The Costume and Set Designs of 'The Great Gatsby'

Inside the Gatsby Mansion

"Gatsby’s house and parties were very ostentatious, and there was no question of his wealth. As a result, we used lots of opulence in the gilding of his mansion. We gilded everything from his customized Wurlitzer organ to the customized ceiling and put his monogramming on everything!" two-time Academy and Tony Award winner Catherine Martin tells THR. This is the set and costume designer's third collaboration with husband Baz Luhrmann.

Gatsby's Grand Staircase

Front and center is Jay Gatsby’s nouveau riche mansion, where gold is the order of the day. "I was very influenced by French decorator and furniture designer [Emile-Jacques] Ruhlmann. He was part of the inspiration of the modern columns in Gatsby’s grand hall and designs in his bedroom," says Martin.

1920s Flapper Style

Martin was also in charge of creating 1,700 vintage designs for the cast. To depict the wealthy East Coast characters, Martin enlisted the help of designer Miuccia Prada, who reinterpreted 40 classic styles that were a mixture of European glamour and New York sophistication.

Gatsby Ballroom

A total of 42 sets were constructed on both location and sound stages in a mere 14 weeks. Architecture and designs were based on iconic turn-of-the-century houses on Long Island such as Beacon Towers for Gatsby’s home and Old Westbury Gardens for the Buchanans' estate. “You start [both processes] simultaneously because the way Baz works he is always asking you to research materials prior to any kind of draft on paper. He’ll want visual materials to help form a starting point. Baz is a visualist and we will bring pictures and a written description," Martin tells THR.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Joel Edgerton

For the actors’ costumes, Martin collaborated with Brooks Brothers on more than 500 ensemselbes -- a choice that was a natural as Fitzgerald referenced the men’s clothing institution (which originated in 1818) numerous times on the book.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton

While secondary characters wore the majority of Prada’s designs, Daisy’s party dress (pictured being worn by Carey Mulligan) was the only one chosen for the primary characters.

Gatsby Balcony

Historical research was key for Martin in portraying the story of one of the literary world’s most famous self-made men. Martin looked to the design of silent films Sunrise (1927) and Speedy (1928) to high-gloss Art Deco-suffused Greta Garbo classics. 

Gatsby Library

In contrast to Gatsby's library, "The Buchanan house has more of a sense of real history in the mix of periods. I looked at the work of [British twenties interior designer] Syrie Maugham, who played with the glamorization of antiques and had a total lack of regard of good and bad. Her designs were less snobby," says Martin.

Green Sequined Extras From 'Great Gatsby'

Two extras show off green-sequined skirts in true The Great Gatsby 1920s flapper style.

Dress From Designer Miuccia Prada

A Miu Miu flapper dress is worn by extra Annaliese Treharne.

Gatsby Extra With Headband

Plenty of extras sported headbands as the one pictured here, including Carey Mulligan's Daisy, who wears a much-publicized Tiffany & Co. headband in the film.

'Great Gatsby' Extra

"I have worked on three adaptations with him -- La Boheme, Romeo and Juliet and Gatsby -- and the art and wardrobe departments are very grounded in terms of the historical references," designer Catherine Martin tells THR.

Brooks Brothers Cardigan

Alpine green shawl cardigan from Brooks Brothers worn by Tobey Maguire's Nick Carraway. Retails at $148.

Brooks Brothers Boater Hat

Hundreds of these Brooks Brothers boater hats were made for the film and were worn by all of the men including Tobey Maguire and Joel Edgerton. It was one of designer Catherine Martin's favorite items.

Prada Sketch Design

Miuccia Prada's sketch of the flapper dress worn by Carey Mulligan's Daisy in the film. Mulligan also wears a Tiffany & Co. headband.