Great Outfits in Fashion History: Carey Mulligan in a Froufrou Chanel Couture Dress

A look worth recreating this holiday season.

*Carey Mulligan in Chanel at a BFI London Film Festival screening of ‘Suffragette’ in 2015.*
Photo: Fred Duval/FilmMagic

There are perfectly good celebrity style moments, and then there are the looks that really stick with you, the ones you try desperately to recreate at home. In ‘Great Outfits in Fashion History,’ Fashionista editors are revisiting their all-time favorite lewks.

A holiday party dress is like a fully loaded sundae, with ruffles and sparkly embellishments acting as sweet toppings. There’s a costume-like aspect to putting it on, because most of us don’t have a reason to dress like a sartorial treat that often. I’m not the biggest fan of whipping up something sequined and glittery from my closet, but if I were to pick something froufrou, it would be the Chanel Haute Couture dress that Carey Mulligan wore to a BFI London Film Festival screening of “Suffragette” in 2015.

This mauve look, which came from the brand’s Fall 2015 haute couture collection, has a lot going on, from its oversized, ruffly sleeves to its ornate embellishments. The quality shines through in that the dress’ busyness renders it a work of art rather than an overdone, confused garment. With so many intricate details to put on display, Mulligan accessorized lightly, having worn statement diamond studs and no neck or wrist adornments.

Aside from her elegantly festive knee-length couture number, Mulligan’s expertly glossed and curled hair also deserves an honorable mention, especially the way it’s captured in the image above, as if her lob has magical, blowing-in-the-wind powers. And while we can’t recreate her hair, we can offer some similar dresses that you might want to wear to your next holiday party. Shop them all in the gallery below.