Elizabeth Debicki's Virginia Woolf Has A Wardrobe That's Just The Right Amount Of Rebellious

© Courtesy of Vita & Virginia

Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West shared progressive ideas and values, decades ahead of their time,” award-winning costume designer Lorna Marie Mugan tells Vogue of the critically acclaimed British writers. “They pushed the buttons of a society that was just tentatively getting over the trauma of giving women the vote [in 1918].” Mugan, who’s previously worked on hit TV dramas such as Peaky Blinders and Mrs. Wilson, captured this sense of liberation fused with rebellion through the outfits in her latest project, Vita & Virginia.

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Written and directed by Chanya Button, and due to hit UK cinemas this summer from July 5, portrays the notorious love affair between the pair – with Elizabeth Debicki taking on the role of Virginia, and Gemma Arterton that of her socialite lover, Vita. Vita, like Virginia, consistently challenged the restrictions placed on her by society – this included refusing to be in a traditional, monogamous marriage with her husband, Harold Nicolson. “She was bold, curious, restless and often tired of people when the conquest was won,” says Mugan. “So, her costumes are playful, slightly ahead of her time, monochromatic, androgynous, yet always have a noble silhouette. She was a punk in a castle.”

Virginia, whose extraordinary life has been depicted on screen multiple times – from 1997’s Mrs. Dalloway to 2002’s The Hours – was a different creature. Hailing from a middle-class family full of artists, she thrived within the setting of her own bohemian circle. “Her costumes are more layered, with delicate fabrics, soft chiffons and devour velvets, some bold bohemian pattern, yet fragile and needing the layer of a soft wool cardigan occasionally,” explains Mugan of her sartorial vision for the artist who was fragile and insecure, yet possessed a brilliant mind. “Her silhouette is consistent and adheres to a style that she is comfortable with and that complements the palette of her study, the centre of her world. She was apparently incredibly meticulous in the detail of what she wore, with clothes and fabrics having aesthetic value to her. So, trying a new dress for an important occasion would have caused her great anxiety.”

Set during the 1920s, the biopic reflects how women were being loosened from the physical constraints of corsets and the arts were experiencing a rebirth. Mugan, who created every outfit from scratch (producing up to six finished looks in a day) found a plethora of inspiration from the period: “I used a mixture of period and modern fabrics, and designed some original print for Vita to wear, taking inspiration from Sonia Delaunay’s art.”

But for Mugan, the creative process – which she’s refined since leaving her hometown of Derry in Northern Ireland to study in London during the 1990s – is more than a pleasure. “I tend to start my process researching photographs and paintings. I like to feel my way forward by sketching intuitively before refining details in a fitting with my tailor,” she explains. “I find that from sketch to screen, a costume evolves a lot, often experimenting with different cuts, fabrics and embellishments in the workroom, with my chief cutter, Gill Howard.” By the end of the process for this project, Mugan had established set accessory-based trademarks for both women: “We used Vita’s pearls to balance her androgynous looks, and Virginia had her tortoiseshell glasses.”

However, issues were encountered with one other character: the formidable English aristocrat Lady Sackville, played by Isabella Rossellini. “We had to make her outfits without meeting her,” explains Mugan. “She came in a day or two before filming started and her outfits were incredibly intricate. But it worked, and she was a bit overwhelmed by the hats we had made, particularly by the standard of the finished products.”

Vita and Virginia influenced each other on such a profound level that Virginia penned her novel Orlando: A Biography as a touching tribute to her lover and friend. "I tried to make these looks nod to the different incarnations of the character of Orlando within Virginia’s novel," says Mugan. "Influences of Persia in the high collar cut of a waistcoat, or a black silk shirt with soft white ruffle collar and palazzo pants, as her version of a tuxedo. I wanted her to look like she experimented and tried on new personas, with her look changing to reflect her current mood."

Full of passionate love and suffering, the biopic leaves no stone unturned when it comes to illustrating the duo’s (rather scandalous) romantic relationship. Ultimately, the women were utterly captivated by one another: Virginia by Vita’s bold persona, and Vita by Virginia’s intellect.

Vita & Virginia is due to be released on July 5.

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