French lacemakers enjoy Oscar glory
Company supplied 1,400m of lace used in director Baz Lurhmann’s Oscar-winning film The Great Gatsby
A FRENCH lacemaking company is basking in Oscar success after it helped the team behind The Great Gatsby scoop the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
Solstiss, based in Caudry, near Cambrai, in the Nord region, was chosen by Australian costume and set designer Catherine Martin to supply the Hollywood movie with 1,400m of lace for the film’s period costumes.
Sandrine Bernard director for Solstiss USA remembered a frenetic meeting in a room on New York’s Seventh Avenue, saying: “She wanted 5m of one lace, 10m of another, sequins and sewing crystals".
The production designers also needed 20m of lace to make five versions of a single dress worn by leading lady Carey Mulligan.
It’s not the first time Solstiss has worked with Hollywood. The company, created after four lacemakers joined forces in 1974, has collaborated on projects including James Bond movie Skyfall and action fantasy Hunger Games.
They also supplied the lace used in the wedding dress Kate Middleton wore when she married Prince William in 2011.
Catherine Martin has now won more Oscars than any other Australian. She won both of the categories in which she was nominated this year - best costume design and best production design for The Great Gatsby.
She had previously won two for her work on husband Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film Moulin Rouge!
Photo:Eva Rinaldi
