The origin story of Disney’s famed villain with an intense hatred of Dalmatians, Cruella charts the life and times of the young orphan Estella as the aspiring fashion designer navigates the counterculture of London in the ’70s and converts into 101 Dalmatians’ notorious puppy-killer-to-be.
Cruella is dressed by the two-time Academy Award–winning costume designer extraordinaire Jenny Beavan , who puts forth one the most artistic, beautiful, and accomplished costuming works of this century so far, bursting with numerous instantly iconic dress reveals, scene-stealing frocks, and impeccable tailoring at every turn.
Playing two distinct characters, Stone reportedly had 47 costume changes in the movie as her Estella/Cruella faces off against the Baroness Reynolds Woodcock.
One of the first ensembles she sports is a gray patterned shirt and black skirt combo, the latter of which has a high waistband, oversize buttons, and plenty of drapey, voluminous flare over combat boots and striped tights.
And who cares about the monochrome dress code, really? Introducing herself to the public for the first time, Cruella simply looks stunning in her ultrasophisticated crimson number with echoes of Alexander McQueen and a mermaid tail that resembles a cluster of flames.
The first time we see Estella the morning after she makes her dramatic debut at the Black and White ball, she is a vision of vengeance in a glossy two-piece leather ensemble featuring a geometrically eye-popping checkered pattern: a fitted jacket with puffy statement shoulders and a sleek A-line skirt, complete with tulle-accented gloves and high-heeled booties.
And this blinding jumpsuit look — a pair of dazzling, sequin-encrusted pants topped with a square-shouldered leather jacket that shockingly looks like it was made out of tires — leaves its mark on one of those unforgettable instances, delivering Cruella’s message to the public in the loudest way possible.
Before we know it, seemingly unrelated, pastel-toned pieces of fabric spill out of its rear, with Cruella emerging out of the clutter in a meticulously boned and fitted strapless bodice adorned by newspaper clippings about herself.
After locking her adversary in her car, she climbs on top of it in her combat boots, rocking a vintage jacket gilded with pins, chains, rosettes, and epaulets and an absolutely massive, swoon-worthy organza skirt of reds, blacks, and purples comprised of over 5,000 hand-sewn flowers.
But wait … what are all those glimmering beads stitched all over this glorious strapless, almost architectural gown, which is a little like Dior of yore, but blessed with Estella’s pervasive touch? The reveal arrives soon enough when the statuesque dress unleashes hundreds of its wings into the halls of the fashion house and self-destructs, just the way Cruella has planned it.
So, when Stone’s deranged designer takes the stage at her very own glam catwalk wearing one — a black-and-white, broad-collared fur coat with front buckles and a full, fabulously asymmetrical skirt — she leads the Baroness to believe that she slaughtered her much treasured Dalmatians in revenge.
During the film’s final-act climax, Cruella descends a grand staircase in a slick, V-neck, floor-length black gown and a chain-accented, square-shouldered cape, with her two-toned hair gathered in a neatly swept, puffy do that elevates her iniquitous look.