We really wanted to indicate the war years, before and after. Claire and Frank are getting married just as the war is breaking out, and while there is still optimism in the air, it is a more somber time. Ron wanted the clothes to be very faded as in an old photo, so we used tones of grey and brown. But Claire is in love, and it shows up in her jaunty little hat, tipped over one eye. We wanted her suit to carry through some of the deco lines of the 30s, but showing the direction of women’s fashions to come during the war years. It is a very tailored, masculine style, nothing frilly or frivolous.
This suits Claire’s character very well, and tells us a lot about who she is. She is a strong and savvy young woman, filled with optimism.
The later scenes with Frank, these are the stolen moments in the midst of war, and the peachy blush color of the peignoir coveys the romance they are trying to hold onto in spite of the war that surrounds them.