy leveled up her wardrobe, indulging in the latest and greatest Parisian fashion. Naturally, she was also the family artist.
Meg’s ballgown
Meg was a popular guest in the Boston social scene and faced constant temptation from the beautiful things that surrounded her. She is the oldest of the sisters and the only one who remembers what life was like before the family lost their fortune.
When Meg stayed with friends for a week, she played the part of a debutante in this silk, off-the-shoulder ball gown. Jacqueline Durrant tested several pretty colors on Emma Watson before landing on a soft pink that suited her best. It sort of looks like the dress Hermione wore to the Yule Ball, doesn’t it?
Meg’s wedding dress
Meg faced pressure from her family and friends to marry up and save the family, but she ultimately fell in love with a penniless but kind tutor. She looked ethereal in her wedding gown, which she made herself and styled with a flower crown. According to Jacqueline Durrant, Meg’s wardrobe took inspiration from the Medieval romanticism of Pre-Raphaelite paintings.
Above all else, Meg wanted to be a wife and mother, and she chose a simple life with the man she loved over material wealth, much to Aunt March’s disappointment.
Amy’s black and white dress
Even as a child, Amy was always experimenting with new clothes and hairstyles. She had a talent for all forms of art, whether it was sculpting, painting, or sketching. Once in Europe, Amy adopted a personal style that resembled the glamorous dresses in the Impressionist-era paintings she admired.
One example is this ruffled white gown with a black floral print that she wore on a date with Laurie. With her artistic bent, Amy was well-positioned to take advantage of all that Aunt March and Paris had to offer.
Amy’s ornate shawl
Amy put on this beautifully decorated shawl before meeting Fred Vaughn at her studio. She threw it on over a white blouse with delicate lace details and a sky blue skirt, now supported with a hoop skirt underneath. But first, she asked Laurie to help her untie her painting smock in a tense moment.
As the most image-conscious of the sisters, Amy was also the most consistent in wearing the corset and hoop skirt that was the standard for women in Victorian times. Amy always wore her corset, Jo never wore a corset, and Meg was somewhere in between.
Jo’s and Laurie’s matching outfits
Jo and Laurie have always been the heart of Little Women, and their costumes in this adaptation reflect their close bond. Jacqueline Durran wanted to convey Laurie’s admiration of Jo and Jo’s longing to be a boy like Laurie through vests and waistcoats that they took turns wearing throughout the film. Jo did not share clothes with her sisters, but she and Laurie pretty much shared the same closet in childhood.
This made the break in their relationship all the more emotional. For that, their matching outfits deserve the top spot on this list.
