The Sartorial Elegance Of Netflix's 'The Queen's Gambit'

Delving into the mesmerising world of competitive chess, Netflix’s new fictional series “The Queen's Gambit” has fans captivated. It’s worth the watch! Protagonist Beth Harmon, played by Anya-Taylor Joy, embarks on a ‘life-changing’ journey centred around her love for chess. But that’s not all there is to offer. Set in the late ’50s and ’60s, the series showcases the most glamorous fashion statements of the time. 

The series follows Harmon’s progressive journey from childhood through adulthood facing some challenging themes of addiction, love, and loss. Her quest to become the greatest chess player in the world comes with an enthusiastic change in fashion choices inspired by major 60’s style icons including Audrey Hepburn and Edie Sedgwick. 

Opening with her new life at an orphanage, young Beth is depicted wearing a ‘ragged’ pale green dress showcasing the embroidered name ‘Beth’ which was lovingly sewn by her mother. Although this dress might not look the part, it is vitally important to tell a complete story of the character, reflecting her not-so-simple life of despair thus far. This is juxtaposed in the finale with her last look created by costume designer, Gabriele Binder. With clever thinking, Binder intentionally crafted an ensemble named ‘The White Queen’ to mimic the profile of a white queen piece in chess. The difference in sartorial choices indicates Beth’s growth from an innocent orphan to a powerful woman. 

The correlation of the theme of chess is replicated in the pattern of Beth’s outfits throughout the series. Visible in Beth’s pride coat, a white-black check with a stiff wool mix created by Samuel Robert. At this point in the story, Beth is conquering Moscow and has gained international recognition as a chess star where she is most confident and comfortable. Similarly, you can see parallels in the structure of the clothing in her first European tournament. Inspired by French designer Pierre Cardin, ‘on the cross’ was purchased by Beth herself reflecting her preference for an elegant mid-60’s French design.

Beth’s mental state is continuously reflected in her appearance. As her character is spiralling out of control, Beth falls drunk dancing to “I’m your Venus” by Shocking Blue. Later on, Beth replicates the Twiggy/Edie Sedgwick inspired eye makeup although it fails miserably. Daniele Parker, the show's hair and makeup designer said in an interview with NYLON “hair and makeup help depict the character, along with the costume, I enable the actor to help produce the performance and the character they want to give.”

Of course, we cannot forget to pay homage to the ally cast members including Mrs Alma Wheatley (Marielle Heller) who’s ‘Homemade Dior’ dress takes the spotlight on multiple occasions throughout the series for ‘special events.’ Notably, this baby-blue dress is a homemade re-creation of a Christian Dior design, originally a brown tweed. Also, Beth’s rival check-mate, pardon the pun, Benny Watts (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) has his own original sense of 60’s style made up of a cowboy hat, silver jewellery, and a knife on his belt which reflects his confidence.

If you feel fascinated by all this talk about chess and fashion, you can "check" out 'The Queen's Gambit' on Netflix. Likewise, if you’re interested in finding more about these statement outfits featured in the series, look no further because Netflix has delivered a virtual costume exhibit. Exclusively, you can access a 360° tour of the 20 most iconic costumes from both the Queen’s Gambit and Netflix’s popular series The Crown here.

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