“The Danish Girl” has shined bright this awards season, thanks to standout stars Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander. Here, Spy catches up with Best Costume Design nominee Paco Delgado to talk period fashion and Redmayne’s custom shoes before the big event, the Academy Awards on Feb. 28.
How would you describe the shoes in the film?
“We started thinking about this project as a way to portray Lili [Eddie Redmayne] as a person who was trapped in a body that didn’t belong to her. In the beginning of the movie, he wore lace-up boots, and as we moved into the 1920s, there were more high heels and shoes with buckles and straps that allowed the feet to feel more free.”
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How challenging was it to find shoes that work for Redmayne?
“We had to make most of his shoes because it was difficult to find women’s shoes in Eddie’s size. We found the original looks at vintage shops and also tried to copy some of the shoes in the paintings that Gerda [Alicia Vikander] made. That was a big inspiration for the whole look of the movie as well.”
Any anecdotes from working with Oscar nominees Redmayne and Vikander?
“Eddie is quite tall, and Alicia is average height, so we were constantly trying to balance that. If you put Eddie in high-heeled shoes, he’s too
tall. So we put Alicia in higher shoes than normal for the period, and lower heels for him. The ’20s are important for shoes — for the first time in many years, there was height, and women could show off their feet with rhine- stones and all that.”
Will you be attending the Academy Awards?
“Yes. It’s a big celebration of cinema, and you get to see people you admire, so I’m looking forward to [experiencing] it all. I’m superstitious, though, so for me, writing an acceptance speech is not a good idea.”
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