Cinema Chic: Outfits Inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow in A Perfect Murder
By popular demand, an updated look at the perfect wardrobe worn by Gwyneth Paltrow in the film A Perfect Murder.
Vogue 73 Questions: “Which of your character’s wardrobe would you steal if you could?” Gwyneth Paltrow’s Answer: “The lady that I played in A Perfect Murder.”
This was originally posted on October 19, 2021 on my original OG Habitually Chic blog but it was requested many times that I update it with pieces that are available now. It’s one of my most popular posts and it felt perfect to rework it for a new audience on Substack.
Long time readers and Instagram followers know my love for the wardrobe Gwyneth Paltrow wears in the 1998 film A Perfect Murder from director Andrew Davis which also stars Michael Douglas and Viggo Mortensen. I don’t want to give anything away for those who haven’t seen it but I came across this description on IMBD which sums it up, “A powerful husband. An unfaithful wife. A jealous lover. All of them have a motive. Each of them has a plan.” It’s loosely based on the play Dial M for Murder by Frederick Knott. I’m always amazed at how the film holds up today especially the fashion but maybe not the cell phones. It’s also an opportune time to revisit the wardrobe now that everyone is obsessed with 90s fashion.
In all the time I’ve been obsessing over A Perfect Murder, I never researched the costume designer Ellen Mirojnick before my original post. Her CV is pretty amazing and filled with iconic films like Fatal Attraction, Wall Street, Basic Instinct, and Unfaithful, many of which starred Michael Douglas. She won an Emmy for her costumes in Behind the Candelabra and has most recently been in the news for her costumes for the Netflix series Bridgerton and the award winning film Oppenheimer.
I’m a huge film nerd and keep DVD copies of some films because I like to listen to the audio commentaries. I went back and rewatched the commentary on A Perfect Murder that included Producer Peter Macgregor-Scott, Director of Photography Dariusz Wolski, Costume Designer Ellen Mirojnick, Set Decorator Debra Schutt, and Production Designer Philip Rosenberg.
On the audio commentary Costume Designer Ellen Mirojnick said of A Perfect Murder, “It was a picture that had to capture the ambience of wealth, sophistication, and a modern New York. The characters played by Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow lived on the Upper East Side in New York and were very wealthy and had anything that could ever want in their life at their disposal. The character that Michael plays is a character who is very much in control. He controls everything, his environment, people, places, and things, therefore, he needed to have a look that was sophisticated, elegant, and structured and rigid, almost like armor. The cut in his suits were always the same. This gentleman was not a man who would ever deviate from something that he knew and knew well.”
“The character that Gwyneth plays is a woman who is brought up in wealth. She comes from money and sophistication. She does have a job at the UN and deals with lots of different people but she’s a woman who does not have to dress in a way that is representative of how much money they may might have. She’s very elegant, the lines are clean, nothing is too obvious, nothing shouts money, nothing has designer labels on it. She is able to move with grace and elegance just in its own right. She has her own style. As they both do. They are a very stylish couple and the embodiment of a sophisticated, modern New York couple who would be the envy of anyone they would meet.”
“I’m a costume designer who works possibly in an old-fashioned way in this day and age. I’m influenced by the world and what I see around me, and who is who, and what’s on the street, and what the world is about, and maybe where it’s going to, that’s always an inspiration, but I’m not influenced by trends, fashion trends, nor am I influenced by any ready wear designers. I’m a costume designer that works in film and therefore will design costumes for film. They happen to be pieces of clothing and they could be sold in a store but my job is to allow the actor or actress to be the best that they can be. To be the most beautiful, glamorous, handsome, sexy, devilish, ugly, whatever it requires. That my job, to make them be the best that they can be and allow the illusion of who this person is to come through. To allow the actor to become a movie star and that’s what we go to the movies to see. We go to the movies to be totally engrossed in a story and watch these actors make magic and that’s the magic of moviemaking. It’s an illusion of who these people are that you will go away with. It’s my job as a designer to create that illusion so that one believes it’s as natural as everyday life.”
“The color palette of the film was a palette in which the tones are subtle. They range from black on through the greys, through the navies, through the whites and the creams. It runs the gamut but everything is very sophisticated and deep in its tonality. What we try to do is extract the essence of the film and this film is a murder mystery.”
From the LA Times, “Emily oozes elegance, class, money in leather, suede, cashmere, silk and shearling of purposefully indeterminate source, save for one fabled black Hermès Kelly handbag and several Hermès scarves. (Mirojnick designed most of the principals’ wardrobes, except for Emily’s Loro Piana cashmere sweaters, a Balenciaga gown, and a brown shearling jacket by Maxfield Parrish (another one here) in London.) Trousers, sweaters, skirts and coats are all cut simply, close to the body and without gimmicks. The point is that Emily doesn’t need to announce her good taste with a recognizable label or logo. She is a woman of confidence who can “put on a white (cotton) shirt, a little skirt (black knit, just above the ankle) and a piece of jewelry around the neck (8 millimeter pearls, double strand) and look like a million dollars.” You can also calculate into that Paltrow’s own platinum and diamond Cartier watch.”
This is the first outfit we see Gwyneth Paltrow wearing as Emily Taylor as she’s coming from her day at work and a lunchtime tryst. The film takes place over the course of a week, maybe a week and a half, and many of the same pieces pop up in different outfits.
Outfit details: Every woman should own a black wool coat like Emily Taylor’s and this one is a lovely day to night option. At the beginning of the film, she wears a purple paisley stole over the coat. It was probably either Etro or something supposed to look like it was bought on a trip. Etsy has many paisley stole options that are quite pretty. For her important work day, she wears a black skirt suit. The Row blazer is the splurge option but you can find reasonably priced options at Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, and J.Crew. It’s hard to find a suit with a midi-length skirt so I’d suggest this double-faced wool skirt. I also like this black wool skirt, this wool blend midi skirt, and this one. To be honest, I don’t love white shirts since they always get dingy so fast so I would suggest this Slim Cotton Shirt that’s reasonably priced. The tall black boots are very similar to the pair she wears in the film. I could also picture her wearing these black suede kitten heel boots too. She carried the iconic black box leather Hermès Kelly Sellier bag throughout the film which inspired me to buy one although, mine is a softer retourné style. You can find another without a shoulder strap here and one with a shoulder strap here. If a Kelly is out of your budget, this Demillier bag is $585. The 18K Gold Plated Silver Brilliant Cut Simulated Diamond Cubic Zirconia Stud Earrings have over 10,200 reviews and come in six different metal options and seven different carat choices. They would be great for someone prone to losing things and as a gift option. In the film, she wears a double-strand of pearls which I’m sure were Mikimoto or some other expensive brand. This Mikimoto Cultured Pearl Necklace and Stud Earring Set would make a lovely present for someone this holiday or for a special occasion. A reasonably priced option is this double strand of cultured freshwater pearls. The Cartier Panthère de stainless steel and diamond watch in the film was Gwyneth’s own watch although Cartier was credited for supplying some of the jewelry for the film. Get the look for less with this Milan Diamond Dial Bracelet Watch.
“An important plot point involves Emily’s delicate, though impressive, diamond and platinum wedding band (by Los Angeles jewelry designer Cathy Waterman). It was Paltrow who initially introduced Mirojnick to Waterman’s jewelry at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills, but Mirojnick feared it was too dainty to hold its own on camera. So Waterman agreed to put three of her rings together–one floral pattern sandwiched between two vines,” as told to the LA Times.
Since I know I’ll be asked about this, Sacred Heart school at Fifth Avenue and 91st Street was used for the exterior and terrace of the Taylor apartment but the interiors were filmed in an Armory building in New Jersey. I don’t love the design of the Taylor apartment in A Perfect Murder but I do have a better appreciation of what went into creating the elaborate apartment set after listening to the audio commentary on the DVD.
There is a formal event at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on the night of the first day on which the film takes place. On the Story and Rain Talks podcast, costume designer Ellen Mirojnick talks about going to Bergdorf Goodman where she shopped with Betty Halbreich to choose a few Balenciaga dresses as options for Gwyneth. It’s such a beautiful classic look.
She also said of Gwyneth, “She has a kind of hanger body. She’s tall. She’s thin. Her legs are longer than her torso. She has great stride and knows how to move in clothes. She knows how to sashay and how to be still. I’m sure she’s been playing dress-up since she was a little girl.”
Outfit details: This time I managed to find a pretty similar dress to the Balenciaga dress Gwyneth wears in the film with this raspberry Markarian silk corset gown. I also found a beautiful aubergine one-shoulder twill gown, this less expensive bow-trim charmeuse cowlneck gown, and this one shoulder dress. I read somewhere that Cartier loaned the jewels for the evening event and they came with their own guards. A much more reasonably priced necklace option is this Graduated Cubic Zirconia Collar Necklace for $199. The 4ct tw Cubic Zirconia Earrings are only $50. If the film was set today, I feel like Emily Taylor would choose this Spinelli Kilcollin Polaris set of four 18-karat white gold diamond rings. The Cubic Zirconia Tennis Bracelet is another great deal at $99. All the CZ pieces are available in gold and platinum options. In the film she carries a satin evening clutch in the same color as her dress that was probably specially dyed. It would be pretty impossible to match a bag without shopping in person I’d pair the dress with this black embellished satin clutch. The Gabriela Hearst Demi satin bag in crimson would also be a great option if it matched. I’d finish off the outfit with black suede pumps.
The next day, Emily takes the subway to Brooklyn to visit her lover. It’s a variation on her other office outfit so I took some liberties with this look.
Outfit details: She’s probably wearing the same black wool coat as when we first see her so other black coat options I like are this oversized wool cashmere wrap coat and oversized double-faced wool cape coat. In the film, she wears another blazer with knit skirt and a knit sleeveless sweater. Instead, I pictured her wearing this belted ribbed silk and cashmere-blend midi dress. Less expensive options include this merino wool midi dress and this ribbed sweater dress. These black suede kitten heel boots look chic and comfortable. She carries the black box leather Hermès Kelly Sellier bag through out the film but I could see her carrying the Toteme Day leather tote bag or The Row Sofia leather shoulder bag. This shopper bag with padlock is a great reasonably priced option. If paisley is not your thing, Heidi Wynne is my go to for oversized cashmere scarves. I also love this Bordeaux colored fringed scarf. These earrings, diamond by the yard necklace, and ring finish off the outfit. You can find a less expensive necklace option here.
The shearling coat in this part of the film was from Maxfield Parrish in London and you can still find vintage versions on the secondhand market.
Outfit details: One of the hottest shearling designers is Noor Hammour in Paris who made this shearling scarf coat. The scarf is detachable. Other shearling options include this one and this one. Faux options include this one and this one. To replicate the rest of her outfit, try this cardigan, tank top, and skirt. I also like this wool-blend sweater and wool-blend midi skirt. I reasonably priced option is the CashSoft relaxed ribbed cardigan and matching ribbed sweater skirt. I’d pair tall brown boots and a neutral Valextra bag instead of the black Kelly bag. A less expensive option is this crossbody bag with double handle. The finishing touches that I would choose are diamond earrings, a curb chain necklace, Cartier Baignoire watch, and ring.
There are so many details to her outfits that you wouldn’t notice unless you watched the film as many times as I have for this post.
The details on her robe make it look very expensive. Options that you could try are the jacquard silk tassel robe or cream knit robe. Until she takes them off, she’s still wearing her diamond earrings and diamond by the yard necklace.
The outfit she wears to go to her mother’s house is one of my favorites. The house used in the film is Salutations in Glen Cove, Long Island which has been used in many films. You can read more about it in my post Salutation House in the Movies.
Outfit details: I imagine if the film was set today, she’d wear the bark colored Toteme shearling coat. Similar turtlenecks include the chunky pure cashmere sweater, ribbed merino wool turtleneck, and luxe cashmere tunic turtleneck. You only see a hint of black pants when she gets out of the car. Maybe she’s wearing leggings but I doubt she’d wear something so casual to see her mother which is why I chose these full-length pants in four-season stretch. If Emily Taylor was dressing today, I suspect she’d be a fan of the brand Khaite and these Khaite Arizona suede ankle boots. These black suede boots are a less expensive but very similar style. Instead of a Kelly bag, you could try this black box leather bag. The headband she wears looks like this pale woven leather headband but this skinny tortoise headband would also work.
When I’m sick or it’s really cold, I also like to wear a cashmere sweater to bed like Gwyneth’s character in this scene at her mother’s house.
Outfit details: The options that look similar are from top to bottom, this oatmeal cashmere sweater, charcoal grey cashmere sweater, and pale grey cashmere sweater. We don’t see what she’s wearing on the bottom but maybe it would be sweatpants like these taupe joggers or grey sweatpants.
Some of my other favorite outfits are those where she tucks a silk Hermès scarf into her cashmere sweater. Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick gave her advice on the look to the LA Times, “You fold it in a triangle, put it at your neck, double knot it, puff it out and leave it alone. The key is leaving it alone. I’m not joking about that one.”
She’s not wrong. The more I fuss and retie my scarves in this manner, the more overdone it looks. It’s best when it looks casual and you didn’t try too hard. I own both Hermès scarves she wears in the film and I feel like Emily Taylor Bradford every time I wear them.
Outfit details: When she goes back to her apartment, she’s wearing an oversized sweater similar to this green chunky pure cashmere sweater. The exact Hermès scarf she wears is the is the Hermès l’Or des Chefs (the Gold of the Chiefs) silk scarf designed by Joachim Metz in 1997 which is when they filmed the movie. It comes in different colorways but this bright blue is the most rare so I’m lucky to own two. I think she just wears black or brown trousers with this outfit along with the shearling coat again.
The grey polo neck sweater is very similar to the one she wears in the film. Someone online actually figured out that she’s wearing the Couvee d’Hermes silk scarf with the grey sweater. You can find another exact version of this scarf here, here, and here. She also wears the same pale woven leather headband.
The outfit she wears for the end of the film is a grey ribbed turtleneck and black knit skirt. It’s a simple ensemble perfect for colder weather. They started filming A Perfect Murder in in New York on October 14, 1997 and finished on January 13, 1998. You can see the city look colder at certain times in the movie. The film was released on June 5, 1998 which seems like a strange time for a very obviously autumn and winter movie set in New York.
Another interesting thing I noticed when I was looking for my black Hermès Kelly bag was that a lot were from the year 1999. I wonder if there was demand for black Kelly bags after women saw the film.
Outfit details: She’s wearing the same black coat from the beginning of the film but so I’d suggest this chic black double-breasted wool coat, this black oversized double-breasted wool coat, or this black belted double faced wool coat. It’s hard to find an exact match to her grey wool ribbed turtleneck sweater but I found a few similar options like this grey turtleneck sweater, this grey cotton-blend ribbed turtleneck sweater, this grey merino wool ribbed turtleneck, and this grey cashmere ribbed turtleneck sweater. It looks like she wears the same black knit skirt as the beginning of the film so I swapped out for a black leather skirt. I also like this black leather skirt and this black faux leather skirt. She’s wearing the same black boots too so I’d suggest these black stacked heel tall boots as another option. Instead of the black box leather Hermès Kelly Sellier bag we see throughout the film, you could try this new black Gabriela Hearst Carrington bag. This black bag is a budget friendly option. She again wears the same diamond earrings but you could try this pair as another option.
A Perfect Murder is one of those films that gets rich people and New York right which isn’t easy. I also love the juxtaposition of the sexy Brooklyn artist David Shaw played by Viggo Mortensen against the fancier settings on the Upper East Side and Wall Street.
One fun fact from the movie is that Viggo created all of his character David Shaw’s artwork himself. He also wanted to live in David’s studio but there was no electricity or bathroom in the Brooklyn building. He told the filmmakers he’d use candles which they told him wouldn’t be safe in the old wooded structure. In the end, it was the insurance company who decided it wasn’t a good idea for the third lead in the film to stay in an unsafe building. Even so, Viggo spent a lot of time in the loft painting and helped dress the set too. I really love his commitment to the role.
A Perfect Murder is my emotional support movie. It’s one I often put on in the background while I’m working when I don’t want to be in total silence but also don’t want to be distracted by something I haven’t seen. And as you can see from this post, it’s terribly chic and has also inspired my fashion choices. If you haven’t see it yet, definitely add it to you must watch list.
XOXO,
HC
Yes, one of my favourite 90s New York movies. The other being Greencard, which isn't nearly as popular (and probably not your style esthetic) but one I absolutely love and it would be great to see an outfits inspired by from that movie (and the interiors are gorgeous).
I'm with Gwyneth..this is the wardrobe I would steal - and honestly I think you could wear everything today and look fabulous. Such a wonderful post Heather...everything I love about your work - the level of detail and work to find all of these substitutions is staggering. Thank you!