From a bright red ball gown inspired by Charles James' "tree" gown to an eye-grabbing skirt with 5,060 petal pendants sewn by hand, two-time Academy Award winner Jenny Beavan guides us through the film's most elaborate looks

There is no cooler fashion designer in the world than Jenny Beavan. In 2016, the septuagenarian Briton made headlines around the world when he won the Oscar for best costume design for his sensational work on George Miller's dystopian nightmare film Mad Max: Fury Road.

When she walked up to the podium, she wore jeans and a biker jacket adorned with a jeweled flame skull. Some of the guests at the awards ceremony looked confused and there was little applause, but Bewan was unfazed.

This isn't the first time she's won an Oscar -- she did for A Room with a View (1985), He was also acclaimed for The Bostonians (1984), Maurice (1987), Howards End (1992), The Farewell to Sentient Men (1993), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Anna and the King (1999), Gosford Park (2001) and The King's Speech (2010) Received multiple nominations. Her formidable career has spanned stage and screen for more than 50 years now.

Despite her vast experience, her latest project was a daunting task at the outset: "Cruella," directed by Craig Gillespie, which tells the raucous origin story of Cruella de Will, the fur-loving supervillain. Emma Stone stars as a giggling Cruella de Weil.

Set in London during the punk rock revolution of the 1970s, the story follows aspiring designer Estella (Stone) who catches the attention of industry elite, Baroness Von Hermann (Emma Thompson).

Their meeting sets in motion a series of events that transform young Estella into the ruthless Cruella, who ditches her simple suit for a blood-red ball gown, sequined biker pants, a lavish military coat, and a hand-stitched, petal-studded, full-length skirt. For her, fashion became a weapon - a weapon used to overshadow the baroness and challenge authority.

Ahead of the film's release on May 28, Bewan took us through some of the reference pieces from her mood board, shared her memories of 1970s London, and revealed her favorite unexpected looks.

Designing the costumes for Cruella sounds like a daunting task. How did you get involved in this production?

"It was through [producer] Kristin Burr, with whom I had previously worked on another Disney film, Christopher Robin (2018). I had heard of Cruella, and I knew Emma Stone was in it, but I never thought I'd be asked to produce it. I think it started because they suddenly found a window of opportunity in Emma's schedule, so they went for it, but a lot of people were not available at the time, and I just had the time. Christine texted me asking what I was doing. Then, I met [director] Craig Gillespie in London, and after reading the script, I thought to myself, 'Oh my God, this is amazing.' I had some great people in London, and one of them was available and willing, so we took it on."

It's no surprise that the film is set in London in the 1970s. What references do you make on your mood board?

I was right there! At that time, I was more interested in drama, such as stage design and scene-making, than fashion. But I still remember what I wore during that period, even if it wasn't very exciting. I can't afford Vivienne Westwood and even Biba is out of my reach.

So, after reading the script, I made a list of the needs for each character and then started printing images. In terms of references, we looked at a lot of people, including Westwood, [German singer] Nina Hagen, [fashion label] Bodymap and Alexander McQueen.

Did you actually buy vintage clothes from London, New York and Los Angeles for Emma Stone to try on?

Cruella has 47 looks in this movie, and in her case, she's definitely going to be hitting thrift stores, especially before she gets rich. We went to the clothing stores that had lots of clothes from the 1970s, but Portobello Market in London was also a good place to shop.

Then, we went to Los Angeles for Emma Stone's fitting. When I was in Los Angeles, I went to a large vintage Fair called the ACurrent Fair, and then found out it was being held in Brooklyn, so we cut that trip short. We did a lot of shopping in Los Angeles, and by that time, we had already packed 10 boxes of clothes for Emma. We sorted by look, started trying them on to learn what fit and what didn't, and then took pictures of each outfit.

What is Emma Stone like as a collaborator?

I had spoken with her on the phone and sent emails before we met, and she seemed very receptive to everything I brought to the table, keeping an open mind about everything. She likes to put on all kinds of clothes and pose. All fittings take place in her kitchen. I think we tried on clothes for about six hours.

I had already tried it out with her once before she came to the UK [to shoot], and that experience was very useful because we found the basis for Cruella's whole look. I don't think we've used an actual piece [from the vintage ones we've scoured], but we know what we're going to do with it.

What were your creative principles when designing the aesthetic qualities of Cruella's characters?

Cruella's outfits are clear in color: black and white with some gray, plus red for those iconic moments.[Emma Thompson's character] Baroness von Hermann's costume was a lot of brown and gold.We see an iconic moment in the trailer when Cruella lights a white cape on fire, revealing the red ball gown underneath. How was this look achieved?

It's in the script, and I'd love to see if it works. Some flammable filaments and fabrics burn without harming the actors, but this scene in our film is a visual effect. The dress inside was made from the baroness's old dress, which is mentioned in the story.

Cruella found the dress in a second-hand store, and when you see it again, she has deconstructed and reassembled it to create this otherworldly dress. The dress was inspired by Charles James' "tree" dress.

Talented costume designer Ian Wallace thinks that's the way forward. Although it may seem unrealistic, you can barely believe that there is enough fabric on the original gown to make this new one. We also designed the original gown and made sure it came with a cape so there was enough fabric.Another powerful shot is Cruella standing on the roof of a car, wearing a pink dress and jacket, with a miniature horse and carriage draped over her shoulders. How did you create this look?

That jacket is a work of art. I found a nice jacket that would have worked, but we decided to refurbish it. Then, the point of the design of the ruffled skirt was that it had to surround the baroness's car. The dress had to be big enough and light enough for her to fit in, and the dress had to be heavy enough to circle [the car] around.It was a real challenge, because at first, the dress was too heavy. In the end, Kirsten Fletcher, who is a very good costume maker, made this dress, and then I mobilized a number of students in my studio to hand-sew petals onto the dress. A total of 5,060 petals are said to have been sewn.

Baroness von Hermann's look is very different from Cruella's. Where did the inspiration come from?

Her look is very much influenced by Dior, and she's a bit old-school - a little bit more 1950s and 1960s. She was a good designer, even though her time had passed, which is why Cruella's new, more interesting fashion designs caught on.We feel that the Baroness has a very strong sense of fashion and carries it into her work. I worked with an amazing costume maker, Jane Law, who has a studio in Worthing, on the south coast of England. I used to drive up to her with a car full of fabric and dump it all on the floor of her studio, and we'd just hang fabric on our mannequins and think of new ideas. Then we went to see Emma [Thompson] and had her try it on.

What's your favorite costume in the movie?

There's a little Chihuahua in the movie wearing a mouse costume, and I think that's my favorite!