Costume Design by: Anthony Powell ( notable efforts: The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1969), Papillon (1973), Sorcerer (1977), Death on the Nile (1978), Tess (1979), Evil Under the Sun (1982), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Pirates (1986), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Hook (1991), 101 Dalmatians (1996), 102 Dalmatians (2000) )
This fairly inoffensive comedy film involved Maggie Smith as the amorous Augusta Bertram, the titular 'aunt', whose globe-trotting misadventure has her wearing an array of stunning costumes designed by the late great Anthony Powell who won his first of three Oscars for 'Best Costume Design' thanks to his efforts on the picture. The first we see of Augusta is at her sister's funeral, where she's wearing this rather smart black jacket with an asymmetrical jagged lapel, worn with a feathered wide brim hat and furs.
Augusta's second outfit is this lovely golden print shirt worn over a black fringe skirt and the same wide-brimmed feathered hat - a good deal of the costumes worn by Augusta in the film have a rather 1920s or 1930s feeling to them, which fits given the character is a bit out of touch and still living in her glory days.
This can be seen with this red and black fur lined red coat Augusta is seen wearing afterwards, with a black tricorn hat that also has feathers fixed to it as well.
The tricorn hat is worn again with this rather more stiff black dress with white bands around the cuffs and collar, worn over the same black tights and shoes as well it seems.
When travelling by rail to Turkey, Augusta then wears this black and grey coat that resembles the sort associated with highwaymen of yore, especially thanks to the tricorn hat being worn over it once again, as well as white furs under it.
A flashback sequence to the 1930s involves Augusta wearing this lovely sequined black dress, worn with a silver top as well.
One of the film's most iconic outfits is ironically enough never seen much in it at all, this being Augusta's purple nightgown, only briefly seen when recounting one of her many lovers, that is fitted with a translucent top over it covered in black fur lining, with black fur cuffs as well.
The black fur cuffs appear again on this asymmetrically designed black and white dress, worn in the same flashback sequence as the purple dress above - this particular dress feels like a slight precursor of sorts to the various dresses that Powell would design for Glenn Close in her turn as Cruell in
101 Dalmatians, doesn't it? Also of note is the blue coat worn by another fling of Augusta's lover, with curved lining around the lower half.
Augusta then wears this lovely pink gown with a lilac scarf, fastened at the neck with three crescent brooches.
Towards the end of the film where Augusta finally finds her supposedly captive husband, she wears this patterned black top with a large pointed straw hat.
Later on the same outfit is worn minus the top and hat, and with a wonderfully colourful floral-patterned robe over it instead - I seriously can't do justive to this robe by describing it in words, so I'll just like the screenshots do the talking for me.
Augusta isn't the only flashy dresser in the film, as her assistant Wordsworth (Louis Gossett Jr.) wears this stunning lilac, white and yellow robe covered in various magical symbols due to the character being a mystic of sorts - and then there's that glittery shirt it is worn over too!
This outfit was eye-catching enough that it even turned up in the Oscars ceremony when winning its award for 'Best Costume Design'!
